PBS Examines The History Of One Of History’s Greatest Songs In New Program

Courtesy: PBS/PBS Distribution

The holiday season is almost upon us yet again. That means that it won’t be long before audiences start to see the annual wave of holiday movies and tunes hit stores, theaters, radio stations, and television screens. For all of the movies, TV shows, and songs that are churned out each holiday season, few audiences knew the rich history of those offerings. This fall PBS will present the history of just one of those offerings when it releases the special holiday presentation The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United The World.

The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United The World will be released on Tuesday, November 3rd. It will be available exclusively on DVD. The program examines the roots of the beloved Christmas carol The Silent Night. Host Simon Callow (Amadeus, Four Weddings and A Funeral, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) takes viewers to the Austrian village of Oberndorf and the city of Salzburg as he traces the song’s history. In his travels, Callow finds that those roots reach all the way back to a young pair of friends named Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber, whose meeting in a poor country church would lead to the birth of the now world-renowned carol. Along with its central feature, the upcoming DVD will also feature more than forty-five minutes of bonus video content including various ‘Silent Night’ videos, separate examinations of Salzburg, and much more.

The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United The World will be available Tuesday, November 3rd. It will be available exclusively on DVD and will retail for MSRP of $24.99 and can be ordered online direct from PBS’ online store at http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=69428296&cp=&sr=1&kw=the+first+silent+night&origkw=the+first+silent+night&parentPage=search. More information on this and other programs from PBS is available online now at:

Website: http://www.pbs.org

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

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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.