'ROOTS' Set To Premiere on Memorial Day 2016

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HISTORY'S EPIC EVENT SERIES 'ROOTS' SET TO PREMIERE ON MEMORIAL DAY 2016

NEW YORK, NY – February 11, 2016 – HISTORY® premieres “Roots” on Memorial Day 2016, airing over four consecutive nights at 9 p.m. beginning Monday, May 30, it was announced today by Paul Buccieri, President of A&E and HISTORY. The four-night, eight-hour event series developed by HISTORY, from A+E Studios, is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship. “Roots” will be simulcast on A&E and Lifetime, in addition to HISTORY.

The stellar cast includes Academy Award® winners Forest Whitaker (“Fiddler”) and Anna Paquin (“Nancy Holt”); Academy Award® nominee and Emmy Award® winner Laurence Fishburne (“Alex Haley”); Golden Globe Award® winning and Emmy Award® nominated actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (“Tom Lea”); Tony Award® winner Anika Noni Rose (“Kizzy”); Grammy Award® winner Tip “T.I.” Harris (“Cyrus”); Chad L. Coleman (“Mingo”); Emayatzy Corinealdi (“Belle”); Matthew Goode(“Dr. William Waller”); Derek Luke (“Silla Ba Dibba”); Mekhi Phifer (“Jerusalem”); James Purefoy (“John Waller”); Erica Tazel (“Matilda”) and introduces Regé-Jean Page (“Chicken George”) and Malachi Kirby (“Kunta Kinte”).

“’Roots’ will allow new audiences to experience this epic family saga with a new vision that is both inspiring and tremendously entertaining,” said Buccieri.  “We are proud that HISTORY will be able to bring new life to this powerful story that remains as important today as it did when the original ‘Roots’ first premiered.”

“Nearly 40 years ago I had the privilege to be a part of an epic television event that started an important conversation in America,” said LeVar Burton, Co-Executive Producer. “I am incredibly proud to be a part of this new retelling and start the dialogue again, at a time when it is needed more than ever." 

“Roots” is an A+E Studios production in association with Marc Toberoff and The Wolper Organization, the company that produced the original “Roots.” Will Packer, Marc Toberoff, Mark Wolper, Lawrence Konner, Mark Rosenthal and Barry Jossen serve as executive producers. LeVar Burton and Korin D. Huggins are co-executive producers. Questlove is executive music producer. “Roots” is directed by Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford. Arturo Interian and Michael Stiller serve as Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY.  A+E Networks handles international distribution for “Roots.”

About HISTORY®

HISTORY®, now reaching more than 96 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate features a roster of signature series including “Pawn Stars,” “American Pickers,” “Swamp People,” “Alone” as well as the hit drama series “Vikings.”  The HISTORY website is located at history.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/history and Facebook at facebook.com/history. For more press information and photography, please visit us at http://press.aenetworks.com

About A+E Studios
A+E Studios is the studio unit of the award-­winning global media company A+E Networks, LLC. A+E Studios creates, produces and distributes high quality scripted programming across all networks and platforms in the A+E Networks portfolio, including A&E^® Network, Lifetime^®, History^®, LMN^®, FYI™, H2^® and A&E IndieFilms^®. A+E Studios’ slate of programming consists of scripted series, event series and movies, including the upcoming event miniseries Roots for HISTORY, A&E and Lifetime, UnREAL for Lifetime and Sons of Liberty™ and Houdini for HISTORY.

Movie Review: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Release Date: August 21st 2013 (USA)
Studio: Sony Pictures, Constantin Films
Main Cast: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey, Kevin Durand, Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder, Jared Harris and Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Director: Harald Zwart
Producers: Bob Shaye, Michael Lynne, Martin Moszkowicz
Screenwriter: Jessica Postigo Paquette
Based on novel by: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy violence and action, and some suggestive content
Official Websites: Official Website | Twitter | Facebook

Storyline: Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series. Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

One word: Fantastic. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones will keep you entertained from the beginning all the way till the last-minute. It doesn’t matter if you read the book or not, the movie is its own entity. As far as adaptations go, I have to say this one is in the top ones that are well made. Its been a few years since I read City of Bones so if minor details were missing or even bigger ones, I didn’t notice or catch them. I learned with previous films you should never read the books right before you see the movies, because you will sit there and pick all the details missing and make your movie watching experience horrible. Give sometime in between reading and then watching the film. You wont regret it. I saw all the key points that I read in the book which made City of Bones the bestseller that it is. So the kudos goes to the screenwriter Jessica Postigo Paquette for creating a screenplay that was as true as it could be to match the novel. Thank you for giving us 2 hours of film, I didn’t want it to end.

These are key parts that stayed with me well after seeing the movie:

• The Runes: They were exactly represented on the Shadowhunters like I pictured while reading. The way Clary or the other drew them on was excellent. Nothing looked cheesy. It left such an impressing with my boys that they said afterwards they wanted to be Shadowhunters for Halloween.
• Wolves: These creatures were great, They look like the real deal not overdone at all.
• Action: IT WAS AWESOME. I am a huge action junkie and every fight scene had me at the edge of my seat wanting more. Clary and Jace did a fantastic job keeping up and defending themselves like Shadowhunters.
• The Institute: It was more beautiful that I even imagined it. I loved how they show us how it would look to a Mundane as opposed to the Shadowhunters.
• The Mortal Cup: From how it was embedded and hidden into the tarot card and once it was in Clary’s hand, the cup was executed well. It’s very detailed and beautiful and would make sense it came from an Angel.
• The Greenhouse: WOW! Can I just live there? It was like a scene was taken from Avatar (one of my favorite movies of all time) and loaned to be used in the Greenhouse. Anyone would want to kiss inside while its raining.

I wont go into extreme detail because if you have read the book, you know what happens. If you haven’t I don't want to spoil any parts for you. I was impressed with the acting, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace really did Jace right. His mannerism and the delivery of his lines, were very Jace in the book. Lily Collins as Clary was perfect, i am a fan of Lily and this movie shows she has a great range in her acting. When Clary had to be the mundane girl, she was and when Clary had to turn on that Shadowhunter inside her, Lily hit it out of the park. The outfits everyone wore screamed The Mortal Instruments. Great job wardrobe department. Seriously the whole cast just did their part. I would probably say the characters I was impressed with the most was Valentine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers was psychotically good. The intensity he brought to Valentine was brilliant and well-played. I was consumed by his scenes.

If you want to be transported into a world hidden right under the noses of the Mundane then go out and see The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and be ready to catch yourself holding your breath and forgetting to blink so you don’t miss a single second of this film. A movie for the whole family or date night. I took along with me my 6 and 11-year-old boys, Husband and Mother and everyone equally enjoyed the movie. Beautiful graphics, thrilling action and a romance to make your toes curl. One of the summers best movies hands-down!