Friday, February 19, 2010

The 40th Annual Decorators’ Show House & Gardens

One house, 28 designers, countless ideas! Tour Giverny, the 40th Annual Decorators’ Show House & Gardens, featuring 29 of Atlanta’s top interior and landscape designers, beginning Saturday, April 17 through Sunday, May 9.

In addition to exquisitely decorated rooms, the magnificent Buckhead estate also features 4 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, live music, shopping, and lunch available at Café Giverny presented by Glorious Events.

All proceeds benefit the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Learning Community, the largest provider of music education in the Southeast. Tickets cost $25, or $20 on or before Friday, April 16. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office at 404-733-5000 or visit www.decoratorsshowhouse.org.

The house is located at 3639 Tuxedo Rd., Atlanta, GA 30305 with parking and shuttle transportation from the IBM parking deck, 4111 Northside Parkway. Open for tours April 17 - May 9, 2010: Mon.- Wed. 10 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Thurs. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Fri – Sat 10 a.m.- 4:00 pm and Sun. 12 -5 p.m. (last entry 30 min. before closing)
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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Atlanta Cyclorama Honors Black History Month

In recognition of Black History Month, the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum will host two family events to celebrate, which are designed for families to come out and enjoy a fun and educational experience.

The first event on February 20, 2010 will feature renowned story teller Ms. Sylvia Hayes. She will recite and reenact renditions of slave stories and excerpts from other famous African American literature for your entertainment. Presentations will occur every hour from 12:30pm – 3:30pm before each guided tour.

The celebration continues on February 27, 2010 featuring Mrs. Beth Martin as she lectures on Traditional Southern Jargon. Mrs. Martin, Author of “Let Me Translate for Ya, Sugar” will discuss simplified southern-speak and phrases commonly used in Sothern culture. Mrs. Martin, aside from copies of her book, will also have “The South Rocks” t-shirts available for purchase. In addition, Civil War re-enactors will be on hand for guests to meet and greet and hear other great stories.
For kids of all ages, Black History Scavenger Hunt Kits will be available upon request.

Always available is the “Cyclorama Experience”, with its three dimensional diorama, surround sound, lighting and narration, enables the visitor a unique experience of “The Battle of Atlanta!” As your seats move around the painting our colorful heritage is made possible with narration in English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish.

Take your place in History and enjoy our colorful heritage at the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum! Located in Historic Grant Park, there are guided tours 9:15am - 4:30pm Tuesday thru Saturday, 12:15pm – 3:30pm Sunday. Admission is $8.00 for adults; $7.00 for military (w/ID), seniors and Atl. Zoo members; $6.00 for children 6-12; and, FREE for children under 6 years old. Group rates are available and arrangements can be made for private receptions, dinners, lectures and meetings. For more information call (404) 658-7625 or visit our web site www.atlantacyclorama.org .
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Monday, February 15, 2010

Cult Classic “The Boondock Saints” Returns to Movie Theaters for 10th Anniversary

Special One-Night Event this March

NCM Fathom Presents The Boondock Saints 10th Anniversary Event
with an Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Retrospective by
Creator/Writer/Director Troy Duffy in More than 450 Select Movie Theaters

Ten years after emerging as a cult sensation, “The Boondock Saints” will return to the big screen in a special one-night presentation, The Boondock Saints 10th Anniversary Event, on Thursday, March 11th at 7:30 p.m. local time. Creator, writer and director Troy Duffy will introduce the event and share rare behind-the-scenes experiences and footage as well as exclusive interviews with cast and crew members including Norman Reedus (Murphy MacManus) and Sean Patrick Flanery (Connor MacManus), captured especially for this anniversary celebration. Audiences will also be treated to special performance clips by The Dirges, Ty Stone and Taylor Duffy whose music is part of the upcoming soundtrack to The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, along with a sneak peek into the mobile games, comic books and graphic novel currently in development.

Presented by NCM Fathom, The Boondock Saints, LLC, and Hot Topic, tickets for The Boondock Saints 10th Anniversary Event are available at www.FathomEvents.com and presenting theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the web site (theaters and participants are subject to change).

“Twenty-ten is already shaping up to be an amazing milestone year for The Boondock Saints and for the millions of fans who have literally carried us to where we are today,” said Duffy. “I know I speak for Sean and Norman as well when I say that it’s going to be a year-long celebration of our connecting with, thanking and entertaining as many fans as possible just for the pure thrill of it all…and it starts on March 11th.”

