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熱鬥小斑馬
Racing Stripes

寶貝小斑？
斑馬身，卻擁有一顆賽馬心，誓要成為競賽馬這個宏大理想，令小斑歷盡艱辛，屢遭白眼，但憑著打不死的心態，改寫自己平凡的斑馬生命….

故事大綱
《熱鬥小斑馬》是一齣既有趣勵志的合家歡喜劇。一隻小斑馬如何衝出故有的天地，與其他馬匹看齊，成為一隻在跑道場上縱?馳騁的競賽馬？

亞倫（布魯士格連活飾演）在路上救回一隻被遺棄了的BB小斑馬（法蘭克梅尼茲聲演），並把牠收養下來，送給女兒小玲（希丹柏妮蒂亞飾演）。原來亞倫曾經是冠軍練馬師，卻因為一件傷心事而退出馬圈，與小玲相依為命。

小玲一見小斑馬便愛不惜手，更為牠起名叫「小斑」，「小斑」亦很快投入有馬仔吳師傳（德斯汀荷夫曼聲演）、羊咩嫂（胡比高拔聲演）、塘老鵝、飛甩雞毛等這個動物大家庭的。

大家似乎樂也融融，但誰知每天看著附近跑馬場的「小斑」，卻渴望能成為賽馬冠軍。身為天才練馬師的英師傅和期望父親再戰馬場的小玲，決定將斑馬訓練成「賽馬」！

究竟「小斑」能否爆冷，在跑道�{摘冠？讓亞倫再度「拉頭馬」?

賽馬世界　角色介紹
《熱鬥小斑馬》乃繼《寶貝小豬嘜》(Babe)之後，又一真人ｘ真動物的合家歡喜劇。小豬嘜自以為是牧羊狗，鬧出不少笑話；今次則是斑馬誤以為自己是馬，為了在跑馬場摘冠而鬥出連番笑料。片中一班為動物主角配音的演員亦份量十足，惹笑非常。強陣如下：

＊動物陣營＊
唱作人為《熱鬥小斑馬》唱作

斑馬小斑(由林一峰聲演)：從小就生活在農莊的小斑，一直以為自己跟其他馬匹一樣，可以在跑道�{上一展英姿；可是實質是斑馬的牠，一直受盡其他馬匹的冷嘲熱諷，動物朋友們也認為不要妄想，但憑著牠的堅持，亞倫的訓練及眾動物鼎力相助，牠的理想終於得以實現，可是卻在比賽前夕，牠才發現自己原來只是一匹斑馬？究竟小斑能否接受自己並不是馬這個殘酷的事實？這一切，開閘後自有分曉……

現年29歲的唱作人林一峰，才華洋溢，長笛、口琴、結他，演出音樂劇、主持、作曲、填詞皆精。12歲開始自學結他的他，沒有後台，與電影中的主角小斑一樣憑著拼勁、對理想的堅持及才華出人頭地，憑一首唱到街知巷聞的"The Best is yet to come"及寫給孫燕姿的"遇見"而闖出名堂。

林一峰畢業於城市大學商業日文系，大學二年級時因贏得香港大專聯校音樂比賽。2000年畢業後全職投身音樂，發表曲詞作品至今逾200首。其歌曲風格清新，多屬抒情，歌詞細膩動人。林一峰為本電影預告片的Oh MacDonald一歌填上新詞。

原裝版本由法蘭克梅尼茲配音，今年20歲，曾兩度獲金球獎提名，憑一副Baby Face深入民心，主演過美國賣座電視劇《左右做人難》以及合家歡電影《我狗跳皮》(My Dog Skip)。今次聲演小斑，他大為興奮，兼讚揚小斑「做事有野心，永不放棄，堅持到底；牠帶出一個訊息──只要努力，夢想必成真」。

烏蠅兄弟(射喱、鬥雞) (由at17林二汶、盧凱彤聲演): 飛到邊唱到邊的烏蠅兄弟，即興填詞、唱功了得，為動物樂壇帶來無限愉快。由於牠們可以飛來飛去，可以替小斑在競跑�{上做軍師，兼且可以做埋打氣啦啦隊。

找來唱得彈得兼作得的盧凱彤(Ellen)及林二汶(Eman)組成的at 17，聲演這對愛音樂的烏蠅兄弟最能勝任。二人相識於「原音2000」歌唱比賽，惺惺相惜，始後以組合身份爭取不少演出經驗。林二汶一直為哥哥林一峰唱demo，歌聲獲得黃耀明賞識並邀往試音，二汶同時極力推薦Ellen一起前往，結果一拍即合， 2002年正式簽約「人山人海」。音樂風格以電子民謠為主，以清新的音樂風格清洗樂迷耳朵。她們不單為電影中替小斑做對最靚聲的啦啦隊，而且更創作及唱出不少新歌仔，為角色添上新的演繹。

白馬Gigi(由梁詠琪聲演) : 優雅動人的白馬Gigi，可說是馬�{上眾馬的完美女神，但Gigi看不上雄糾糾的黑馬，也不要俊朗英俏的白馬，卻偏偏跟不倫不類的斑馬做朋友，所以當小斑要在跑道上表現自己時，眾馬一於要聯手教訓牠。

梁詠琪自15歲被星探發掘以來，清純健康形象深入民心，一如電影中的白馬Gigi，是眾人心目中的女神。

一直致力於電影及樂壇發展的梁詠琪，多年來努力不懈，不斷作多方面嘗試，包括演出《仲夏夜狂想曲》音樂劇、出版寫真集；彈琴、打鼓、吉他都會演奏的她，近年積極參與歌曲創作，並多次獲得創作歌手獎項。

侏儒馬吳師傅(由羅家英聲演)：一直在動物群中最毫不起眼的吳師傅，因為生來只有四隻短腳，牠完全?有機會踏足賽馬�{上，只能在訓練�{上陪跑及做阿四，默默耕耘，不問收穫，可是吳師傅以前卻培訓出無數的賽馬精英，終於贏得了動物們的尊重。因主人亞倫退出馬圈多年，而一直被投閒置散的吳師傅，終於可以再次一展所長，牠正為小斑出賽而忙碌呢。

美國版由為德斯汀荷夫曼破天荒首度做配音。兩度榮獲奧斯卡影帝殊榮的德斯汀，有《手足情未了》、《杜絲先生》等經典在前，演技不容置疑。今年的《非常外父生擒霍老爺》(Meet the Fockers)更證明他是搞笑能手。對於今次破天荒首度做配音，而且聲演短腳馬英師傅，他表示：「我從未做過配音，又未參與過動畫製作，今次就像夢想成真一樣。加上我聲演的侏儒馬英師傅，是退役練馬師，代表社會上有貢獻而被遺忘的一群，所以我覺得聲演牠，好玩得來又有意思。」

塘老鵝(由劉以達聲演)：自稱擁有黑社會背景的塘老鵝，在威露氏農場動物裡是隻既愛既恨的動物，牠多聲多氣，還自吹自擂，有事發生牠就第一時間扮晒大佬，但其實牠是一隻缺乏安全感的鵝……

美版則由《22世紀殺人網絡》(The Matrix)老戲骨祖彭杜里安奴演活了這隻黑幫鵝。

羊咩嫂(由苑瓊丹聲演)：眾人奶媽羊咩嫂，最懂照顧各動物，曾經因為自己是斑馬而打算放棄的小斑，羊咩嫂亦很有耐性地循循善誘；牠跟侏儒馬吳師傅卻是鬥氣冤家，既愛且恨，感情微妙。

原配者為《修女也瘋狂》的胡比高拔。

騰雞王飛甩雞毛: 每天早上堅負叫眾動物起床的重任，日復一日，牠雖然騰雞，但?不偷雞。

懶狗閃電 : 雖然牠名為閃電，但動作卻慢吞吞，最好唔好打擾佢�堐情F大事小事，唔好預佢，皆因佢會第一個「閃」。

其他配音角色
林尚義聲配阿叔 : 多年經驗的跑馬評述員，一聽到佢把聲，就知道馬季開鑼。林尚義是次以他一貫講波語氣去講馬。

＊人類陣營＊

布魯士格連活飾演亞倫：本來是冠軍練馬師的亞倫，因愛妻在一次賽事中意外死亡而退隱江湖，之後專心打理動物農場，撫養女兒小玲成才。此角由加拿大演技派紅人布魯士格連活飾演，他本為《性感俱樂部》（Exotica）大導艾高揚愛將，近年在荷里活大展拳腳，演出了《驚天13日》、《智能叛變》(I, Robot)等片。

希丹柏妮蒂亞飾演女兒小玲：自小與父親相依為命，小斑馬小斑的出現為她的生命帶來另一道曙光。她決定繼承亡母理想，誓要成為最出色的騎師。即使遭父親反對，她亦堅決與小斑斑一起努力，完成夢想。飾演小玲這個可愛少女的是現年16歲的希丹，她十一個月大起，已開始演戲。人靚聲甜的希丹參演過電視劇《甜心俏佳人》、電影《熱血強人》(Remember The Titans)，亦曾為動畫《蟲蟲特工隊》(A Bug's Life)及《恐龍世紀》(Dinosaur)配音。

製作花絮
人類大挑戰 - 騎斑馬落場
要真人與動物一起演出，可說困難重重，挑戰日日新。

影帝德斯汀荷夫曼從影以來首次聲演電影，且演繹懷才不遇的侏儒馬吳師傅，更要與胡比高拔聲演的羊咩嫂鬥氣，可說難度十足；幕前幕後工作人員要控制在場演出的人和動物，並每日請來24名牧人及獸醫駐守片場；16歲的希丹面臨的是更嚴峻的考驗──她要學騎斑馬，馴服這種天性狂野的動物。

由於斑馬是野生動物，又沒有受人類訓練為賽馬的經驗，所以一般來說，奔跑速度上較馬匹遜色；而且牠們都自由自在於草原奔跑，所以要駕馭牠成為可供策騎的動物，可說相當困難，而講到拍攝賽馬，就難上難了；女主角希丹就用了足足6個星期來學習騎斑馬，而且還以瑜珈來做熱身運動。

開拍之前，希丹先被安排去學騎馬，再去學習與斑馬相處，最後才嘗試策騎斑馬。想不到接受一星期特訓之後便立即學會騎馬，希丹的策騎技術驚人，導演法德烈杜超也被她的天份所嚇倒。他說：「她可以一邊演戲，一邊把斑馬的速度控制至身旁專業騎師的賽馬速度；她又親自演出所有動作戲，就連極度危險的場面，她都順利完成！」

希丹憶述學習過程，原來馬與斑馬的品性不一樣，一鞭令下，馬匹飛往向前，但斑馬卻是群體動物，喜歡找自己同伴一起作業；然而最困難是，希丹要把騎斑馬的速度跟攝影機配合，以拿取最佳角度及速度感。

斑馬特訓 - 野生動物變馬場英雄
不過，要斑馬落場並非易事。首先攝製組前後要動用10匹斑馬來才能完成小斑的戲份，跟其他動物一樣，小斑馬的集中能力每次僅能維持10至15分鐘，幸而食物能吸引牠們的注意力。但基本上每匹斑馬的性格和特長不同，有些很大膽、有些很多表情、有些跑得快，所以不同的斑馬要輪流飾演小斑，負責不同戲份。

當中兩匹Columbia及Zoe就是用來演出「BB」時代的小斑，戲份包括追公雞、追郵差叔叔的貨車，以及把斑馬頭伸入「雞竇」，嚇到群雞亂舞；「少年」時代小斑就用上8匹斑馬，好像仙娜(Zena)，牠只被訓練躺在地上，森美(Sammy)和蒂絲(Daisy)則負責被策騎，又由於森美性情最溫順，人類近距離接觸牠也很安全，所以小玲與小斑最親密的戲份都是和森美一起演出的。

其中一場戲要求40隻馬匹在馬場上並列排開，然後讓小斑步入列隊當中，想不到在斑馬訓練師的指導下，這場戲40隻馬匹完全不用人駕馭，可以準確無誤踏在拍攝方位內，而小斑也毫無懼意，踏入不同類動物的領土中，拍攝隊伍 都覺得匪夷所思 !

此外，斑馬被視為十分珍貴的野生動物，所以，反動物暴行的福利成員跟足拍攝現�{，每天均派監察員到現場，觀察斑馬的工作及起居飲食，可見找斑馬做主角，一點也不容易！。

動物支援隊 - 幾隻動物分飾一角
除了要動用10隻斑馬分飾小斑，其他動物角色也一樣要找來好幾隻同種來分飾一角，單是馬匹就動用了90隻。不過，對現場的練馬師來說，最慘的不是量多，而是要訓練牠們的速度，可慢可快，調節牠們與斑馬之間的奔跑速度，因為落場時，小斑和一眾馬匹之間的賽事要做到難分高下的效果，而現實中馬匹的賽跑時速比斑馬快9英里之多。這種速度訓練，足足用了3個月時間。

其他角色方面，德斯汀荷夫曼聲演的侏儒馬吳師傅，由３隻侏儒馬來分演，負責跑戲，動作場面及文戲；胡比高拔演的羊咩嫂亦是由３隻來自南非的山羊分飾；騰雞王飛甩雞毛由４隻公雞分飾。當然，亦有像狗一樣醒目的動物，可以一狗一角。另外，攝製隊更聲稱，他們找來的塘鵝靚仔到極，是塘鵝中的湯告魯斯！找牠來演黑幫大「鵝」自然搶盡風頭。

