Here are a couple of releases. They do not pertain to any one particular subject. They’re being posted for the good of the blog and for the good of you, my loyal readers. So, here is a press release from Fox Sports regarding last week’s incident at the Atlanta NASCAR race that led to probation for Carl Edwards.
FOX SPORTS NOTES, QUOTES & ANECDOTESDW on Keselowski/Edwards Incident: “You Don’t Race on ‘What Ifs’ – It’s Between Two Drivers and No One Got Hurt”Larry McReynolds on Edwards Probation:“There is No Way NASCAR Could Fine or Suspend Him”Following an offseason where NASCAR announced its “Back to Basics” approach, Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 incident involving Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski was a reflection of stock car racing the way it used to be. Edwards admitted he intentionally wrecked Keselowski sending the 29 car airborne as payback for knocking Edwards earlier that day. The dust-up prompted NASCAR officials to place Edwards on probation for the next three Sprint Cup races. NASCAR on FOX analysts Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds offered their thoughts on the incident:DW ON NASCAR ISSUING PROBATION TO CARL EDWARDS: “I expected Carl’s punishment to be exactly what he got. The obvious question now is ‘what does NASCAR tell Brad Keselowski?’ You don’t race on “what ifs.” The bottom line is two cars were involved, two drivers were involved and nobody got hurt. It set a precedent. NASCAR says ‘this is a little bit more than what we intended for.’ The other drivers have told him ‘You’re becoming known as Bad Brad, and sometimes if you are known as Bad Brad something bad might happen to you and it did.’ So, maybe now lesson learned.”MCREYNOLDS: “There is no way NASCAR could fine or suspend Carl Edwards. In mid-January NASCAR can’t make an announcement that says, ‘Boys we are taking the gloves off, we are going to let you race’ and then suspend the guy. I applaud NASCAR for their decision. A year ago they would have sat Carl out for a race or two, but we have changed our thinking and the way this sport is going to be done. Retaliation has been going on for years. It’s just that over the last decade NASCAR has tightened the reigns.”DW ON EDWARDS’ INTENTIONS: “One of the bigger issues is the fact that the car went airborne. Edwards’ intention was to give the car a little tap, send it through the grass and ruin Keselowski’s day. I don’t know if Carl was mad or not when he went back out on the race track but he probably looked at the scoreboard and said, ‘The guy that wrecked me is running 5th, has a chance to win this race and I’ve been in the garage for two and a half hours.’ All of a sudden I think Carl had flashbacks of Brad wrecking him last year in Talladega and had pent up aggression from the wreck earlier in the day.”
Next, Versus talks about what it will air this weekend.
AROUND THE TRACK, ON THE COURT AND THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS, VERSUS TO AIR NON-STOP SPORTS ACTION ON MARCH 13 AND 14NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 10, 2010)-VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the country, will air an action-packed weekend of sports, beginning on Saturday, March 13, at 2 p.m. ET, with 60 minutes of pre-race qualifying coverage for the Sao Paulo Indy 300 race - the 2010 season-opening IndyCar Series event. The network shifts into high-gear on Sunday, March 14, with three hours of live race coverage beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.
In addition to the IndyCar qualifying coverage on Saturday, March 13, VERSUS will also televise the Men's and Women's Mountain West Conference (MWC) Championship basketball games live from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The Women's Final tips off at 4 p.m. ET and Men's coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET. Teams playing in the Championship round will be decided by the games played on Friday.
On Sunday, March 14, beginning at 4 p.m. ET, VERSUS will air two hours of coverage of the Paris-Nice cycling race. VERSUS will begin with a recap of stages one through six and then join the peloton for the final stage of the race as they travel seventy-four miles and face three mountain climbs to determine the overall winner of the 2010 edition of the race.VERSUS' March 13 and 14 schedule follows:Saturday, March 13
Sao Paulo Indy 300 Qualifying – 2 p.m. ET
Women’s MWC Championship game – 4 p.m. ET
Men’s MWC Championship game – 6 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 14
Sao Paulo Indy 300 – 11:30 a.m. ET
Paris-Nice – 4 p.m. ET
CBC has announced that it will air a two night event involving a TV movie based on the life of Canadian icon Don Cherry.
KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, KID: THE DON CHERRY STORYA TWO-PART TELEVISION EVENT PREMIERES ONMARCH 28 & 29 at 8 P.M. on CBC-TVPremiering Sunday, March 28 and Monday, March 29 at 8 p.m. on CBC Television, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, KID: THE DON CHERRY STORY is a two-part, four-hour television event depicting the tumultuous and triumphant life journey of Canada’s most outspoken hockey icon, Don Cherry (played by Jared Keeso, I Love You Beth Cooper).KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, KID: THE D
ON CHERRY STORY tells of the career minor league defenseman’s journey from obscurity to becoming one of the most recognized faces in the country. It is the behind-the-scenes story of his professional and personal life with his young family and beloved late wife Rose, who became his lifelong confidante, supporter and stabilizing influence. From criss-crossing North America during his 16 years in the minor leagues, to facing both financial and family health crises, KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, KID: THE DON CHERRY STORY unfolds as a distinctively Canadian human drama and love story.Supporting cast includes Sarah Manninen (aka Albert Walker) as Rose Cherry, Ty Wood (The Haunting in Connecticut) as Tim Cherry and Paige Bannister (Something Beneath) as Cindy Cherry.Love him or hate him, Don Cherry’s popularity in Canada cannot be denied. For thirty years, hockey fans and media from across the country have tuned into CBC’S Hockey Night in Canada’s Coach’s Corner to hear what “Grapes” is going to say. A towering figure in hockey, his sphere of influence extends past the traditional sports arena and in 2004, he was voted seventh in the CBC’s Greatest Canadian nation-wide contest.KEEP YOUR HEAD UP, KID: THE DON CHERRY STORY is the brainchild of Cherry’s son Tim Cherry, who is the writer and executive producer. Directed by Jeff Woolnough, produced by Shawn Watson and executive produced by Laszlo Barna, Wayne Thompson and Jamie Brown. It is an E1 Entertainment, 5 for Fighting and Frantic Films production in association with CBC Television.
