This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography by Dustin Diaz (a J!-ENT Book Review)

Dustin Diaz has inspired thousands of people who followed his Project 365 on Flickr.  Through his experimentation with Strobist techniques and showing his followers of how he accomplished certain photos, many people wanted more.  And thus, Dustin’s book “This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography” accomplishes just that with over 100 shots with Strobist setup and information.  A wonderful resource for those interested in Strobist info. and Dustin’s work on printed format!  Definitely recommended!

 

TITLE: This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography

BY: Dustin Diaz

PUBLISHER: Peachpit Press

PAGE COUNT: 123

RELEASED: December 25, 2011

 

In 2009, photographer Dustin Diaz began a “365 project,” the goal of which is to shoot and share one picture per day for a year. Not only did Diaz actually complete the project–an achievement in and of itself–he consistently shared both the final image and the behind-the-scenes setup shot for that image, allowing the viewer to see how the shot was arranged. He also included information about exposure, flash power, distance, and light modifiers. The project was a huge hit that attracted thousands of followers. This Is Strobist® Info recreates and expands upon this approach by featuring an image alongside a setup shot that helpfully explains how that image was created. By showing the finished pictures as well as the setup shots for 50 of Diaz’s images, you’ll gain tons of knowledge about the basics–and beyond–of flash photography, including everything from simple one-light shots to images created with five lights and numerous gels, clamps, umbrellas, softboxes, and grids. Additionally, This Is Strobist® Info includes two chapters that guide you through the basics of starting your own lighting kit and explain the important but often-misunderstood inverse square law.

A few years ago, I became very interested in Strobist techniques, primarily the use of off camera flash, the importance of lighting and learning on various positioning, the equipment used by other photographers and trying to learn as much as I can from them.

There is no denying that among the best resources out there for those wanting to learn Strobist techniques is through David Hobby’s strobist.com website and also the Strobist community forum on Flickr.

But where a lot of people are hardcore and invested in expensive Canon and Nikon cameras, people who spent hundreds on a single flash and other equipment, I knew that for myself… I’m not quite at that level where I am confident of spending as much as these individuals have.  As much as I would love to have had the top-of-the line lens, the best off camera flash and strobes, my mindset was not there yet.

Yes, I know that may put me in the side of being a budget-conscious, fiscally conservative (or to some, a “cheap-ass”) photographer who tends to buy speedlights from Asia for under a $100 and is always searching for the best deals on Craigslist for lenses but for now, it works for me and the more I become more confident with my photography and using off camera flash, I eventually will spend the money for a better flash.

So, I have spent months looking at Strobist website and Strobist techniques from photographers with similar equipment on Flickr and just trying to soak everything in.

But while perusing Flickr and looking at the work of the Strobist community, there was one person who’s work caught my attention.  A guy named Dustin Diaz who worked in social media as his main job but when he had the free time, each day as part of his “Project 365″ on Flickr, he would go out with his camera, his Nikon flash, portable stand(s), umbrella and puts them all on his backpack and take these pretty awesome photos and post one for the day.

And gradually overtime, seeing how his technique would improve while taking these pictures.

Bare in mind, this guy doesn’t toot his own horn that he’s a great photographer, nor does even come off as one.  He’s just a regular guy with a busy job, married but also is passionate about photography and like hundreds of people, he took part in a Project 365 on Flickr.   The goal is pretty much take a photo each day and upload one everyday for 365 days straight. But also for one to challenge themselves by trying to come up with something creative with each photo.

And sure enough, Dustin Diaz’ Project 365 inspired me.   And looking at the comments from everyone, I know I wasn’t the only one.

Each day, Dustin would post a photo but would also post a second photo (and sometimes video) of how he took the shot.  And I was pretty excited that he would take his time to show people how he accomplished these shots.

An example from Dustin’s Project 365 can be seen here:

Granted, Dustin had provided Strobist info. for several shots, not all and like myself and many others, we would ask him “how do you do that? Where did you position your flash?  How this?  How that?  You get the picture.

There are some photographers who are comfortable by answering people’s questions, some that are just too busy to reply or just don’t want to.  Dustin’s approach was to do more of the Strobist info. for his “Project 365″ and let people how he accomplished certain photos.  No egos, no promotion of he’s this awesome photographer… he was just a normal guy, who experimented and got the results, good and bad.  But each description was witty, fun and definitely not coming off as academic or egoist.

And sure enough, so many people followed his work and he eventually won “Best Flickr Photographer of the Year” by Mashable Web Awards.  A few of his photos would also be recommended by Flickr.

The more he got popular, more and more people would write “how did you that?”, “why did you do that?”, “you left your flash on the streets of San Francisco by itself, are you nuts?”.

But after his Project 365 was completed, just to see the gradual improvement by a man using off camera flash and just taking these creative photos was inspirational.  And sure, there are other professional photographers who are just as inspirational, but for me, Dustin Diaz was someone I can relate to because he was a normal guy trying to learn for himself and improve.

And when he announced that he was coming out with a book titled “This is Strobist Info”, I was excited by the news.  Previously, I would have to take my iPad to areas with Wi Fi and look at his photos and his Strobist info. but now, here’s a printed book that I can use as a resource.

“This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography” is literally an extension of his Strobist info. that Dustin had on his Project 365 on Flickr, not the same photos but with the printed format, you would get the actual photo on the left and on the right page, the setup shot.

The setup shot would often show his flash stand with an umbrella, the flash used and at one brightness and zoom and whether or not he used a CTO Gel to add color.  He would also include the ISO, aperture, the shutter speed and the lens he used and pretty much some of the pertinent settings one would find in the exif data of a photo.

For those familiar with Dustin’s Project 365 and are familiar with his witty and comical descriptions, you can expect the same type of humor in this book.  Dustin also goes into information about using speedlights, radio triggers, light stands, umbrella adapters, light modifiers, etc.  Also, a few technical pages on light and inverse square.

