Leaping into theaters on Earth Day, 2011, “African Cats” features the real-life love, humor and determination of the kings of the African savanna: Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion.
An epic true story set against the backdrop of one of the wildest places on Earth, “African Cats” captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. Narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, the story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion and his sons. Disneynature brings “The Lion King” to life on the big screen in this True Life Adventure directed by Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill (“Earth”). An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, “African Cats” leaps into theatres on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.
During the film’s opening week (April 22-28), a portion of the proceeds from that week’s ticket sales will be donated to the African Wildlife Foundation through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to protect the Amboseli Wildlife Corridor, a passage between the Amboseli, Tsavo West and Chyulu Hills National Parks that is frequently used by lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, giraffes and a host of other animals in the African savanna.
Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.
“Discover an exercise that fosters respect, coordination, and self-confidence for kids! It’s Yoga, of course! Children are natural yogis because of their “in the moment attitude”. Yoga nourishes their mind, body and spirit and paves the way for a life-long tradition of health and fitness.
Yoga By The Dozen™promotes a healthy lifestyle for kids through their highly acclaimed ‘Yoga By The Dozen’ DVD and their complete line of lifestyle products for yoga. The top-selling DVD is a fun, interactive children’s yoga video, designed especially for kids ages 2-6. JoAnna and her 12 friends demonstrate a ‘dozen’ fundamental poses that will introduce your children into the exciting world of Yoga.”
Key Benefits:
Increase Cognitive & Motor skills
Confidence, Courage and Self-Esteem
Balance & Coordination
Memory Retention and Concentration
Nurture Creativity and Self Expression
Respect for themselve and each other
Proven therapy for kids with ADHD and Autism
About JoAnna Ross: “Founder of Yoga By The Dozen™ was trained at City Yoga in Anusara teach-training program. A life long performer, having danced on Broadway for years, found her natural charisma as a performer instantly clicked with kids.”
My Review: I discovered a few things about myself when reviewing “Yoga by the Dozen”. I need A LOT of practice, I have little balance and no flexibility.
My daughter (2 years old) and I put on “Yoga by the Dozen”, she loved it! Watching the children on the DVD (who are little older than her) bend and stretch their bodies into poses. She was following along (she’s needs to work on her balance too, must be a family trait) and trying to say the different poses on the DVD. She’s a big fan of the Virabhadrasana #3 (Warrior #3 Pose). The DVD is approximately 30 minutes. JoAnna demonstrates the pose first and then one of the children replicates the pose to refresh the other children. Then the whole class does the pose together. I enjoyed watching the kids, they are all really enjoying themselves in the DVD. We are going to continue practicing our yoga!
This is a wonderful DVD for beginning adults and children of all ages. On the “Yoga by the Dozen” website www.yogabythedozen.com, you can also visit their store, they have yoga mats and yoga t-Shirts for kids and adults; and don’t forget your video for only 17.99 (plus s&h).
“Yoga by the Dozen” was generous enough to enable Faith & Family Reviews to host a giveaway!!
Giveaway
Enter to win a Yoga by the Dozen dvd! Estimated value $17.99
Mandatory Entry: Tell me why you want to win!
Extra Entries (Please be sure and leave a comment and link for extra entries):
2 Entries: Follow Faith and Family Reviews on Google Friend Connect (on the our right side bar).
2 Entries: Tweet about this giveaway, but only one tweet per day please. Include your tweet url with your comment. You may write your own tweet or use this one:
Giveaway: Enter to win a dvd from Yoga by the Dozen! http://bit.ly/h5C1CB @faithfamilyrevw! Please share! Thx!
1 Entry: for every comment you leave anywhere else on this blog, but please leave a link with your comment!
Details:
This giveaway will run from April 8th, 2011 to April 21st , 2011 at midnight CST. The winner will be chosen through Random.org. Yoga by the Dozen will send one winner their prize. Winner will be contacted via email on or before May 1st, 2011 and will be asked for their contact and other pertinent info. Winners will have 48 hours to send me their e-mail at [ffr] [giveaways] [at] [gmail] [dot] [com] (without spaces and parenthesis). Please note: This giveaway is offered to USA only.
He’s a bear of very little brain. She’s half of the acclaimed band She & Him. This year, they come together on the big screen in “Winnie the Pooh,” which hits theatres on July 15, 2011. Actress/Musician/Singer/Songwriter Zooey Deschanel (“Almost Famous,” “(500) Days of Summer”) joins Winnie the Pooh and all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, performing three songs for the film, including her own take on the classic “Winnie the Pooh” theme song, “A Very Important Thing to Do” and the original end-credit song “So Long,” which was written by Deschanel and performed with She & Him bandmate M. Ward.
