"POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" Comes to 7-Eleven with AR Experiences, Dollar Drinks and Exclusive Products

"POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" Comes to 7-Eleven with AR Experiences, Dollar Drinks and Exclusive Products

7-Eleven stores are teasing the highly anticipated theatrical release of the first-ever live-action Pokémon adventure, "POKÉMON Detective Pikachu," with dozens of exclusive movie-themed products, shareable photo filters and interactive augmented reality (AR) experiences in the 7-Eleven app.

For a limited time that includes the film's May 10th nationwide release date, the world's largest convenience retailer is also offering dollar drink deals to introduce its new mocha beverages and mystery-flavored Slurpee drink. A small cup of the new hot mocha, medium Cold Brew or medium Slurpee drink each cost only $1 at participating stores.

"'POKÉMON Detective Pikachu' is a great entertainment tie-in for 7-Eleven because it appeals to so many of our customers – kids, Gen Z, millennials," said Tarang Sethia, 7‑Eleven vice president of digital customer experience. "Millennials, who played the original videogame 20 years ago, are parents now and can enjoy the Pokémon phenomenon all over again with their kids. The entire Pokémon franchise launched as a videogame, making it the perfect vehicle to create experiences that maximize the new and growing AR capabilities in the 7-Eleven app."

Along with the unique and exciting AR games, "POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" products will be available at participating 7-Eleven stores and can be delivered in select areas through 7NOW, the retailer's delivery platform. 

• Every Thursday during the promotion, 7-Eleven will unveil a free signature item that fans can order and have delivered directly to a chosen location.

Here's what to look for at 7-Eleven stores:

AR – Earning Free Stuff While Having Fun

7-Eleven has created a Ryme City Neighborhood Watch AR experience in its app, named for the movie's fictional setting, that includes a new "Find the Missing Pokémon" activity each week. Drawing from the movie storyline, each activity will fully immerse users in a unique story to find the missing Pokémon.

The quest to successfully find each Pokémon unlocks exclusive offers for free products. The free offers, in the order they can be earned, include a free pizza slice, four free mini tacos, free any-size cup of Hi-Hat Mocha or other hot beverage, and five free chicken wings.

A variety of 7Rewards bonus point offers run throughout the "POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" promotion, and selfie snaps also earn 7Rewards points weekly when customers share via their social channels using the hashtag #7ElevenNHW.

Since 7-Eleven launched AR last year, customers have been seeking out its stores to play games or meet a surprise celebrity, character or athlete.

Mystery Slurpee Sweepstakes

The Mystery Slurpee Sweepstakes offers customers an opportunity to do a little sleuthing for a chance to win a year of FREE Slurpee drinks. 

The Instagram-based contest invites users to follow Slurpee on Instagram; post a photo, video or gif of themselves; guess the three flavors in the Mystery Slurpee drink; and include the required hashtags, #MysterySlurpee and #Sweepstakes in the caption.

Hi-Hat Mocha

Detective Pikachu really, really loves coffee. 7-Eleven customers love coffee a lot too – it's the retailer's No. 1-selling product. Named for a café featured prominently in the movie, the new Hi-Hat Mocha hot beverage blends a rich balance of chocolate and coffee flavors with steamed milk and is topped with frothy foam. In select stores, customers can add a pump of chocolate sauce or yellow and white sprinkles. 7-Eleven also carries a rich, chocolatey Mocha Cold Brew coffee drink.

Collectible Fan Fare

Colorful, limited-edition Slurpee bottles and straws feature Detective Pikachu and other movie characters – Psyduck, Ludicolo and Snubbull. Refillable, insulated coffee mugs also feature Detective Pikachu, Psyduck and Ludicolo.

Participating 7-Eleven stores will have a variety of Detective Pikachu merchandise for all ages, including an exclusive set of trading cards, trading card file, plush Pokémon characters, Pokémon Clip and Carry Pokéball belt and Pokéballs.

Moviegoers can visit their local movie theater opening weekend decked out in Ryme City wear to see Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Available in select 7-Eleven stores and online at amazon.com/7-eleven are Ryme City T-shirts, Hi-Hat Café and Detective Pikachu hats, wallets and key chains.

