Shout! Factory Announces Release Date For NYPD Blue: Season Six

Courtesy: Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory will release the sixth season of the hit crime drama NYPD Blue this Summer.

NYPD Blue Season Six will be released on June 24^th, 2014. Season Six of the Emmy® and Peabody award-winning series will be released in a six-disc DVD set containing all twenty-two episodes from the series’ sixth season. The series’ sixth season sees the addition of actor Rick Schroder to the show’s cast. Schroder plays the part of detective Danny Sorenson. Sorenson is Sipowicz’s (Dennis Franz) new partner this season. But he isn’t fully trusted by everybody in the department. That is thanks to his questionable methods. His arrival is just one of a number of major events that arise in Season Six.

The arrival of a new detective on the force and the major events that flush out Season Six are just part of what makes it one of the show’s more talked about seasons. This season also sees a who’s who of guest stars throughout its episodes. Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Iron Man, Crash), Daniel Benzali (General Hospital), Mos Def (The Italian Job, Dexter, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), Kevin Dillon (Entourage), and Emile Hirsch (Twice Born, Into The Wild, Milk) all make appearances.

NYPD Blue Season Six can be pre-ordered now via Shout! Factory’s online store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/nypd-blue-season-six. More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory is available online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial. 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.

ESPN Announces Special Addition To 30 For 30 Series

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has announced that thanks to the success of its most recent “season” of 30 for 30, the worldwide leader in sports will debut another brand new addition to its Peabody award winning series next month.  On Saturday, December 14^th, ESPN will debut Youngstown Boys.  The film, directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, Youngstown Boys is a study on class and power dynamics in the world of college sports.  It studies the subject by following former elite running back Maurice Clarett and former star head coach Jim Tressel.  Both figures came from the city of Youngstown, Ohio.  Tressel rose to fame when he turned around the struggling football program at Youngstown State University.  And then in 2002, Tressel was coaching the Ohio State University football team.  Clarett happened to be on the team that season.  The pairing helped lead the Buckeyes to the university’s first national championship in over thirty years.

Things didn’t stay well long for Clarett.  Clarett would end up being suspended from college football soon thereafter, and would eventually end up behind bars.  Tressel would go on to serve another eight years at OSU before his career there ended in scandal.  Both men were interviewed for this film, as were Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown and former OSU standout QB Craig Krenzel.

Co-director Jeff Zimbalist shared his thoughts on the movie in a recent interview, explaining that “at its core, the story of Maurice Clarett and Jim Tressel is about fathers and sons.”  He added that “in addition to their record-breaking exploits on the playing field and involvement in two of college football’s biggest backroom scandals, we were drawn to the layered saga of ‘The Senator’ and ‘The Beast’ because it transcends sport.  In examining the interconnected rise and downfall of these two men from opposite sides of the Youngstown tracks, we discovered the deep role that family plays in any quest for greatness.”

Youngstown Boys will premiere Saturday, December 14^th at 9pm ET on ESPN.  More information on this and other films from ESPN’s 30 for 30 is available online at http://www.facebook.com/espn30for30, http://twitter.com/30for30 and http://espn.go.com/30for30.  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.

ESPN’s 30 For 30 Series Returns This Fall

Courtesy: ESPN

ESPN has officially announced the schedule for the return of its hit 30 for 30 film series.  The Peabody Award-winning series will return this Fall beginning Tuesday, October 1^st with the tragic story of Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aiku in Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aiku.  The film (and all new films in the series) will broadcast at 8pm on ESPN with a new film debuting each Tuesday from October 1^st to November 5^th.  The story of Eddie Aiku is just the beginning in the return of ESPN’s award-winning series.  Also included in this Fall’s schedule are stories of the John Spano Islanders scandal in Big Shot and Jimmy Connors’ unbelievable run in the 1991 U.S. Open in This is What They Want.  It’s all capped off with a look at one of the most infamous rivalries and moments in modern sports history in Tonya and Nancy.  This film documents the rivalry between skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan and how it led to the brutal attack on Kerrigan.

Connor Schell, ESPN Films Vice President explained the motivation behind bringing the network’s famed series back with more new films in a recent interview.  “We continue to see an insatiable appetite for well-told sports stories that both tap into nostalgia and allow for discovery of new insight and detail.  We are proud to be the destination for fans looking for high-quality films that take them inside the worlds that they love,” he said.  “Sports hold an increasingly prominent place in American culture, and our new slate of films exemplifies our ongoing goal of telling cultural stories that last.”

Fans can download each new film the day after its broadcast via iTunes and Amazon Instant Video.  And for those that want the physical object, ESPN will release a special six-disc set titled 30 for 30 Volume II on November 26^th, just in time for the holidays.  The set will feature the first fifteen films in the new, upcoming slate of films.  It will be available online at ESPNShop.com and in stores.

The current listing of upcoming films is available below:

Tuesday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. – Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau

Tuesday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. – Free Spirits

Tuesday, Oct. 15, 8 p.m. – No Mas

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m. – Big Shot

Tuesday, Oct. 29, 8 p.m. – This Is What They Want

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m. – Tonya and Nancy

 

Fans can keep up with all of the latest updates on the 30 for 30 series online at http://www.facebook.com/espn30for30 and http://espn.go.com/30for30.  And 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.