Gigi這頭靚爆鏡的白馬，是匹亞拉伯裔的馬，她必須學習左望右望以配合一�{牠在樹林裡找上小斑的戲份。而那隻閃電懶狗，原來足足有90磅重。

動物新角度 - 鏡頭考工夫，後期強化表情
影片共用上19個星期才完成拍攝工作，不但以上所述的動物大場面時，就連拍攝動物的表情也同樣費神。要讓動物演戲，其實要拜託動物訓練員卡爾路易斯米拿，他曾經在《寶貝小豬嘜》及《無敵當家》系列中擔任此職，方便拍攝動物近鏡表情。攝影師也想盡方法去捕捉牠們的可愛一面之餘，亦要拍下大量不同角度、不同神態的近鏡，作為後期電腦製作之用。

又因為牠們有不少對白的關係，所以牠們的近鏡要維持一定的時間，也要企定定，攝影師惟有與訓練員一起開工，鏡頭外一邊花言巧語，攝影師一邊Roll機。到了後期，就由電腦特效為這些動物的表情修飾一下，如給牠們加多些眼睫毛、畫粗一點眉，來製造出戲劇性的表情和效果。

此外，導演亦想出不少新穎的角度來拍攝動物，包括用電腦特效製造出兩個「烏蠅」兄弟，由at17一唱一和，以牠們的視線來觀看賽馬情況。導演又嘗試將一些輕巧的攝錄機交給某些高手騎師，讓他們一邊賽馬一邊攝下賽事，提供新的角度予觀眾。

南非取景14星期
由籌備到後期製作，足足花了兩年時間才能現身銀幕的《熱鬥小斑馬》，其中包括在南非取景14週，拍下大部份動物戲。

由於故事的背景是美國的肯德基馬場，美術組必須在南非找一個面相近的草原，並必須鄰近斑馬集中的地方，方便「埋班」。結果，大家發現KwaZulu-Natal省那翠綠又迂迴的內地山區是最理想的拍攝場景。

美術組在這裡找到一個600英畝的Riverholme農場，碰巧它是一個被棄置了的養馬場，而且裡面的穀倉、馬房都是典型美國式的，其殘舊的感覺更與片中、被遺棄的心情不謀而合。美術組於是在這裡築起全長1.86英里的圍欄，由於時值冬天，草木已蓋了冰雪，美術組種下大量青草、移植樹木，令景緻看上來更有生氣，又搬來50車木頭，重新建景。

至於片中的賽馬場，則是在南非Durban海岸附近的Scottsville跑馬場取景。可是，南非的馬場並無跑道，工作人員唯有照著肯德基馬場的設計建起跑道，又要翻新觀眾席……一切一切都為迎接小斑踏上跑道、開閘、衝線、夢想成真的那一刻！

In the middle of a raging thunderstorm, a traveling circus accidentally leaves behind some very precious cargo - a baby zebra (voiced by FRANKIE MUNIZ). The gangly little foal is rescued by horse farmer Nolan Walsh (BRUCE GREENWOOD), who takes him home to his young daughter Channing (HAYDEN PANETTIERE). Once a champion thoroughbred trainer, Walsh has given up horse training for a quiet life with Channing on their modest Kentucky farm.

The little zebra, or "Stripes," as Channing calls him, is soon introduced to the farm's misfit troupe of barnyard residents, led by a grumpy Shetland Pony named Tucker (voiced by DUSTIN HOFFMAN) and Franny (voiced by WHOOPI GOLDBERG), a wise old goat who keeps the family in line. The group is joined by Goose (voiced by JOE PANTOLIANO), a deranged big-city pelican who's hiding out in the sticks until the heat dies down in Jersey. Bird-brained rooster Reggie (voiced by JEFF FOXWORTHY) keeps everyone alert with his crack-of-dawn crowing and general hysteria, and the un-aptly named bloodhound Lightning (voiced by SNOOP DOGG) keeps a lazy eye on goings-on at the farm - in between naps.

The Walsh farm borders the Dalrymple Estate, where highly skilled thoroughbreds train to compete for horse racing's top honor, the ultra-prestigious Kentucky Open. From the first moment Stripes lays eyes on the track, he's hooked - he knows that if he could just get the chance, he could leave all those other horses in the dust. What he doesn't know is…he's not exactly a horse. But with characteristic zeal, he devotes himself to training for the big time, with a little help from Tucker, who has coached a host of champion racehorses in the past.

Channing has a similar ambition - she longs to train as a jockey, but her protective father refuses to let her compete in the potentially dangerous sport. But her father can't ignore her enthusiasm (or her stubbornness) for long, and she convinces him to come out of retirement to train her and Stripes for the Kentucky Open.

The neighboring Estate is run by the ruthless queen of the Kentucky racing circuit, the incredibly wealthy and exceptionally coldhearted Clara Dalrymple (WENDIE MALICK). Stripes constantly battles the ridicule of the Estate's thoroughbreds-in-training, led by spoiled

bully Trenton's Pride (voiced by JOSHUA JACKSON), who taunts him relentlessly about his lack of breeding and…unusual appearance. But the Estate is home to some kinder residents, particularly Sandy (voiced by MANDY MOORE), a beautiful filly whose admiration and affection for Stripes further enrages his rival.

Stripes makes some friends down at the track as well, most notably the manic horsefly duo Buzz (voiced by STEVE HARVEY) and Scuzz (voiced by DAVID SPADE), whose love of song and dance is eclipsed only by their love of hot dogs and horse poop.

As he thrusts himself into a world of elite athletes, intense competition and enormous stakes, Stripes must prove he's fast enough and tough enough to run with the big horses if he wants to land in the winner's circle at the legendary Kentucky Open.

Some champions are born, not bred!