Sweet Endings

7-Eleven also created three 7-Select private brand chocolate bars to tie in to the movie. The "POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" bar flavors are Bolt'n Banana Milk Chocolate, Roaring Raspberry Confection and Psyched-up Orange Milk Chocolate. The bars are available at participating stores while supplies last.

Other "POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" sweet treats include a Create-a-Cookie Kit, vanilla cupcakes with yellow icing and sprinkles, as well as Pillsbury ready-to-bake cookies.

7-Eleven stores are teasing the highly anticipated theatrical release of the first-ever live-action Pokémon adventure, “POKÉMON Detective Pikachu,” with dozens of exclusive movie-themed products, shareable photo filters and interactive augmented reality (AR) experiences in the 7-Eleven app.

About the Movie:

"POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" stars Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu, the iconic face of the global Pokémon phenomenon—one of the world's most popular, multi-generation entertainment properties and one of the most successful media franchises of all time. Fans everywhere can now experience a Pikachu on the big screen as never before, as Detective Pikachu, a Pokémon like no other. The film also showcases a wide array of beloved Pokémon, each with its own unique traits and personality. 

When ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, his son Tim wants to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry's former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to work together, as Tim is the only human who can talk with Detective Pikachu, they join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. 

Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

"POKÉMON Detective Pikachu" also stars Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Rita Ora, with Ken Watanabe and Bill Nighy. 

The film is directed by Rob Letterman, from a screenplay by Dan Hernandez& Benji Samit and Rob Letterman and Derek Connolly, story by Dan Hernandez & Benji Samit and Nicole Perlman, based on the "Detective Pikachu" video game developed by Creatures Inc. 

It is produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Hidenaga Katakami and Don McGowan; with executive producers Joe Caracciolo, Jr., Ali Mendes, Tsunekazu Ishihara, Kenji Okubo, Toshio Miyahara, Hiro Matsuoka, Koji Ueda. Music is by Henry Jackman. 

SOURCE: 7-Eleven, Inc.

Winter Is Here … 'Game Of Thrones: The Touring Exhibition' Arrives in Belfast with Exclusive Additions

Michele Clapton at 'Game Of Thrones: The Touring Exhibition' at TEC in Belfast, Northern Ireland

To celebrate, 'Game Of Thrones' actors, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Ian Beattie and Liam Cunningham, alongside award-winning costume designer Michele Clapton, were the first to experience the dramatic exhibition, which features costumes, authentic props and majestic settings from all seven seasons, as well as the Winterfell Crypt and Dragon Skull Pit, which have been exclusively added for Northern Ireland.

Designed specially by GES Events in collaboration with HBO Licensing and Retail, the must-see exhibition is the largest public display to date and offers fans an interactive and immersive Game Of Thrones experience like no other.

From 11th April through to 1st September 2019, fans can have an up-close and personal look at the ancient dragon skulls, ranging in size from about that of an apple to the one belonging to Balerion the Dread, which decorated the throne room in the Red Keep until King Robert Baratheon had them hidden away in the catacombs.

Isaac Hempstead Wright

Visitors can also see publicly for the first time the vast and sacred crypt of Winterfell, guarded by stone direwolves, to pay their respects to six of the Stark ancestors as well as explore the settings and view authentic artefacts from:

• The wintry landscapes of the North
• The tree-lined pathway of the Kingsroad
• The regal settings of King's Landing
• The conquered city of Meereen with its garrisons of Unsullied warriors and the loyalists of House Targaryen
• Iconic settings like the House of Black and White
• The home of the Night's Watch --- Castle Black
• The frozen lands Beyond the Wall
• The show stopping centerpiece of the exhibition, the Iron Throne Room

Ian Beattie

Venue
TEC Belfast
17 Queen's Road
Belfast
County Antrim
BT3 9DU

Hours of Operation
April, May
Monday – Sunday 10am – 7pm

June, July, August
Monday – Sunday 9am – 8pm

Ticket Prices
April and May
Monday – Thursday
Adult (13+) £15
Carer Free

Friday – Sunday
Adult (13+) £17.50
Carer Free

June, July, August
Monday – Sunday
Adult (13+) £17.50
Carer Free

Liam Cunningham

• Bend the knee and book tickets for this not-to-be-missed blockbuster at gameofthronesexhibition.com

SOURCE: GES Events

Related Video:

'Tolkien,' From Fox Searchlight Pictures, Premieres as a One-Night LIVE Cinema Event on May 7

Tolkien: Live From the Montclair Film Festival With Stephen Colbert

Fathom Events partners with Fox Searchlight Pictures for the theatrical debut of "Tolkien," giving audiences the chance to see this much-anticipated film on May 7 ahead of its theatrical nationwide release on May 10. 

The Fathom cinema event will also feature an exclusive live Q&A with stars Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins and director Dome Karukoski, moderated by Tolkien super-fan Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. 

"Tolkien" tells the story of how J. R. R. Tolkien transformed from a lonely orphan into one of the great storytellers of all time — a story that is itself an enchanting tale lit with the power of imagination, the bonds of fellowship and the forging of purpose in the fires of love and war.

Fathom Events and Fox Searchlight Pictures present this special event in hundreds of U.S. movie theaters for one night on Tuesday, May 7, ahead of the film's theatrical nationwide release on May 10, through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network (DBN). 

• For a complete list of screening times and theater locations, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

"Tolkien" explores the formative years of the renowned author's life as he finds friendship, courage and inspiration among a fellow group of writers and artists at school. Their brotherhood strengthens as they grow up and weather love and loss together, including Tolkien's tumultuous courtship of his beloved Edith Bratt, until the outbreak of the First World War which threatens to tear their fellowship apart. 

• All of these experiences would later inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.

"We're thrilled to partner with Fathom Events and the Montclair Film Festival for this very special 'Tolkien' event," said Frank Rodriguez, SVP General Sales Manager, Fox Searchlight Pictures. "To be able to share this film about one of the greatest storytellers of all time with movie fans across the country through a conversation with Tolkien aficionado Stephen Colbert truly makes it a one-of-a-kind event not to be missed."

Directed by Dome Karukoski ("Tom Of Finland"), "Tolkien" is written by David Gleeson ("Cowboys & Angels") and Stephen Beresford ("Pride"), and stars Nicholas Hoult ("The Favourite") as J.R.R. Tolkien with Lily Collins ("Okja") as his future wife and muse Edith. 

The film also stars Colm Meaney, Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson, Tom Glynn-Carney, Craig Roberts, Derek Jacobi, Harry Gilby, Adam Bregman, Albie Marber, Ty Tennant, Laura Donnelly, Genevieve O'Reilly and Pam Ferris. 

"Tolkien" is produced by Peter Chernin, p.g.a., Jenno Topping, p.g.a., David Ready, p.g.a., and Kris Thykier p.g.a.

"We're so excited to bring the premiere of 'Tolkien' to audiences across the country," said Tom Lucas, Fathom Events VP of Studio Relations. "Fathom operates the world's largest live cinema network, which allows us to create live premiere events like this one that are unmatched in the industry."

• Tickets for "Tolkien: Live From the Montclair Film Festival With Stephen Colbert" can be purchased at FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices nationwide.

SOURCE: Fathom Events

The Trailer:

Game of Thrones Takes Over The Fountains of Bellagio [Video Included]

HBO, MGM Resorts and WET Design Debut Exclusive Game of Thrones Production on The Fountains of Bellagio, Running Twice Nightly at 8 and 9:30 p.m. Through April 13

With the world counting down to the final season premiere of the global blockbuster Game of Thrones, fans can experience the on-screen fantasy realm with a first-of-its-kind, immersive production in Las Vegas at the iconic Fountains of Bellagio.

HBO, MGM Resorts and WET Design last night debuted a show that brings to life the epic intrigue, unforgettable music and spectacular imagery of Game of Thrones with a new, limited-run event. 

The production runs twice nightly at 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. through April 13, priming fans for the series season finale premiere, April 14.

This is not any ordinary version of The Fountains show: blizzards rage, dragons fly, and for the first time the lake is set ablaze. 

Exclusive Game of Thrones Production on The Fountains of Bellagio - Dragon

The collaboration between major entertainment brands MGM Resorts and HBO is a spectacular visual symphony that showcases Game of Thrones and The Fountains of Bellagio as never before through incredible music, pyrotechnics and video projections on a wall of water. 

Game of Thrones Production on The Fountains of Bellagio

WET Design, the Fountain's original creators, worked with Game of Thrones' composer Ramin Djawadi to design a custom score that incorporates the show's iconic theme song, while developing a theatrical production that captures its drama and suspense to match.

Game of Thrones Production on The Fountains of Bellagio

The production design marries the precise choreography of nearly 800 fountains overlaid with advanced pyrotechnics and special effects, including motion picture theater-quality projections. 

Game of Thrones Production on The Fountains of Bellagio

From the green glow of Wildfire and falling snow, to the undead dragon soaring above Lake Bellagio breathing vibrant blue flames that set the waters ablaze, and the crashing fall of The Wall, The Fountains interpret some of the most memorable visuals of Game of Thrones in entirely new ways. 

Game of Thrones Production on The Fountains of Bellagio

Viewers can see the series' emblems come to life in water, including the crown, as illuminated water jets perfectly articulate the arches of a headpiece, and the throne, as intricate cannon sprays crisscross. 

Dynamic visuals interpreting HBO's awe-inspiring graphics include projections of Viserion and the Night King, whose silhouettes culminate the show and provide a dramatic tease to the final season.

The Video:

SOURCE: MGM Resorts

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Onwe Press Acquires Rights to "Daughters of Nri" - The Debut Nigerian Fantasy Written by Reni K Amayo

Daughters Of Nri  (Courtesy of Onwe Press)

Independent publishing house, Onwe Press, is thrilled to announce the acquisition of the rights to "Daughters of Nri" the debut young-adult fantasy book from Reni K Amayo, the first installment in "The Return of the Earth Mother" series. Daughters Of Nri will be released on August 27, 2019.

The novel is set in ancient Nigeria and follows twin sisters who, unbeknownst to them, descend from the lost gods. The book explores the discovery of their burgeoning powers and their fight against the corrupt king who seeks to destroy them.

Reni has created a rich and vibrant world, filled with incredible, descriptive detail and characters that very quickly melt into the reader's heart. She beautifully marries forgotten historical facts with a wide and expansive imagination, resulting in a powerful story that is sure to remain ingrained in the mind of its readers for years to come.

Reni's ultimate goal was to reimagine the Nigerian land untouched by the scars of colonialism, and instead enriched with its deep, old and powerful magic. In order to do this, she underwent extensive research on African history and mythology, using various resources such as books and conferences, but most importantly, an arsenal of family tales dictated to her by her parents, passed down through the ages.

Reni K Amayo (image via renikamayo.com)

About The Author:

(Via renikamayo.com)

"Reni K was born and raised in London to two Nigerian immigrant parents. Her father is a doctor and her mother, a midwife, both of whom had dreams about young Reni following in their medical footsteps. Reni K, however, had other plans.

After watching Legally Blonde she was certain that she would grow up to be an amazing lawyer. Those plans were thwarted when her love for mathematics led her to studying Aeronautical Engineering instead. After university, much to the disappointment of her seven year old self, Reni did not become an astronaut, instead she entered the world of finance.

Craving an outlet from the pressures of her job, Reni K did what she always did during stressful periods: she wrote. She wrote poems (that will never see the light of day), she wrote short stories, she wrote the beginnings of many novels. She wrote on the train, she wrote during her lunch breaks, she wrote after work, she wrote on the weekends.

Until one day Reni K wrote a story that she fell in love with. A story that she couldn’t wait to read. She wrote a story set in the ancient Nigerian Kingdom of Nri about two twin sisters who unbeknownst to them are descendants of the lost gods.

The concept of Daughters of Nri was born on a packed train five years ago, and now Reni K is ready to share it with the world."

SOURCE: Onwe Press

The Burden of Secret Keeping in HBO's Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones - Varys and Tyrion Lannister

Game of Thrones is full of secrets. Characters keep secrets, exploit secrets, and reveal secrets to build alliances. New research by Columbia Business School Professor Michael Slepian reveals the extent that Varys and other characters in Game of Thrones are encumbered by secrets—both their own and others'. 

