A lush and orchestral return to form, Of Faith… has received plaudits and praise from the likes of All Music Guide (”In a world where bands like the Hold Steady and the Gaslight Anthem get praise for similar sentiments delivered via rock & roll, there seems to be no reason why VNV Nation shouldn’t get some credit of their own”) to ReGen Magazine (”VNV takes futurepop on its next step in evolution…”).

Evolving their trademark sound by augmenting it with even crisper melodies and stronger hooks, Of Faith is an alt-pop pantheon of sharp and soothing keyboards, full and hearty rhythms, and synthpop dancebeats that both embrace their seminal and illustrious past while looking straight ahead into the future. From the lushly atmospheric and majestic opening track “Pro Victoria” to the powerfully propulsive “Tomorrow Never Comes” to the gentle piano ballad “From My Hands,” this is a strikingly warm album in a genre that tends to be cold, hard and isolating.

With their unique and formidable ability to combine very melodic, danceable electronics with haunting and powerful lyrics, VNV Nation have built a massive fanbase, playing to hundreds of thousands of fans at both their own sold-out shows and major rock festivals worldwide. Their massive hits “Standing” and “Dark Angel” are club staples that still pack dancefloors. Of Faith, Power And Glory was released on June 23, 2009 and charted on Billboard’s Electronic Charts at #5.

VNV NATION TOUR DATES
Mar-16 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge
Mar-17 Ann Arbor, MI Necto
Mar-20 Edmonton, CA New City Suburbs
Mar-22 Towson, MD Recher Theatre
Mar-24 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mar-25 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
Mar-26 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
Mar-27 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls
Mar-29 Cincinnati, OH Mad Hatter
Mar-30 St. Louis, MO Pop’s Small Room
Mar-31 Nashville, TN Exit/In
Apr-02 New Orleans, LA The Hangar
Apr-03 Austin, TX Elysium
Apr-04 Houston, TX Meridian
Apr-05 Tulsa, OK The Marquee
Apr-07 Lawrence, KS The Granada
Apr-08 Colorado Springs, CO The Black Sheep
Apr-09 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
Apr-10 Albuquerque, NM Launch Pad
Apr-12 Pomona, CA Glasshouse
Apr-13 Sacramento, CA Boardwalk
Apr-14 San Diego, CA House of Blues

www.vnvnation.com
www.myspace.com/vnvnation
www.last.fm/music/VNV+Nation

Ellis’ 1991 novel, American Psycho, explores the designer lifestyle and twisted mind of Patrick Bateman, a young and handsome Wall Street investment banker in 1980s Manhattan.  Bateman’s days are driven by his obsessive and over-the-top materialism; by night, his mask of sanity slips away as he descends into a chilling indulgence in drugs, prostitution and murder.

American Psycho, which shocked the nation and defined the dark side of the 1980s, has sold over 1.6 million copies worldwide, and has since been recognized as a contemporary classic. The novel was adapted into an acclaimed feature film in 2000.

Duncan Sheik is no stranger to risky subject matter, having composed the music for Spring Awakening, the hit rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1891 German play of the same name.  For his work, Sheik was honored with two Tony Awards—for Best Orchestration and Best Original Score (Music)—while the show itself was recognized as Best Musical. Additionally, Sheik received a Grammy in 2008 for Spring Awakening’s original cast recording, and was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his hit 1996 single “Barely Breathing.”

Sheik said, “I am very excited to begin working on the stage version of American Psycho with playwright Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and the producing team.  After re-reading Bret Easton Ellis’ book this summer I came to feel that what some people (including myself) may have seen as an over-the-top literary folly of the early nineties was in fact a pretty timeless tale of alienation and solipsism in a world where commercialism rules everything and art is only valued for it’s surfaces.  And, really, what could be more subversive fun than murderous bankers breaking into song?”

Sacasa is currently writing on HBO’s Emmy-nominated hit series BIG LOVE starring Bill Paxton. His stage plays include Based on a Totally True Story, Bloody Mary, Rough Magic, Dark Matters, Good Boys and True, The Mystery Plays, and Say You Love Satan.
Ellis commented, “I am a huge fan of Duncan and Roberto and am excited to be collaborating with them.  I trust their creative vision of my book and know they will deliver a memorable show to all American Psycho fans and beyond.”

The Johnson-Roessler Company’s David Johnson, Craig Roessler and Jesse Singer are producing alongside The Collective’s Aaron Ray and XYZ Films’ Nate Bolotin.  Ellis and Edward R. Pressman will serve as consulting producers.

At the heart of communities across the UK there used to be the British pub – the great British boozer renowned around the world. But now, fifty pubs are closing a week, meaning that by 2012, one in six will be gone for good. We are losing our national heritage and the lifeblood of our communities is being drained away.

With the help Jay Smith, five different rural communities are being given the chance to fight back, to create the pub they want in their town, to bring back their very own British boozer.

