Live Webinar with "Masterpiece on PBS" Exec Producer, Rebecca Eaton

Join Baker & Taylor Entertainment n Wednesday, November 18 at 1:00PM Eastern for an exclusive, live webinar discussion with Rebecca Eaton, Executive Producer of Masterpiece on PBS. She will be joining Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen for a discussion of all things PBS MASTERPIECE. Learn how she successfully relaunched MASTERPIECE along with insights into the final season of Downton Abbey. 

Rebecca Eaton took over the helm of the PBS series MASTERPIECE THEATRE and MYSTERY! in 1985, and oversaw a highly successfully relaunch of MASTERPIECE that attracted a new generation of viewers to the series. She has brought American audiences the 2015 Emmy®-nominated Wolf Hall, the recent hits Sherlock and Downton Abbey — the most-watched drama in PBS history — as well as such high-profile titles as Mr Selfridge, Endeavour, Wallander, Prime Suspect, Cranford, Little Dorrit, Inspector Lewis, and The Complete Jane Austen. Under her leadership, MASTERPIECE has won 54 Primetime Emmy Awards®, 15 Peabody Awards, five Golden Globes®, and two Academy Award® nominations. In 2011,

"MY ITALIAN SECRET: FORGOTTEN HEROES OF THE HOLOCAUST” WITNESSES THE COURAGEOUS ACTS OF A FEW TO SAVE MANY

Public Media Distribution, announced today it is releasing “MY ITALIAN SECRET: FORGOTTEN HEROES OF THE HOLOCAUST” on DVD November 10, 2015. Would you risk your life to save a stranger? This program tells the story of cycling idol Gino Bartali, Dr. Giovanni Borromeo, and other courageous Italians who carried out ingenious schemes to rescue Jews, partisans, and refugees from Nazi-occupied Italy.

Celebrated as a Tour de France champion, Gino Bartali’s most daring triumph came when he risked his life to save Italian Jews by smuggling fake identification documents in the frame of his bicycle. Dr. Borromeo invented a fictitious disease to scare the SS away from the hospital where he was hiding Jews.

VICIOUS 2 Out Now on DVD !

PBS Distribution today released“VICIOUS 2” on DVD. The second season of “VICIOUS” continues to follow the loving yet brutally barbed relationship between Freddie Thornhill (Ian McKellen) and Stuart Bixby (Derek Jacobi). Together for 50 years, Freddie and Stuart still live in the same flat and are surrounded by their long-term friends. As our characters return, so does their deadly, cutting humor. “VICIOUS” is back, and it’s as raucous and hilarious as ever.

“VICIOUS 2” is available on DVD TODAY, September 8, 2015. The run time of this program is approximately 180 minutes and the DVD SRP is $29.99. Special features include The Making of Series 2, interviews with the cast and crew, and more.

“VICIOUS” returns with Freddie and Stuart delivering more biting remarks, snide comments and cruel asides. Joined by friends Violet (Frances de la Tour, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire), Ash (Iwan Rheon, Game of Thrones), Penelope (Marcia Warren, Leap Year), Mason (Philip Voss, Four Weddings and A Funeral, Octopussy) and surprise guest characters, the men embark on another season of humorous mishaps, hideous break-ups and heart-warming make-ups. 

PBS to Release The Widower in October

PBS Distribution announced today it will release “THE WIDOWER” on DVD and Blu-ray on October 20, 2015.  The chilling true story of Malcolm Webster (Reece Shearsmith) a perfect British gentleman – well-spoken, personable, and oozing with charm, or so it appears. 

 

“THE WIDOWER” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray October 20, 2015. right after it's October 4 -18 TV airing.  The run time of the program is approximately 180 minutes.  The SRP for the DVD is $29.99 and $34.99 for Blu-ray.

 

In 1993, Malcolm and his first wife Claire (Sheridan Smith) have their dream wedding, only a year later she’s dead, a victim of a tragic car accident.  Four years later, completely broke, Malcolm starts anew in New Zealand with his second wife Felicity (Kate Fleetwood).

 

However, on their wedding night, Felicity feels unusually groggy and for the next year suffers from unexplained blackouts.  Soon, she pieces together small clues and realizes the death of Malcolm’s first wife may not have been an accident after all. 

"GREAT PERFORMANCES: DRIVING MISS DAISY" Pulls Up on DVD!

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “GREAT PERFORMANCES: DRIVING MISS DAISY” on DVD in September. Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Driving Miss Daisy, a 2010 hit on Broadway, stars Tony Award winner and three-time Academy Award nominee Angela Lansbury and two-time Tony Award winner and Academy Award winner James Earl Jones as Daisy Werthan and Hoke Colburn, respectively. Actor Boyd Gaines (a four-time Tony Award winner) reprises his Broadway role as Boolie Werthan.

