Talkin Pets

-Third through eighth grade students and teachers nationwide have until Friday, February 22 at 5:00 p.m. EST to submit poem entries-

Greenwich, CT – American Pet Products Association (APPA) President and CEO, Bob Vetere announced today that the organization’s 5^th Annual Pets Add Life Children’s Poetry Contest deadline for submissions has been extended to Friday, February 22, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Third through eighth grade students are invited to write a unique poem about their pets, what they love about them, the joys they bring, and enter online at www.petsaddlife.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/petsaddlife or mail poem entries and submission forms to:

Pets Add Life

661 Sierra Rose Dr.

Reno, NV 89511

One student from each grade level (6 total) nationwide will win a $250 gift certificate for pet products, and a “by-line” in a nationally circulated publication. In addition, the six winning students’ classrooms will each receive a $1,000 scholarship to spend on pet-related education.

Founded by APPA, the non-profit PAL campaign is designed to demonstrate the joys and benefits of responsible pet ownership and encourage increased animal adoption.

To learn more about this exciting contest opportunity for kids, visit www.petsaddlife.org or contact Brooke Gersich at 775.322.4022 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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The American Pet Products Association (APPA) is the leading not-for-profit trade association serving the interests of the pet products industry since 1958. APPA membership includes more than 1,000 pet product manufacturers, their representatives, importers and livestock suppliers representing both large corporations and growing business enterprises. APPA's mission is to promote, develop and advance pet ownership and the pet product industry and to provide the services necessary to help its members prosper. Visit www.americanpetproducts.org for more information.

20th Century Fox, Chernin Entertainment and Walden Media present a PG, 104 minute, comedy, directed by Andy Fickman, written by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse with a theater release date of December 25, 2012.

Film District, Eclectic Pictures, Evil Twins and Millennium Films present a 106 minute, PG-13, romance, drama, comedy, directed by Gabriele Muccino and screenplay by Robbie Fox with a theater release date of December 7, 2012.

FilmDistrict, Contrafilm Productions, MGM and Vincent Newman Entertainment present a 100 minute, PG-13, action, drama, directed by Dan Bradley, written by Carl Ellsworth, Jeremy Passmore and story by Kevin Reynolds with a theater release date of November 21, 2012.

Columbia Pictures, Broken Road Productions and Happy Madison Productions present a 105 minute, action, drama, comedy directed by Frank Ciraci, written by Kevin James and Rock Reuben with a theater release date of October 12, 2012.

20th Century Fox, Walden Media and Gran Via Productions present a 121 minute, PG, drama directed by Daniel Barnz and written by Barnz and Brin Hill with a theater release of September 28, 2012.

20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Color Force and TCF Vancouver Productions present a 94 minute, PG, family comedy directed by David Bowers and written by Gabe Sachs, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky and Jeff Kinney with a theater release date of August 3, 2012.

Putting More Pets in the Classroom
The Pets in the Classroom grant program awards more than 7,000 grants to eligible teachers.
More than 210,000 elementary age school children have the chance to interact on a daily basis with a pet thanks to The Pet Care Trust. Pets in the Classroom, an educational grants program offered by The Pet Care Trust (PCT) to support responsible pet care for school classrooms, grew by leaps and bounds in 2011, awarding more than 7,000 grants of up to $150 each to eligible teachers in grades K-6.
According to PCT executive director Steve King, these results were quite satisfying. “The program slowly gathered momentum in its first fifteen months, with 3,500 grants awarded during that time. Then, beginning in August 2011, Petco and Petsmart partnered with the Trust to promote the program through their stores. Since then, the number of grants awarded has more than doubled.”
The goal of Pets in the Classroom is to establish healthy child-pet relationships at an early age by supporting responsible pet care in classrooms across the U.S. and Canada. Originally limited to grades K-6, the Trust has expanded the program in 2012 to include seventh and eighth grade classrooms as well.
Understanding that many teachers have limited resources to support classroom pets, the program helps teachers purchase or maintain pets in the classroom through direct, no-hassle grants.
Through a simple, online application process at www.petsintheclassroom.org, teachers can become eligible to receive grants of $50 to support existing classroom pets, or $100-$150 to purchase or adopt a new pet and required equipment. It is left up to the teacher to select the pet that is most appropriate for her/his classroom. There have been a wide variety of funding requests, from snakes and lizards to guinea pigs and rabbits, proving that many different species make interesting classroom companions.
Funding for Pets in the Classroom has come from the Pet Care Trust endowment along with contributions from various foundations and individuals, as well as Petco and Petsmart and their vendor partners. As it expands to reach more classrooms across the country, the program will rely on direct financial support from the pet industry. Pets in the Classroom welcomes support from corporate and individual donors through tax-deductible contributions to the Pet Care Trust.
For more information, visit www.petsintheclassroom.org.