Initially released in 2000 as a limited engagement to theaters following the Columbine tragedy, “The Boondock Saints” has gained a tremendous cult following, selling more than seven million DVDs to date. Acclaimed by critics and fans alike, “The Boondock Saints” is a story about fraternal twin brothers Connor & Murphy MacManus who embark upon a mission to rid Boston of human evil. After killing two members of the Russian mafia in self-defense, these hard-drinking brothers take the law into their own hands. No public outcry is heard and even FBI agent Paul Smecker begins to feel that the brothers are doing a good deed.

“The Boondock Saints” was previously presented by NCM Fathom in 2006 in 130 select theaters.

“’The Boondock Saints’ special event was a hit four years ago as thousands of fans experienced this cult classic in their local movie theaters,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “For those who have only seen this crime thriller on the small screen, this is a unique opportunity to experience it on the big screen like never before with an exclusive retrospective from Troy and the cast members who are part of ‘The Boondock Saints’ decade long journey.”

The Boondock Saints 10th Anniversary Event will be shown in 457 select movie theaters including, AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Georgia Theatre Co., Goodrich Quality Theaters, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as Arlington Theatre (Santa Barbara, CA), Bainbridge 5 (Seattle, WA), The Carolina (Asheville, NC), Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT) and Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA), through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Blu-ray™ and DVD will be available on March 9. Both the Blu-ray™ and DVD include two commentary tracks with filmmakers & cast, deleted scenes, and two behind-the-scenes featurettes: the making-of documentary “Unprecedented Access: Behind the Scenes” and “Billy Connolly and Troy Duffy: Unedited.” For more information about The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day Blu-ray™ and DVD, please visit www.theboondocksaintsii.com.
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Friday, February 12, 2010

Atlanta to Celebrate Dr. Jane Goodall's Extraordinary Legacy

Renowned Primatologist, Humanitarian and Conservationist to Lecture at Fernbank Museum of Natural History 

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, will be in Atlanta on the evening of Friday, February 19, 2010, for a celebration of her extraordinary legacy at Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

This year marks a monumental milestone for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and Dr. Goodall. Fifty years ago, Goodall, who is today a world-renowned primatologist, conservationist and humanitarian, first set foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, in what is now Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. The chimpanzee behavioral research she pioneered there has produced a wealth of scientific discovery, and her vision has expanded into a global mission to empower people to make a difference for all living things.

Atlanta residents will have a unique opportunity to hear Dr. Goodall speak while helping her commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ongoing Gombe research and her remarkable career.

“Dr. Goodall chose to stop in Atlanta during this celebratory year as there is a large base of support in the area,” said Mary Norman, senior vice president of development at the Jane Goodall Institute. “From the students at Warren T. Jackson and other elementary schools who are active in Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the Institute’s global environmental and humanitarian youth program, to museums like Fernbank that help spread her message of hope and inspire future scientists, Atlantans are making a difference, every day.”

“Jane Goodall is a major force for change and an inspiration to make positive things happen for our communities, animals and the environment,” said Fernbank Museum’s President and CEO Susan Neugent “It takes a network of citizens to make the world a better place—role models like Dr. Goodall who dedicate their lives to research; future scientists who will continue interpreting her work; partners like Fernbank that create engaging opportunities to learn; and museum visitors like Fernbank’s who have become active stewards of our planet, our ecosystems and our world cultures.. We’re all working toward the same goal, but it takes each of us together to achieve it.”

The event at Fernbank Museum, located at 767 Clifton Road in Atlanta, will include:

· A cocktail reception from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

· An exclusive showing of the IMAX® film Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees

· Welcoming remarks by Susan Neugent, President & CEO of Fernbank Museum

· Remarks by Dr. Goodall

Tickets to this event are $95 per person with a cash bar. Space is limited and advanced reservations are required. To purchase tickets, please contact Alicia Zarillo at azarillo@janegoodall.org or call 703-682-9288.

About the Jane Goodall Institute

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior—research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program that has groups more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.

About Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots

Founded in 1991 by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, the Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen—for our communities, for animals and for the environment. With hundreds of thousands of young people in more than 120 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe. For more information, please visit www.rootsandshoots.org.

About Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Since1992 Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum of Natural History has provided a gateway for all ages to discover and explore the earth’s history, the environment and human culture through dynamic exhibitions, programs and IMAX® films. Fernbank’s alliance with Dr. Jane Goodall’s mission to create a worldwide network of people who care deeply for their human community, all animals and the environment included the popular 2004 exhibition Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall and the IMAX® film Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees. Fernbank’s achievements have been recognized with the seal of accreditation from the American Association of Museums, a distinction earned by less than five percent of museums in the United States. For more information, visit www.fernbankmuseum.org.
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Fernbank Museum Offers Rare Glimpse into a Land Steeped in Mystery and Myth in Thought-Provoking New IMAX® Film, ARABIA

A land steeped in mystery and myth is revealed in stunning dimensions in the thought-provoking new film ARABIA, which opens in Fernbank Museum’s IMAX® Theatre on March 12, 2010. The film unfolds the story of an extreme desert environment that through the riches of global trade, a deep devotion to faith and its people’s thirst for knowledge, has become one of the most powerful, yet least understood, regions on Earth today.