There are about a hundred shots with Strobist info. and once again, an extension of what he had done on Flickr.

“This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography” is a book that I have waited with high anticipation and for less than $15, I can easily say that it was worth every penny.  Being familiar with his work on his Flickr page, it was great to have that extension of his work and seeing the Strobist info. featured in printed format.

And I’m glad he kept things separate with newer photos for the book and past photos of his learning experience from the Project 365 on Flickr.

But with that being said, for those not familiar with his Flickr work or have read the descriptions and is looking for a “Strobist” book may be slightly disappointed in the fact that this is not an academic book (there are many books out there by career photography professionals), it is fairly quick to go through with 100 photos featured and last, I know that it’s going to satisfy everyone.

By no means is this book meant to be the end all to Strobist info.  For one, if you want the most detailed information, David Hobby’s website is perfectly excellent for that and also the Strobist community site on Flickr.

But who this book is for, is those who want to know how he accomplishes his photos.  Where he positions his light stands, how many Flash units, at what zoom and what setting.  Learning on what lens did he use.  Learning what shutter speed and aperture was used.

This is not a book that goes into detail of why he chose that shot and to explain why he took that shot.  This is not that kind of book.

This book is pretty much a Strobist resource for those who are wondering how Dustin Diaz accomplishes the photos he took and not asking why.  Nor is he the kind of guy (like many others from the Strobist community) to answer why he took the photo in such a manner.  It’s his creative shot done his way and I have no care of wondering about the decisions of why he took the shot that way.  There are career professionals who have books out there, who have websites and blogs that go into full detail of their photography.

So, if you are expecting that information, “This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography” is not that kind of book.

But for those who peruse Flickr, typing “Strobist setup” and seeing the experiments that people have done, the tools they use to take that shot, especially for those who have been to Dustin’s Flickr site, then this book is for you.  It’s an extensions of Dustin’s Project 365 project and for his first Strobist book, I enjoyed it a lot.

And yes, I wish there were more photos featured in the book, but considering it was only $15, I would have gladly paid more if there were 200 or more shots with Strobist info.

What would I have enjoyed to see in the book?  Possibly comments from Dustin about the photo. For example, one of the biggest questions that occur often on his comments section on Flickr are people wondering about the safety of the shot.  On Project 365, for one photo, he talked about losing a clamp and a flash because it was stolen.  But people wonder, are there people watching his equipment when he takes his photo in the streets somewhere in the Bay Area?   If anything, perhaps a bit more discussion on the challenges of certain shots would have been nice to see.

Granted, I know that the goal was to show a full page of the original shot and the Strobist setup shot, but perhaps having the full shot and a shot of the setup maybe smaller or cropped but with a paragraph of comments would have been nice.

So, If anything, the “Setup info.” was great to see, but it would be nice to have those comments that we are used to reading from his Project 365 included with each (or some) of the photos.  Just learning about the difficulties, the challenges and even mistakes learned, were among my favorites to read on Dustin’s Project 365.

That’s part of what I was drawn to Dustin’s photography and his Project 365 on Flickr.  He has a laid-back, cool perspective that doesn’t come off sounding too pretentious, doesn’t come off as egotistical, academic or erudite on photography.  Dustin is just a normal guy who is still learning, but yet sharing what he learned from his own personal experience and sharing it with the world and inspiring thousands of people.

The guy has style, wit (which may not be for everyone) but heck, it’s what makes this book so fresh because it’s not banal or traditional. And this may rub some people off the wrong way.  For me, I’m open to his style of wit, no matter how funny or not so funny his jokes tend to be.

Overall, Dustin Diaz’ first book on “This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography” was what I wanted and got.  Setup strobist info. nothing more and nothing less. And as mentioned, it is worth the money! And for a sales price at under $15, that’s darn cheap for a new photography book!

Is it meant to be the end all of “Strobist” books?  Of course not.  Will it help the noob?  My answer is that if your are new and you use Hobby’s Strobist website, learn from the Strobist community and then apply the Strobist setup techniques as seen in this book and apply it to your setup, then yes.

Do you have to do everything as exactly what is featured in the book?  Of course not. That’s part of the excitement of learning Strobist techniques, applying it to your work, your environment and trying to live within your financial means with the equipment that you have.

As mentioned, I’m not at that point where I’m confident on spending hundreds on a several Nikon or Canon flashes (I’m still trying to get used to saving money for better glass), so these Yonguo flashes are quite fine for me right now.  Do you need a top of the line camera?  If you can afford it, but I’m fine with my Canon T3i.  And do you have to buy Manfrotto light stands, as excellent as they are…I’m quite fine with my much cheaper Ravelli’s.  But what works for Dustin and other professionals out there is great, but definitely learn to use equipment that suits you and that is within your budget and to apply the techniques you see in Dustin’s book (and other sources) to your Strobist experiments and photo shoots.  If anything, learn from that experience.

With the Strobist website, the Strobist community forum on Flickr and other books from professionals out there are fantastic sources for information!  But if you are looking for a book with setup shots such as what was featured on Dustin Diaz’ Project 365 on Flickr, then you will enjoy “This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide”.

I spent a lot of time perusing photos with a strobist setup and information with the finalized shot and Dustin Diaz has inspired a lot of us through his learning experience and sharing that Strobist experience with those who follow his work.  And I really do hope that Dustin Diaz continues this book with a “part 2″ because I found this first book to be a wonderful resource for a low price!

“This is Strobist Info: Your Setup Guide to Flash Photography” by Dustin Diaz is recommended!

 

SPEND SUPER BOWL SUNDAY WITH YOUR FAVORITE CHEERLEADERS AS ABC FAMILY BRINGS ON THE “BRING IT ON A THON”, FEATURING ALL FIVE FILMS

Burbank, CA (January 30, 2012) – On Sunday, February 5th, beginning at 9:00am ET/PT, ABC Family will air a “Bring it On-a-Thon,” airing the five movies in the popular franchise back-to-back, featuring such ABC Family stars as Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”), Francia Raisa (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) and Cassie Scerbo (“Make It or Break It”). Following the marathon, the network will air “Mamma Mia,” at 7:00pm ET/PT, and “Dirty Dancing” at 9:30pm ET/PT.