* * *

Alcon Entertainment presents the live action/CGI animation family motion picture Racing Stripes, directed by FREDERIK DU CHAU, starring BRUCE GREENWOOD, HAYDEN PANETTIERE, M. EMMET WALSH and WENDIE MALICK and featuring the voices of FRANKIE MUNIZ, MANDY MOORE, MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN, JEFF FOXWORTHY, JOSHUA JACKSON, JOE PANTOLIANO, MICHAEL ROSENBAUM, STEVE HARVEY, DAVID SPADE, SNOOP DOGG, FRED DALTON THOMPSON with DUSTIN HOFFMAN and WHOOPI GOLDBERG. The film is produced by ANDREW A. KOSOVE, BRODERICK JOHNSON, LLOYD PHILLIPS and EDWARD L. McDONNELL. STEVEN P. WEGNER serves as executive producer. The co-producers are PHILIP A. PATTERSON, KIRA DAVIS and KIRK DeMICCO. The director of photography is DAVID EGGBY, A.C.S. Edited by TOM FINAN. WOLF KROEGER serves as production designer. Screenplay by DAVID F. SCHMIDT, story by DAVID F. SCHMIDT & STEVEN P. WEGNER and KIRK DeMICCO & FREDERIK DU CHAU. The music supervisor is DEVA ANDERSON. Music composed by MARK ISHAM, with new songs by Sting and Bryan Adams.

www. racingstripesmovie.com / AOL Keyword: Racing Stripes

Release Date: August 18, 2005 (Hong Kong)

OPENING THE STARTING GATES

The road to Racing Stripes began five years ago, at a racetrack where executive producer Steve Wegner and screenwriting buddy Dave Schmidt were betting on the ponies. "We thought that a racetrack environment would be a great setting for a film," recalls Wegner. "We started out thinking that in horseracing, where bloodlines are everything, what would happen if a horse who wasn't a thoroughbred wanted to race?"

The story was a natural for Alcon Entertainment co-presidents Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson, producers of a catalog of diverse films including Insomnia, Dude, Where's My Car? and My Dog Skip. "As a company, we've never wanted to be held to one genre," says Johnson. "It's really about making quality films, and making them responsibly. We love comedy, we love family films, and Racing Stripes is a very funny and heartwarming story."

Director Frederick Du Chau was quickly brought on to the project, and he and writing partner Kirk DeMicco took the story in a novel direction, raising the fish-out-of-water concept to new heights by introducing the idea of an even unlikelier contender for horseracing stardom: a zebra. "That really jumpstarted the movie," says Wegner. "It elevated the whole film to another level because it's so different from the get-go. Seeing a zebra on a racetrack, racing thoroughbreds, is just such a great image. Racing Stripes is truly a sports movie, about someone fighting against all odds to be a champion."

"No matter who you are, what age, what gender or where you're from in the world, everyone can relate to being 'different,'" says Du Chau, who had previously directed the animated feature film Quest for Camelot. "It's very much a universal story."

"I think the elements in the project that were most appealing were its ability to combine comedy with heart and drama," adds Kosove. "There are a lot of great laughs in the movie, but it also really tugs at your heartstrings. It's really not just a children's movie, it's a family movie. As soon as you tell someone you're making a movie about a zebra who dreams of being a racehorse, they just immediately smile!"

FINDING THEIR VOICES

The film's large interspecies ensemble necessitated that the casting process for Racing Stripes be two-tiered: the filmmakers needed actors both to voice the cast of animal characters and to play the on-screen human roles. The first hurdle was to find the right voice for Stripes, the high-spirited young zebra who overcomes prejudice and self-doubt to chase his dream of competing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the finest thoroughbreds on the professional racing circuit. They found their voice in talented young actor Frankie Muniz, currently the star of the hit television show Malcolm in the Middle. "Frankie was our first choice for Stripes," says Johnson. "We had wanted to work together again after My Dog Skip, and he loved the Stripes story."

Muniz appreciated his character's ambition and drive in the face of incredible opposition. "All Stripes wants is to be able to train, to be number one," says the actor. "He's very persistent and tries very hard. He doesn't ever give up, so there's a great message that if you really want something, you just have to keep working to make it happen. And like My Dog Skip, it's nice to work on a movie where everyone can go and see it and feel good at the end, no matter what their age. And to give my voice performance, then months later actually see the finished product, is just so weird and fun and exciting!"

After being accidentally abandoned and rescued from a raging thunderstorm, Stripes arrives at the Walsh farm and comes face to face with a varied and eccentric family of animal personalities. He's met by grumpy barnyard patriarch Tucker, a Shetland Pony and former coach who's both been there and done that - for years, Tucker trained champion thoroughbreds alongside Nolan Walsh (not that any of them ever thanked him or anything). "Tucker represents someone who is quite valuable, if not invaluable, in our society, who goes unappreciated, who goes unrecognized," says Dustin Hoffman, who plays the somewhat jaded veteran of the track.

In Racing Stripes, Hoffman saw a chance to tackle a fresh challenge. "I'd never done voiceover work or animation," says the two-time Academy Award winning actor, "and you always want to do something new. You know, many actors want to play Hamlet and Macbeth, and ever since I became an actor, from the very beginning I just wanted to play a Shetland pony. I can't explain why."

Tucker's counterpart in the farm's tight-knit family is a sharp-tongued but loving nanny goat named Franny, voiced by the incomparable Whoopi Goldberg. It's Franny who first takes Stripes under her (metaphorical) wing, tempering Tucker's gruffness with her own encouragement and affection. "She's a pretty groovy goat," says Goldberg. "She's been down on the farm for quite a long time. The best way to describe Franny is, she's a good friend - she looks out for people. And she has a love/annoyance relationship with Dustin's character, which I kind of like. This is probably the only time people are going to let Dustin and I work together, so it might as well be as horse and goat."

Joe Pantoliano plays Goose, a gangster pelican on the lam who is using the farm as a temporary hideout from some of his more…unsavory associates. "He's got mob connections, which is a little outside the box for me," jokes Pantoliano. "Goose has a very active imagination, and he's insecure in a lot of ways, so he tends to create his own reality so that people will fear him. He thinks he'd rather be feared than loved, but throughout the story he gets to meet these wonderful characters, and in the end he's got a bunch of friends that really like him."

Also a fixture on the track are poop-loving horsefly brothers Buzz and Scuzz, who prove to be helpful allies to Stripes in his race to the finish line, as well as providing a healthy dose of musical pizzazz along the way. As opposed to the film's other animals, Buzz and Scuzz were completely computer-animated. The manic horsefly duo are played by Steve Harvey and David Spade.

Spade discusses the process he went through to discover his character's voice. "I come into these things and I think they got me because I'm super-talented. Then they're like, 'Just do your normal, nasally, sarcastic thing. This character's kind of a moron, so just play him like yourself,' and I'm like, 'Oh. That's cool. Alright.' I don't see that as a reflection on me."

"The big difference between Scuzz and Buzz is that Buzz wants to bring dignity to being a horsefly," muses Harvey, who plays the very slightly older and much more refined Buzz. "He wants to take horseflying to new heights. Scuzz is very much attracted to the dirtiness of being a horsefly. He revels in just being able to fall in a pile of poop and just lay there." "We are both a little like our characters," adds Spade. "I like boogers and farts, and he's dignified, and wears hats and nice suits."

Also lending their vocal talents to the film are Mandy Moore as Sandy, a beautiful show jumper horse who steals Stripes' heart; Jeff Foxworthy as pea-brained barn rooster Reggie; and Snoop Dogg as Lightning, perhaps the laziest bloodhound in Kentucky.

CASTING THE HUMANS

"We couldn't be happier with our human cast, and it is a very difficult movie for them in some respects," says director Frederik Du Chau. "Hayden, Bruce, Wendie and Emmet are all unbelievable actors in their own rights, and we've put them in a situation where they have to weave their story through scenes where animals talk, which is tough."

Bruce Greenwood plays Nolan Walsh, a former champion thoroughbred trainer who gave it all up after losing his wife in a tragic racing accident. In the following years, he's settled down as a farmer and concentrated on raising his daughter, Channing. They've always been close, but like most adolescents, as she grows older, Channing is beginning to assert her independence, which in her case means chasing a dream against Nolan's wishes - her ambition is to be a jockey like her mother, but her protective father absolutely forbids it.

"It's about triumph of the spirit," says Greenwood, whose film career has included a critically acclaimed performance as President Kennedy in Thirteen Days and last summer's hit I, Robot. "It's also a story about a little girl falling in love with an animal and nurturing him until he reaches his full potential, and finding the same in herself. So, it's a perfect family movie, and I've never really been in a movie so uplifting, humorous and enthusiastic."

"To have an actor of his caliber in this movie is a true blessing," says Du Chau, "because if the audience doesn't believe in our human story, then our talking animals don't seem real either." Greenwood went on location early to get accustomed to working with the animals. "The first thing you have to do is get them comfortable around you. Food always helps." And no, he's never worked with four-legged creatures before. "I can tell you they are definitely the stars of the show, though never in any acting class did I imagine I'd be co-starring opposite a pelican."

In casting the role of Nolan's daughter Channing, the filmmakers needed to find a young actress who was not only talented onscreen, but would also be able to pull off the considerable physical activities the part called for. They found everything they were looking for in Hayden Panettiere, who has been acting since the advanced age of 11 months, when she began appearing

in commercials. Since then, she has snagged roles in a host of films and television shows, including Raising Helen, Ally McBeal and Remember the Titans.

An accomplished rider, Panettiere believed that riding a zebra would be like riding a horse with stripes. "When I got on location I soon realized that wasn't true! They have entirely different personalities," she explains. "Sammy was the zebra I rode, but he wouldn't go anywhere without his friend Arnie the mule, so we all had to ride together." Panettiere underwent six weeks of special riding training before filming began and practiced yoga to keep limber. She had to master the ability to 'hold pace with the camera' - meaning that while the filmmakers tracked her with the camera car, she would have to ride up alongside it, controlling the animal to stay at just the right speed necessary to correctly frame and successfully capture the shot.

"We brought Hayden to California, put her on a horse and she immediately pulled it off," says Du Chau. "After one week of her horse training, we were blown away. Not only does she have a great acting career in front of her, I believe if she wanted to become a jockey tomorrow she'd probably win the Kentucky Derby. She was a real trooper - not only did she have all her acting scenes, but she also rode the zebra and horse at the same speed as all the jockeys around her. She did all her own stunts. It's extremely dangerous work and she pulled it off."

"I was attracted to the project because I have never worked with animals before," says Panettiere. "I've always played tomboys, and with Channing it's a mixture of sensitivity and a survival toughness. It was also a challenge for me to play a young girl who has lost her mom." Channing has an after-school job working at the stables of Clara Dalrymple, cold-hearted queen of the Kentucky racing circuit. Nolan once trained champion thoroughbreds for Clara, and she wants him back - he's the best, and Clara always gets the best. But Nolan has a much different approach to the animals he works with; Clara sees her horses as lucrative possessions, not living creatures.

"For Clara, an animal is about money," says Malick, who herself owns horses on her farm in the mountains of Los Angeles. "Racing is a very serious business, and people invest millions of dollars in stables, so Clara has a lot at stake. But this is a beautiful story about winning against incredible odds." Besides being an animal lover, Malick was also attracted to the part because she rarely plays a role that is appropriate for kids under thirteen! "For some reason, being tall and brunette I have played a lot of 'heavies' in my career, which is great because you can sink your teeth into these stronger women. The nice part is that when people meet you in person, they are very pleasantly surprised!"

"The casting of Wendie Malick was very fortunate," says Du Chau, "because Clara's role is a tough one as she is the villain in this story. Wendie came in to the movie after we'd already been shooting for a few weeks, and in a very short time she made Clara her juicy self. She just oozes Clara!"

M. Emmet Walsh's character Woodzie has been hanging around the track for years, placing bets and always looking for a sure thing - and when he happens to get a glimpse of Channing and Stripes tearing around the track, he's certain that he's found one. It's Woodzie who first lights a fire within Channing, allowing her to believe she and Stripes can really go places. "Woodzie is an important character in our movie," says Du Chau, "and is the one that basically turns this entire story around; he sees the potential in Channing's desire to ride and Stripes' burning desire to be on the track."

"The tone of all our actors' performances fall so perfectly in line," compliments Kosove. "Our human characters have so much heart, and you really get to know what they're all about because the animals are talking through them. I believe we really achieved the seamless blend of the two worlds."

TRAINING STRIPES FOR THE BIG TIME

Just as in the film, from the very beginning conventional wisdom held that it was simply impossible for a zebra to take on such an enormous challenge - in this case, starring in a major motion picture. "The film's theme is the underdog," says Johnson, "which was mirrored somewhat in our attempt to bring it to the screen - once we started talking to producers and animal trainers, we realized that this type of filmmaking hadn't happened before. A zebra is, after all, a wild animal. At that stage, the answer seemed to be effects and CGI. The top trainers in the world thought 'maybe' they could do it. We took a gamble."

Indeed, the idea of a zebra taking a starring role was a novel one - at the most, zebras might be spotted in short commercials. But everyone involved, human and animal, rose to the challenge, with the help of accomplished head zebra trainer Steve Martin. A zebra's nature is rooted in their necessary fight-or-flight response - in nature, when they're being chased by a predator, it's this instinct that saves them. It doesn't, however, lend itself to long-distance racetrack running. The training team had to work around those natural behaviors. "Because they do come from the wilds," comments Martin, "they haven't been domesticated as long as a horse. The horse has been domesticated probably for thousands of years, where these guys are still getting used to us and we're getting used to them. We walked them a lot, and petted them a lot, so they became very conditioned to us touching and handling them all the time."

Two zebras, named Columbia and Zoe, alternated playing Stripes as a baby. The little foals had to perform tasks such as rooster chasing, sticking their heads inside a chicken coop to surprise its inhabitants, and racing a postman's truck. Martin was always on hand during filming, as was their minder, Andrew Berry. The foals' attention spans were limited to 10-15 minute periods. Like most animals, however, they were very motivated by food, and Berry made a buzzing sound at meal times that eventually became how the babies found their marks.