This kaleidoscopic portrait of Arabia delves into the storied past and impending future through a mix of contemporary images of modern-day life, epic historical recreations, and visual effects that will allow theatre-goers to ride the dunes with a camel caravan, dive into the treasure-laden Red Sea, explore the ruins of a towering lost city, hurtle back into the Islamic golden age of invention, join three million Muslims on the Hajj pilgrimage, and get to know the young Arabians transforming tomorrow’s world. The result is a surprising and illuminating journey that not only unveils an often hidden world -- but also serves as a bridge between two cultures that have long misunderstood one another.

“While no single film could possibly capture the entire story of life on the Arabian Peninsula, this film provides an insightful overview of the geography, history, religion and culture that have combined to shape this region and its inhabitants,” said Fernbank curator Bobbi Hohmann. “Through dynamic programming like ARABIA, Fernbank strives to expose our visitors to the diversity of culture that exists on the planet, including people living today as well as those from the past.”

For most people, ARABIA will be a first chance to experience life in a part of the world often glimpsed solely through news clips.

“No other medium can convey the culture and atmosphere of another land as well as an IMAX® Theatre film. We spent months shooting where no cameras of any kind have ever been, so that
we could better understand this important part of the world for ourselves,” said the film’s Academy Award-nominated director, Greg MacGillivray. “I think we have brought back a fresh portrait of Arabia’s remarkable people and history, its culture based on strong family ties, its moving devotion to faith, and its struggle to balance ancient values with the modern world. This is a film full of surprises, including the surprise of how much, underneath it all, our people share in common.”

The story of ARABIA spans 2,000 years of Arabian history but is told by three vibrant, modern-day Arabian citizens, each invested in learning more about their history and culture. The film’s real-life guides are Hamzah Jamjoom, a Saudi Arabian film student at Chicago’s De Paul University who returns home to make a film about his heritage; Nimah Nawwab, a writer, poet and photographer who provides a young woman’s perspective on Arabia; and leading Arabian archaeologist Dr. Daifallah Al-Talhi, who is digging into his people’s incredible past in the lost Nabataean city of Madain Saleh.

The journey begins with Hamzah’s trek from his home city of Jeddah into the remote desert to explore his tribal roots among the Bedouins, the famously generous nomadic people who live in tent camps with their families and animals. After riding on camels and hunting with falcons, as well as encountering desert baboons, he heads to the coast where he will literally dive into another unseen realm of Arabia: the uniquely salty Red Sea. Under Arabia’s waters, Hamzah will explore a different world of dazzling coral reefs, distinctive marine life and ancient shipwrecks with stories to tell.

To better understand his people’s past, Hamzah meets up with archaeologist Dr. Al-Talhi at a site in Arabia like no other: the lost city of Madain Saleh, where soaring stone tombs cut into the cliffs and the ruins of a sophisticated oasis city have much to reveal about the origins of Arabian culture and its emphasis on trade and education. Here, in an age of enlightenment, the mysterious Nabataeans built a global center of learning, literacy, art, invention and commerce with the wealth they amassed from trading frankincense and spices with the vast Roman Empire. Largely unseen by the world, even by Arabians, Madain Saleh’s ruins come to vivid life for the first time on the IMAX® Theatre screen.

Filmgoers continue to traverse through Arabian history as the film delves into a second enlightened age of Arabia, the Islamic Golden Age, which began in the Middles Ages after the founding of the Islamic religion. CGI allows the audience to time-travel back to an extraordinary period when a vast Islamic empire made mathematical, medical, engineering and philosophical discoveries that rocked the world and paved the way for modern science and technology.

For a glimpse into current times, writer Nimah Nawab takes up the narration, as she makes a deeply personal pilgrimage to the Hajj, one of the most spiritually-charged events on the planet, when three million Muslim pilgrims make their way to the holy city of Makkah (Mecca) to reaffirm their faith. This profound experience of human communion, rarely seen by outsiders, is witnessed in all its emotions and stark humanity by the IMAX® cameras.

As the unforgettable journey of ARABIA comes to a close, a question lingers: is Arabia now in the midst of another prosperous period of transformation, a third golden age? While the future remains unwritten, Hamzah, Nimah and Dr. Al-Talhi leave the audience with much to ponder about how the desert carved the Arabian soul – and how Arabian souls are reconciling with the modern world.