“GREAT PERFORMANCES: DRIVING MISS DAISY” will be available on DVD September 29, 2015. The run time of this program is approximately 90 minutes and the DVD SRP is $24.99.

Directed for the stage by David Esbjornson, Uhry’s classic play is a timeless, searing, funny, and ultimately hopeful meditation on race relations in America, told through the complex relationship between two of popular culture’s most enduring characters. When Daisy Werthan, a widowed, 72-year-old Jewish woman living in midcentury Atlanta, is deemed too old to drive, her son hires Hoke Colburn, an African American man, to serve as her chauffeur. What begins as a troubled and hostile pairing, soon blossoms into a profound, life-altering friendship that transcends all the societal boundaries placed between them.

CAILLOU Helps Out, Releasing June 16

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing seven stories from PBS KIDS’ popular CAILLOU series on the new DVD “CAILLOU HELPS OUT”.  Caillou loves to help out! From helping his dad make pizza to learning the importance of tidying up the classroom, Caillou realizes that lending a hand and working together makes everything easier and more fun.



Lovable four-year-old Caillou has a boundless imagination that makes every experience an opportunity for fun and play. By sharing in his incredible adventures, children can “make believe” along with Caillou and find new ways to understand and enjoy the world around them. CAILLOU is designed for preschoolers and focuses on role-playing and “make-believe.” CAILLOU airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings) and is produced by DHX Media.

  

 

 

“CAILLOU HELPS OUT” will be available on DVD June 16, 2015 and available from Baker & Taylor's AV team. The run time is approximately 60 minutes and the DVD has a SLP of $12.99.

Music from the PBS Series, POLDARK , Out June 9

Sony Classical is delighted to announce the release of Poldark – music from the hit BBC period drama TV show. With original score by Anne Dudley, the soundtrack album will be available on June 9. The TV series will begin airing nationally on PBS starting on June 21, and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 7, 2015.

With weekly viewing figures approaching 9 million, Poldark is the hottest new drama series on British TV. Based on the novels by Winston Graham and adapted by Debbie Horsfield, Poldark is set in the late 18th century. Lead character, Ross Poldark – memorably played by Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) - returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall, having spent three years in the army to avoid charges of smuggling, leaving behind his sweetheart Elizabeth. Alas, he finds his world in ruins with his father dead, his house wrecked and his sweetheart engaged to his cousin. How will he move on from this destruction?

"Wild Kratts : Shark-Tastic" Swim into DVD / Blu-ray in April

PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “WILD KRATTS: SHARK-TASTIC” on DVD April 14. “SHARK-TASTIC” includes four episodes of the PBS KIDS hit series WILD KRATTS, two of which are bonus episodes! From learning about the favorite prey of great white sharks, to gaining insight into how dolphins communicate, kids will be exposed to fascinating facts about sharks and other sea creatures in this fun-filled DVD. Animals highlighted in these four stories include a hawksbill turtle, dolphins, a tiger shark, a giant pacific octopus, great white sharks, a bowhead whale, a manta ray and many more.

 

 

In each episode of WILD KRATTS, creature teachers Chris and Martin Kratt take kids and their families along on extraordinary animal-powered adventures. The show transforms the Kratt Brothers, creators of the award-winning KRATTS’ CREATURES and Emmy-winning ZOBOOMAFOO, into animated versions of themselves, allowing the real-life zoologists to visit wild animals in their little-seen habitats and showcase key science concepts along the way. WILD KRATTS airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

“WILD KRATTS: SHARK-TASTIC”will be available on DVD April 14, 2015. The DVD run time is approximately 60 minutes and its SRP is $12.99.

 

“CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES” to Arrive on DVD & Blu-ray

PBS Distribution announced today it will release “CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES” on DVD and Blu-ray on April 28, 2015. “CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES” is a three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns. The project includes the documentary series, nearly two dozen webcast short films by Redglass Pictures, and a comprehensive national campaign with engagement partner Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and an array of other project supporters. A collaboration of Florentine Films, Laura Ziskin Pictures and WETA Washington, DC, in association with Ark Media, the series is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” (Simon & Schuster 2010) by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. At the urging of SU2C co-founder, the late Laura Ziskin, the Entertainment Industry Foundation obtained the television and film rights for its Stand Up To Cancer initiative shortly after the book was published.

“CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES” tells the comprehensive story of cancer, from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the gleaming laboratories of modern research institutions. The film interweaves a sweeping historical narrative with intimate stories about contemporary patients, and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs that may have brought us, at long last, within sight of lasting cures.

"The Italian Americans" Releasing on DVD February 24 by PBS

PBS Distribution announced that it will release “THE ITALIAN AMERICANS” on DVD on February 24, 2015. The series, written and produced by John Maggio and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actor Stanley Tucci, explores the evolution of Italian Americans from the late nineteenth century to today, from “outsiders” once viewed with suspicion and mistrust to some of the most prominent leaders of business, politics and the arts today.

“THE ITALIAN AMERICANS” will be available on DVD February 24, 2015. The DVD has a run time of approximately 240 minutes on 2 discs and an SRP of $29.99.

“THE ITALIAN AMERICANS” reveals the unique and distinctive qualities of one immigrant group’s experience, and how these qualities, over time, have shaped and challenged America. Unlike other immigrant groups, many Italians did not come to America to stay. At the turn of the 20th century, most came to work, earn money to support their families, and eventually return home. Nearly half of the first generation Italian immigrants did return to Italy. For those that made America home, their struggle to maintain a distinct Italian culture was guided by remarkably powerful ideals of family that had always been at the center of their lives. In the Italian family, the needs of the collective came before the individual – a value system often at odds with American ideals of freedom and personal choice. While the power of the Italian family became a source of strength, it also bred suspicion, popularized in popular media as a dark, criminal element. This clash of culture echoed through generations of Italian Americans and, as they entered positions of political, social and cultural influence, it has left its mark on the American landscape.

"Shakespeare Uncovered, Series 2" on DVD in February

PBS Distribution announced plans to release “SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED, SERIES 2” on DVD in February. Like the first series, the second installment of “Shakespeare Uncovered” combines history, biography, iconic performances, new analysis, and the personal passions of its celebrated hosts; Hugh Bonneville, Kim Cattrall, Joseph Fiennes, Morgan Freeman, David Harewood, and Christopher Plummer,  to tell the stories behind the stories of Shakespeare’s greatest plays.

“SHAKESPEARE UNCOVERED, SERIES 2” will be available on DVD February 3, 2015. The DVD has a run time of approximately 360 minutes on 2 discs and an SRP of $34.99.

The first season of this ambitious project explored “Macbeth,” the comedies “Twelfth Night” and “As You Like It,” “Richard II,” “Henry IV” and “Henry V,” “Hamlet” and “The Tempest,” and was met with wide acclaim in both the U.K. and U.S. The new season investigates “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “King Lear,” “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello,” and “The Taming of the Shrew.”
 

New CAILLOU DVD Release Out This Week

PBS Distribution released seven stories from PBS KIDS’ popular CAILLOU TV series on the new DVD “CAILLOU’S FURRY FRIENDS.”  From learning wild creatures are better in their natural habitat to helping return a lost dog to its owner, “CAILLOU’S FURRY FRIENDS” features heartfelt animal adventures the entire family will enjoy!

“CAILLOU’S FURRY FRIENDS” released on DVD January 6, 2015. The DVD run time is approximately 58 minutes and its SRP is $12.99. The DVD contains special features including coloring pages and activities.

Caillou is a 4-year-old boy who delights in the small wonders of the world around him, embellishing everything he sees with his rich imagination. Thanks to his vivid imagination, ordinary, everyday events quickly become exciting adventures in which Caillou can play “make-believe.” CAILLOU is designed for preschoolers and focuses on role-playing and “make-believe.” CAILLOU is produced by DHX Media. CAILLOU airs weekdays on PBS KIDS (check local listings).

PBS DISTRIBUTION ACQUIRES DVD RIGHTS TO EMMY AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM WORDWORLD

PBS Distribution, the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally, announced the acquisition of all three seasons of the multi-award-WordWorld kids program.  The deal includes DVD rights for all 84 adventures of WordWorld.  PBS Distribution, which works with leading producers to distribute series such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Dinosaur Train, Peg + Cat, Arthur, Wild Kratts, and Caillou, is planning on releasing its first WordWorld DVD in 2015. 

WordWorld, which won the 2009 Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding children’s animated program, is designed to introduce, support, and foster literacy skills in children ages three to five. Young children are introduced to the colorful, vibrant world of words with the lovable, legible WordFriends – animals whose bodies are made up of the letters that spell the word they represent. In each story, the WordFriends go on adventures and face challenges that can only be resolved with the right word. That word is built letter by letter, sound by sound. Once the word is built it “morphs” to become the spelled item – C-A-K-E, becomes a cake!