The MJFDB News Blog

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Figure skating champion Kurt Browning will host Canada’s Walk of Fame gala next month while stars including Sigourney Weaver and Andrea Martin will present inductees, organizers announced Thursday.

Browning, of Caroline, Alta., said in a release that he’s “blown away” by the chance to host the event, now into its 10th year. Eight Canadians are receiving stars on Canada’s Walk of Fame at the Sept. 6 gala at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The show, which will feature video and musical performances, will air on CTV on Sept. 7.

Weaver will be there to present inductee/filmmaker James Cameron, who directed her in the feature Aliens and is doing so again in Avatar. Martin is introducing the comedy troupe Kids in the Hall.

Other celebrities presenting inductees include supermodel Linda Evangelista, who will speak a few words about pop star Bryan Adams.

Jeanne Beker, host of The FashionTelevision, will introduce supermodel Daria Werbowy.

Actress Julie Bowen is presenting Michael J. Fox, with whom she’s worked on Boston Legal.

Gabrielle Miller of Corner Gas will present actress Frances Bay.

NBA star Steve Nash will be feted by Toronto Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo and actor Colm Feore will present late Oscar winners Norma and Douglas Shearer.

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I don’t normally report fundraising events for the MJFF - the official website does a much better job of that than I could ever do - but this one is right up my alley:

Pumpkins for Parkinson’s display returns to North Myrtle Beach

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH — Ghosts and Legends Theatre will open its 2008 Incredible Pumpkin Patch on Monday, Sept. 1. Donations will go to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

More than 500 lit jack-o’-lanterns will be on display from 7 to 9 p.m. at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach through Friday, Oct. 31. Bales of hay, corn stalks, scarecrows, music, fog and festive lighting complete this temporary exhibit.

Guests are encouraged to bring their cameras and take pictures.

The Pumpkin King will be back this year, and two 18-foot overhead bridges will hold even more grinning gourds and fall leaves than ever before.

All donations collected at the Pumpkins for Parkinson’s display will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. This year’s goal is to raise $1,000 by display’s end.

For more information, call 843-361-2700 or visit www.GhostShows.com.

Source: TV Shows on DVD

Shout! Factory has released an official press release for Spin City Season 1

For Immediate Release

Starring Primetime Emmy® and Three-time Golden Globe® Winner Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Carla Gugino, Richard Kind, Alan Ruck, Michael Boatman, Connie Britton, Alexander Chaplin

SPIN CITY
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

A Collectible 4-DVD Box Set Packed with All 24 Addictive Episodes
Featuring All-New Interviews with Michael J. Fox, Cast & Show Creators and more!

DEBUTS ON DVD November 4, 2008
from Shout! Factory

Los Angeles, CA - Step inside the inner sanctum of one of the most sharp-witted and funniest political machines ever. Meet Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty and the quirky City Hall staff members from Spin City as they expertly spin their gaffe-prone Mayor Randall Winston and the City out of daily near-misses. From dealing with the Mayor’s problematic wife to catching a nudist roaming inside the City Hall to losing a deceased police dog just hours before the wake, this idiosyncratic office family goes the distance in this popular ensemble television comedy.

The critically acclaimed and award-winning television series Spin City draws back the curtain of this dysfunctional City Hall in the biggest city in America and provides a smart and comic take on how much it takes to keep the well-meaning but bumbling Mayor looking good. Season One of Spin City boasts a pedigreed ensemble cast including Michael J. Fox, Carla Gugino (Chicago Hope, Karen Sisco), Barry Bostwick (Law & Order: SVU), Richard Kind (Mad About You, Scrubs), Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Michael Boatman (Law & Order), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), and Alexander Chaplin (Scrubs), alongside notable guest stars Stephen Colbert, Jennifer Garner, Woody Harrelson, Marlee Matlin, Gretchen Mol, Amanda Peet, Luke Perry, George Stephanopoulos, Courtney Thorne-Smith, George Wendt, among others.

Marking 12 years after Spin City’s initial premiere on network television, Shout! Factory will release Spin City: The Complete First Season DVD box set on November 4, 2008. Season One of the series is available for the first time ever in this 4-DVD box set containing all 24 acclaimed episodes, all-new interviews with Michael J. Fox, the series creators and the ensemble cast, 7 episode commentaries and Highlights of The Paley Center for Media Seminar featuring Gary David Goldberg and Michael J. Fox in 1996. The collectible Spin City: The Complete First Season DVD box set is priced to own at $39.99.

Spin City is a smart, sophisticated sitcom about the behind-the-scenes workings of a fictional NYC based City Hall. Workaholic Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) is the Deputy Mayor of New York City, serving as Mayor Randall Winston’s (Barry Bostwick) key strategist and much-needed handler. Mike runs the city with the help of his oddball staff: an anxious and insecure press secretary (Richard Kind); a sexist, boorish chief of staff (Alan Ruck); an impeccably groomed gay activist running minority affairs (Michael Boatman); a sharp and efficient, man-crazy accountant (Connie Britton); and an idealistic young speechwriter (Alexander Chaplin). Like Mike, they are all professionally capable but personally challenged.

Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, executive produced by Michael J. Fox and Gary David Goldberg, and produced by UBU Productions in association with Dreamworks Television, Spin City debuted on ABC on September 17, 1996 and received extraordinary receptions from the critics and viewers. The series reunited Fox and Family Ties executive producer and creator Gary David Goldberg and proved that the magic of their creative partnership was enduring.

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.