Million Elf March for Public Access Television Courtesy of `Santa and Sons and daughter!` Movie
Released on = December 16, 2005, 1:04 pm
Press Release Author = CALEXAS, INC.
Industry = Entertainment
Press Release Summary = Producers show Santa family musical to promote Public Access Television and the Performing Arts.
Press Release Body = Family musical, \"SANTA AND SONS & daughter!\" organizes \"Million Elf March\" to promote awareness of public access television and the performing arts.
The movie is already slated to show in over forty communities during the holidays. Twenty states so far. From Portland, Maine to Boise, Idaho -- from Enid, Oklahoma to San Francisco -- from Athens, Ohio to Vienna, Austria. Even Auckland, New Zealand... more info at www.santaandsons.com
\"I\'m hoping to get one million kids, I mean elves to march into the living room and watch \"SANTA AND SONS & daughter!\" says the movie\'s Director, Robert Battaile. His secret plan: communication. \"At the right moment, challenge the kids to take a class about video production and borrow a camera from this very station. Edit the show and cable-cast it.\" That\'s part of what public access is all about. Parents can also participate or make their own programs.
\"It\'s especially timely to promote public access tv right now, because there is national legislation pending that could wipe out the current funding system for the Public-Education-Government channels,\" continues Battaile. \"Everyone could be impacted in various ways.\" Having a \'hard-wired\' communications system in place could be critical in some scenarios.
Battaile first learned tv production by checking out a black-and-white vidicon camera and a separate reel-to-reel video tape recorder from Austin Community Television. \"We had to drive the tapes to the top of a mountain nearby and play them on equipment in a little shack at the base of a giant antennae. Somewhat primitive.\" And, only twenty-five years ago.
\"Santa and Sons & Daughter!\" is a rockin\' family musical feature that has been in three film festivals including the Starz! International Film Festival in Denver, the Gloria Film-Video Festival in Salt Lake City, and Kidsfirst! Film-Video Festival which runs in 25 cities this quarter. The movie has received an Award of Excellence from Creative Child Magazine and carries the Dove Foundation and the Kidsfirst! seals for quality family programs.
Set in 1980, this movie musical looks at then futuristic world of Santa and Mrs. Claus - sons, Nicholas and younger brother, Klaus - plus spunky daughter, Sandy as they rise to the challenge of the being the next generation.
Soon, Sandy falls in love with Zwerkin, the harried inventor of the Teleportation Device that gets Santa into houses without chimneys. Zwerkin, a single father of Bethany and Silvin borrowed against the house and his Tele-Santa Videogame invention to pay for his wife\'s funeral. Sadly, \'twas from his boss, Menacin Snavely.
Holding the stolen Teleporter, Snavely puts on his black Santa-suit singing about \'deer kabobs and antler soup.\' Bzap! And he\'s gone to the North Pole to confront Santa.
This movie is a rare and endangered art form -- the American Musical. \"There are so few new musicals made that it\'s really scary,\" states the Director who also wrote six of the nine songs. \"Add that to the funding losses for arts programs in the schools -- and you could have generations that forget how to sing and dance and otherwise let their spirits soar.\" Remember when songs had melodies?
\"With Santa\'s help, we\'ve gotten the manufacturing partners in place for the dvds, audio-cds and some entertaining merchandise.\" All can be purchased at www.santaandsons.com . The dvd is also available at amazon.com.
Products include t-shirts, coffee mugs and even infant wear along with inspiring Christmas slogans, and an \"I Brake for Elves\" bumpersticker. The pop-rock-jazz songs can be digitally downloaded from iTunes.
You can also rent the dvd and download it right over the internet on Akimbo, the first company to deliver a digital-quality video-on-demand service to any television via a broadband-Internet connection. The Akimbo Service can be accessed from either an Akimbo Player or any Microsoft XP Media Center 2005.
It\'s a \"give-back\" and a \"kid-thing\" for the Producer and his company, Calexas. \"I\'m hoping these public access stations can generate more awareness and raise some funds by sharing this with their communities.\" Speaking of the pending legislation, Battaile adds that Santa (being from the North Pole) favors \"freezing things like they are for the next five years.\" But then again, perhaps we should raise funding levels. Wink, wink.
Here\'s the official song of the \"Million Elf March\" and some clips and photos of our elves.
Song: \"Old St. Nick\" - www.calexas.com/media/radio-old-st-nick.mp3 Clip: www.calexas.com/media/jan-and-the-elves.mov
Photos: www.calexas.com/santa-gallery-five.html and www.calexas.com/santa-gallery-six.html
High-resolution photos for media use are at www.santaandsons.com/press.html
Cities and known show-dates: (to be updated next week)
CALIFORNIA American Canyon - 12/12 8 pm Ch 27 and Ch 28 Morgan Hill Napa - 12/12 8 pm Ch 27 and Ch 28 Pacifica San Francisco 12/2 at noon and 12/21 noon on Ch 29 Saratoga CONNECTICUT Hamden, Haven, West Haven COLORADO - Durango - From Dec 14 - Dec 20 daily at 10:00 am GEORGIA - Atlanta IOWA - Fairfield IDAHO - Boise INDIANA - Bloomington KENTUCKY - Highland Heights MAINE - Portland MASSACHUSETTS - Medfield, Sandwich, Quincy Chelmsford - Ch 8 - Dec 24 at 10 pm, Dec 26 at 9 pm MICHIGAN Battle Creek - Ch 12 - Dec 24 at 2 pm, Dec 26 at 9 pm, Jan 2 at 8 pm, Jan 5 at 7 pm Grand Rapids MINNESOTA - Hibbing Stillwater, Afton, Lakeport - VACTV Ch 14 - Dec 24 at 5 pm, Dec 25 at 7 am, 1 pm and 7 pm, Dec 26 at 5 pm, Dec 27 11 am MISSOURI - Columbia - From Dec 19 - Jan 2 Mon noon, Wed 8 pm, Sat 8 pm, Sun 1 pm MONTANA - Missoula NEW HAMPSHIRE - Bedford NEW MEXICO - Los Alamos - Dec 21 at 9:00 pm, Dec 22 at 11:00 am, Dec 24 at 7:30 pm NEVADA - Ch 16 Dec 17 at 8 pm, Dec 18 at 9 am, Dec 23 at 3 pm, Dec 24 at 12:30 pm City of Sparks Washoe County Reno NEW YORK - Fairport OHIO - Athens, Centerville, Norwood OKLAHOMA - Enid Vienna, AUSTRIA Auckland, NEW ZEALAND - Dec 25 12:30 pm
For more about Public Access TV issues: http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/10.26.05/access-0543.html
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Web Site = http://www.santaandsons.com
Contact Details = Robert Battaile battaile@calexas.com 707-965-1455