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 TheatricalFINDING 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 TheatricalBIG 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 TheatricalAMERICAN SPLENDOR CABIN FEVER LOST IN TRANSLATION TOUCHING THE VOID WONDERLAND
Multi-Disc CollectionALIEN 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 SeriesALIAS: 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-DiscBARBIE 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 LanguageMAN ON THE TRAIN THE INGMAR BERGMAN COLLECTION MILLENNIUM ACTRESS ONMYOJI - SPECIAL EDITION DocumentaryBOWLING FOR COLUMBINE CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS STEP INTO LIQUID THE HISTORY OF ROCK 'N' ROLL THE WEST Special InterestAPOLLO 15: MAN MUST EXPLORE LILO & STITCH'S ISLAND OF ADVENTURES MANCHESTER UNITED: PLAY LIKE CHAMPIONS NBA DYNASTY SERIES: CHICAGO BULLS - THE 1990'S NFL FILMS SUPERBOWL COLLECTION - SUPERBOWLS I-X STEP INTO LIQUID Music Production (DVD-Video)ELVIS: '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL - DELUXE EDITION DVD GRATEFUL DEAD - THE CLOSING OF WINTERLAND THE ROLLING STONES - FOUR FLICKS THE WHO: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Authoring DesignBIG FISH FINDING NEMO PANIC ROOM - SPECIAL EDITION PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL THE LION KING - PLATINUM EDITION THE LION KING 1 1/2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS EXTENDED EDITION Menu DesignBROTHER BEAR FINDING NEMO KILL BILL VOLUME 1 PANIC ROOM - SPECIAL EDITION THE LION KING - PLATINUM EDITION THE LION KING 1 1/2 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS EXTENDED EDITION Video PresentationDIGITAL VIDEO ESSENTIALS: OPTIMIZE YOUR HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM FINDING NEMO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL SCHINDLER'S LIST SLEEPING BEAUTY: SPECIAL EDITION SPY KIDS3D: GAME OVER THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION THE LION KING - PLATINUM EDITION THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS - SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION WINGED MIGRATION Audio PresentationBLUE MAN GROUP - THE COMPLEX ROCK TOUR LIVE FINDING NEMO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL THE LION KING - PLATINUM EDITION THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS - SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION THE ROLLING STONES - FOUR FLICKS THE WHO: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT RestorationALICE IN WONDERLAND ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST SCARFACE - TWO-DISC ANNIVERSARY EDITION SLEEPING BEAUTY: SPECIAL EDITION THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY PC Support (ROM Features)PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL SCHOOL OF ROCK STEP INTO LIQUID THE HAUNTED MANSION THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS EXTENDED EDITION
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