2oth Century Fox, Wessler Entertainment, C3 Entertainment Inc. and Conundrum Entertainment present a 92 minute, PG, comedy, directed by Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, written by Mike Cerrone and Bobby Farrelly with a theatre release on April 13, 2012.

YANKEES MANAGER JOE GIRARDI AND BASEBALL LEGENDS DEREK JETER, ALEX RODRIGUEZ, MARIANO RIVERA AMONG PLAYERS IN NEW BULLY PSA

April 11, 2012 – New York, NY – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that the New York Yankees are the latest group in a long list of celebrities and public figures who are stepping out to support BULLY, which is expanding to theaters nationwide Friday, April 13th, with a recent PSA they shot during spring training in Tampa, Florida.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, along with players Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Curtis Granderson took a timeout from practice at Steinbrenner Field to speak up about the effects bullying has on children and what people can do to make a change.

The 30-second PSA can be seen here: http://web.yesnetwork.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=20527459

“When a community of people come together, we have the ability to enact positive change through our words and actions,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “Bullying is a problem too powerful to ignore, and I’m proud to stand alongside so many others in raising awareness for this meaningful cause. “

“The Yankees are idolized by young people everywhere, so they really are perfect ambassadors for this film and its message,” said TWC President of Marketing Stephen Bruno. “We’re thrilled to have their voices in the mix.”

Other celebrities and public figures have stepped out in their own ways to help get the film’s message out including: Justin Bieber featuring his song “Born To Be Somebody” in a BULLY TV spot; Ellen DeGeneres featuring the families from the film on her show; Meryl Streep and attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson hosting an NYC screening; Victoria Justice, Giuliana Rancic and Joel McHale hosting the LA premiere; Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa hosting an NYC screening; Anderson Cooper hosting a town hall special on CNN to discuss bullying with

Dr. Phil, Kelly Ripa and BULLY director Lee Hirsch; Tommy Hilfiger designing t-shirts; the dozens of celebrities who tweeted to help #BullyMovie trend; and many other supporters shooting PSAs. Companies including Bing and Twitter have partnered to help in the quest to reach as many parents, teachers and children as possible. And, in a move that inspired and rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters, Michigan high school student Katy Butler garnered more than half a million signatures on her petition to the MPAA on Change.org to lower BULLY’s R rating, which subsequently happened last week.

Efforts to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act are also in the works after TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein’s recent meeting with Senator Bob Casey. This bill will amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of students.

BULLY leads all non-fiction films so far for 2012 with its strong opening weekend attendance.

ABOUT THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein, which has released such popular franchises as SCREAM, SPY KIDS and SCARY MOVIE. Together TWC and Dimension Films have released a broad range of mainstream, genre and specialty films that have been commercial and critical successes. TWC releases took home eight 2012 Academy Awards®, the most wins in the studio’s history. The tally included Best Picture for Michel Hazanavicius’s THE ARTIST and Best Documentary Feature for TJ Martin and Dan Lindsay’s UNDEFEATED. THE ARTIST brought TWC its second consecutive Best Picture statuette following the 2011 win for Tom Hooper’s THE KING’S SPEECH.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as GRINDHOUSE; I’M NOT THERE; THE GREAT DEBATERS; VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; THE ROAD; HALLOWEEN; THE PAT TILLMAN STORY; PIRANHA 3D; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; A SINGLE MAN; BLUE VALENTINE; THE COMPANY MEN; MIRAL; SCRE4M; SUBMARINE; DIRTY GIRL; APOLLO 18; OUR IDIOT BROTHER; I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT; SARAH’S KEY; and SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD IN 4D. Currently in release are MY WEEK WITH MARILYN; THE ARTIST; THE IRON LADY; CORIOLANUS; W.E.; UNDEFEATED; and BULLY. Upcoming releases include THE INTOUCHABLES. Recently wrapped was SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and currently in production is DJANGO UNCHAINED.

TWC is also active in television production, led by former Miramax Films President of Production and current President of Television Meryl Poster, with credits including the Emmy® nominated and Peabody Award winning reality series Project Runway, spin-off series Project Accessory and Project Runway All Stars, the VH1 reality series Mob Wives, and the critically acclaimed HBO comedy/crime series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency which also received a Peabody Award. The company is currently in pre-production on the martial-arts epic Marco Polo for Starz as well as production on the second season of Mob Wives and the newest installment in the series’ franchise Mob Wives Chicago. TWC additionally has 17 series in different stages of development, including The Nanny Diaries, being adapted for ABC by Amy Sherman Palladino (Gilmore Girls).

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