Home Media Magazine - March 30 - April 5, 2008 - (Page 18)

TV DVD Edited by John Latchem www.homemediamagazine.com A Founding Father’s Day HBO offers acclaimed miniseries ‘John Adams’ on DVD June 10 By John Latchem he buzz surrounding the HBO miniseries John Adams is apparently so great that HBO Video was compelled to announce the DVD release while the show is still running on TV. John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti as the founding father and second U.S. president, streets June 10 (prebook May 6) as a three-DVD set at $59.99. Other stars T include Laura Linney as Abigail Adams, Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin and David Morse as George Washington. According to Sofia Chang, SVP of marketing for HBO Video, the DVD’s release is timed to coincide with not only Father’s Day but also Independence Day, which happens to be the anniversary of Adams’ death (he died July 4, 1826). Chang said HBO Video hopes to capitalize on the exposure of the miniseries, which benefited from several promotional campaigns, including a tie-in with the U.S. Postal Service. The seven-part epic, based on historian David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prizewinning biography of Adams, premiered to high ratings March 16 on HBO and on-demand. Chang thinks the extras crafted for the DVD should go a long way in enticing viewers to pick up the home video version. The John Adams DVD includes a new documentary about McCullough and his writing style, “Painting With Words,” which airs on HBO May 28; a behind-thescenes featurette; and a pop-up trivia guide, “Facts Are Stubborn Things,” presenting historical tidbits throughout the seven episodes. “It should enhance the viewer’s experience and provide more information about that time period,” Chang said. The miniseries, which runs through April 20, is co-executive produced by Tom Hanks, who previously produced Emmy winners From the Earth to the Moon and Band of Brothers for HBO. “John Adams certainly has as great a potential for DVD sales as those other titles, especially considering the creative talent involved,” Chang said. Band of Brothers is No. 6 on the alltime TV DVD top-sellers list in terms of units sold, and No. 4 in the seasonset category, according to Nielsen VideoScan, and is among the top TV DVD revenue generators as well. Chang said a Blu-ray version of Band of Brothers is in the works for later this year. TOP 10 TV DVD CO M P L E T E S E R I E S Multi-Season Boxed Sets All-Time (as of March 9, 2008) TITLE LABEL INDEX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sex and the City M*A*S*H Friends The West Wing Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seinfeld Six Feet Under I Love Lucy Gilmore Girls Get Smart* *Direct marketing only HBO Video Fox Warner Warner Fox Sony Pictures HBO Video Paramount Warner Time Life 100.00 24.50 21.50 14.31 14.04 12.39 12.36 11.59 11.48 8.26 Source: Home Media Research ‘Get Smart’ Unleashed on DVD By John Latchem oping to cash in on the June 20 theatrical release of Get Smart, starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, studios are trotting out new DVDs tied to the franchise. Universal Studios Home Entertainment June 17 (prebook May 13) releases The Nude Bomb, the 1980 feature film follow-up to the original 1965-70 spy spoof series. The movie, offered at $19.98, finds Dan Adams reprising his role as Maxwell Smart as he takes on a villain threatening to unleash a weapon that destroys clothing. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment June 3 (prebook May 1) presents Get Smart: The Complete Series (DVD H $19.95), with all seven episodes from the 1995 revival series. The show featured original series stars Adams and Barbara Feldon, plus new cast members Andy Dick and Elaine Hendrix. The original series has been a consistent top seller since debuting in November 2006 from Time Life Home Video. TimeLife.com offers the complete series at $199.95 and the first season at $39.99. “Sales remain steady,” said Jeffrey Peisch, head of video at Time Life. “Our direct-response spot is still on the air, and we’ve established a classic viral buzz with fans.” Peisch said anticipation of the new movie has caused Time Life to re-double its marketing efforts. 18 Home Media Magazine March 30–April 5, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://TimeLife.com

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Home Media Magazine - March 30-April 5, 2008 Contents News Commentary TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Top 20 DVD Sellers Research Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - March 30 - April 5, 2008

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