TIGER EYES by Judy Blume – Coming-of-Age Classic makes its feature film debut in theaters and VOD

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TIGER EYES tells the story of Davey, a 17-year old girl abruptly relocated by her grieving mother to the strange “atom bomb” town of Los Alamos, New Mexico.  With the sudden and violent death of her father, everything that once mattered suddenly seems insignificant.  But while exploring the surrounding canyons Davey meets Wolf, a mysterious young Native-American who is able to see past her pain.  The connection they make brings Davey back from the edge and sets her on a journey from heartbreak and confusion to love and life after tragedy.

Co-written by Blume and her son, Lawrence Blume, who also directed, the film stars Willa Holland (“Arrow,” “Gossip Girl”), Tatanka Means (“The Host”), Amy Jo Johnson (“Flashpoint”), Russell Means (“The Last of the Mohicans”), Cynthia Stevenson (“The Player”), and Elise Eberle (“The Astronaut Farmer”). TIGER EYES was a co-production of Amber Entertainment (Mark Ordesky, Ileen Maisel) and Tashmoo Productions (George Cooper, Judy Blume, Lawrence Blume) with Linda Moran co-producing, and Ruth Pomerance executive producing.  Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media have set June 7th for the day and date release in multiple markets, including DirecTV, On Demand and iTunes.

“I’m thrilled with Tiger Eyes, the movie.  It’s a story that’s always been close to my heart,” said Blume.  “Willa Holland captures the essence of Davey in an amazing performance.  Thanks to Freestyle for embracing this film.”

Judy Blume is the iconic author of many best-selling books including Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Blubber; Forever; Summer Sisters; and the five book series featuring the irrepressible Fudge.

TIGER EYES marks the first major motion picture adaptation from Judy Blume’s work, whose books have sold more than 82 million copies in 41 countries.

For more information on the film, please visit the Tiger Eyes Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tiger-Eyes-Official-Movie-Page/175601622478779

Or check out the movie trailer:

http://tigereyesmovie.com/

THUMBS CAN SAVE LIVES – Declare a Thumb War on Texting and Driving

Texting and driving-related car crashes is one of the leading causes of American teen deaths—and it’s getting worse.

Deaths among 16-17-year old drivers increased almost 20% last year.

DoSomething.org’s THUMB WARS campaign, launching May 29th, urges teens to take action and educate their friends on the dangers of texting and driving. While most campaigns using scare tactics have backfired, non-profit DoSomething.org—in partnership with Toyota and Sprint Foundation—is taking a different approach: the fun and social way. It’s proven to work.

Teens can sign up for two pairs of thumb socks (one for them, one for a friend!) on DoSomething.org/Thumbwars.  After taking pictures of their friends and themselves wearing the socks, they submit the photos to an online gallery. The best photos will be turned into shareable memes that will be pushed out via social media.

The thumb socks empower teens to speak up.

DoSomething.org’s NAOMI HIRABAYASHI, discussed:

Ÿ  The current statistics of texting and driving and why it’s so important for Americans to take action now

Ÿ How the 2012 Thumb Wars campaign positively impacted driving habits among teens

Ÿ Where and how teens can get their hands on their own thumb socks

Ÿ Why teens are more likely to speak out to friends and family after receiving thumb socks

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About NAOMI HIRABAYASHI: Naomi is the Chief Marketing Officer at DoSomething.org making campaigns like THUMB WARS possible. Prior to DoSomething.org, she was Associate Director at Attention, one of the first social media marketing agencies where she offered strategic counsel for campaigns such as International Women’s Day for Avon, Breast Cancer Awareness for Estée Lauder, and TOMS Shoes. A popular speaker, Naomi has appeared on network TV news programs, at the United Nations discussing Media/Social Media and most recently at the 24 Hours of Reality event on a panel with former Vice President Al Gore.

MOM & ME & MOM by Maya Angelou – A Memoir

The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: the relationship with her mother.

Anyone who’s read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings knows Angelou was raised by her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. In MOM & ME & MOM, Angelou details what brought her mother, Vivian Baxter Johnson, to send her and her older brother away when Vivian’s marriage began to crumble. The subsequent feelings of abandonment stayed with Angelou for years, but their reunion, a decade later, began a story that has never before been told.