“This has been one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had,” says Deschanel. “And I’ve just been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to work on this movie, because it’s delightful.”
Filmmakers were drawn to Deschanel’s signature style. “She was the perfect choice to do the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ song—a classic theme from the Sherman Brothers,” says director Don Hall. “Her music actually embodies the underlying spirit of the movie. We’re taking something that has vintage roots in the sixties, but spinning it in our own way and updating it. If you listen to Zooey’s music with She & Him—that’s their sound to a tee.”
Adds director Stephen Anderson, “It’s a perfect way to start the movie, letting the audience know right off the bat that this is Winnie the Pooh like you know him, but it’s something for today. We wanted to keep the same charm as the original, but give it a fresh spin, a contemporary feel, and she opens the movie with so much freshness, so much energy.”
“It’s always fun to have a contemporary artist rediscover a classic and that’s exactly what Zooey did,” says producer Peter Del Vecho. “She brought her own personality to the song—when she sings about introducing the individual characters, it’s as though she’s known them her whole life—and she has.”
“I’m a big fan of Winnie the Pooh and all his friends,” says Deschanel, who also plays the ukulele in the song. “It’s really hard to pick a favorite: Winnie the Pooh is so special, he loves honey and he’s just cool. Eeyore is amazing, I love Eeyore. And Piglet is so small. It’s really a four-way tie between Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger.”
Among the songs Deschanel performed for the film is “A Very Important Thing to Do”—a song that helps illustrate the contest the friends from the Hundred Acre Wood take on to find Eeyore a new tail. She also lent her voice to “Everything is Honey” and “Pooh’s Finale,” joining Jim Cummings (the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger), Tony Award®-winning songwriter Robert Lopez (“Avenue Q”) and other cast members.
For the end-credit song, Deschanel teamed up with Ward to perform “So Long,” a song Deschanel wrote. “When I was writing ‘So Long,’ I just held the images for the end credits in my mind,” she says. “I spent a number of days tinkering with ideas, melodies and chord progressions that I thought would fit the images, the new music being written and the original Sherman Brothers stuff– but still be my own thing. The song definitely has its own feel, but also pays respect to the original.”
Deschanel plays piano for “So Long” and turned to the instrument when it came time to write the song. “I usually write on piano because that’s the first instrument that I learned when I was a little kid,” she says. “All of my musical theory knowledge is in linear piano form.”
Her heart, however, is in the vocals. “I’m always thinking in terms of vocals, and arranging a fabric of vocals is the most exciting part. I love to sing backup parts—I always try to squeeze in as many as possible,” she says. “It’s fun; it’s my style.”
Check out the video of Zooey singing “So Long” below:
Deschanel’s songs, plus the Sherman Brothers classic and a host of original songs by Robert Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez (“The Wonder Pets”), as well as original score from composer Henry Jackman (“The Da Vinci Code,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), will be included on the “Winnie the Pooh” soundtrack (available Spring 2011 in select international markets, and in the U.S. on July 12, 2011) from Walt Disney Records.
In anticipation of the release of her new film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” in theaters May 20, 2011, Penelope Cruz received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, April 1, at 11:30 am. in front of the El Capitan Theatre, 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, joined by “On Stranger Tides” co-star Johnny Depp, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Rob Marshall. An Academy Award® winner Penelope Cruz has proven herself to be one of the most versatile actresses by playing a variety of compelling characters, and most recently, becoming the first actress from Spain to be nominated and to win an Oscar®.
Check out the trailer to the new Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Sands trailer below!
Cruz is involved in the following charities: Worldwide (RED) campaign lead by Bono and Bobby Shiver, Artists for Peace and Justice in Haiti (APJ), UNICEF The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). She had the honor of working with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity; volunteering in a leprosy clinic in India and she also worked with the Dalai Lama for the House of Tibet in Spain.
Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.
“Jane Roman Pitt’s Midnight Lullaby is a delightfully soothing collection of bedtime songs written by some of our genreation’s most endeared singer songwriters including Bob Dylan, Wilco, Tom Waits, The Dixie Chicks, Sade and more. In those moments when it’s time for parents and baby to retire for the night, this CD serves as something that parents and babies alike enjoy.”
“Midnight Lullaby was produced in Nashville by Grammy Award winner Mac Gayden and feature many of Nashville’s finest musicians.”
“Not only is the act of lulling children to sleep with music a pleasurable experience, but studies show that music enhances a baby’s brain development. These songs, which crossover into adult contemporary genre, have significant impact on the child’s health and well being.”
About Jane Roman Pitt:
“Jane’s introduction to music came from sneaking downstairs at night to hear the classical chamber music her parents and their friends were playing, and later by listening nonstop to folk music, pop, and jazz from all over the world. She started to play guitar at 15, and began to sing and play at local coffeehouses, college campuses, and on public television as the resident folk singer. She has a graduate degree in music history and composition, and has published her classical choral music with Transcontinental Music in New York.”
“Jane started collecting lullabies in preparation for her first grandchild. “Since the beginning of time, singing lullabies has been a way to express love and comfort. The languages may vary, but the message is exactly the same: ‘I love you very much, I’m here, and now please go to sleep!”
My Review:
Great baby shower gift! I’m also recommending this CD for people that need to relax and let their day go. When my daughter and I listened to this beautifully soothing CD, I almost fell asleep before her. The music takes you to your relaxing/happy place. If you close your eyes and listen, your there. All the songs are wonderful, however my favorite song on the CD is “My Darling” written by Wilco. You are able to listen to partial songs on her website.
From what I’m reading you need to purchase a movie ($1.00 with tax) and then when you return it you’ll get a free movie. I don’t think that’s too shabby for newly released movies! You can reserve them from home and pick them up at a Red Box location near your home! I like that feature, this way I don’t have to be standing around sometimes outside trying to pick a movie. Grab some popcorn! Here’s the link below.
Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.
Most is a short film (only 33 minutes long) ~ although this move is in Czech there are subtitles that are easily read. I personally watch many foreign films so the subtitles did not make a big difference to me… but just thought I would mention it if you are not too keen on subtitles! The movie tells the story of sacrificial love in a wonderful modern parable! You can learn more about the movie and even catch a glimpse of the trailer at http://www.providentfilms.org/most/
The DVD also includes a study guide for those wishing to take the lesson further. Along with the study guide there are bonus features on the disc including extended ending and more!
End note: I love movies that boast family friendly viewing, although this movie is not rated and has a wonderful theme, some of the scenes may be disturbing to young viewers. I did watch this movie by myself and decided not to let my children watch it, as they are all less than 7 years old. But again, this is an individual choice.
Last week, I purchased Megamind at our local supermarket. The only reason I bought it was because I printed a $5.00 coupon off the web and it was on sale. I was a little skeptical, but thought I’d give it a try. I wasn’t sure if my daughter would enjoy looking at a blue bad alien guy with a big head. I was wrong about that and the whole story. I can hear it now, Oh Mom! Anyway, my family and I finally sat down to watch Megamind on Friday night. It had moments where it was a little slow, but surprisingly I enjoyed it. Especially the soundtrack! It has original music by Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balf. Other favorites were Bad to the Bone, Crazy Train, and A Little Less Conversation (the remix). I’m ready to buy it on i-Tunes, I enjoyed it so much. I’m not always the biggest Will Ferrel fan, he’s kind of like Jim Carey. He can either be great or REALLY annoying. Picking Will Ferrell was a great choice for the Megamind character, he has so many “voices” that he can change into. I was laughing because the character that Jonah Hill (Hal / Tighten) did the voice of (to me) almost looked like him. Mostly, if your is into a family friendly movie night this is a good current movie. Most of the ratings I’ve read are giving it 7 out of 10 or 3 stars. Here’s the story direct from the MEGAMIND website: (www.megamind.com)
Megamind is the most brilliant super-villain the world has ever known… and the least successful. Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way — Each attempt, a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man,” until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant, leaving everyone to wonder: Can the world’s biggest “mind” actually be the one to save the day?
I’ll let you watch the movie to see if Megamind he saves the day! And…..get’s the girl?????
Posted by Bobbie Gould on February 21, 2011 in DVDs & CDs, Movies
We recently watched The Jensen Project a movie made by Walmert and PG and we really enjoyed it!
The Jensen project is a movie about a family who doesn’t communicate, has family issues, and on top of that has a teenage son who breaks all the rules. But a top secret project is threatened Claire and Matt Thompson have to go back to the work that they left years ago. Will Matt, Claire, Justin (15), and the rest of the Jensen team save the day before a evil man destroys this top secret project and countless lives?????
This movie is very family friendly. Our children enjoyed it alot and even the little ones didn’t say they where scared even though there was some intense scenes in it. The movie was also funny in parts. But, we really enjoyed watching the Thompson family interact and learn to work together as a team.
We highly reccomend The Jensen Project as yet another great movie produced by Walmart!
You can tell by the topics I am covering this week that I am in farm mode but these issues are very important to our family and ideally, they should be to everyone who eats. Bees are another important creature to the basic survival of our food system and pesticides are destroying them. The video below is of a beekeeper:
but these issues are very important to our family and ideally, they should be to everyone who eats. Bees are another important creature to the basic survival of our food system and pesticides are destroying them. The video below is of a beekeeper:
