The Special Extended DVD Edition of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, from New Line Home Ent., is the top contender in the 7th Annual DVD Awards with Leonard Maltin, leading all entries with six nominations. Maltin will preside for the fifth consecutive year at the DVD Awards Ceremony, the August 30 opening night event of the new Entertainment Media Expo (EMX), at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel here, Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, 2004.

The Walt Disney Company's Buena Vista Home Ent. by far claimed the most nominations at 24, with five each for FINDING NEMO and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and another seven between LION KING 1-1/2 and LION KING PLATINUM EDITION. In all, nearly 150 DVD titles were entered in 300+ categories.

There are 16 categories plus, new this year, Netflix Viewers Choice Award, based on a poll of the online DVD rental company's members, and Best of Show, conferred by the jury.

A major addition to the Ceremony is the first annual Leonard Maltin Award, with George Feltenstein of Warner Home Video the inaugural recipient of the honor personally chosen by the DVD Awards' emcee.

Fast rising filmmaker Brett Ratner (RUSH HOUR) will be presented the DVD Content Pioneer Award by DEG: the Digital Entertainment Group. Pioneer Awards are being presented at the EMX opening business session, Aug. 31, to Netflix and its founding ceo Reed Hastings, for retail innovation in being the first online DVD rental service; and to Microsoft Corp. and Lions Gate Ent., for technology innovation, releasing high-definition DVDs for playback on selected computers.

Also new is a separate category called Blockbuster Theatrical, defined for the awards as films grossing more than $200 million at the U.S. box office. For all other releases, there's the Major Theatrical, mainly big Hollywood films, and Independent Theatrical classifications, for which all independently financed productions, including those distributed through major studios, are eligible.

Sponsored by CMP Information and International Recording Media Association (IRMA), EMX includes the DVD Entertainment Conference, Media-Tech Conference, Surround 2004, Entertainment Packaging Summit and Entertainment Asset Management Conference, all of which combine to make it the nation's #1 trade event for packaged media professionals. The expo is expected to attract 120 exhibitors and 3,000 attendees.

The DVD Awards nominees and winners are selected by a blue-ribbon jury of technologists and journalists.

The nominees are:

Blockbuster Theatrical
FINDING NEMO
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS EXTENDED EDITION
X2: X-MEN UNITED

Major Theatrical
BIG FISH
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD
MIRACLE
MYSTIC RIVER
PANIC ROOM - SPECIAL EDITION
SCHOOL OF ROCK
SEABISCUIT
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - PLATINUM SERIES

Independent Theatrical
AMERICAN SPLENDOR
CABIN FEVER
LOST IN TRANSLATION
TOUCHING THE VOID
WONDERLAND

Multi-Disc Collection
ALIEN QUADRILOGY
ELVIS: '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL - DELUXE EDITION DVD
LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION, VOLUME 1
SCARFACE - TWO-DISC ANNIVERSARY EDITION GIFT BOX
THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES: COMPLETE COLLECTION
THE PINK PANTHER FILM COLLECTION - SPECIAL EDITION

Television Series
ALIAS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA - THE COMPLETE EPIC SERIES
BOOMTOWN: SEASON 1
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
TAKEN
THE SIMPSONS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON
THE WEST WING: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Direct-to-Disc
BARBIE OF SWAN LAKE
BIONICLE MASK OF LIGHT - THE MOVIE
TEXHNOLYZE VOLUME 1 - INHUMANE & BEAUTIFUL
THE LION KING 1 1/2
BRING IT ON AGAIN

Foreign Language
MAN ON THE TRAIN
THE INGMAR BERGMAN COLLECTION
MILLENNIUM ACTRESS
ONMYOJI - SPECIAL EDITION

Documentary
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS
GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS
STEP INTO LIQUID
THE HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL