user's Blog! – Page 58 – Just another WordPress site

Big Cat Week in Europe: How a sculpture, a hashtag and selfies are helping Nat Geo save big cats around the world

Nat Geo Wild Europe launched its sixth annual Big Cat Week in February. Each year, Nat Geo Wild sheds light on the plight of big cats around the world with a week of premieres. More than a television event, Big Cat Week is an extension of the Big Cats Initiative (BCI), a long-term commitment by the National Geographic Society to stop poaching, save habitat and sound the call that big steps are needed to save big cats around the world. This global initiative actively supports on-the-ground conservation projects and education to help stem and eventually reverse the rapid disappearance of big-cat populations.

This year’s Big Cat Week is headlined by a range of programming, including “Big Cat Games,” “Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of Namib” and “The Lakeshore Killers.”

Big Cat Week in the U.K.

To kick off this year’s Big Cat Week, Nat Geo Wild in the U.K. unveiled a specially commissioned sculpture in Trafalgar Square on Jan. 28: a fifth lion on a plinth, made of more than 500 clock parts to highlight that time is running out for big cats in the wild. We partnered with local celebrity Rachel Riley (“Countdown,” “8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown”).

Working closely with National Geographic’s BCI, big-cat experts and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Beverly and Dereck Joubert, facts and information were provided to the public and press during the launch. The sculpture was auctioned with the money raised donated to BCI. The stunt garnered more than 3.6 million impressions on Twitter the same day and was a trending topic in the U.K. So far, there have been 64 press features, including two broadcast interviews, seven national newspaper articles and 43 online stories.

In #TrafalgarSquare to help @NatGeoChannelUK raise awareness of the plight of Big Cats #BigCatWeek pic.twitter.com/dAUUy0psBY

— Rachel Riley (@RachelRileyRR) January 28, 2016

#MyBigCatSelfie

Big Cat Week also saw the launch of a robust online campaign, #MyBigCatSelfie, where viewers and fans posted selfies with their cats on Twitter and Facebook. This campaign started last year in the U.K., reaching 18 million people on social media, including local celebrities. This year, #MyBigCatSelfie went even bigger, rolling out simultaneously across more than 20 markets in Europe and Africa on Feb. 1.

Nat Geo Wild in France took it a step further, creating a mobile app and website where users can upload a photo and have their faces transformed into a big cat. Working closely with the BCI, one euro will be donated for each post to the site, supporting the BCI mission. So far, more than 2,531 users have posted their photos to the dedicated site in support of Big Cat Week and BCI, including five French celebrities (Christophe Beaugrand, Elodie Frégé, Alexandra Golovanoff, Audrey Marnay and Aure Atika).

Wide press coverage

In addition to the campaign, multiple Europe-wide interviews were held with big-cat specialist Boone Smith for one of the shows that aired during the week. Boone spoke about the plight of big cats, and some of the press coverage can be seen below.

Nat Geo Wild’s sixth annual Big Cat Week is off to a roaring start as it continues to roll out around the globe!

Learn more about Big Cat Week, including an overview of the shows and an interactive quiz.

21CF Oscars Countdown: A look back at the clothing worn by Jane Darwell, Loretta Young, Jayne Mansfield and others

In the days leading up to the 88th Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 28, we’ll take a look at our rich Academy Award history by sharing from our 20th Century Fox Archives.

Awards season is upon us, which means spectacular clothes! After receiving a couple requests for photography from the Academy Awards, I couldn’t help but share a few of my favorite ensembles.

1941 Academy Awards (honoring films released in 1940)

I’m loving Jane Darwell’s tiered fringe and dramatic orchid corsage. (She won Best Supporting Actress for her role in “The Grapes of Wrath” that evening.)

1948 Academy Awards (honoring films released in 1947)

Here’s Loretta Young successfully pulling off some exuberant ruffles and pleats with a satin finish. In her acceptance speech, she described herself as “dressed for the stage, just in case.” (She won Best Actress for her role in “The Farmer’s Daughter.” Fredric March, pictured, was the presenter.)

