Barack Obama

DVD Review: ‘60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House’

BrianTT — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 14:04:39 -0700

DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The first “60 Minutes”-branded DVD from CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment is the surprisingly comprehensive account of the last two years of President Barack Obama’s life, “Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House,” a great DVD for political junkies, historians, news fans, and everyone in between.

The historic rise of Barack Obama from Illinois Senator to the United States’ first African-American president has been compiled with over two years of “60 Minutes” coverage due to exclusive access for one of the most revered news programs in the history of television. “60 Minutes” has defined quality in journalism for years and this inaugural release is the perfect start to what one hopes will be a fascinating and educational line of DVDs.

60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House.
Photo credit: CBS/Paramount

As Jeff Fager, executive producer of “60 Minutes” says, “This is 60 Minutes at its best. We were on top of this incredible story from the beginning and the opportunity to put it all on one DVD, plus the outtakes, is like capturing a piece of history.”

“Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House” features material from six separate segments that were broadcast on “60 Minutes” and includes excerpts from Obama’s first post-election interview, which was the most watched primetime television event of the season.

The collection features a great mix of previously seen and widely known material, including some of Obama’s most memorable speeches, with previously unaired footage, including informal and intimate moments with President Obama and his family.

Along with the segments, collectors can now own more than two hours of Obama’s most memorable public addresses including the declaration of his candidacy, his groundbreaking speech on race in America from Philadelphia, his foreign policy address at the Victory Column in Berlin, his acceptance of the Democratic Party nomination, and his victory address on Election Night, and the entire Inaugural Address from just a few weeks ago.

With nearly four hours of content at a suggest retail price below $20, “60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House” is an incredible deal, a DVD that both fans of President Obama and even those who didn’t support him will recognize as being a remarkably complete look at the rise of an international leader.

‘60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama’s Road to the White House’ is released by CBS DVD/Paramount Home Entertainment. It was released on February 10th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: 39-Image Gallery For ‘We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial’

BrianTT — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:09:52 -0700

CHICAGO – This 39-image slideshow contains a selection of official press images from HBO’s “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” which took place on Sunday, January 18th, 2009 in Washington, DC.

The presentation included musical performances from Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, Bettye LaVette, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Pete Seeger, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, U2, will.i.am and Stevie Wonder. Celebrities reading historical passages included Jack Black, Steve Carell, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah, Laura Linney, and Denzel Washington. Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson gave the invocation and Rob Mathes was the music director and arranger for the backing bands.

For more information on how you can see the inauguration at a theatre near you, check out this news story and don’t forget to enter our HollywoodChicago.com Hookup. Even if it’s too late to win, you may want to learn more about the DVD “President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey”.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Kevin Mazur/Courtesy of HBO unless otherwise noted.

We_Are_One_01: President-Elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_02: President-Elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_03: Denzel Washington speaks at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_04: Denzel Washington speaks at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_05: Bruce Springsteen performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_06: Bruce Springsteen performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_07: Mary J Blige performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_08: Mary J Blige performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_09: Garth Brooks performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_10: Garth Brooks performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_11: President-Elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_12: Jill Biden, Vice President-Elect Joe Biden, President-Elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_13: Bruce Springsteen performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_14: Bruce Springsteen performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_15: Garth Brooks performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_16: Garth Brooks performs at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_17: Atmosphere at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_18: Atmosphere at “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_19: Bruce Springsteeen and Queen Latifa backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_20: Jon Bon Jovi backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_21: will.i.am and Queen Latifah backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_22: Ron Howard backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln MemorialÓpresented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_23: Jamie Foxx and Samuel L Jackson backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_24: Jack Black backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_25: Forrest Whitaker and will.i.am backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_26: Ron Howard, Steve Carrell, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_27: will.i.am, Forrest Whitaker, Bruce Springsteen and Jamie Foxx backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_28: Jack Black backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_29: Marisa Tomei, Forrest Whitaker and Angela Bassett backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_30: Marisa Tomei backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_31: Jon Bon Jovi and Garth Brooks backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_32: Bruce Springsteen at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_33: Bruce Springsteen at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_34: Bruce Springsteen and Martin Luther King Jr. III at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_35: Martin Luther King Jr. III at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_36: Atmosphere at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_37: John Mellencamp and Jack Black backstage at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_38: President-Elect Barack Obama and Sasha Obama at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.
We_Are_One_39: Jill Biden, Vice President-Elect Joe Biden, President-Elect Barack Obama, Sasha Obama, Michelle Obama and Malia Obama at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration At The Lincoln Memorial presented exclusively by HBO on Sunday January 18th 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 Vivendi DVDs of ‘President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey’

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:19:22 -0700

CHICAGO – While the U.S. and the world prepares for the inauguration of Chicago’s Barack Obama on Jan. 20, 2009 (and your opportunity to view it live at a Chicago movie theater can be snagged here), we have a special HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with 10 DVDs up for grabs depicting his road to the White House.

The Vivendi Entertainment release of the DVD “President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey” will hit the streets on Jan. 20, 2009, which is Barack Obama’s inauguration day.

To win your free Barack Obama DVD courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is be one of the first 10 people to submit your Barack Obama story about what you doing when you heard the news of his election. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

The Vivendi DVD release of “President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey” will hit the
streets on Jan. 20, 2009, which is Barack Obama’s inauguration day.
Image credit: Vivendi Entertainment

Here is the synopsis for the DVD “President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey”:

Share the incredible, inspirational story of U.S. President Barack Obama: the 44th president of the United States.

