Spring 2003
Volume 2, Issue 1
Fox Introduces New Series with Description
Premiering on Fox in March 2003,
Oliver Beene joined the ever-increasing list of network, cable and PBS series that are now available with video description. Airing Sunday nights at 8:30pm (ET) on Fox,
Oliver Beene is a half-hour comedy that depicts the often-hilarious trials and sometimes-outrageous tribulations of an 11-year-old kid growing up in an eccentric family in Queens, while vividly re-creating the Kennedy-era 1960s. Video description is provided by the Media Access Group at WGBH with funding from the US Department of Education.
Three New Accessible DVDs Now Available
The Media Access Group is pleased to report that three new, accessible DVDs are now available. These include the Oscar-winning feature film
Road to Perdition (DreamWorks Pictures, widescreen edition only), starring Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law, as well as two documentaries from PBS's
American Experience -- "Chicago: City of the Century" and
"Partners of the Heart." The new DVD releases all offer closed captioning and video description, while the fully accessible American Experience documentaries also feature a "talking menu" (pioneered by the Media Access Group at WGBH), which enables users who are blind or visually impaired to move through the on-screen menus via their DVD Player's remote control.
The
Road to Perdition DVD is available wherever DVDs are sold or rented. The fully accessible
"Chicago: City of the Century" (four-disk set) and
"Partners of the Heart" DVDs are sold exclusively through PBS Home Video. Order via phone at 1.800.645.4727 or online at http://www.shopPBS.com.
Harry Potter and Friends Come to Video
Attention Harry Potter fans! A described version of the popular blockbuster --
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -- will soon be available for purchase from DVS® Home Video. Check our Web site http://access.wgbh.org regularly for its spring 2003 release date.
PBS Miniseries to Premiere with Description
In June 2003, PBS will present
This Far by Faith: African-American Spiritual Journeys -- a six-hour series that examines the African-American religious experience through the last three centuries -- with description. From the arrival of the early African slaves through the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Depression, the civil rights era and into the 21st century, this powerful series explores the connection between faith and the development of African-American cultural values.
This Far by Faith will air Tuesday-Thursday, June 24-26 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings).
AMC Theatres Add New MoPix Installations
In recent months, the AMC Theatres chain has installed MoPix equipment in three of its theaters, including the first-ever installation in New York City and in Arizona. The new MoPix locations are:
AMC Empire 25
Auditorium 7
234 East 42nd Street
New York, NY
212.398.2597
AMC Mesa Grand 24
Auditorium 1
1645 South Stapley Drive
Mesa, AZ
480.503.1680
AMC River East 21
Auditorium 13
322 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL
312.596.0333
For a complete list of MoPix-equipped movie theaters in the United States and Canada, visit http://www.mopix.org.
Coming Soon to an Accessible Theater Near You...
In 2003, more than 50 feature films will be released with descriptions and captions in first-run theaters equipped with MoPix technologies (see next item for newest locations). Mark your calendars for the following film releases (listed by date) at a MoPix-equipped theater in your area. Please note that release dates and titles are subject to change.
To be released on April 11, 2003
Anger Management (Columbia Pictures): Starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler
Ghosts of the Abyss (Buena Vista Pictures): Large format film directed by James Cameron
April 18
Down with Love (20th Century Fox): Starring Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor and David
Hyde Pierce
April 25
It Runs in the Family (MGM): Starring Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas and Cameron Douglas
May 2
X-Men 2 (20th Century Fox): Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry
May 16
Matrix Reloaded (Warner Bros. Pictures): Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and
Carrie-Anne Moss
May 23
Bruce Almighty (Universal Pictures): Starring Jim Carrey, Jennifer Aniston and Morgan
Freeman
May 30
Finding Nemo (Buena Vista Pictures): With voices of Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe and Ellen
DeGeneres
June 6
2 Fast 2 Furious (Universal Pictures): Starring Paul Walker, Tyrese and Cole Hauser
June 13
Hollywood Homicide (Columbia Pictures): Starring Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett
June 20
Alex & Emma (Warner Bros. Pictures): Starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson
The Hulk (Universal Pictures): Starring Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly and Nick Nolte
June 27
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (Columbia Pictures): Starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore
and Lucy Liu
July 2
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Warner Bros. Pictures): Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger,
Nick Stahl and Claire Danes
Legally Blonde 2: Red White and Blonde (MGM): Starring Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson and
Sally Field
For a complete list of described films currently playing and coming soon, as well as locations of theaters equipped with MoPix, visit
PBS Schedule
The following is the DVS broadcast schedule for April through June on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Please check your local listings for airdates and times.
For the latest updates of PBS programs airing with description and changes to the broadcast schedule in the upcoming months, please check our Web site http://access.wgbh.org or call the toll-free DVS Information Line at 1.800.333.1203. E-mail your comments to access@wgbh.org.
Adventures from The Book of Virtues
Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers
American Experience
Angelina Ballerina (Debuting with description May 12)
Arthur
Barney (Debuting with description this spring)
Between The Lions
Cyberchase
Dragon Tales (Debuting with description June 9)
ExxonMobil Masterpiece
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Select episodes of this series will air with description)
Mystery!
Nature
Nova
This Far By Faith (6/24,6/25 and 6/26)
Zoboomafoo
Zoom
The Media Access Group at WGBH provides video description for the following
broadcast network and cable programs:
The Bernie Mac Show, Fox
Blue's Clues, Nickelodeon and CBS
Boston Public, Fox
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS
Dora the Explorer, Nickelodeon (Debuting with description this spring)
JAG, CBS
Jimmy Neutron, Nickelodeon (Debuting with description this spring)
Malcolm in the Middle, Fox
Oliver Beene, Fox
Rugrats, Nickelodeon
The Simpsons, Fox
DVS Looks to Summer 2003 Conventions
As we look ahead in 2003, the staff of DVS joins many of you in planning for the annual American Council of the Blind and National Federation of the Blind conventions. This summer, as in years past, we will hold our popular DVS "movie nights" at both the ACB event in Pittsburgh and the NFB event in Louisville. If you attend the ACB convention, you'll also have the opportunity to purchase described videos at our convention hall booth. As always, we look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones!