Sunday, February 5 (all times Eastern/Pacific)

9:00AM     Bring It On Again starring Anne Judson-Yager and Bree Turner
When the leaders of the varsity cheerleading squad alienate the wrong people, they find themselves in a battle against an alternative cheer squad to represent the university.

11:00AM   Bring It On: In It to Win It starring Ashley Benson, Cassie Scerbo and Michael Copon
A high-school senior (Ashley Benson) falls for a fellow cheerleader (Michael Copon), not realizing that he is on a rival squad.

1:00 PM    Bring It On starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union
An urban cheerleading squad accuses a champion team’s captain (Kirsten Dunst) of stealing its choreography on the eve of a national competition.

3:00PM     Bring It On: Fight to the Finish starring Christina Milian and Rachele Brooke Smith
After her widowed mother remarries a wealthy man, Lina (Christina Milian) must transfer from her high school in East LA to a posh, West Los Angeles high school where she clashes with Avery (Rachele Brooke Smith), the snobby, ultra-competitive cheerleading captain when she tries to qualify for the team.

5:00PM     Bring It On: All or Nothing starring Hayden Panettiere, Solange Knowles, and Francia Raisa
When her family moves across town, a teenager (Hayden Panettiere) must win over the head cheerleader (Solange Knowles) to make the squad.

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today’s families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today’s relationships – told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family’s programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy® Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and community features, from rich, fan-centric programming – including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network’s hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with “13 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas.” ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.

 

Tom Hanks to Present at 84th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA – Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Tom Hanks will present at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today.

Hanks, who is a governor of the Academy, won consecutive Oscars® in 1993 and 1994 for his lead performances in “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump.”  He was also nominated for his leading roles in “Big,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Cast Away.”  Hanks can currently be seen in the Best Picture-nominated “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”  His other film credits include “Larry Crowne,” “Toy Story 3,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Terminal,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Road to Perdition,” “Apollo 13″ and “A League of Their Own.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.twitter.com/TheAcademy

 

Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure (a J!-ENT Children’s DVD Review)

The latest “Dora the Explorer” DVD titled “Dora’s Easter Adventure” features a step forward in the look of the popular children’s animated series and still retaining its safe and educational approach of introducing children to Spanish, helping with their decision making abilities and more!  Recommended for parents and their young children!

Images courtesy of © 2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. NICKELODEON, NICK JR., DORA THE EXPLORER and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. TM, ® & Copyright © 2011 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure

DURATION: 66 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Full screen format, Dolby Digital – English Stereo

COMPANY: Nickelodeon/Paramount

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: February 14, 2012

Created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner

Executive Producer: Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes

Story Editor: Rosemary Contreras

Supervising Producer: Jeff DeGrandis

Producer: Miken Wong, Marc Amiel

Supervising Directors/Consulting Producers: Kuni Tomita, Henry Lenardin-Madden

Directed by George Cialtas, Allan Jacobsen

Featuring the voices of:

Fatima Ptacek as Dora/Baby Animals

Regan Mizrahi as Boots

Yael Goldberg as Hip Hop Bunny/Tico’s Cousins

Skai Jackson as Isa/Tico’s Cousins

Rahzel as Fiesta Trio

Alexandria Suarez as Backpack/Baby Blue Bird/Flower

Marc Weiner as Map/Swiper

Oscar Hutarra as Tico/Bugga Buggas/Baby Animals

Get ready for an Egg-Citing Easter Adventure as you help Dora and Boots save the Hip-Hop-Bunny’s basket of eggs! Plus, a troll wedding and a trip to Troll Land!

With Easter around the corner, it’s time for children’s Easter episodes and this time around, a new “Dora the Explorer” Easter episode titled “Dora’s Easter Adventure”!

Does your child enjoy “Dora the Explorer”?  Or perhaps you are a parent who wants their children to watch a safe, educational animated show on DVD? With “Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure”, children will be treated with a new Easter Adventure episode (featuring new and more detailed animation, a move up in terms of production quality for the series) and also this latest DVD release includes two bonus episodes “The Grumpy Old Trolls Gets Married” and “Dora in Troll Land”.

In this Easter release, “Dora’s Easter Adventure” features Dora and boots as they are waiting for the Hip-Hop Bunny to visit them for Easter and bring them the Easter Eggs needed for the big Egg Hunt!

But when Swiper swipes all the eggs from Hip-Hop Bunny’s basket, Dora and Boots will need your help to make sure that it will be a Hop-Hop-Happy Easter!

For the bonus episodes, “The Grumpy Old Troll Gets Married” features Troll excited about his wedding but Troll needs to get to his wedding, but obstacles are in the way. Can Dora and Boots help Troll get to his wedding?

For “Dora in Troll Land”, Dora and Boots are in Troll Land and not sure how to find the Grump Old Troll.  Can you help Dora and Boots?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure” may be heading to a new direction animated wise as the animation is much more cleaner.  The backgrounds are well-detailed and CG generated.   Even Dora, Boots and friends seem to have more shading for their colors and more frame animations.  Even the map is now entirely in CG.   The special is presented in full screen but is vibrant with the bright colors.  This is probably the most detailed “Dora the Explorer” episode I have seen thus far.

The bonus episodes also feature a more CG art backgrounds but you can tell that with “Dora’s Easter Adventure”, the production for the Easter episode is more detailed and vibrant.