Martin chose eight zebras to play Stripes in his "teenage" years, all with typical adolescent behavioral problems. Zebras are fairly aggressive by nature, due to their instincts for self-preservation in the wild, and it took over three months to train them to work safely and comfortably around the other animals. Zena was the zebra trained to lie down and she also pulled the plough in the field, which is a most unusual activity for a zebra. Daisy and Sammy served as the riding zebras. Sammy was the quietest and thus the safest around humans and other animals, but Panettiere still had to be very careful around him in case something frightened him. "They're smaller in structure than most horses, and their gait is different," says Martin. "The zebra is built more for quick bursts of speed to get away from whatever might be chasing them in the wilds, and then they're right back to their natural walk. To get them comfortable with being ridden we would put another zebra or a horse they liked next to them."

Zebras get up to a top speed of 28 mph, which is fairly quick - their flight instinct helps them with bursts of speed - but they're never going to catch up with a racehorse, who can hit speeds up to 37 mph! One of the most complex and demanding scenes to shoot was the Blue Moon Race, an illicit underground race where the horses gather after dark to show their stuff - no humans, no rules. "The complexity of that scene was extraordinary," says horse trainer Heath Harris. "To get forty horses all working together, all lined up side by side and then have the zebra playing Stripes coming in to walk among all the other horses, having to ignore them to do the job, and then stop and pick up a point and a mark. We managed to achieve it with virtually no computer work, nearly everything is for real. It was pretty amazing to actually get the interaction of those animals."

Production was extremely strict in terms of the zebras' welfare. The Animal Anti-Cruelty Welfare Officer was on set all day, every day. They constantly had their temperatures checked; they were wormed, had vitamin shots and slept in comfy stables with heat lamps.

TRAINING THE BARNYARD FAMILY

Animal training supervisor Karl Lewis Miller is much in demand in the movie business, having worked on films such as the Babe and Beethoven series. Lewis and his team had just nineteen weeks to get the animals ready for their close-ups. The gang needed plenty of schooling and confidence training, but there wasn't one drop-out in the entire picture.

Tucker the Shetland Pony has a bit of a grumpy personality, so the horses playing him were called upon to do a lot of irritated head shaking and snarling, as well as some pretty advanced tricks such as pulling open a starting gate and pulling the dust cover off a trophy. Tucker was played by three Shetland ponies: Austin Powers, Mini-Me and Ben Hur. Mini-Me was a fast action pony, so he was used for scenes where Tucker had to run. As for Mini-Me, apart from acting grumpy, all he had to do most of the time was behave himself within six inches of another animals, and learn how to push over a ladder (which took three weeks of training). Austin was slow and reliable, and did a lot of the barnyard scenes where the animals were in close proximity.

Garin van Munster was the wrangler for the three goats who played Franny: Jazz, Rapper and Hip Hop, all South African natives, hand-reared in Cape Town. The goats had some prior acting experience, having previously done commercial work, but had never tackled a role involving anything so sophisticated as "hitting their mark." It took weeks of toil with the trainers shaking paper, whistling and rustling feathers to keep the goats' eye line.

Goose's real name is Mr. Penelican, a talented pelican who was found at a rehabilitation center before becoming a performer at a fair in Cape Town, so he was already tame and liked people. Producer Broderick Johnson knew at first sight that they had found their bird. "That

was one of the challenges we were very happy to be able to meet, because an animatronics pelican would not be nearly as good as the real thing. We saw Mr. Penelican walking with his little strut, and we thought, 'This guy is perfect! This is the Tom Cruise of pelicans!'" The pelican was called on to shoot into the air, fly around and then hit his mark from two hundred yards away. Quite impressive, but he was helped along by his trainer, Martin Odd, who always had some fishy reward on hand.

Sandy, the beautiful blonde bombshell mare who sends Stripes head over hooves in love, was played by a lovely Arabian named �Wnushka. Appropriately, she learned very quickly to look left and right to find Stripes.

For most of his scenes, the main rooster tapped to play the hair-brained Reggie had to run around like the proverbial chicken with its head cut off. Luckily, the actor had quite a libido - the trainers finally resorted to placing hens in front of him to speed him up. There were four roosters in Reggie's role, as well as one that was responsible for crowing on demand.

It took a special dog to portray Lightning, a canine for whom lifting his head qualifies as a full aerobic workout. After a lot of auditioning, 90 lb Sniffer was cast - oddly enough, because of his energy! It turns out, getting a lazy dog to play the lazy part wouldn't have worked because he wouldn't have any personality.

TRAINING THE THOROUGHBREDS

A total of 90 horses were trained to perform in Racing Stripes - no small feat, even without the added challenge of mingling them with zebras. It helps if you have one of the world's leading horse masters and trainers - Heath Harris. Harris directed the racing sequences and trained the liberty horses (horses that perform by responding to a handler's verbal and visible commands, rather than to a rider's seat and reins), as well as all the character horses, including Stripes' love interest, Sandy. The most challenging part of his job was re-training racehorses who are used to running at one speed - fast - to learn to slow down so Stripes could win his races.

Harris says the re-training program was tough because the horses' thinking needed to be completely reversed. It took three months to teach them to run at the pace of the zebras, while still appearing to race at 37 mph per hour. Racehorses have a knee-jerk nervous reaction when they come into contact with their wilder striped cousins, and had to get used to the zebras. The

horses had many complex scenes in which they had to interact with several of the barnyard denizens, hit their marks and hold their looks so that they could be successfully made to "talk" in post production. Eighty racehorses in all were needed as doubles for the big race scenes. Luckily, these multi-talented equines were also able to perform as the horses at the Blue Moon races, or Harris would have needed four hundred horses to cover all the roles!

The welfare of the horses and the safety of the jockeys were always paramount, and the Animal Anti-Cruelty Welfare Officer was always onset. They had electrolyte programs, 24 wranglers and full time vets. They were constantly washed down with cool water and lived in comfortable tents.

TALKING THE TALK

"One of the strategic goals of this project from a creative sense," says Kosove, "was to not have the movie feel juvenile - we took great pains not to allow the animals to go over the top to the point that their expressions become completely out of character, or they do things that are just completely unrealistic, a la pure animation." To blend CGI with live action in order to make the film's animals "talk," the animals are directed to execute actions such as landing on a mark, looking left or right and performing specific body language. Then, a CGI animated muzzle is laid on top of the existing animal in post production. Eyebrows or eyelids can also be manipulated to heighten the expressiveness of the performance.