As HBO's blockbuster series airs its final season this spring, Slepian's scholarship suggests that one of the greatest burdens its characters have carried through the eight-season mega-drama is not physical, but the mental weight of secrecy.

Slepian, who has used examples from Game of Thrones to illustrate negotiation principles in the classroom, says this scene of Varys promising to keep a secret for Tyrion Lannister underscores the upside and the downside of keeping others' secrets:

"Secrets are worth more than silver or sapphires," says the character Varys, who trades in secrets as the official "master of whisperers."

"Rest easy my lord," Varys says to Tyrion Lannister in an early episode, "I am very good at keeping secrets."

"Your discretion is legendary, where your friends are concerned," responds Tyrion, realizing that he is trapped under a burden of secrecy with Varys.

On the one hand, says Slepian, Varys is taking on a burden because he will have to think about, and conceal, Tyrion's secret. But Varys is also creating a bond of confidence and trust, which is something in short supply among the dueling personalities of Game of Thrones.

Game of Thrones - Lord Varys  (image via Zimbio)

Slepian's research shows that secrets are not all equaling taxing. Across four different studies, Slepian, along with co-authors James Kirby of the University of Queensland and Elise Kalokerinosof the University of Newcastle, reviewed 1,000 participants keeping more than 6,000 secrets and found that we think more about secrets that cause us shame than those that cause us guilt.

In one study, nearly 200 participants were asked to recall a secret as well as the associated feelings of either shame or guilt on a rating of 1 to 7. Participants then reported the number of times over 30 days they spontaneously thought about the secret or felt the need to conceal the secret.

"When a secret evoked feelings of shame, the secret was more likely to intrude upon one's thinking in irrelevant moments," according to the paper. This consuming nature of shameful secrets might give new context to season five of Game of Thrones, when a humiliated Queen Cersei—who has long hidden a shameful secret of infidelity—must walk through the streets of King's Landing while a clergywoman cries "Shame! Shame! Shame!"

Game of Thrones - Queen Cersei (image via Wrath Of The Geek)

Secrecy can have an upside, however. In a separate paper, Slepian and Katharine Greenaway of the University of Melbourne measured the burdens of keeping our own secrets versus others' secrets—and the potential benefits to intimacy.

According to the research, at any given time, we are each keeping an average of 15 secrets for other people. Across three studies with more than 600 participants holding more than 10,000 secrets, the researchers found that the burdensomeness of others' secrets is a function of how often one must actively conceal the secret on their behalf due to an overlap in social circles.

SOURCE: Columbia Business School

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Toto Tells It Like It Is… "Let the Truth Be Known" - An Epic "Wizard of Oz" Adventure for the 21st Century Reader

The Wizard Was Odd Trilogy

A couple of days in Oz equals a year in Kansas where Uncle Henry is dying; If the Wizard will provide the cure, will Dorothy return home…and in time?

Alongside Toto, you will ride in the front seat of a thrilling and emotional roller coaster throughout the magical Land of Oz…and beyond. This Wizard of Oz takeoff is a multidimensional plot-twister that includes an updated original cast and a host of other wondrous quirky social misfits. This complex and intriguing parody has as much tongue-in-cheek humor as it does original content, adventure, mystery, fantasy, and romance. 

Yesteryear

First published in the year 1900, electrical lighting, indoor plumbing, and automobile ownership were not widespread. There were less than 8000 cars on the road and no more than ten miles of paved roads. "Technology" was a train that could travel in six days that a covered wagon would take six months.

Today

"Technology" means medical miracles, lasers, drones, stealth bombers, satellite surveillance, space station, cyber warfare, and quantum computers. Incredible graphics in games, like Minecraft and Fortnight, and in films, like Harry Potter and Star Wars, have raised the bar. Today's fantasy lovers expect "fantastic" and it takes "awesome" in books and films to meet those expectations.

The Wizard Was Odd trilogy has that kind of universal appeal. The glorious Lands of Western Oz, with elements of fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction coupled with its bizarre inhabitants, and their extreme subcultures will draw today's fantasy readers and game-minded fans into an Oziian world unlike any other.