And ESPN will produce a theatrical film, its first and it will be based on the life of the late Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi starring Robert De Niro.
Robert De Niro to Play Vince Lombardi; Eric Roth to Finalize ScriptTribeca Productions Joins ESPN Films, Andell Entertainment and the NFL to Produce FilmAcademy Award-winning actor Robert De Niro is attached to play legendary coach Vince Lombardi in the theatrical motion picture LOMBARDI being developed by ESPN Films, Andell Entertainment and the NFL. Additionally, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Good Shepherd) has come on board the project which will chronicle Lombardi during the years he transformed the Green Bay Packers from the worst team in the National Football League into five-time NFL champions
The producing group of ESPN Films, Andell Entertainment, the NFL and Chris Olsen will be joined by De Niro and Jane Rosenthal's Tribeca Productions. ESPN/Andell have Lombardi's life story rights through his estate and Vincent Lombardi, Jr. as well as the rights to the renowned sports book Instant Replay written by former Packer great Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap.
"Having an icon portray an icon on film is amazing, and with a writer as talented as Eric working on the script, the results could be magical for NFL fans," said Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN Films - Motion Pictures.
Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of Tribeca Productions and the Tribeca Film Festival, said, "We've had an extraordinary relationship with ESPN for five years through the Tribeca Film Festival, and now we're able to extend that association into production."
"There are few actors who could accurately portray the fire, passion and grit of Lombardi and we're thrilled to have Robert De Niro on our team," said Charles Coplin, the NFL's vice president of programming. "With the addition of De Niro, Eric and Tribeca Productions, we have a deep bench to produce a film worthy of the legendary coach and American icon."
Current plans call for the film's release on the weekend between the AFC and NFC Conference Championships and the Super Bowl in 2012. CAA collaborates with ESPN Films on theatrical motion picture projects and represents De Niro, Roth and Rosenthal. Discussions are taking place with directors interested in the project.
Lombardi Story
The story's narrative arc spans from 1959 when Lombardi was given his first opportunity to be an NFL head coach, taking over the small-town Packers, then the worst team in the NFL, and runs through his transformation of a group of young, talented but undisciplined losers into five-time NFL champions. Also, the story highlights the long-standing rivalry that existed between Lombardi and legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry both of whom were assistants on the New York Giants team that lost the 1958 NFL Championship game. Friendly but always competitive, Lombardi and Landry's coaching skills were undeniable, their personalities as unalike as possible. The story climaxes with the memorable I ce Bowl when their teams battled in temperatures that reached 13 degrees below zero. Lombardi achieved his desire of winning an unprecedented three consecutive NFL championships, a feat still not duplicated to this day. Lombardi's Packers also won the first two Super Bowls ever played. Since 1971, the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl champion has been named the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The inspirational, compelling story of Vince Lombardi is driven by a single overarching idea: the moral imperative of paying the price to be great.
ESPN Films
Part of the ESPN Content Development group, ESPN Films presents quality scripted and documentary film projects for television and theatrical release, including "30/30," a celebration of the last three decades of sports timed with ESPN's 30th anniversary. For more on ESPN Films: http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/media-kits/espn-films/
Andell Entertainment
Andell Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based production company and a division of Andell Holdings, a private investment firm. "Lombardi," a co-production with ESPN and the National Football League, is currently in development. Other production credits include Universal Pictures' "State of Play" and "Safe Men," and Fox Searchlight's "Millions."
Tribeca Productions
Headquartered in New York, Tribeca Productions was founded in 1988 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. Since its inception, Tribeca Productions has produced more than 25 films with a combined worldwide gross of more than 2 billion dollars. To date, their films have garnered several Academy Award nominations and countless critics awards.
Upcoming feature projects for Tribeca include Little Fockers for Universal Pictures (December 2010) and The Undomestic Goddess for Universal Pictures. Tribeca's previous film productions include Public Enemies (2009), What Just Happened? (2008), The Good Shepherd, directed by Robert De Niro (2006), Rent (2005); House of D (2005); Meet the Fockers (2004); Stage Beauty (2004); About a Boy (2002); Analyze That (2002); Showtime (2002); Meet the Parents (2000); The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000); Analyze This (1999); Flawless (1999); the Academy Award(r)-nominated Wag the Dog (1997); Marvin's Room (1996); De Niro's directorial debut, A Bronx Tale (1993); The Night We Never Met (1993); Thunderheart (1992); Mistress (1992); and Night and the City (1992).
De Niro and Rosenthal are also co-producers of the theatrical musical We Will Rock You, based on the music of Queen.
That will do it for this post.
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