The process requires that very specific shots be captured. "We couldn't lay down a whole master of the animals and then cut into that," explains Du Chau, "because the animals cannot perform that many actions in a row without trainers having to step in. So, because the movie is constructed on a shot by shot basis, it was almost frame accurate in what we had to capture on set. It was a great team effort with the director of photography and actors."

The filmmakers had to come up with creative methods of capturing the necessary angles when shooting the racing scenes, particularly those shot from Buzz and Scuzz's point of view as they tear back and forth between Stripes and the galloping horses. The filmmakers employed a number of camera tricks such as a 'shovel cam,' a very simple rig that sits on a metal bracket that is held by a competent horseman while riding. This rig enabled the camera to get in amongst the

horses safely. It allowed shots to be captured a mere six inches above the racetrack, and panning around and twisting up in between the horses.

PUPPETS AND ANIMATRONICS

Back-up puppets were available in the event that the animals didn't perform, but because of the stellar work of the trainers and their animal actors, very little animatronics work was required - except for scenes that could put the actors or live animals in an unsafe situation. John Cox's Creature Workshop designed and built amazing animals that were so lifelike they would often get mistaken for the real thing on set. The animatronics department started out by making a preliminary sculpt of each of the character animals, which had to precisely match the real thing, right down to the nostrils. Their eyes have to blink, ears prick up, jaw move up and down, and even the nostrils have breathing movements.

In order to make the animatronics move, a puppeteer was positioned behind the animal, steering the major body movements with cables. Then the smaller, subtler facial movements and talking were controlled through a computer or small handset radio control. The only exception was Goose, who was traditionally puppeteered with long rods coming out of his wings.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Including pre- and post-production, it will have taken almost two years to bring Racing Stripes to the big screen, including a 14-week shoot in South Africa. Finding the appropriate shooting location proved to be one of the greatest challenges for the filmmakers, as they needed an environment that could double for lush Kentucky horse country, but it also had to be an area where they would be able to find the large number of zebras necessary for filming. South Africa was one of the rare locations that fit the bill perfectly - they found the ideal spot in the green rolling hills of the Midlands Meander in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The Walsh Farm was shot on the 600 acre Riverholme Farm, which was an unused horse stud farm. The farmhouse and Dalrymple Stables were built there. The Farm features a typical American barn and farmhouse that has gone relatively derelict since Nolan lost his spirit after the loss of his wife. Production designer Wolf Kroeger (Beyond Borders, Enemy at the Gates, Last

of the Mohicans) and his team first built the farmhouse and then applied paint techniques to establish a neglected appearance, while retaining some vestiges of its former glory days.

The construction team scraped the land to make it look more like a dirt yard, erected 1.86 miles of fencing, and planted lots of grass and trees, as well as an orchard to make the stables look prosperous - no small feat considering when they arrived it was the middle of winter and the land was brown and the ground hard from ice cover. The team brought in fifty large truckloads of timber, brick, sand and cement and then manufactured their own shingles from redwood.

The big race, set at the fictional Turfway Park, was shot at the Scottsville Race Course in Pietermaritzburg, not far from the coast of Durban. Because the team couldn't find a racetrack in South Africa that resembled Kentucky, they built everything from scratch. The grandstand, which had to hold one thousand spectators, involved considerable constructional engineering. It was then dressed with fronting, flags and swags. The saddling ring and winners circle structures were also kept simple to highlight Stripes' winning moment.

The dressing in each of the barnyard animals' stalls was kept as bare as possible so as not to take away from the character of the animals. When Stripes first arrives, all he sees is a huge barn full of looming shadows and, at a closer look, lots of saddles, harnesses, old horse tack, and old farm implements that had all collected dust from abandonment. The team sourced props throughout South Africa, from farmers, junk shops and auctions.

The Dalrymple stables reveal the opulence of the racehorses, with stables full of wood panelling and even chandeliers to suggest that the horses are pampered. They even had their own treadmills to test their stamina.

* * *

ABOUT THE CAST

BRUCE GREENWOOD (Nolan Walsh) earned rave reviews for his dazzling portrayal of John F. Kennedy in the Cuban missile crisis drama Thirteen Days. Prior to that performance, his most noted film roles were star turns in Atom Egoyan's acclaimed independent films Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter, both shot in Greenwood's native Canada.

Greenwood established himself as a leading man with his first major television series, the much-honored St. Elsewhere, in which he played "Dr. Seth Griffin" for three seasons. In the years that followed, he worked constantly, starring in television movies and series including the short-lived but deeply revered Nowhere Man in the 1995-96 season.

Since then, he has focused on feature films, including Double Jeopardy with Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd; Rules of Engagement, also with Tommy Lee Jones; his work with Egoyan, adding a third project, Ararat; and last summer's hit I, Robot with Will Smith. Most recently he co-starred opposite Annette Bening in the award-bound Being Julia.

HAYDEN PANETTIERE (Channing Walsh) has an impressive resume of feature film, television, animation and commercial credits that have made her name synonymous with rising star. Most recently, Hayden was seen in Raising Helen, directed by Garry Marshall. Additionally, she starred in Tiger Cruise, a dramatic story based on the true events of September 11th. Tiger Cruise debuted in August to rave reviews on The Disney Channel.

Hayden dazzled everyone in her role as a competitive ice skater in Ice Princess, due to be released in March 2005. In order to bring authenticity to her role for the film, she rigorously trained for weeks to accurately learn the art of ice skating. She stars in an inspiring independent film as a young woman caught between Earth and Heaven in The Dust Factory and recently filmed Lies My Mother Told Me, based on a true story for the Lifetime Network, playing opposite Joely Richardson.

Hayden's film, Normal, opposite Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson, directed by Jane Anderson for HBO, premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. In addition, Hayden surprised and delighted audiences by joining the cast of the award-winning TV series, Ally McBeal, as Ally's fiery and precocious long-lost daughter. Her spitfire characters in both the recent film Joe Somebody, as Tim Allen's daughter, and the riveting female lead in the much acclaimed story Remember the Titans, in which she co-starred with Denzel Washington, have established her as a unique talent. Her portrayal of a young "Jeanne," played by Hilary Swank, in The Affair of the Necklace is a cameo performance of depth beyond her years.

Hayden's other film credits include Message In a Bottle with Kevin Costner and Object of My Affection with Jennifer Aniston. Her television experience extends from her Hollywood Reporter's nomination for Best Young Actress in a Daytime Series, for her portrayal of "Lizzie Spaulding" on Guiding Light; a role as an abused child on Law and Order SVU; to the miniseries, Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke, where Hayden played the distraught young Doris opposite Lauren Bacall; If You Believe, as the magical and intuitive inner-child of Ally Walker for Lifetime; as a cancer patient guest-starring on Touched by an Angel and a guest lead role as an eccentric teenager on Malcolm in the Middle.