Each rural location featured in the series has a local pub that has shut down, is deteriorating or heading for ruin because of a mixture of the recession, the smoking ban, rising costs and competition from supermarkets. In each programme, with Jay’s guidance, one town gets together to galvanise the village to get the pub back on its feet and, importantly, make it a part of the community again.

In this high-risk social experiment that never before been documented on television, we will witness the highs and lows as the community reopens its pub, learns how to run it and finally takes it over and run it for themselves. Everyone involved will work as volunteers and will be trained in all the necessary skills to run their pub as a successful organisation, ploughing any money made back into the pub.

Over a period of two months, Jay Smith will lead each community as they undergo an intense six weeks of training and hard work to revamp their closed down pub – and decide whether they are ready to take it over for good.

The pub will become a meeting place and offer quizzes, teams, entertainment and food. It will be the town’s People’s Pub, created from scratch by the people of the town.

We’ll be there every step of the way, to witness the highs and lows, the successes and the failures and to discover whether people care enough about this very British aspect of life to work together and fight against the odds to turn a failed enterprise into a successful business. Across the nation, our pubs might be dying out, but does the British wartime spirit of a community pulling together in times of adversity still exist?

Jay Smith observes: “These boozers are the backbone of British society. Lose them and we lose our identity. I want this series to really inspire people to get on board with my passion – to bring back the great British boozer.

“By showing viewers how these five communities get their own pub up and running, I hope others will be inspires to do the same. Of course, there is the risk that it could all go horribly wrong, in which case it may end up being an example of how not to do it! But if we can get communities working together to get their British pubs back, it will be good for our communities, good for tourism and good for the great British boozer.”

Tune in to Save Our Boozer exclusively on Blighty from Tuesday 8^th December 2009.

The results reveal that the British public looks for a festive family title to enjoy on Christmas Day with The Muppet Christmas Carol taking top spot in the poll; Home Alone came close in second spot with Fred Claus, starring Vince Vaughn coming in third. All three movies are now scheduled into prime-time viewing slots on Christmas and Boxing Day with the rest of the top 20 films showing across the two days on Sky Movies Christmas Channel and all will be available to watch uninterrupted and in glorious HD on Sky Movies Christmas Channel HD.

To help spread messages of goodwill to all men, a selection of lucky customers who participated in the voting can also post a special message to loved ones. These animated messages and dedications will appear on the Sky Movies Christmas Channel, before each film is broadcast. (Full listings follow at end of release)

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies said, “Sky Movies is delighted to be dedicating a channel to Christmas this year and we couldn’t think of a better present for the public than letting them decide what they wanted to watch on Christmas Day. Home Alone and The Muppet Christmas Carol are two big favourites with my kids and the fact that we’ll be the only channel where you can see them uninterrupted by adverts and in High Definition, will hopefully keep everyone happy over the festive period.”

Sky Movies Christmas Channel launched on Tuesday the 1st December. Every day in December the channel will provide movie fans with a specially selected Sky Movies Christmas Box Set to help cope with the stresses and strains of the yuletide period. Among the many Box Sets available, film fans can enjoy: Best of British Box Set including The Italian Job and Quadrophenia (4th Friday); Indiana Jones Box Set (18th December); Home Alone Box Set (21st December) and the Animation Box Set including Kung Fu Panda and Bee Movie (22nd Tuesday).

Sky Movies Premiere/HD will also screen a number of blockbuster premieres over the Christmas period. On Christmas Day Sky Movies will premiere the must see family-fun of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman romantic epic Australia as well as Adam Sandler and Russell Brand family comedy Bedtime Stories. Finally on New Year’s Day Sky Movies helps kick of 2010 with a bang by premiering the latest James Bond thriller Quantum of Solace

Full Sky Movies Christmas Channel Schedule for Christmas Day and Boxing Day:

FROST ROAD concerns a small coastal Eastern town which is suddenly and inexplicably devastated by an invisible contagion. A young man awakens from a car accident to discover he is one of few survivors in the aftermath of a mysterious outbreak. Somehow immune, he tries to save the remaining survivors from themselves, as he desperately struggles to prevent the deadly wave from spreading across the entire planet.

After hauling in the biggest-ever first-day sales, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 continues to break records not only for video games but for all entertainment media; Activision Blizzard Inc., has reported $550 million in worldwide sales during its first five days and a reported $3 billion in sales-to-date. Game developer Infinity Ward contracted Arem as their talent director – responsible for directing, casting, and engineering all actors for the game including 50 Cent, Barry Pepper, Kevin McKidd, Keith David, Billy Murray and Lance Henriksen.

“I’m extremely excited about this story,” declared Arem about FROST ROAD, “and thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the skills I’ve honed in the game industry to the big screen. There’s an incredible talent pool currently working in the game industry, and I hope that the success of FROST ROAD will give other creators the chance to show what they can do on a wider canvas.”