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital and dialogue and music is crystal clear.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure” comes with the following special feature:

• Dora’s Easter Adventure: Interactive Play Mode – Help Dora Explore while watching “Dora’s Easter Adventure”, your child can use  a remote and clicking a button when you see an Easter Egg.
• Karaoke Music Videos – Karaoke music videos for “Busca Los Cascarones”, “Row Row Row”, “On Our Way to Troll Land”, “The Grump Old Troll is Getting Married” and “We Did It!”.
• Previews

EXTRAS:

“Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure” comes with a slipover case plus a coupon for Johnson & Johnson “Dora the Explorer” bandages.

I know for my family and I would assume for many other families, “Dora the Explorer” has helped a lot of children.  May it be to introduce them to Spanish or increasing their decision making skills, the series continues to be popular in America and in other countries.

And with the release of “Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure”, the series takes a bold step forward in terms of look and quality.  I am not exactly sure if this is how “Dora the Explorer” will look from here on in but if so, parents will happy to know that the series features better animation and backgrounds that are detailed and colors that are much more vibrant.  I was pretty impressed with how things look and when you watch this Easter episode, compared to the two bonus episodes, you will notice a bump up in animation and art backgrounds.

Of course, the adults will notice that right away but for the children, it’s all about the entertainment and also education.

My young son literally grew up in his young toddler years watching Dora and through this series, it was very helpful in helping him develop skills on decision making and also learning a little Spanish. And I’m a true believer that these educational children’s shows is one of the reasons why he is doing so well in school.

I can easily remember watching him and seeing him really get into the series and taking part in the challenges.  And now he’s older, doing exceptionally well in school but he has done well since kindergarten and even pre-school and I would like to think that children’s series such as “Dora the Explorer” were one of the reasons for why he is doing well.

Where most of the “Dora the Explorer” TV shows have been instrumental in teaching children Spanish and counting as well as teamwork, the same can be said about this latest DVD.

As for special features, you get an interactive game and also karaoke music videos, so you can sing along with Dora and Boots.

Overall, “Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure” is great DVD  for parents or relatives looking for safe, educational episodes for children.  Parents who have other kids that grew up in the series, will note the more modern and updated look of “Dora the Explorer” in the latest Easter episode featured on this DVD.

“Dora the Explorer: Dora’s Easter Adventure” is recommended for parents and their young children!

 

.hack//Quantum: The Complete 3 OVA Series (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

“.hack//Quantum” will entertain longtime “.hack” fans but also will be enjoyed by anime on Blu-ray fans for its slick anime production which looks fantastic and vibrant on Blu-ray but also sporting one of the best lossless soundtracks for an anime title on Blu!

Image courtesy of © 2012 FUNimation Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: .hack//Quantum: The Complete 3 OVA Series

ANIME RELEASE DATE: 2011

DURATION: 3 Episodes: (75 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), Japanese and English DolbyTrue HD 5.1, English subtitles

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

Release Date: February 14, 2012

Directed by Masaki Tachibana

Written by Tatsuya Hamazaki

Music by Ko Otani

Original Character Design: Atsushi Hasebe

Art Director: Yusuke Takeda

Mechanical Design: Takeshi Takakura

3D Director: Eiji Inomoto

Sound Director: Kazuya Tanaka

Director of Photography: Toshiya Kimura

Anime Production: Kinema Citrus

Featuring the following voice talent:

Kana Hanazawa/Trina Nishimura as Sakuya

Miyuki Sawashiro/Anastasia Munoz as Tobias

Ayumi Fujimura/Lara Woodhull as Mary

Masami Iwasaki/J. Michael Tatum as Smith

Sanae Kobayashi/Stephanie Young as Shamrock

Yui Ogura/Lindsay Seidel as Hermit

Daisuke Namikawa/Brandon Potter as Iyoten

Youko Honna/Kara Edwards as Asta

Tobias, Mary, and Sakuya are way into the The World. Together, they form an inseparable group, grinding toward the break of day and running dungeons in search of the artifacts of adventure. But when the trio becomes lost in this virtual labyrinth, a chance encounter with the mysterious entity known only as Hermit will change their lives forever. There’s an eerie darkness spreading across The World, and once you stumble in, you may never make it out.

In January 2012, “.hack//The Movie” will be released in theaters in Japan and in America, the three-part OVA series “.hack//Quantum” will be released on Blu-ray+DVD courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment.

This long running multimedia series has its dedicated fanbase and it’s amazing how far it has come.

In the early 2000′s, a collaboration between media company CyberConnect 2 and Bandai would result in an anime, manga and video game multimedia franchise known as “.hack”.  The series began with the anime series “.hack//Sign” in 2002 and then led to four video game releases “.hack//(Infection/Mutation/Outbreak/Quarantine) which would contain the OVA series “.hack//Liminality”.

The series wold follow with a manga and anime series known as “.hack//Legend of the Twilight”  (2004), “.hack//Roots” (2006) and in 2008,  a new three-part video game series titled “.hack/G.U.” featuring “Resurrection”, “Reminisce” and “Redemption” were released.

To give people some background on what “.hack” is…

The series takes place during a time where people are hooked on a fictional MMORPG known as “The World” which is maintained by CyberConnect Corporation. “The World” was released two years after the virus known as “Pluto’s Kiss” caused a massive Internet shutdown which proved to be catastrophic worldwide.

As many people have partaken in “The World” online game, the game gives a chance for people to interact with each other through their virtual reality headsets (HMD) and a gamepad and can take on a character they have created and take part in adventures and battles monsters alongside friends or other people they meet online.

But unbeknown to people is that “The World” creator Harald Hoerwick designed the game to be a virtual womb to create the ultimate artificial intelligence known as “Aura” which literally receives emotional and psychological data from those playing the game.  “Aura” was created to be the daughter that Hoerwick and German poet, Emma Wielant have never had.

The first series “.hack//Sign” featured a person named Tsukasa who was mind-trapped inside the game, while players try to find out who and what happened to the person that is using Tsukasa in the real world and what connection the player had on Aura.

