Charity Starts Now, Films Added To Registry

January 2006 Movie News

Give Now: The entire Help Web family has long been impressed with the work of actor and musician Anthony Head (best known for his role as Giles on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and the constant charity work he does. Head has participated in no less than 7 charities in the last 2 years, raising more than $15,000 through his online outreach campaigns. We're flattered to lend a hand because his most recent is worthy of your attention.

During this Holiday season of gifts and giving, Head is participating in the Royal United Hospital Bath's Forever Friends Appeal. The hospital is looking to raise 10 million pounds to care for children, cancer, cardiology and critical care patients. Each donation of only 25 pounds (yes, you can use credit cards and your card can be converted from dollars, drachmas or dinars) will receive a special thank you -- a program from Jamie Cullum's "Live on the Rec" July 31st, 2005, concert that featured Tony Head singing with Clare Teal that is autographed by Head. This is a worthy cause that deserves your attention. Give today. (Anthony Head photo copyright Sarah Fisher and used with permission.)

Penguins Have An Impact: The popular documentary March of the Penguins was deemed worthy of being one of the six 'Moments of Significance' of 2005 by the American Film Institute. Two other films were Good Night, and Good Luck and, improbably, War of the Worlds. Other categories include: video iPods, DreamWorks bought by Paramount and MGM purchased by Sony, the television coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the rising popularity of watching movies and TV on different platforms, and the decline of people actually going to a movie theater were the other entries.

Ah, Those French!: An amendment to deal harshly with pirates ($360,000 in fines and up to three years in jail) was voted down by France's lower house of Parliament in December of 2005. Consumer activists applaud the move, as private copying of music and videos is European law, and many companies have faced fines or other penalties for attempting to sell copy-protected media. The supporters of the bill have time to go back and rework it, perhaps watering down some of the punishments.

Speaking Of Europe: A slump seems to have taken over the European box office as well, according to figures released in December. German film companies expect a drop of around 20 percent, while Spain, France, and Italy report the figure of around 10 percent of normal. Britain, on the other hand, reported about normal takings, perhaps boosted by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Pride and Prejudice. Many things are blamed for the slump, including the economic health of the country, the speed of movies from screen to DVD, and piracy (ironically see the above article!). But mostly, cite executives, it was simply the lack of quality of the films released. Hopefully they can turn this around in 2006.

Added To The Registry: 25 films were added to the National Film Registry in December of 2005. Many are older and some are perhaps not well known outside the realm of film buffs. None of them made past 1995. Here are the lucky choices:

Quick Notes: Vincent Schiavelli, a very popular character actor (best known for his rather morose facial features), died in December at his home in Sicily. He was only 57 years old.

And lastly, I guess "Yeah, Baby!" must change to "No, Baby!", as Mike Myers and Robin Ruzan are ending their twelve-year marriage.

- S. Moyer