1949 Academy Awards (honoring films released in 1948)

In my opinion, there’s no classier accessory than lace gloves, worn here by both Susan Hayward and Arlene Dahl. (Susan Hayward accepted the Oscar on behalf of Hein Heckroth and Arthur Lawson for Best Art Direction and Set Direction in color for “The Red Shoes.” Arlene Dahl presented for this category.)

1954 Academy Awards (honoring films released in 1953)

Charles LeMaire and Emile Santiago (in the middle) won Best Costume Design (Color) for “The Robe.” On either side of LeMaire and Santiago are Gene Tierney (right) wearing an undulating cape that would make ocean waves jealous and a model wearing a classically draped dress inspired by the costume designs of “The Robe.”

1959 Academy Awards (honoring films released in 1958)

Not to be outshined (literally), this is my favorite ensemble, worn by Jayne Mansfield. Save for the fur stole, I am all about the lamé dress, matching heeled sandals and metallic fishnet sleeves.

The Fox Archives is mandated to collect, catalog, preserve and make accessible the following assets of the 20th Century Fox studios: props, set decoration, photographs, art department and publicity materials from our film and television productions, and from the 20th Century Fox studio itself. We work primarily with internal Fox groups but also from time to time with outside organizations such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.

‘Eddie the Eagle’ will take you to new heights of inspiration, in theaters Feb. 26

Michael “Eddie” Edwards won the hearts of people around the world with his memorable ski-jumping performance at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics – and he’s about to win even more starting this weekend. “Eddie the Eagle,” hitting theaters Friday, Feb. 26, will send you home flying high with inspiration.

The film stars Taron Egerton as Michael Edwards, the unlikely ski jumper who persevered through countless obstacles in his quest to compete in the Olympics. Hugh Jackman also stars as Michael’s brash coach, Bronson Peary. The two come together to form an implausible, relentless, history-making duo.

“Eddie the Eagle,” inspired by true events, also stars Christopher Walken and Jo Hartley. The film comes from producers Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling, David Reid, Rupert Maconick and Valerie Van Galder; it’s directed by Dexter Fletcher. The screenplay was written by Sean Macaulay and Simon Kelton.

Visit the “Eddie the Eagle” website to watch the trailer, get tickets, design a knitted hat or sweater, and see exclusive content. Connect with the film on Facebook and Twitter.

21CF Oscars Countdown: Yul Brynner with his Oscar for his role in ‘The King and I’ (1956)

In the days leading up to the 88th Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 28, we’ll take a look at our rich Academy Award history by sharing from our 20th Century Fox Archives.

Yul Brynner won Best Actor for his role as King Mongkut of Siam in “The King and I” in 1956. The film also won for Best Art Direction (Color), Best Costume Design (Color), Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) and Best Sound Recording.

‘The X-Files’ premiere breaks worldwide ratings records with more than 50 million viewers

The two-night premiere celebrating the return of “The X-Files” to FOX set new worldwide ratings records with more than 50 million viewers in the first three days. Here are some highlights:

The premiere delivered an impressive 20.3 million Total Viewers (Live+3) in the U.S., a 25 percent increase in Total Viewers vs Live+SD (16.2 million viewers) and surpassing the original series’ most-watched season (19.8 million average in Season 5).
The show’s Sunday premiere drew an average audience of 1.1 million in three days of streaming on Hulu and FOXNOW – bringing the show’s Live 3 multi-platform premiere audience to 21.4 million.
New ratings records were set across FOX channels in Europe, including FOX Finland (ep. 1), FOX Serbia (ep. 1) and FOX Poland (ep. 2), where the show appeared as the most watched episode ever on the FOX channel. In Italy and The Netherlands, “The X-Files” ranked as one of the most successful premieres in FOX history.

Upcoming premieres in the U.K., Germany, France, Australia and India are expected to add millions more viewers above the running worldwide total.

For more details about the ratings news for “The X-Files,” read FOX’s official announcement.

An all-new episode of “The X-Files” airs tonight on FOX at 8 p.m. EST/PST.