“.hack//Liminality” was a four-part OVA Series which focused on players who have been hospitalized and are in a coma after playing “The World”.  The first “.hack” video game series features two hackers Kite and BlackRose tring to find out what caused the coma of Kite’s friend Orca and BlackRose’s brother Kazu.

“.hack//Legend of the Twilight” focuses on two twins, Shugo and Rena who won a contest and are given the avatars of legendary .hackers “Kite” and “Blackrose” (both were introduced in the first video game series).  But Aura gives Shugo a “Twilight Bracelet” and both embark on a mission to unravel the mystery of the bracelet.  Meanwhile, CC Corp executives are displeased and want to know how Shugo has brought an illegal item into the game.

For “.hack//Roots”, the story takes place in 2015 and CC Corporation’s building has been burned down and a lot of the data of the “World” was lost.  So, the corporation spliced data used for another game with the current data to created “The World R:2″ in 2016 and allowed for player vs. player (PVP) play. The story features on a person named Haseo who logs into “The World R:2″ for the first time and his character is nearly killed by PKers (player killers) but is saved.  He jouns a group of online friends to find the “Key of the Twilight”.

The second video game series “hack//G.I.” features Haseo (of “.hack//Roots”) trying to find a cure after his friend was attacked online by a player known as Tri-edge and led to Haseo’s involvement with Project G.U.

Which leads us now to “.hack//Quantum”, a three part-OVA series by Kinema Citrus Studio (“Eureka Seven – good night, sleep tight,  young lovers” movie, “Tokyo Magnitude 8.0″) and a tie-in to the video game and manga series “.hack//Link” (the final chapter to the “.hack” series) which is currently ongoing in Japan.

“.hack//Quantum” is an OVA series directed by Masaki Tachibana (“The King of Fighters: Another Day”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex”) and features a screenplay by Tatsuya Hamazaki (“.hack” related manga series, “Digimon Next”).  Character designs are by Atsushi Hasebe (“Darker than Black”, “Ouran High School Host Club”, “Fighting Spirit”), art direction by Yusuke Takeda (“Eden of the East”, “Neon Genesis Evangelion”, “Giant Robo”) and music by Ko Otani (“Ghost Slayers Ayashi”, “Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino”, “Eyeshield 21″).

The OVA series focuses on three players: Sakuya, Tobias and Mary who play the world’s largest MMORPG, “The World R:X” created by CyberConnect Corporation. The series showcases the characters in-game and out-of-game.

One day, the three go on an adventure together online and Sakuya tends to pick up anything she can find and one day, she picks up a glowing item not thinking much of it.

Meanwhile, a difficult boss fight take place between a guild and large dragon monsters and somehow Sakuya and friends get caught in the battle.  Meanwhile, watching them from afar is a cat character known as Hermit.

While Sakuya and friends literally survived the battle, unfortunately a bounty is placed on Sakuya’s character for interfering in a guild match and causing the death of 16 guild members in the game.

But as Sakuya’s friends are busy with their own personal life, she continues to visit the World (despite a bounty on her head) and encounters the mysterious cat character known as Hermit and become friends.

With Sakuya has a bounty on her head, she and Hermit are captured by one guild but each manage to escape thanks to her friends.

And as they try to escape from these guild members, somehow their activity inside the game including the injuries they suffer starts to affect them in reality.  Meanwhile, the mysterious Hermit appears to have special abilities in “The World” but also the ability to hack into the software and doing so for some apparent reason.

VIDEO:

“.hack//Quantum” is presented in 1080p High Definition and is presented in 1:78:1.  The OVA looks absolutely fantastic on Blu-ray with vibrant colors, amazing detail and for those who have seen the work of Yusuke Takeda on “Eden of the East”, you know that you’re going to get amazing detail with his work on “.hack//Quantum”.  He’s one of the best art directors when it comes to anime series in Japan and because this series was produced by newer anime studio Kinema Citrus, there is less worry about a studio being busy with too many projects.

If anything, the production of “.hack//Quantum” is quite impressive for its character designs and art backgrounds.  Not only is this the best “.hack” anime I have seen to date, it’s one of the better look anime OVA series to appear on Blu-ray thus far.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“.hack//Quantum” is presented in Japanese and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1.  And I have to say that the Blu-ray release of “.hack//Quantum” and its lossless soundtrack is phenomenal, specifically for the English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack.

The Japanese soundtrack is good, but the audio engineers at FUNimation Entertainment have amazed me of what they were able to accomplish with this OVA series.  The soundtrack is immersive with a lot of LFE during the eruptions and booms.  Depending on your setup, I can tell you that while I was watching, I had this smile on my face as my two subwoofers began to shake the floor.  Wow!    I was absolutely impressed.

You also get a good amount of audio coming from the surround channels and all I can say to FUNimation Entertainment audio engineers is that you have spoiled me with this release, I hope you continue to deliver lossless audio for anime on Blu-ray fans on these upcoming anime releases from here on in.  Once again, the lossless audio for “.hack//Quantum” via the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 is fantastic!

And which leaves me to the Japanese lossless soundtrack.  As many know, I am biased to the original Japanese soundtrack, but with the acting of the FUNimation Entertainment releases and better audio quality with the English soundtrack is now making me want to listen to the English dub track even more.  The Japanese lossless soundtrack was good, the voice acting was very good but with the English dub soundtrack so much more immersive and obviously much better for those with a good home theater setup, it’s hard to listen to a soundtrack that is not as pronounced.