Cary Brokaw seconded Arem’s sentiments, praising “…the incredible results that Keith achieved in Modern Warfare 2. The popular response to the title speaks for itself. There’s a great deal that film can learn from the dynamic and immersive experience of games, in the same way the medium has drawn on graphic novels for visual inspiration. With FROST ROAD, we believe that we’ve harnessed the best of not just both, but all three worlds.”

L’Heureux commented, “It is a pleasure working with Arem. Smart and passionate about everything he does and FROST ROAD will really show off his sense of filmmaking.”

Avenue Pictures is a highly regarded production company active in both film and television. Headed by Cary Brokaw, the company has produced such films as Closer, The Merchant of Venice, Short Cuts and Restoration. Brokaw most recently produced The Resident starring Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan for Hammer Films, which is now in post-production. The company has over forty films in development, and Avenue Pictures Television has nine television series in development with a first-look deal with Fox Television Studios.

Solipsist Films is a live action feature film, television and animation production company. Originally established in 2005 to service the feature film, feature animation, high quality television and video game markets by producer Stephen L’Heureux. Solipsist is one of a very select few with a successful production background in all media of entertainment production, and is known for its particular expertise in developing and producing theatrical films and television programming based upon comic books and graphic novels.

PCB Productions is a digital content creation company for Interactive, Film, Television, Animation, and New Media. Founded by industry veteran Keith Arem (Virgin Interactive/Electronic Arts), PCB has developed on over 500 commercial titles, including franchises for the Call of Duty series, Lord of the Rings, Spiderman series, Ghost Recon series, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, Ridge Racer series, Prince of Persia series, Star Wars, Everquest series, Rainbow Six series, SOCOM, Silent Hill, Iron Man, and Guitar Hero. In addition his history as an award-winning director and producer of video games, Arem is also a best-selling author and graphic novelist.

Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman)…but Esther is not what she appears to be and, concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late…for everyone

Orphan Is Out To Own On DVD & Blu-ray From The 30th November 2009

The LaCinema Classic HD offers a timeless and sleek design making it a great addition to any TV setup. Providing the widest media format compatibility, LaCinema Classic HD will play all your files without concern – from the most popular DivX format to high-quality MKV H.264 video format via its HDMI 1.3 connection. Uncompromising support for Dolby Digital audio quality enhances the LaCinema Classic HD, as well as your entertainment viewing experience.

The LaCinema Classic HD keeps it easy – use it as an external hard drive to load media from your Mac or PC. Then, simply connect the LaCinema Classic HD to your HDTV for instant playback.

Acting as a DLNA media player, LaCinema Classic HD can conveniently play movies, music, and photos from your computer or network storage. LaCinema Classic HD even offers network access to easily transfer files from your Mac and PC, while keeping it connected to the TV.

Its unique DLNA server function ensures the LaCinema Classic HD works in tandem with your home network, acting as a media server to stream content to compatible players, such as PlayStation®3 or Xbox®.

The LaCinema Classic HD boosts capacities that include up to 2TB of media storage. By using the included remote control and easy navigation interface, you have quick and convenient access to your media libraries. Additionally, the front USB port allows you to connect a USB drive or digital camera to instantly share your photos on your HDTV with friends and family.

“LaCinema Classic HD is all you need to store, play and share your movies, music and photos at home. We believe organising and playing should be simple for everyone, without concern for media compatibility or how to access media, no matter where it’s stored in your home,” said Salem Tirane, Digital Home Product Manager.

At no premium, LaCinema Classic HD surpasses the usual media player experience by including a high-quality HDMI cable, Ethernet cable and the renowned DLNA Twonky Media Server for Mac and Windows. Users will be able to get the most of their multimedia contents out of the box!

The LaCinema Classic HD also features the option of connecting a USB Wi-Fi 802.11N adapter (sold separately) for wireless access to the home network.

LaCinema Classic HD is available through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+ and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of £199. For more information, visit www.lacie.com/uk.

ROBSESSED looks at the extraordinary rise of Pattinson and the obsessive fans that idolise him. The British actor has more than 1.3 million fans on Facebook and has already won a handful of awards. The documentary is to be the first title from Revolver to be made available to buy or rent from the iTunes Store in the US, Canada and the UK.

“We are over the moon to be partnering with iTunes to deliver Revolver films across the US, Canada and Europe,” says Revolver CEO Justin Marciano. “Releasing Robsessed on iTunes enables us to deliver the film directly to our core audience and demonstrates our belief that the future is most certainly digital. The early adopters of this form of delivery are the demographic our films talk to, so for us, iTunes is the perfect fit.”

Other Revolver titles available on iTunes in the UK include Jean-Claude Van Damme’s self-parody action caper JCVD and Danny Dyer starring urban drama, City Rats. Revolver plans to launch further titles from its extensive back catalogue via the online store as well as its new 2010 releases.