NEWS FROM COSTA COMMUNICATIONS & CINEMEDIA


From Costa Communications:

JUNO COMPOSER MATEO MESSINA’S

HEALTHCARE PLAN WILL NOT TAX AMERICANS

AND BENEFITS CHILDREN

Mateo Messina Presents a “Symphony of the Superhero”

Proceeds Benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital

Friday, November 6 at 7:00pm in Benroya Hall, Downtown Seattle

(Seattle, WA) – Grammy Award-winning composer, and founder/chair of The Symphony Guild, Mateo Messina, along with DJ Cut Chemist, violinist Lili Haydn, NW Symphony Orchestra, NW Chorale, Bells of the Sound, NW Boychoir, Batucada Brazilian Collective, John Curley and more join together to create “Symphony of the Superhero.” The benefit concert will be held on Friday, November 6 at Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle (200 University St). Cocktails and a silent auction will take place at 7:00pm, followed by the concert beginning at 8:00pm. Tickets are available at: http://www.thesymphonyguild.org or by phone at: 1.800.838.3006. Proceeds from this concert benefit uncompensated care of Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Although he has not attained the mythical proportions of a Greek or Roman god, and is not “faster than a speeding bullet,” “Juno” composer (and Seattle native) Mateo Messina, is, in his own way, a superhero. He would be embarrassed to be labeled in such a way, but to the children whose lives he has changed through music at Seattle Children’s Hospital, he has a power greater than that of most mortals. For more than a decade, Messina has written a new symphony every year, which he performs at Benaroya Hall to raise money for families with children in the hospital.

Messina’s connection with the hospital began when the daughter of a friend passed away from a brain tumor. Not long after, in 1997, he started playing the piano in the hospital’s playroom. While there, several children joined in on piano duets and sang along. Messina returned the next week. And the next. And the week after that. He began writing checks from the proceeds of his concerts to help raise money for the hospital. He formalized his contributions five years later, creating The Symphony Guild. The Symphony Guild has since raised money for Uncompensated Care at Seattle Children’s Hospital. It allows families in need of assistance to get care for their hospitalized children, whether they are insured or not. Last year, his concert raised nearly $200,000. The funds raised each year places the Symphony Guild on the “Top 25 Fundraising Guilds” list at the hospital. Although Messina's music career has taken him to Hollywood California, he continues to play for the children during his monthly visits to his hometown of Seattle.

Seattle Children’s Hospital is ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report magazine, Children’s serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children’s is a private nonprofit providing excellent patient care with compassion and respect, and conducting cutting-edge pediatric research. Since they opened their doors in 1907, they have maintained their founding promise: to provide needed medical care to all children in their four-state region – regardless of a family's ability to pay. The need for such uncompensated care has risen dramatically in recent years. In 2001, they provided $24.9 million in uncompensated care. In 2008, the sum topped $86 million, and they expect to provide more than $100 million in uncompensated care in 2009 to families in need and to cover Medicaid payment shortfalls. For more info on Seattle Children’s Hospital please visit www.seattlechildrens.org.

From CineMedia:

HEROES AND VILLAINS WILL BE SINGING A NEW TUNE IN GOTHAM CITY!

Guest Star and Emmy® Nominee Neil Patrick Harris Lends his Voice and Singing Talents to a Special Musical Episode of Batman: The Brave & The Bold Airing October 23 at 7:30 PM ET/PT on the Cartoon Network

New Line Records to Digitally Release Batman: The Brave & The Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister! – Soundtrack from the Animated Television Show on October 24

BURBANK, CA (October 6, 2009) – The Caped Crusader faces a new villain in the upcoming Batman: The Brave & The Bold episode, “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” The episode, from Warner Bros Animation, features the voice of Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) as the Music Meister, a menacing villain who is able to exert powerful mind-control through song. Producers and cast members received a standing ovation following a sneak-preview at Comic-Con this past July and, after much anticipation, the episode will finally air Friday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network.

On Saturday, October 24, New Line Records will release Batman: The Brave & The Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister! – Soundtrack from the Animated Television Show digitally on iTunes and other digital music outlets. Amazon.com will offer fans the exclusive option of purchasing either a hard or digital copy of the soundtrack. The soundtrack will feature all original songs from the episode as well as the highly sought Batman: The Brave & The Bold theme.

"Being approached by the producers to do a 'Batman Musical' was a complete surprise and total thrill," said composers Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter. The phenomenal cast and musicians brought each song to life and we are so happy New Line Records has agreed to release a soundtrack so that this music can be enjoyed by Batman fans worldwide."

About Batman: The Brave & The Bold
Extremely popular on Cartoon Network with its combination of fast-paced action and humor, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is executive produced by Sam Register, with James Tucker and Linda M. Steiner as producers. The voice cast includes Diedrich Bader as Batman, James Arnold Taylor as Green Arrow, Will Friedle as Blue Beetle, Tom Kenny as Plastic Man, John DiMaggio as Aquaman and Corey Burton as Red Tornado.

About Warner Bros. Animation:
Warner Bros. Animation has been producing award-winning original animation since 1930, when it released its first cartoon, “Sinkin' in the Bathtub.” Since then, Warner Bros. Animation’s characters have set the standard for innovative, quality animation. Producing for network and cable television, online, home entertainment and feature films both domestically and internationally, Warner Bros. Animation is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as maintaining the studio’s rich cartoon heritage. Warner Bros. Animation also oversees the creative use of, and production of animated programming based on classic animated characters from the Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics libraries. Warner Bros. Animation is one of the most honored animation studios in history, garnering a grand total of six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, a Humanitas Award, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

About New Line Records:
NEW LINE RECORDS a division of New Line Productions Inc., has been releasing recorded music since 2002. Distributed through Warner Music Group’s independent arm ADA, NLR has released over 60 titles, including the film soundtracks to Hairspray, Sex and the City, Elf, The Notebook, He’s Just Not That Into You, The Departed, Love and Basketball and Wedding Crashers, among others. Its 2009 schedule includes The Hangover, ROCK OF AGES Broadway Cast Recording, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Sherlock Holmes.