 

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“The first decade of the 20th century was not a great time to be born Black and poor and female in St. Louis, Missouri.” So begins this stunning portrait of Vivian, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger than life presence–a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life.  Johnson was the first black woman officer in the Merchant Marines, purveyor of a gambling business and rooming house, and mother to a literary icon.

In MOM & ME & MOM, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call Lady, revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them:  “My mother’s gifts of courage to me were both large and small. The latter are woven so subtly into the fabric of my psyche that I can hardly distinguish where she stops and I begin.”

Filled with photos from Angelou’s private collection, this heartfelt tribute to motherhood and unconditional love is the work of a lifetime for Angelou. She tackles powerful emotions left untouched through all her earlier writings in a requiem of healing sure to resonate with readers everywhere.

MOM & ME & MOM explores the healing and love that evolved between the two women over the course of their lives, the love that fostered Angelou’s rise from immeasurable depths to reach impossible heights.

“[Angelou’s MOM & ME & MOM is the] latest, and most potent, of her serial autobiographies…[A] tough-minded, tenderhearted addition to Angelou’s spectacular canon.” —Elle Magazine

“In this loving recollection of a complicated relationship, Angelou for the first time details the mother-daughter journey to reconciliation and unwavering connection and support… Angelou vividly portrays a spirited woman… [A] remarkable and deeply revealing chronicle of love and healing.”—Booklist

“Written with her customary eloquence, Angelou’s latest focuses on her relationship with her mother, the fierce, beautiful, charismatic, and determined Vivian Baxter…The book follows in the episodic style of Angelou’s earlier volumes of autobiography, pulling the reader along effortlessly. The lessons and the love presented here will speak to those trying to make their way in the world.” —Publishers Weekly

“True to her style, the writing cuts to the chase with compression and simplicity, and there in the background is a calypso smoothness, flurries and showers of musicality between the moments of wickedness…A tightly strung, finely tuned memoir about life with her mother.” —Kirkus Reviews
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Poet, writer, performer, teacher, and director Maya Angelou was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, and then moved to San Francisco. In addition to her groundbreaking autobiographies, beginning with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she has also written two cookbooks, five poetry collections, including I Shall Not Be Moved, three books of essays, including Letter to My Daughter, and six long-form poems, including “Mother” and “On the Pulse of Morning,” read at the inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton.

YOGALOSOPHY by Mandy Ingber – 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover

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Jennifer Aniston. Kate Beckinsale. Helen Hunt. Brooke Shields. In addition to their fame, these actresses share something else in common: they owe their enviable silhouettes to fitness expert and celebrity yoga instructor Mandy Ingber.

In Yogalosophy: 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover, Ingber—one of the most sought-after fitness and wellness advisors in Los Angeles—offers up a unique 28-day plan to help readers achieve healthier bodies and happier minds. Building on the concepts offered in Ingber’s popular Yogalosophy DVD, this handbook provides an accessible program of proven workouts and eating guidelines designed to tone and strengthen the entire body, inside and out.

In addition to recipes and detailed body-sculpting workouts (which combine yoga postures with a wide range of other effective exercises), Ingber also offers up wise insights and thought-provoking anecdotes in each chapter, encouraging readers to establish a healthier, more life-embracing mindset. Full of girlfriend-y wisdom, Yogalosophy is a realistic, flexible, daily plan that will help readers transform their minds, their bodies, and their lives.

“Mandy Ingber brings joy, humor, and self-love into your workout. She’s the best.”
—Helen Hunt (Academy Award-winning actress)

“Mandy brought yoga into my life. I’m excited for you to get to experience her too! This workout will change your body and your mind.” –Jennifer Aniston
Mandy Ingber, the creator of Yogalosophy, is a fitness and wellness expert, speaker, producer, instructor, and author. For over 16 years she has motivated people with her light-hearted approach and unique teaching style. Her ability to connect with a wide range of students makes her accessible to all. Mandy’s public appeal grew as a celebrity yoga instructor when she did a spread in SELF magazine in 2006 with client Jennifer Aniston. Other clients include Kate Beckinsale, Ricki Lake, Brooke Shields, jewelry designer Jennifer Meyer, and Helen Hunt, who gave her credit on the red carpet for getting her body “Oscar-ready.”