Kiss of the Good Good Witch

• The Library of Congress has declared The Wonderful Wizard of Oz "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale" and "the most watched film ever." It has also been said that one fifth of the world's population has in one way or another enjoyed one version or another of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

More About The Wizard Was Odd Trilogy:

Book One, "Toto's Tale" and Book Two, "Trail of Tears" form a complete series. In Book Three, the title, settings, themes, plots, and new characters will be chosen from the ideas of contributing readers of "Toto's Tale" and "Trail of Tears".

The overall theme: A couple of days in Oz equals a year in Kansas where Uncle Henry is dying; If the Wizard will provide the cure, will Dorothy find her way home…and in time, to make a difference?

Toto's Tale, the first of The Wizard Was Odd trilogy brings the 21st century reader a cast of new and updated characters. Often bizarre and always unique, their personalities have depth and a complexity in tune with our times.

The story line, situations, and characters’ relationships, though off-world, are real-world with complicated plots, unexpected twists, subtle romance..., mystery, lots of wonder, and some serious magic. Toto's Tale, loosely follows Baum’s yellow brick road to the Emerald City. However, not all yellow brick roads are the same. With larcenous literary and artistic license, copious wit, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Toto’s Tale will appeal to readers of all ages.

In Trail of Tears, the second book of the trilogy, much of the setting takes place with new characters and in the lands of Western Oz where the comrades agree to accept a mission from an eccentric Wizard to secure an all-seeing spyglass held by the Black Queen of the Western Commonwealth.

Circumstance require the comrades return East, to Oz, by Devil’s Walk through the Underworld. Deadly, dark, and dismal, this treacherous expanse is inhabited by unimaginable evil. The pocks, pockets, and caves that belch sulfur and volcanic heat harbor hungry Firewalkers, the spawn of Hell’s Hearth, Godless spider-like half-human miscreation’s.

Elsewhere, in the Valley of the Vegans, the sweet scent of nightshade and cool forest mist brings peace and contentment to the weary traveler while intelligent soul-seeking plants, spiritual vampires subtly work to seduce their victims.

Bedraggled and beaten, those who return come to realize that the Wizard they staked their future on is devious, treacherous, and probably lacking the sanity, magical skills, and desire to grant their wishes. Unpredictable twists of fate lead the reader to an ending unlike any other adaptation, spin-off, rendition, sequel, or Oziian reinterpretation.

A commemorative series from a unique perspective, Toto's! A multidimensional plot-twister w updated cast of wondrous, quirky misfits. Alongside Toto, you will ride in the front seat of a thrilling and emotional roller coaster throughout the magical Land of Oz…and beyond. This Wizard of Oz takeoff is a multidimensional plot-twister as told from Toto's perspective that includes an updated original cast and a host of other wondrous quirky social misfits. With many surprises along the way, this complex and intriguing parody has as much tongue-in-cheek humor as it does original content, adventure, mystery, fantasy, and romance. If blockbuster series with witches, wands, warlocks and magic kept you coming back, then "The Wizard Was Odd Trilogy" will grab you and won't let you go!

Valley of the Vegans: Manticore Saves Dorothy from the Seekers of Souls; Devourers of Life Force, Essence, and Spirit

About The Author:

Bob Moyer (pseudonym - Peeky) has been writing fiction for children, young adults, and adults young at heart for nearly ten years. The following childrens stories/writings will be posted to his website at Oziian.com or WizardWasOdd.com in the near future. 

"The Calamitous Attitude of Kat Katitude" is about teenage and young adult cats living together as roommates. Another is a bedtime ditty - "No Such Thing", "Fast Food" is a picture book without words about a slow spider trying to catch fast insects, and the list goes on. 

Bob began writing for children in 2010 and belonged to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for many years. In 2012, he and his wife Janet concluded a busy week with a night on the town. His opening question to her was, "So Dorothy, how is Toto?" From that nugget, he created a version of the Wizard of Oz featuring Toto as the main character. 

With the input of the readers first two books, he intends to create the third book of the trilogy by 2020. This series will be a celebration of the 120th year of the first printing in 1900 of the original "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum.