But the good news is that fans get the best of both worlds with the choice of two lossless soundtracks.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“.Hack//Quantum” features the following special features:

• Go, Our Chim Chims!! Part 1 – (3:04) Purple creatures talk about quantum physics.
• Go, Our Chim Chims!! Part 2 – (2:08) Purple creatures talk bout psi and phi waves.
• Go, Our Chim Chims!! Part 3 – (2:02) Purple creatures and Hermit talking about Schrodinger’s cat.
• Yui Ogura’s “Yui-Yui Cooking” – (17:59) Featuring Hermit voice actress Yui Ogura making charaben.
• Yui Ogura’s “Yui-Yui Club” – (11:12) Featuring voice actress Yui Ogura and Hamazoe visit Kinema Citrus studio talking to Yamamoto-san about flipbooks.
• Yui Ogura’s “Yui-Yui Cult Quiz” – (8:21) Featuring voice actress Yui Ogura giving the answers to the Cult Quiz.
• Promotional Videos – (3:12) Promotional videos for “.Hack//Quantum”.
• Original Commercial – (:17) Original TV commercial “.Hack//Quantum”.
• Pre-Release Promotional Video
• U.S. Trailer – (1:02) US trailer for “.Hack//Quantum”.
• Trailers – FUnimation Entertainment trailers

EXTRAS:

“.Hack//Quantum: The Complete 3 OVA Series” Blu-ray releases also come with the DVD version of the release.

For long time followers of “.hack”, as we near the end of the series, more anime episodes for fans is always welcomed.

While the OVA series for “.hack” tend to not have the overall deep storylines that their TV anime series counterparts have, “.hack//Quantum” still manages to incorporate as much action and character development into this three episode OVA-series but perhaps what separates this title from the others is its production quality.

“.hack//Quantum” is the best looking and best sounding “.Hack” series TV or OVA that I have seen or heard.

With newer anime studio Kinema Citrus handling the series, more time was put into the actual detail of the art backgrounds and character design.  And with Yusuke Takeda as art director for this OVA series, and many know of his work recently with “Eden of the East”, you know there is going to be amazing detail and that is what anime on Blu-ray fans will want to see.

Everything from character design to art backgrounds are detailed and sketched amazingly well.  From the dragon beats featured in the opening episode, to the detail of the villages that the characters visit, I was quite impressed with the overall look of this series.

And also equally impressive is its lossless soundtrack, specifically the English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack by FUNimation Entertainment.  Kudos to the engineers for what they were able to accomplish and I hope they keep it up because this OVA series sounds fantastic!

While many anime soundtracks on Blu-ray are good and some are great, “.hack//Quantum” is amazing!  The soundtrack is absolute immersive and utilizes the LFE and surround channels with amazing efficacy and this is what audiophiles have been wanting to hear more of on their action-driven anime series on Blu-ray.  More rumble, more ambiance, more immersive sound and “.hack//Quantum” definitely delivers!

And along with the fantastic picture quality and lossless audio, the voice acting via Japanese and English is well-done.  And there are also a good amount of special features were included.

The series may seem simplistic but that’s because it’s an OVA series, not a 26-episode TV series.  There are only three episodes but for the most part, Tatsuya Yamazaki was able to create a pretty involving storyline within three episodes.  The characters are intriguing and fun to watch.  And I have to say that Kinema Citrus and the crew’s work on this series and how things look visually and how awesome the series sounds, made me appreciate the OVA series much more.  But I enjoyed watching “.hack//Quantum”.

As for those who are wondering if they can watch “.hack//Quantum” without watching any of the previous anime related releases or have not played the video games.  My answer is yes. If anything, the most important thing that people should know is that “The World” is the world’s largest online MMORPG and that with every video game, anime or manga release, the storylines focus on some unusual occurrence inside the game.

With this OVA series, the storyline is easily accessible.  For those who played an MMORPG and are familiar with it, can understand what is taking place.  For those who are familiar with the series will notice the upgrades to the overall MMORPG experience and the characters featured.  But other than that, anyone really can pick this series up and enjoy it.  No need to watch or play every video game.

And for anime on Blu-ray fans, this is probably one of the most immersive anime soundtracks on Blu-ray  for an OVA and is not an original movie (which typically gets the better production and better lossless soundtrack).

Overall, “.hack//Quantum” will entertain longtime “.hack” fans but also will be enjoyed by anime on Blu-ray fans for its slick anime production which looks fantastic on Blu-ray but also sporting one an awesome immersive HD soundtrack.

 

“LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON” LISTINGS (January 31-February 10, 2012)

**Tuesday, January 31 Guests include Jack McBrayer, Gayle King, Jeff Musial and musical guest J.Cole. Show 0578.

Wednesday, February 1 From Indianapolis guests include Tracy Morgan, Tim Tebow and musical guest All American Rejects. Special guest announcer Deion Sanders. Show 0579

Thursday, February 2 From Indianapolis guests include Taylor Lautner, Adam Levine, Drew Brees and musical guest Nas. Special guest announcer Michael Strahan. Show 0580

Friday, February 3 From Indianapolis guests include Snoop Dogg, Shaquille O’Neal and musical guest Fitz and The Tantrums. Special guest announcer Bob Costas. Show 0581

**Sunday, February 5 From Indianapolis “Jimmy Fallon’s Super Bowl Special” guests include Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg and musical guest Flo Rida.

Monday, February 6 Repeat: TBD

Tuesday, February 7 Guests include Harry Connick Jr., Kellan Lutz, Jon Glaser and musical guest The Cranberries. Show 0582

Wednesday, February 8 Guests include Vanessa Hudgens and musical guest Of Montreal. Show 0583

Thursday, February 9 Guests include Zooey Deschanel, Chris Hardwick and musical guest Primus. Show 0584

Friday, February 10 Guests include Dwayne Johnson, Katharine McPhee and Neal Brennan. Victor Wooten sits in with The Roots. Show 0585

 

CATCH UP WITH THE DOC DURING OXYGEN’S “HOUSE” MARATHON ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 BEGINNING AT 7PM ET/PT

NEW YORK – January 31, 2012– The doctor is in again on Oxygen with seven season two episodes of the hit series “House” airing on Friday, February 3 at 7PM ET/PT. Oxygen will encore Friday night’s episodes on Saturday, February 4 beginning at 10 AM ET/PT.

“House” is a quirky medical drama starring Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, an unconventional medical genius who heads a team of doctors at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in New Jersey. The critically acclaimed series has won several awards, including five Primetime Emmy® Awards, two Golden Globe® Awards, a Peabody Award and nine People’s Choice Awards.