See how one man inspired us with the refrain “yes we can!” In this defining moment, America has proven once again that her story is constantly evolving toward greater freedom and justice for all.

To secure your free Barack Obama DVD, you must be logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required to win this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup.

Next, simply submit your Barack Obama story. You must submit your story using this confidential, Web-based submission form. Please do not comment in this Hookup. Your entry will be invalid if you do so. Please only submit your story using this submission form.

You must include your e-mail address, name and physical mailing address in your submission. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential and is only for us to mail winning DVDs. Your personal information will not be sold or shared elsewhere.

Submit your Barack Obama election story now!

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film is simple: The first 10 people to submit a Barack Obama story win! The 10 DVDs will be mailed to the winners at our expense.

The collector’s edition of this DVD includes:

Limited-edition presidential trading card.
Digital download of the new Brian McKnight song “Yes We Can!”.

Special bonus features:

Extended interviews with a producer’s roundtable including Tom Joyner, George Lopez, David Mendell, Bernice King and many more.
A collection of seven short films covering housing, immigration, college, war, the economy, voting and family.
The music video “I Am An American” by the Bergevin Brothers.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Watch the Barack Obama Inauguration Live at a Chicagoland Movie Theater on Jan. 20, 2009

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:23:40 -0700

CHICAGO – We have just learned that you can watch a live viewing of the Barack Obama inauguration at a Chicagoland movie theater on Jan. 20, 2009. It’s free, but it’s during work hours. These passes are being given away from MSNBC on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The live Barack Obama inauguration viewing will take place at the Muvico Rosemont 18 movie theater on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The theater is located at 9701 Bryn Mawr Ave. in Des Plaines, Ill. You’re welcome to bring one guest, too.

Snag your Barack Obama inauguration live-viewing pass now!
See our 39-image “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial” slideshow presented exclusively by HBO.

Note: Please do not print this graphic and bring it to the theater.
You’ll need to submit your information here first and then print your own.

While the graphic above is the invitation you’ll receive when you submit your information and will be what you need to bring to the theater, you do need to submit your information and present a valid ID. In other words, don’t just print the image above. You’ll need to submit your information here.

If you’re not in Chicago, MSNBC is offering the same kind of viewing in other cities including several in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, Houston, Detroit, Phoenix, Tampa, Seattle, Denver, Orlando, St. Louis, San Diego, Hartford-New Haven, West Palm, Memphis, Louisville, Providence and Washington, D.C.

Note: This is different than our typical HollywoodChicago.com Hookup giveaways where we have arranged free passes for you in advance with the studios. We have not done so in this case. We’re merely letting you know about the link because we think it’s crazy snazzy.

1:47 p.m. update on Jan. 13, 2009: Live in Chicago and don’t want to trek out to the suburbs for the Obama viewing in Rosemont? We just spoke with the publicist for Landmark Theatres and have confirmed that this Barack Obama simulcast will be broadcast in Chicago, too.

We can confirm that a PBS simulcast will be shown at Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago at 2828 N. Clark St. at 10:30 a.m. in theatre No. 1. Unlike the MSNBC viewing, no tickets are being made available for this one. It’s free admission and it’s also first come, first serve.

If you want to make it in the Landmark Century room, though, you should know that there will only be 150 seats available. Good luck!

2:01 a.m. update on Jan. 14, 2009: We just published a new HollywoodChicago.com Hookup where we’re giving away 10 DVDs from Vivendi Entertainment depicting Barack Obama’s road to the White House. The DVD is entitled “President Barack Obama: The Man and His Journey”.

See our 39-image “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial” slideshow presented exclusively by HBO.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Sean Penn’s Oscar-Possible Harvey Milk Puts Face to Gay Rights in ‘Milk’

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:39:20 -0700

CHICAGO – Just as Tom Hanks put a face to AIDS in 1993’s “Philadelphia,” Sean Penn has now put a face to gay rights as Harvey Milk in the new Gus Van Sant true-story film “Milk”.

While Penn’s Harvey Milk had the physical demeanor of a petite and gentle man, the fire inside the real-life activist for gay rights was both his blessing and sometimes his poison.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Milk found balancing personal relationships challenging amid his relentless quest to be the first gay politician in California. The film’s story takes place in the 1970s when those who were out of the closet were much less accepted than they are today.

Milk found himself fighting not only the adversity to his political dream because it hadn’t been done before but also a powerful politician in his state as well as an omnipresent national force against gay rights.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Milk” in our reviews section.

But even more than gay rights, Milk’s life was devoted to the same tenants of newly elected U.S. president Barack Obama: change and hope.

Because of the political corollaries to Obama’s message for change today as well as the brouhaha in California now over gay marriage (and the potential to repeal the thousands who snuck in during the short period of time when the law allowed them), the timing for the release of the film today couldn’t be more prescient.

“Milk” stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco and Alison Pill. “Milk,” which is directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black, opened in Chicago on Nov. 26, 2008.

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “Milk” review.

Sean Penn stars as real-life gay rights icon Harvey Milk in director Gus Van Sant’s “Milk”.
Photo credit: Phil Bray

Alison Pill (left) and Emile Hirsch (right) star as real-life gay rights activists Anne Kronenberg and Cleve Jones (respectively) in director Gus Van Sant’s “Milk”.
Photo credit: Phil Bray

Continuing reading for Adam Fendelman’s full “Milk” review.