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The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine Feature Film Restored for May Release on DVD and Blu-ray; Film’s Songtrack Album to be Reissued

The Beatles' classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, has been digitally restored for DVD and Blu-ray release on May 28 (May 29 in North America). The film's songtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date. Currently out of print, the film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time. Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film's restored photochemical elements. This was all done by hand, frame by frame. www.thebeatles.com. (PRNewsFoto/Apple Corps Ltd./EMI Music)

Once upon a time … or maybe twice … there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland …

LONDON, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The Beatles’ classic 1968 animated feature film, Yellow Submarine, has been digitally restored for DVD and Blu-ray release on May 28 (May 29 in North America).  The film’s songtrack album will be reissued on CD on the same date.

Currently out of print, the film has been restored in 4K digital resolution for the first time by Paul Rutan Jr. and his team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque Inc.  Due to the delicate nature of the hand-drawn original artwork, no automated software was used in the digital clean-up of the film’s restored photochemical elements.  This was all done by hand, frame by frame.

Bonus features for the Yellow Submarine DVD and Blu-ray include a short making-of documentary titled “Mod Odyssey” (TRT: 7:30), the film’s original theatrical trailer, audio commentary by producer John Coates and art director Heinz Edelmann, several brief interview clips with others involved with the film, storyboard sequences, 29 original pencil drawings and 30 behind-the-scenes photos.  Both Digipak packages will include reproductions of animation cels from the film, collectible stickers, and a 16-page booklet with a new essay by Yellow Submarine aficionado John Lasseter (Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios).

Lasseter writes in his essay, “As a fan of animation and as a filmmaker, I tip my hat to the artists of Yellow Submarine, whose revolutionary work helped pave the way for the fantastically diverse world of animation that we all enjoy today.”

Directed by George Dunning, and written by Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn and Erich Segal, Yellow Submarine began its voyage to the screen when Brodax, who had previously produced nearly 40 episodes of ABC’s animated Beatles TV series, approached The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein with a unique vision for a full-length animated feature.

Yellow Submarine, based upon a song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, is a fantastic tale brimming with peace, love, and hope, propelled by Beatles songs, including “Eleanor Rigby,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “It’s All Too Much.”  When the film debuted in 1968, it was instantly recognized as a landmark achievement, revolutionizing a genre by integrating the freestyle approach of the era with innovative animation techniques.

Inspired by the generation’s new trends in art, the film resides with the dazzling Pop Art styles of Andy Warhol, Martin Sharp, Alan Aldridge and Peter Blake. With art direction and production design by Heinz Edelmann, Yellow Submarine is a classic of animated cinema, featuring the creative work of animation directors Robert Balser and Jack Stokes with a team of animators and technical artists.

“I thought from the very beginning that the film should be a series of interconnected shorts,” remembers Edelmann.  “The style should vary every five minutes or so to keep the interest going until the end.”  These styles included melding live-action photography with animation, 3-dimensional sequences and kaleidoscopic “rotoscoping” where film is traced frame by frame into drawings.  The entire process took nearly two years, 14 different scripts, 40 animators and 140 technical artists, ultimately producing a groundbreaking triumph of animation.

On April 24, Candlewick Press will release a new, compact hardcover edition of the Yellow Submarine picture book, a read-aloud journey for the whole family.  Featuring the lighthearted wit of the film’s script alongside original artwork from the movie that has charmed children and adults through several generations, the beautiful, 40-page book will be sold by retailers everywhere and on the Beatles Store (www.thebeatles.com).  An interactive digital version of the book is also available as a free download on Apple’s iBookstore for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch at www.iTunes.com/TheBeatles.

www.thebeatles.com

Yellow Submarine synopsis:
Once upon a time … or maybe twice, there was an unearthly paradise called Pepperland, a place where happiness and music reigned supreme. But all that was threatened when the terrible Blue Meanies declared war and sent in their army led by a menacing Flying Glove to destroy all that was good.  Enter John, Paul, George and Ringo to save the day!  Armed with little more than their humor, songs, and of course, their yellow submarine, The Beatles tackle the rough seas ahead in an effort to bring down the evil forces of bluedom.