The following episodes will air on Friday, February 3 beginning at 7PM ET/PT:

“Clueless”

Bob comes in suffering from a breathing attack after role-playing with his wife. After trying to find out what’s wrong with him, House decides to tell the man he has a sexually transmitted disease, which causes his wife to tell House a secret. Meanwhile, Wilson has moved in with House and things are not going too well for either of them.

“Safe”

Melinda, a rebellious girl, has a severe allergic reaction and ends up going into shock because she is immunocompromised from a heart transplant she had earlier in life. Soon Melinda’s condition worsens and she becomes paralyzed, with the paralysis slowly moves up her legs. To make matters worse, her overprotective mother and boyfriend are constantly fighting about her condition. The team must find a way to stop the paralysis and figure out what is wrong with her before it gets to her heart. Meanwhile, House and Wilson are still having problems with their living arrangement.

“All In”

A 6 year boy is brought into the hospital with symptoms that House is convinced he has seen before in an elderly woman who died. House tries to convince Wilson to keep Cuddy from knowing what he is up to as he becomes frustrated in trying to find a way to cure the boy.

“Sleeping Dogs Lie”

After a patient, Hannah, is brought after taking an overdose of sleeping pills, it is revealed that she previously had not slept in 10 days. As her condition becomes worse, House discovers that she will need a liver transplant. It turns out that the woman’s girlfriend, Max, is the perfect match. However, after the team discovers something else about the couple’s relationship, it forces them in an ethical quandary. Meanwhile, Cameron accuses Foreman of stealing a medical article she wrote, but he says he wrote one almost exactly like it before hers was even submitted.

“House vs. God”House takes the case of Boyd, a 15-year-old faith healer, who thinks he can talk to God. House thinks he’s making it up, until he sees Boyd touch one of Wilson’s cancer patients and she later goes into remission. After Boyd decides that he will not have brain surgery because he is afraid he will lose communication with God, the entire team must confront their feelings about faith. Meanwhile, Cameron and Foreman are still at odds over the medical article she accused him of stealing.

“Euphoria (1)”

After a police officer is shot and begins experiencing unexplained giddiness, House sends Dr. Foreman to the man’s home to see if he can gather a clue as to why he is acting the way he is. Soon the officer’s health begins to decline and Foreman suddenly begins to experience the exact same symptoms as the officer. The team must race against time and solve the man’s case before Foreman begins to suffer the exact same fate.

“Euphoria (2)”

In the conclusion, the police officer has died and Foreman’s symptoms continue to get worse. He is now experiencing the same blindness, excruciating pain and muscle contractions that the officer had just before he succumbed to the still unknown disease. As Foreman realizes that he may die, he gets in contact with his father who quickly comes to be at his side. Foreman’s condition quickly begins to worsen and the only solution is a brain biopsy. House is determined to find the solution in the dead officer’s apartment before Cameron has to do the biopsy on Foreman’s brain.

About Oxygen Media

Oxygen Media is a multiplatform lifestyle brand that delivers relevant and engaging content to young women who like to “live out loud.” Oxygen is rewriting the rulebook for women’s media by changing how the world sees entertainment from a young woman’s point of view. Through a vast array of unconventional and original content including “The Glee Project,” “Bad Girls Club,” “Hair Battle Spectacular” and “Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood,” the growing cable network is the premier destination to find unique and groundbreaking unscripted programming. A social media trendsetter, Oxygen is a leading force in engaging modern young women, wherever they are, with popular, award winning features online including www.OxygenLive.com, the real time social viewing party that is also available as an app for the iPhone and iPad. Oxygen is available in 77 million homes, and can be found online and on mobile devices at www.oxygen.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/OxygenPR. Oxygen Media is a service of NBCUniversal.

 

BRAVO’S “THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA” SCORES NEARLY 4 MILLION VIEWERS

BRAVO’S “THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA”

SCORES NEARLY 4 MILLION VIEWERS

MARKING THE SECOND MOST WATCHED EPISODE IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

“Watch What Happens Live,” Hosted by Andy Cohen, Scores Season High

In All Key Demos

NEW YORK – January 31, 2012 – Bravo Media’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” hits ratings gold as Sunday’s telecast scored a season high, as well as the second highest-rated episode in The Real Housewives franchise history (second only to The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 3 finale), according to Nielsen. The episode, following the ladies on an African adventure, garnered 3.95 million total viewers and 2.67 million adults 18-49, up double-digits from last week’s episode. The fourth season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” is rating an average of 14 percent and 10 percent higher than the previous season, respectively. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.

Additionally, Sunday night’s episode of Bravo’s interactive late night talk show “Watch What Happens Live” with guests Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann delivered 1.6 million total viewers, marking a season high among all key demos, up 42 percent compared to last Sunday’s episode (1/22/12). On tonight’s show at 11pm ET/PT, host Andy Cohen will be joined by three of the ladies from “Saturday Night Live” – Abbey Elliott, Nasim Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer. For a clip from Sunday’s episode, visit: http://www.bravotv.com/watch-what-happens-live/season-6/videos/rumble-in-the-jungle

Tune in a week from Sunday, on February 12 at 9p.m ET/PT, when the ladies’ South African vacation continues with the “Talls” and “Smalls” moving beyond Sheree and Marlo’s intense showdown. After blowing off some steam at a Cape Town nightclub, the women travel to the luxurious Shamwari Game Reserve. On safari, NeNe finds herself caught between the competing attention of Marlo and Cynthia, while Sheree, Phaedra and Kandi learn about the pharmaceutical benefits of elephant dung. Later, the entire group has an opportunity to visit a South African orphanage, where they are touched by the children and leave with the sense that this trip has been a life-changing experience. For a sneak peek go to: http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-atlanta/season-4/videos/atlanta-on-safari

Source: Nielsen, LS data through 1/29/12, RH franchise record: includes all regular season episodes.