SOURCE: Peeky (AKA Bob Moyer)

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Jack Lake Productions Inc. Introduces Binah Moon's Fantasy Art Collection

Binah Moon's Fantasy Art Collection (image via Jack Lake Productions Inc)

Jack Lake Productions Inc. announced today the release of Korean Canadian artist Binah Moon's Fantasy Art Collection.

The collection is made up of 35 high quality 13" x 29" poster prints, each print sells for $25.00 US plus shipping and handling charges. 

⏩ Each print has also been signed by the artist.

Binah Moon is a graduate of Georgian College, Ontario, Canada. Binah worked for Jack Lake Productions Inc. starting in 2003 as a freelance artist, remastering and digitizing the Classics Illustrated Junior comics from the 1950s and 1960s. 

 ‘The Mystic Island” by artist Binah Moon. (image via Jack Lake Productions Inc.)

She has also had many one-man art shows and in 2015 she published, through Jack Lake Productions Inc., her first 32 page comic, "The Mystic Island" (also available on the website).

Binah Moon's Fantasy Art Collection (image via Jack Lake Productions Inc)

Binah Moon's Fantasy Art Collection are works she produced since 2000, and her art is a whimsical escape into romantic fantasy emphasizing love, nature, children and the feminine form.

SOURCE: Jack Lake Productions Inc.

DreamWorks Animation And iFLY Bring How To Train Your Dragon Fans Closer To The Hidden World

How to Train Your Dragon Virtual Reality Experience, Now Available at Participating iFLY Locations

iFLY is partnering with DreamWorks Animation on one of the most anticipated movies of 2019, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (in theaters February 22, 2019), to create a unique How to Train Your Dragon Virtual Reality Experience exclusively for iFLY. 

⏩ The experience is now available in participating iFLY locations nationwide.

About The Experience:

• This fully immersive, highly exhilarating experience takes flyers inside the mythical Viking world of Berk from the movie How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

• Flyers of all ages can choose their favorite character (Hiccup or Astrid) and soar like a dragon in virtual reality alongside the beloved Night Fury dragon, Toothless.

• iFLY instructors physically guide flyers through sharp turns and breathtaking descents to enhance the virtual reality experience.

About How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World:

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

From DreamWorks Animation comes a surprising tale about growing up, finding the courage to face the unknown … and how nothing can ever train you to let go. 

What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic adventure spanning their lives.

Welcome to the most astonishing chapter of one of the most beloved animated franchises in film history: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.

Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid (America Ferrera), Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of a female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they've known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destinies are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they've grown to treasure.

For How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, series director Dean DeBlois returns alongside the all-star cast. The film is produced by Brad Lewis (Ratatouille, ANTZ) and Bonnie Arnold (Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon, How to Train Your Dragon 2).

SOURCE: iFLY

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EC Comics and Hivemind Bring "Weird Fantasy" to Life with New Film/TV Partnership

WEIRD FANTASY Cover Art by Al Williamson & Frank Frazetta (Courtesy: EC Comics)

Hivemind today announced a new partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc., the proprietors of EC Comics, for a number of film and television projects based on the hugely influential – and often controversial – comic book publisher's groundbreaking legacy and library. One of the first endeavors of the partnership will be WEIRD FANTASY – a new television show inspired by the shocking and subversive sci-fi/fantasy series that collided visionary genre storytelling with socially conscious themes of racial and gender equality, anti-war advocacy, nuclear disarmament and ecological preservation to create some of the most impactful and hotly debated comic book stories ever produced.

"The EC library is a timeless literary achievement that deserves to stand alongside the works of Stephen King, Philip K. Dick, and H.P. Lovecraft," said producer and Hivemind Co-President Dinesh Shamdasani. "WEIRD FANTASY is a truly historic property that shattered many barriers, and our goal is to make the television series just as fearless and forward-thinking as the stories that inspired it."

Changing the industry seemingly overnight in the early 1950s under the stewardship of publisher and writer William M. Gaines, EC Comics quickly became the dominant force of the era's booming comic book industry, selling tens of millions of copies annually and generating intense, nationwide controversies with taboo-smashing, confrontational stories in series like TALES FROM THE CRYPT and MAD MAGAZINE. EC's unique formula eschewed superheroes in favor of science fiction, fantasy, war, horror, and humor – redefining comics storytelling with a newly sophisticated and artist-driven approach that would pave the way for the ascendancy of both Marvel Comics and the counterculture underground in the decades to come.