Production credits
Running Time: 89 minutes
Director – George Dunning
Producer – Al Brodax
Screen story – Lee Minoff
Screenplay – Lee Minoff, Al Brodax, Jack Mendelsohn, and Erich Segal
Art Director – Heinz Edelmann
Animation directors – Robert Balser and Jack Stokes
Production Executive – John Coates
Music Producer and Supervisor – George Martin

Featuring music by The Beatles

Yellow Submarine [DVD, Blu-ray]
Feature film [TRT: 89:00]
Fully restored in 4K and presented in the original aspect ratio of 1:66-1

Audio options:
English 5.1 DTS
German 5.1 DTS
Italian 5.1 DTS
English Dolby Stereo
Original Mono

Audio Commentary – Heinz Edelmann (Art Director) and John Coates (Producer)

Subtitle languages (feature only):
English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Japanese

Extra features:
Mod Odyssey documentary [TRT: 7:30]
Original theatrical trailer [TRT: 3:30]

Storyboard sequences:
- Sea of Monsters (split screen footage) [TRT: 4:20]
- Battle of the Monsters [118 images]
- Pepperland [64 images]

Interviews:
- Paul Angelis (voice of Ringo and Chief Blue Meanie) [TRT: 1:39]
- John Clive (voice of John) [TRT: 2:03]
- David Livesey (key animator) [TRT: 1:11]
- Millicent McMillan (Heinz Edelmann’s assistant) [TRT: 1:12]
- Jack Stokes (animation director) [TRT: 3:42]
- Erich Segal (co-writer) [TRT: 1:38]

Original pencil drawings [29 images]
Behind-the-scenes photos [30 images]

Yellow Submarine Songtrack [CD]
1. Yellow Submarine
2. Hey Bulldog
3. Eleanor Rigby
4. Love You To
5. All Together Now
6. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
7. Think For Yourself
8. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
9. With A Little Help From My Friends
10. Baby, You’re A Rich Man
11. Only A Northern Song
12. All You Need Is Love
13. When I’m Sixty-Four
14. Nowhere Man
15. It’s All Too Much

SOURCE Apple Corps Ltd./EMI Music

Web Site: http://www.thebeatles.com

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars Supports Rock & Roll After School® Guitar Donation Helps Ignite Music Education

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars supports Rock and Roll® After School music school

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, the original girl guitar company, donates a Daisy Rock Black Debutante Elite guitar on behalf of Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), in support of the Rock & Roll After School® music education program in Phoenixville, PA.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 16, 2012

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars, the original girl guitar company, donates a Daisy Rock Black Debutante Elite guitar on behalf of Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), in support of the Rock & Roll After School® music education program in Phoenixville, PA.

Rock & Roll After School is an innovative music school where kids ages 7 to 18 can learn guitar, bass, drums, piano, and vocals. The organization’s band program affords kids the opportunity to join a band and rehearse for a performance in a professional venue. The donation of the Daisy Rock Black Debutante Elite guitar supports the creative and musical pursuits of young people enrolled in the program, as they learn and play their own music.

“We are so honored to be able to donate a Daisy Rock Black Debutante Elite guitar in the name of Vicki Peterson from the all-girl legendary band, The Bangles,” commented Tish Ciravolo, President and Founder of Daisy Rock Girl Guitars. Whenever Daisy Rock is asked to be a part of an organization such as Rock & Roll After School, whose sole mission is to bring the gift of music to children, we are thrilled to help in any way we can.”

As part of the music education experience, Rock & Roll After School music school also operates 5 weeks of camps during the summer months, hosting more than 100 kids every year. For more information about Rock & Roll After School, visit rockandrollafterschool.com.

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars offers a complete line of quality girl guitars designed to look and sound great, and to fit the female form. For more info, or to find a dealer near you, visit daisyrock.com.

ABOUT DAISY ROCK GIRL GUITARS
Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is the original girl guitar company dedicated to successfully supplying and marketing professional quality guitars for females of all ages. All Daisy Rock guitars are designed specifically for the female form and feature lightweight bodies, “Slim & Narrow” neck profiles to better fit smaller hands, and are available in inspiring finishes. Daisy Rock Girl Guitars’ ongoing mission is to do whatever it takes to help girls play guitar and enjoy music.

Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is led by its Founder and President, Tish Ciravolo. Ciravolo is a highly acclaimed expert on female empowerment and females in music. Tish’s expertise has been immortalized by her induction into the Museum of Making Music, the world’s premier museum showcasing the history of the music products industry, and she is widely regarded as a visionary in the industry. Ciravolo’s deep insight into the subject of girl guitars and female empowerment has made her a sought after and frequent contributor on national and international television, newspapers, magazines, websites, and radio programs including People, Time, Newsweek, CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX, VH1, the Premier Radio Network, BBC Radio, and the Associated Press. Daisy Rock Girl Guitars is in over 25 countries worldwide, and is co-owned and distributed by Alfred Music Publishing.

Lionel Richie to Debut Songs From His Highly Anticipated Country Duets Album – Tuskegee – on “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” Airing Nov. 9 on ABC

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — International icon Lionel Richie will release Tuskegee , his much-anticipated Country duets album, in March on Mercury Nashville, after debuting songs on the national broadcast of “The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” airing live Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

During the broadcast Richie will perform select duets of his runaway hits with Little Big Town, Darius Rucker , and Rascal Flatts. Richie is no stranger to the CMA Awards stage. In 1984, Richie performed “Lady” with Kenny Rogers and in 1986, he performed “Deep River Woman” with Alabama.

“Twenty-five years is too long to wait and we are thrilled to have Lionel back on the CMA Awards stage performing alongside our superstar acts,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore . “This is what the CMA Awards are known for. Those one-of-a-kind collaborations you don’t want to miss because everyone will be talking about it the next day.”

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and features performances by Jason Aldean , The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert , Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery , Blake Shelton, Sugarland, Taylor Swift , Thompson Square, Keith Urban , Chris Young , Zac Brown Band, plus Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter singing their hit collaboration “You and Tequila,” Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bedingfield singing their current hit duet “Easy,” and co-hosts Paisley and Underwood in their first live televised-performance of their No. 1 song “Remind Me.”

Surpassing his creative and personal boundaries, Richie comes full circle with the innovative and personal Tuskegee, performing 13 of his most revered “anthems of our day” with some of the biggest names in Country Music, including Aldean, Chesney, Billy Currington, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, Rascal Flatts, Rucker, and Blake Shelton. On this worldwide, multi-genre album, Richie is also joined by the likes of such superstars as Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Buffett.

Tuskegee is an exciting and transcendent arc in a career that has seen album sales of more than 100 million, 22 Top 10s, five Grammys, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe, and a host of other awards from virtually every major entertainment organization.

While defying boundaries and breaking barriers throughout his storied career, Richie reveals once again that Tuskegee will join the ranks of his timeless body of work that touches people of all faiths, ages and demographics across the world.

“As my songwriting progressed, I realized that my songs perfectly translated to the Country genre,” says the living legend as he taps on the keys of the piano in his state-of-the-art recording studio.

It was when Conway Twitty sang “Three Times a Lady“ along with songs such as “Lady” and “Deep River Women” that Richie knew Country Music was clearly omnipresent in the lyrics he wrote.

“I was born and raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. I am a country boy and proud of it. To do this project just felt natural,” says Richie.

“Growing up with Country, R&B, gospel, and classical music from my grandmother and pop, Tuskegeewas the perfect melting pot for my influences as a writer,” he says, “and the title, Tuskegee , is a validation of my growing up there—the place I call home.”

Envisioning and bringing Tuskegee to life with such grace and passion has been a rewarding, revelatory time for Richie.

“What began as a collaboration of talented people ended up being a great group of friends getting together to make great music,” says Richie.

“Tuskegee is a state of mind as it is a place,” he adds, “a place of possibility, hope, promise, self-empowerment, and where dreams come true.”

Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee Track-Listing:

1. “You Are” with Blake Shelton
2. “Say You, Say Me” with Jason Aldean
3. “Stuck On You” with Darius Rucker
4. “Deep River Woman” with Little Big Town
5. “My Love” with Kenny Chesney
6. “Dancing On The Ceiling” with Rascal Flatts
7. “Hello” with Jennifer Nettles
8. “Sail On” with Tim McGraw
9. “Endless Love” with Shania Twain
10. “Just For You” with Billy Currington
11. “Lady” with Kenny Rogers
12. “Easy” with Willie Nelson
13. “All Night Long” with Jimmy Buffett

“The 45th Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. Chevrolet™ is a Proud Partner of the CMA Awards and Official Ride of Country Music. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the 2011 CMA Awards. Macy’s is the official presenting partner of the CMA Awards Red Carpet.  CMA is a Proud Supporter of DRIVE4COPD.

SOURCE Country Music Association