Bravo is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBCUniversal cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.

 

NEXT WEEK ON “THE BACHELOR” (February 6, 2012)

CHRIS HARRISON CONFRONTS CASEY S. ABOUT A STARTLING SECRET
SHE HAS KEPT, WHILE THE DREADED TWO-ON-ONE DATE LOOMS FOR
BLAKELEY AND RACHEL, ON ABC’S “THE BACHELOR”

“Episode 1606″ – Nine excited bachelorettes travel to the exotic tropical country of Panama, but two nervous women – Blakeley and Rachel – face the dramatic two-on-one date where one of them will be sent home immediately. How will the Bachelor handle his heartbreaking decision at the end of the night? Ben soars in a helicopter with Kacie B. over Panama City and the Caribbean, landing on a deserted island where they spend the day, but she makes a stunning disclosure which demonstrates her ability to really open up to Ben. The six women on the group date trek with the Bachelor through the Panamanian jungle and end up at a small village, communicating with their inhabitants, the Emberas. But this week’s drama is ratcheted up when Chris faces off with Casey S. about a bombshell disclosure she has failed to reveal to anyone, on “The Bachelor,” MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

Ben treats Kacie B. to a panoramic view of Panama City and the Caribbean via helicopter before they land on a deserted island, which becomes their home for the day. Will they be able to work together as a couple? The duo returns to the mainland for dinner, and this emotional woman shows that she is willing to share a very upsetting, personal experience with Ben.

Six lucky women “get lost” with Ben in the middle of the Panamanian jungle at the bank of the Chagres River. The Bachelor scoops up the ladies in a motorboat and the group zip through the jungle waters before coming upon the Emberas in their small village. The people warmly welcome Ben and the women, but one bachelorette decides to take local customs a bit too far and dons some native garb that leaves little to the imagination. That evening at the after-party at the Trump Ocean Club, Courtney continues her strategy to win Ben’s heart with her brash, aggressive behavior. But will this off-putting demeanor score her another rose?

Finally, Ben must face the always difficult task of taking two women he is fond of on the famed two-on-one date. Blakeley is supremely confident, but Rachel is intimidated and anxious. The two join Ben for a day of sexy salsa dancing. All of this comes easily to Blakeley, but Rachel feels like a third wheel on the date. After both women have alone time with him, Ben is forced to make the toughest decision of his journey so far.

On rose ceremony day, Chris pays a surprise visit to the women, pulling Casey S. from the group. In another of “The Bachelor’s” most dramatic moments, he confronts her about a situation she has kept secret from everyone. A shocked Casey S. then must admit the truth to Ben. How will he take the news?

The surprises keep coming at the cocktail party when one of the shy bachelorettes decides to make her somewhat awkward move on Ben, rendering him speechless. However, Ben has the courage of his convictions, and the six women left with roses will accompany him to beautiful, blissful Belize.

The nine women are:
Blakeley, 34, VIP cocktail waitress, Charlotte, NC
Casey S., 26, trading clerk, Leawood, KS
Courtney, 28, model, Santa Monica, CA
Emily, 27, PhD student, Chapel Hill, NC
Jamie, 25, registered nurse, Dryden, NY
Kacie B., 24, administrative assistant, Clarksville, TN
Lindzi C., 27, business development manager, Seattle, WA
Nicki, 26, dental hygienist, Hurst, TX
Rachel, 27, fashion sales rep., New York City, NY

Hosted by Chris Harrison, “The Bachelor” is a production of Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are the executive producers.

This episode of “The Bachelor” will be available on ABC.com the day after airing on the network for users to watch online. For more information on “The Bachelor” visit ABC.com.

“The Bachelor” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with stereo sound. A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.

Follow us on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBachelor
Twitter: @BachelorABC
#Bachelor

 

GRAMMY® NOMINEE ADELE TO MAKE MUCH-ANTICIPATED RETURN TO THE STAGE ON “THE 54TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS®”, SUNDAY, FEB. 12, LIVE ON CBS

Singer Will Perform Live for the First Time Since Undergoing

Vocal Cord Surgery Last Fall

Music’s Biggest Night® Will Be Hosted by Rapper/“NCIS: Los Angeles” Star LL COOL J

 

Current GRAMMY® nominee Adele will make her much-anticipated return to live performances on THE 54th ANNUAL GRAMMY® AWARDS. This will be her first time performing live anywhere in nearly five months since being forced to cancel a sold-out U.S. tour to undergo surgery on her vocal cords. Music’s Biggest Night,® hosted by two-time GRAMMY® Award winner and NCIS:  LOS ANGELES star LL COOL J, takes place live from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network.

“I’m immensely proud to have been asked to perform at this year’s GRAMMY Awards,” said Adele. “It’s an absolute honor to be included in such a night and for it to be my first performance in months is very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all.”

Two-time GRAMMY winner Adele has six nominations: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Short Form Music Video for “Rolling In The Deep”; Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for 21; and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Someone Like You.”

Previously announced performers for THE 54th ANNUAL GRAMMY® AWARDS include Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton, Coldplay and Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift. Aldean, The Band Perry, Minaj and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY broadcast for the first time, while Adele, Campbell, Clarkson, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Mars, McCartney, Rihanna and Swift are returning to the GRAMMY stage. LL COOL J has hosted THE GRAMMY NOMINATIONS CONCERT LIVE! — COUNTDOWN TO MUSIC’S BIGGEST NIGHT® since its inception in December 2008.  This is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards broadcast.  Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

THE 54th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

 

About The Recording Academy

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @TheGRAMMYs on Twitter, like “The GRAMMYs” on Facebook, and join The GRAMMYs’ social communities on YouTube, Tumblr, Foursquare, GetGlue and Instagram.

 

On the Web: http://www.cbs.com/shows/grammys/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GRAMMYsCBS

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TheGRAMMYs

 

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