21st Century Fox wins big at 2016 Golden Globes, brings home industry-leading 8 awards

21st Century Fox’s film and television businesses walked out of Sunday’s 2016 Golden Globes Awards show with eight total awards:

“The Revenant” (20th Century Fox Film): Best Motion Picture – Drama
“The Martian” (20th Century Fox Film): Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”; 20th Century Fox Film): Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Jennifer Lawrence (“Joy”; 20th Century Fox Film): Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture –Musical or Comedy
Matt Damon (“The Martian”; 20th Century Fox Film): Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Alejandro G. Iñárritu (“The Revenant”; 20th Century Fox Film): Best Director – Motion Picture
Lady Gaga (“American Horror Story: Hotel”; FX Networks): Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Taraji P. Henson (“Empire”; 20th Century Fox Television, Fox Broadcasting Network): Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama

Lachlan and James Murdoch joined Fox in recognizing this year’s winning and nominated films and shows: “Each is a triumph of creativity and execution. They all underscore the deep commitment we all have to making us a Company where visionary creators and talent can do their best work, a place for bold ideas and high-stakes storytelling to flourish.”

Here are some photos from the FOX Golden Globes after-party:

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Image

Alejandro G. Inarritu and Leonardo DiCaprio seen at Twentieth Century Fox Golden Globes Party on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2015, in Beverly Hills, CA.

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Images

Matt Damon seen at Twentieth Century Fox Golden Globes Party on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2015, in Beverly Hills, CA.

Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Twentieth Century Fox/AP Images

Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell seen at Twentieth Century Fox Golden Globes Party on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2015, in Beverly Hills, CA.

Photo by Frank Micelotta/FOX

Rob Lowe and Taraji P. Henson seen at Twentieth Century Fox Golden Globes Party on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2015, in Beverly Hills, CA.

Photo by Frank Micelotta/FOX

Ryan Murphy and Lady Gaga seen at Twentieth Century Fox Golden Globes Party on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2015, in Beverly Hills, CA.

21st Century Fox celebrates U.S. veteran mentoring program with American Corporate Partners

21st Century Fox and News Corp co-hosted a reception on Feb. 11 to celebrate their longstanding partnership with American Corporate Partners (ACP), a nonprofit organization that helps U.S. military veterans transition into the civilian workforce by connecting them with professional mentors.

The reception brought together current mentors and mentees, alumni, and executives from 21st Century Fox and News Corp, including ACP mentors Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of News Corp and 21st Century Fox; and Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp. The two companies have supported ACP’s Mentoring Program since 2009.

Photo credit: Tamara Beckwith

Robert Thomson (CEO of News Corp), Rupert Murdoch (Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox and News Corp), General David Petraeus and Sidney E. Goodfriend (Founder and Chairman of ACP).

ACP’s significance

“As employers, we are never surprised by the ingenuity of veterans, who have been tested in difficult circumstances and whose experiences on the battlefield are more than precious,” Thomson said. “As companies, we’re not doing veterans a favor by mentoring and hiring them. We’re doing ourselves a favor.”

ACP founder and chairman Sidney E. Goodfriend, who gave opening remarks at the reception, said that 97 percent of the nonprofit’s funds goes directly to benefit participating veterans. General David Petraeus was also in attendance and shared his thoughts on the impact ACP has had on the nearly 7,000 veterans who have participated its mentorship program since the nonprofit was started in 2008.

“What we’re trying to do is not just find someone a job or help them find a job, but to help them find a career,” Petraeus said. “We need to remind people what these great men and women have done for our country, preserving our freedoms around the world. It’s not just the right thing to do to hire veterans; it’s the smart thing to do.”

Photo credit: Tamara Beckwith

Gerard Baker (Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal), Rupert Murdoch and General David Petraeus.

What ACP means for current mentees

Elizabeth Ortiz, a former public affairs officer for the U.S. Air Force who retired two weeks ago, applied for an ACP mentor in the fall after hearing about the program.

“After 21 years of going where you were told to go and doing what you were told to do, you don’t really give much thought to your career because you just expect it to happen,” she said. But after heeding the advice of her fellow airmen, Ortiz applied and found two mentors at 21st Century Fox to help her as she goes “from one world into another world.”

Photo credit: Tamara Beckwith

Rupert Murdoch and ACP mentees Elizabeth Ortiz and Brad Martin.