ARABIA is produced and distributed by MacGillivray Freeman Films. The film is directed by Greg MacGillivray and produced by Greg MacGillivray and Mark Krenzien from a screenplay by Jack Stephens.

ARABIA shows in the IMAX® Theatre at Fernbank Museum of Natural History from March 12-July 29, 2010. Fernbank Museum is located at 767 Clifton Road NE in Atlanta. IMAX® ticket prices are $13 for adults, $12 for students/seniors, $11 for children ages 12 to 3, $8 for Members, and free (based on seating availability) for children ages 2 and under. Tickets are available at www.fernbankmuseum.org and 404.929.6400.
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High to Host Japanese Film Festival Highlighting Three Recent Releases

March 6–20, 2010

The High Museum of Art will present the Japanese Film Festival from Saturday, March 6, to Saturday, March 20. The series features three recent Japanese films, including the award-winning drama “Tokyo Sonata.” The festival is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta.

“This year’s Japanese Film Festival features a trio of films that explore the complexities of family relationships as well as the conflicts that arise when modernity collides with tradition,” said Linda Dubler, curator of media arts at the High. “Themes of honor, responsibility and individuality are common in Japanese cinema, and they appear here in films that should be especially meaningful to Americans as we endure the current economy and the accelerated pace of change in an increasingly interconnected world.”

The festival opens on Saturday, March 6, with American director Aaron Woolfolk’s “The Harimaya Bridge,” a gentle drama about forgiveness and cross-cultural understanding. When Daniel Holder receives news that his estranged son has been killed in a traffic accident in rural Japan, he must go abroad to retrieve the young artist’s belongings and face his long-held prejudice. Upon arrival Daniel realizes that, as an African American and a minority in Japan, he is not the only one to pass judgment based on stereotypes. This film is in Japanese and English with bilingual subtitles.

Hailed as one of the best foreign films of 2009, “Tokyo Sonata,” from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, premieres on Saturday, March 13. After Ryuhei loses his job, he hides his unemployment from his family and must find a new career to provide for them. Meanwhile, his wife and two sons conceal ambitions of their own, pushing the family toward a seemingly inevitable breakdown. Writing in Salon, Andrew O’Hehir called the film “a work of tremendous passion, daring and delicacy.” This film is in Japanese with subtitles.

The series comes to a close on Saturday, March 20, with director Kichitaro Negishi’s film “What the Snow Brings.” Manabu was once a successful businessman and loving husband, but when his life falls apart he contacts his estranged older brother Takeo, who puts him to work as a stable hand. Set in snowy Hokkaido, the film explores the brothers’ deeply conflicted relationship and Manabu’s effort to start his life anew. This film is in Japanese with subtitles.

Film Series Schedule
Unless otherwise noted, all films begin at 8 p.m. and are screened in the Richard H. Rich Theatre. The theatre is located in the Memorial Arts Building, adjacent to the High at Peachtree and 15th Streets in midtown Atlanta (MARTA stop N5.).

“The Harimaya Bridge”
Saturday, March 6
(Japan, 2009, 120 minutes.)

“Tokyo Sonata”
Saturday, March 13
(Japan, 2008, 120 minutes.)

“What the Snow Brings”
Saturday, March 20
(Japan, 2005, 112 minutes.)

Support
This program is co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta. 35mm projection facilities in the Rich Auditorium were provided by a gift from George Lefont.

Tickets
To purchase tickets in advance go to www.High.org, visit the Woodruff Arts Center Box Office or call 404-733-5000. Tickets for all shows are $7 general admission and $6 for students, seniors and Museum members. Patron-level members enter free. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the night of the screening.

Film Information
The public may call the High’s film hotline at 404-733-4570 for up-to-the-minute information about visiting directors, receptions, changes or cancellations and for a free subscription to the quarterly film calendar.

The High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art, founded in 1905 as the Atlanta Art Association, is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. With more than 12,000 works of art in its permanent collection, the High Museum of Art has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American and decorative art; significant holdings of European paintings; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography and African art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists and is distinguished as the only major museum in North America to have a curatorial department specifically devoted to the field of folk and self-taught art. The High’s media arts department produces acclaimed annual film series and festivals of foreign, independent and classic cinema. In November 2005, the High opened three new buildings by architect Renzo Piano that more than doubled the Museum’s size, creating a vibrant “village for the arts” at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown Atlanta. For more information about the High, please visit
www.High.org.

The Woodruff Arts Center
The Woodruff Arts Center is ranked among the top four arts centers in the nation. The Woodruff is unique in that it combines four visual and performing arts divisions on one campus as one not-for-profit organization. Opened in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art and Young Audiences. To learn more about the Woodruff Arts Center, please visit
www.woodruffcenter.org.
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