A lynchpin of the EC line during the publisher's creative watershed, WEIRD FANTASY produced dozens of seminal stories that intersected razor-sharp social commentary with epic science fiction, high adventure and dark fantasy by some of the most celebrated comics creators to ever work in the medium, including Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, and Harvey Kurtzman. WEIRD FANTASY's defiantly rebellious sensibility is perhaps best exemplified by "Judgment Day" – a history-making story by William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein & Joe Orlando that championed the then-burgeoning Civil Rights movement and provoked a showdown with the Comics Code Authority, the pro-censorship organization that policed and sanitized the comic book industry for more than 50 years.

JUDGMENT DAY & OTHER STORIES Cover Art (Courtesy: EC Comics)

Following in the footsteps of TALES FROM THE CRYPT's smash-hit, seven-season run at HBO (and subsequent three feature films), the newly established partnership represents the first time that WMG Agent Inc. has made WEIRD FANTASY available for adaptation in more than two decades. WEIRD FANTASY's jump to television will mark the beginning of a new era for EC Comics – cited as "one of the great explosions of vox-pop literature" by TIME Magazine and frequently noted as a central influence on the work of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, and many others.

The new partnership is also slated to include a feature film based on the life of William M. Gaines, the former EC Comics publisher and self-styled comics provocateur who challenged the rigid moral code of 1950s America with shockingly innovative and deeply subversive tales of fantasy, horror and humor that sold in the millions...only to find his company investigated by Congress and his books burned in the streets in the wake of EC's staggering success. Chronicling one of the greatest untold chapters in American history, the film will follow Gaines' transformation from a staid, New York publishing impresario into a counterculture hero, guardian of artistic freedom, and champion of the First Amendment as his darkly humorous journey through the troubled birth of the comic book industry reveals the Red Scare-era witch hunt that nearly doomed an American art form, through the subsequent founding of MAD MAGAZINE and eventual rise of Marvel Comics in EC's wake.

Both projects will be produced by Gaines' daughter and grandson, Cathy Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, for EC, alongside Dinesh Shamdasani, Sean Daniel, Jason F. Brown, and Hunter Gorinson for Hivemind. The projects will mark Gorinson's first for Hivemind, where he also has joined as VP Brand & Content Strategy. Prior to joining Hivemind in mid-2018, Gorinson previously led marketing and communications as an executive at Valiant Entertainment, the acclaimed comic book publisher whose much-publicized relaunch will culminate with the release of Sony Pictures' BLOODSHOT feature film, starring Vin Diesel and adapted from the Valiant comic series by director Dave Wilson and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer, in early 2020.

"The story of William Gaines is the secret history of American pop culture," said Gorinson. "The ideas he presented in the pages of MAD, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, WEIRD FANTASY, and so many more would inspire and incite revolutionary countercultures – from comics to comedy to film and music – around the globe for decades to come. As a veteran of the comics industry myself and a lifelong fan of EC, it's a tremendous honor to be working alongside the Gaines family to help bring his story – which has an immense amount to tell us about our own modern moment – to a new generation on the big screen." 

"It's very important to us to be able to find a partner that truly understands the significance and influence of Dad and the world-class creators that made EC Comics legendary," said Cathy Mifsud, Gaines' daughter. "We're incredibly excited to have found just such a partner in Hivemind and to embark on the first of several projects that will embrace the company's legacy in ways never before attempted."

WEIRD FANTASY and the untitled Gaines biopic mark two major new additions to Hivemind's rapidly expanding roster of film and television projects, which currently includes THE EXPANSE for Amazon Studios (where it also holds a first-look deal for event television), the highly anticipated adaptation of THE WITCHER starring Henry Cavill for Netflix, and CBS Films' upcoming SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK feature film from producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toroand director André Øvredal. Most recently, the company announced that it had won an intense, multi-party bidding war to bring the hit Image Comics series GIDEON FALLS, by Eisner Award-winning writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino, to television as an hour-long horror-drama.

SOURCE: Hivemind