“They really nailed down my mentorship,” said Tahlia Burton, who served six years as a linguist for the Air Force and was recently paired with a mentor at 21st Century Fox. “When I met her, we just really clicked. It wasn’t just on the job level; it was on a personal level, too.”

Burton, one of the 2,500 veterans who have found mentors through ACP this year, added that mentees stand to “gain so much” from such a small time commitment to talk with their mentors each month – from resume and interview help, to potential internships and employment.

“Coming here and being with General David Petraeus, Rupert Murdoch and Robert Thompson in this intimate setting — I was blown away and I feel really honored to be here,” Burton said at the reception, which was held at 21st Century Fox and News Corp’s New York headquarters.

For more information on ACP, including how to get involved as a mentor, visit ACP-USA.org.

The significance of the Daytona 500 (Sunday, Feb. 21, on FOX), why NASCAR starts the way other sports end

Often called the “Super Bowl of NASCAR,” the Daytona 500, which FOX will broadcast on Sunday, kicks off the NASCAR season with a bang. But the Super Bowl comparison underscores a key difference between NASCAR and other televised sports like the NFL, NBA or MLB, which spend their seasons building toward a grand finale at the end.

How does front-loading the season with its most high-profile event impact the sport and its marquee race? We decided to put the question to key folks here in front of and behind the camera at FOX Sports.

How does beginning the season with NASCAR’s most high-profile event change the mindset of everyone involved?

“The thing that’s always been unique about our sport is we start our season off with our biggest event. The Daytona 500 is our Super Bowl, our Kentucky Derby and our World Series. We get the biggest audience for the Daytona 500 of the year. Everything is brand new – race cars, sponsors, even crew members and crew chiefs. Everybody is pumped up and can’t wait to get another season started. Unlike other sports where they just want to get it over with, we in NASCAR just want to get it started. There’s a lot of excitement, adrenaline and emotion that you couldn’t capture if we ran this race at the end of the year when everyone is tired, everyone wants to go home and their equipment is worn out. Here, everybody just wants to get it started, and that’s a big difference from any other sport.”- Darrell Waltrip, FOX NASCAR analyst (NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion)

“Obviously, the desire to become a member of NASCAR royalty is the goal of every driver, crew chief and team member. That motivation coupled with the anticipation of the start of a new season creates an excitement unequalled by any ‘opening day’ in sports. The competitors know it and the fans feel it. Covering and conveying the magnitude of this event to millions of viewers is a tremendous honor that is not lost on any of our FOX NASCAR production crew. We do have the benefit of a short offseason to prepare for the Daytona 500, but because there are no cars on the track, it’s kind of like shadow boxing in preparation for a title fight. Don’t get me wrong, the mental reps and planning are valuable, but as they say in boxing, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. When we come on the air Sunday, it will be our first yet biggest show of the year, so there is a lot of pressure, but we are confident our plan will allow us to handle anything thrown at us.” – Barry Landis, FOX NASCAR race producer

Left to right: Darrell Waltrip, Barry Landis, Bill Richards, Jamie Little and John Entz

“It’s an honor and privilege but also an immense responsibility to broadcast the Daytona 500 to America, and it’s not something we take lightly. It’s the biggest of the big and we work to present it in that way. Each year, I’m impressed with the level of hard work and dedication from our production crew to wake America up from its Super Bowl slumber, and 2016 is no different.” – Bill Richards, FOX NASCAR coordinating producer

“It is a big deal! From a reporter’s perspective, I feel it puts a lot of stress and added pressure on us. I’m not sure if I ever feel caught up and ready for this race. I tend to feel behind because there’s so much to learn with changes, teams, drivers and schedule. Thankfully, we cover all of the practices and qualifying, so we get good ‘reps’ before the big show on Sunday.” – Jamie Little, FOX NASCAR pit reporter

“With the NASCAR season starting with the Daytona 500, all eyes – from race fans to advertising partners to media – are on us from the moment we come on the air. Daytona sets the tone for your entire season, and it’s that expectation of performance excellence that makes a great Daytona 500 broadcast that much more rewarding. When the checkered flag flies, we all want to feel exhausted and victorious.” – John Entz, FOX Sports president of production

The 2016 Daytona 500 will air Sunday, Feb. 21, starting at noon EST on FOX.