CROSS ROADS by Wm. Paul Young

In 2009, William Paul Young was juggling three jobs. Each day he hauled himself and his troubles (financial worries that led to bankruptcy, guilt from an affair that strained his marriage, memories of three devastating family deaths) on the commuter train between his rental home in Gresham, Oregon and Portland. Sometimes he scribbled bits of dialogue on napkins and receipts to help ease his pain. Since then, Young has undergone a major reversal of fortune. The Shack, a novel he started in 2005 to explain to his six kids how he coped with tragedy, has become an astonishing hit selling 18 million copies and landing on the New York Times Best Seller list for 50 consecutive weeks as #1. Paul originally wrote it as a Christmas gift for his children and printed 15 copies at the local office supply store; it was never intended for broad publication. However, friends passed it to friends and eventually he teamed up with a couple of guys to print it and the rest is a publishing phenomenon.

In Cross Roads, Young tells the story of a driven man who falls into a coma and experiences relational entanglements that allow him to revisit choices he made during his life. In ICU after a cerebral hemorrhage, powerful businessman Anthony Spencer awakens to find himself in a surreal world. Literally able to see through the eyes and experiences of others, he is faced with the consequences of his own choices. Despite his great material accomplishments, he is confronted by how his life was ultimately empty and meaningless. He meets God and faces a decision. Will he have the courage to make a choice that can undo a major injustice he set in motion before falling into a coma?

Princess Academy

Bestselling author Shannon Hale brings us back to her fairy tale land in the sequel to Newbery Honor-Winner PRINCESS ACADEMY. In a multi-city radio tour, the author dished about PALACE OF STONE—the latest installment in the series, how she balances life as a writer and a mom, and why she chooses to write books for kids AND adults.

Wicked Business with Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich is without a doubt one of the most recognized novelists in the world with over 75 million copies of her books sold around the globe and translated into more than 27 languages. With over a dozen consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers, her iconic series starring bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, the original Jersey girl, is one of fiction’s most beloved characters. Evanovich returns to tantalize readers with WICKED BUSINESS, the second in her immediate #1 New York Times new series starring pastry chef Lizzy Tucker and the charming, handsome, not-quite-human Diesel. Together, they explore the mysteries and temptations of the Seven Deadly Sins, with Lust taking center-stage.

Jon Ronson on THE PSYCHOPATH TEST

Jon Ronson, author of the international bestselling books The Men Who Stare at Goats and Them: Adventures with Extremists, did not actively seek out the disturbing realm of the criminally insane. It came to him. When dozens of the world’s top neurologists received copies of a taunting, expensive handmade book that was a puzzle on every level, they enlisted Ronson – an award-winning journalist with a keen interest in the fascinating fringes of society – to help them solve the mystery of its source and purpose. What began for Ronson as an international hunt for the perpetrator of an eerie prank soon became a deeper search for an understanding of psychopaths and the people who devote their lives to identifying, studying, and controlling them – a quest he captivatingly chronicles in THE PSYCHOPATH TEST: A Journey Through the Madness Industry.

What Ronson learns is chilling. As many as 2.5 out of every 100 people are psychopathic, meaning that they are so deficient in empathy and conscience that they pose a serious threat to their fellow human beings. Among prisoners, the percentage rises to about 25%, and up to 70% of violent crime is believed to be committed by psychopaths. Even more alarmingly, Ronson found that the higher up the professional and social ladder you go, the higher the percentage of psychopaths. Among top corporate officers, for example, nearly 4% score extremely high on the Psychopath Test.

In THE PSYCHOPATH TEST, Jon Ronson once again displays his extraordinary talent for telling compelling stories filled with unforgettable characters while mining offbeat, menacing worlds for rich and significant – and surprisingly hilarious – findings. His trademark mixture of humor, heart, and the ability to ask the right question at the right time to get the perfect (and sometimes absurd) answer makes his look at the madness industry eye-opening, witty, and uniquely engaging.