History Heats Up This Fall With Texas Rising

Courtesy: History/Lionsgate

This fall, History will release its latest historically based mini-series Texas Rising in store and online.

Officials with Lionsgate and History announced recently that History’s latest historically based mini-series Texas Rising will be released in stores and online on Tuesday, September 1st. The program will be released both on DVD + Digital and Blu-ray + Digital HD. It centers on the famed war hero Sam Houston and the forces which he led in the battle against General Santa Anna in the fight for Texas’ independence from Mexico. Texas Rising proved in its original broadcast on History to be the network’s first number one scripted series in two years, premiering to some 4.1 million viewers. It was directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated director Roland Joffe (Best Director, The Mission, 1986; Best Director, The Killing Fields, 1985) and starred Golden Globe-nominated actor Bill Paxton (Best Actor in a TV series, Big Love, 2010), Brendan Fraser (The Mummy 1 – 3), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Another World, Muppets Most Wanted), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Watchmen, P.S. I Love You), Thomas Jane (The Punisher, Boogie Nights, The Mist), Olivier Martinez (Unfaithful, S.W.A.T., Taking Lives), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow, Colombiana, Star Trek: Into Darkness), Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill, Agent Carter, Dawson’s Creek), and Max Thieirot (Bates Motel, Jumper, The Pacifier).

Texas Rising will include along with its extra digital copy on both DVD and Blu-ray combo packs a handful of bonuses including: a making of featurette, and featurette examining both Sam Houston and general Santa Anna and their roles in the battle for Texas. The complete listing of bonuses is listed below.

BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*

–“Capturing the Revolution: Filming Texas Rising” featurette

–“Sam Houston: A Man of the Revolution” featurette

–“General Santa Anna: Leading Mexico” featurette

*Subject to change

Texas Rising will be available on DVD + Digital combo pack and Blu-ray + Ditigal HD combo pack on Tuesday, September 1st. It will retail for MSRP of $26.98 and $29.99 respectively. Both combo packs can be ordered online direct from History’s online store at http://www.shophistorystore.com/texas-rising/details/117496824. More information on this and other titles from History is available online now at:

Website: http://www.history.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/History

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HISTORY

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Starz, Anchor Bay Reveal Release Date, Info For Spartacus: The Complete Series

Courtesy: Starz

Officials with Starz and Anchor Bay Entertainment announced this week that the companies will release Spartacus: The Complete Series this fall.

Courtesy: Starz/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Spartacus: The Complete

Series will be released on DVD and Blu-ray +Digital HD with Ultraviolet on Tuesday, September 16^th. The Blu-ray+Digital HD with

Ultraviolet edition of the box set will come in two formats. The first format will include three new audio commentaries for the series’ first season. The other will include a Spartacus collector’s figurine. All three of the box sets include a handful of bonus material. That bonus material is listed below.

New Bonus Features:           

• SPARTACUS Fan Favorites With Liam McIntyre                     
• Scoring A Hit: Composer Joseph LoDuca             
• An Eye Full: Roger Murray                       
• SPARTACUS: Paul Grinder                     
• The Last Word: John Hannah       

Courtesy: Starz/Anchor Bay Entertainment

Series creator and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight commented on the series in a recent interview promoting the upcoming box set. He explained just how important the series remains to all that worked on it even today and added a note for audiences. “The gods finally bless us with the complete collection,” he said. “Spartacus was a true labor of love for everyone who worked on it and I’m incredibly proud to present all 39 episodes in stunning High-def for the fans to enjoy at their leisure, but make sure you watch them in the order they first aired to revel in the experience as originally intended.”

Spartacus originally starred Andy Whitfield in the series’ leading role. Whitfield would then be replaced in Seasons Two and Three by Liam Mcintyre. Also featured throughout the series are: John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Peter Mensah (300, The Incredible Hulk), Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night), Nick E. Tarabay (Crash), Dustin Clare (Underbelly), Dan Feuerrigel (Home and Away), Simon Werrells (The Wolfman) Todd Lasance (Cloudstreet), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Flashforward), and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess, Battlestar Galactica, Parks and Recreation).

The standard definition box set of Spartacus: The Complete Series retail for SRP of $119.98. Blu-ray+Digital HD with Ultraviolet set will retail for $149.99. The Blu-ray+Digital HD with Ultraviolet and bonus Spartacus collector’s figurine will retail for SRP of $199.99. More information on the upcoming release is available online at http://www.facebook.com/spartacus.starz, http://www.starz.com/spartacus, and http://twitter.com/spartacus_starz. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.