Her voice is as recognizable as her face! She starred in the delightful animated feature, A Bug's Life, as "Princess Dot." Her work for A Bug's Life Read-A-Long garnered her a Grammy Nomination for Best Spoken Word Album, as well as a nomination for The Hollywood Reporter's Young Star Award for Best Young Voiceover Talent. She is also the voice of "Suri" in Dinosaurs.

Hayden is an Ambassador for the ICUN Wildlife Foundation. The organization helps to raise funds to support and save endangered species. Nelson Mandela and Queen Noor are fellow Ambassadors.

With talent spanning the comedy and drama arenas, M. EMMET WALSH (Woodzie) has ninety-seven feature films and over one hundred-fifty television credits to his name. Walsh starred as newspaper editor Randall Evans in HBO's comedy series, The Mind of the Married Man. In the live-action comedy adventure Snow Dogs, he stars with Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Coburn.

Walsh made his feature film debut in End of the Road. Other late 1960's films include Alice's Restaurant, The Traveling Executioner, Cold Turkey and They Might Be Giants.

Other motion picture credits include What's Up Doc?, Airport '77, Straight Time, Slapshot, The Pope of Greenwich Village, Blade Runner, Missing in Action, Wildcats, The Mighty Quinn and Narrow Margin. After an appearance in Brubaker, Robert Redford brought him back to play Timothy Hutton's swimming coach in Ordinary People and again in The Milagro Beanfield War. Walsh also featured in with Julia Roberts in My Best Friend's Wedding with Julia Roberts, The Apothecary, Romeo and Juliet, Wild, Wild West and as 'Dr. Bass,' an unbilled cameo in A Time to Kill.

For his role in the Coen Brothers' feature Blood Simple, Walsh garnered the first Independent Feature Project/West "Spirit Award" for Best Performance by an Actor. He also received critical praise for his performance in Clean and Sober. In 1996, the Breckenridge Film Festival honored Walsh for his memorable film portrayals - Straight Time and Blood Simple were screened as representative of his contribution to the cinema. In 1998, Walsh was honored at Film Festivals in Austin and Fort Worth, Texas. Currently onstage at London's famed National Theatre, he brilliantly inhabits every inch of Sam Shepard's "Dodge" in Buried Child. The reviews have universally been raves.

WENDIE MALICK (Clara Dalrymple) starred as the outrageous ex-model and Blush magazine editor "Nina" in the NBC series Just Shoot Me. Nominated for an Emmy Award in 1999 and again in 2002 for her performance in the series (as well as a 1999 Golden Globe nomination), Malick also received four CableACE Awards as Best Actress in a Comedy Series for the role of socialite "Judith Tupper Stone" on Dream On. Malick appeared in the final season of Frasier as "Ronnie Lawrence." She will next be seen in ABC's mid-season comedy, currently titled The Untitled John Stamos Show, set to premiere in January 2005. Malick's feature film credits include Bathroom Boy, Manna from Heaven, On Edge, Cahoots, The American President, Trojan War, Jerome, Scrooged, Funny About Love and Bugsy. She can also be heard in the animated film The Emperor's New Groove.

In 1999, Malick received critical acclaim for her dual roles as famous advice columnists Abigail van Buren and Ann Landers in the TV movie Take My Advice: The Ann and Abby Story. Her other television series work includes starring roles in Trauma Center and Good Company, and recurring roles in NYPD Blue, Anything But Love, Baywatch and Kate & Allie, as well as guest roles on The X-Files, Cybill, Seinfield, L.A. Law and Mad About You. She also starred in the television movies Paper Dolls, Dynasty: The Miniseries, Apollo 11, Perfect Body and North Shore Fish, in a role she originated on stage.

Malick was honored in 2001 by Women in Film as "A Woman of Vision" along with Tipper Gore and Roseanne.

Emmy award nominee and two-time Golden Globe nominee FRANKIE MUNIZ (Stripes) received rave reviews in his performance as the whip-smart "Malcolm" in the hit television series Malcolm in the Middle. In addition, he has received multiple nominations from the Television Critics Association, as well as The Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. This year, he won the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for Best Male TV Actor.

Muniz has also established himself as a rising star of the big screen. After reaching box office success with the films Agent Cody Banks and Big Fat Liar (both of which grossed over $50 million domestically), Muniz most recently starred in the sequel Agent Cody Banks 2. Muniz has been nominated by the Teen Choice Awards in several categories over the past three years, in categories such as Best Choice Breakout Performance by an Actor for Big Fat Liar, Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Malcolm in the Middle, and Best Chemistry On-Screen Duo with Amanda Bynes. Muniz has also appeared as Willie Morris in Warner Bros. Pictures' acclaimed film My Dog Skip. He received the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) Rising Star of the Year Award and a Best Actor honor from the Giffoni Film Festival in Italy.

Muniz made his television debut in the made-for-television movie Dance with Olivia, starring Louis Gossett, Jr. He also appeared in the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of What the Deaf Man Heard, and received a nomination for The Hollywood Reporter Young Star Awards and also a nomination for the Young Artist of Hollywood Award for Television Performance in a Movie or Miniseries. Muniz's voice can also be heard in the Nickelodeon cartoon entitled Fairly Odd Parents, as a guest on Fox Network's The Simpsons, and as Rocky in the Rumpus.com's upcoming feature-length web cartoon The Red Bison.

Muniz has also appeared in several regional theatrical productions including A Christmas Carol, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, Our Town and the critically acclaimed The Death of Papa.

One of Hollywood's hottest rising stars, MANDY MOORE (Sandy) is quickly making her mark on the big screen while she continues her success as a solo recording artist. Moore recently completed production on John Turturro's musical Romance and Cigarettes, starring opposite James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet and Mary-Louise Parker. She also recently starred in Brian Dannelly's acclaimed film Saved, produced by Michael Stipe and Sandy Stern and co-starring Jena Malone, Eva Amurri, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit and Mary-Louise Parker.

Moore starred in Andy Cadiff's Chasing Liberty for Warner Bros. Pictures and Clare Kilner's How to Deal for New Line. She also starred opposite Shane West in Adam Shankman's box-office success, A Walk to Remember for Warner Bros. Pictures, based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks. Additionally, Mandy performed four songs which were featured on the Walk soundtrack. Moore made her feature film debut playing a haughty, cruel and popular high school cheerleader in the smash hit comedy The Princess Diaries. Directed by Garry Marshall, the film also starred Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway and Hector Elizondo.

Moore's critically acclaimed album, Coverage, was released in October of 2003. On the album, she is featured singing contemporary versions of songs by Elton John, Joan Armatrading, Todd Rundgren and Cat Stevens, among many others. It was Moore's idea to bring these songs to a younger generation. Moore came to national attention with the 1999 release of her debut album, So Real, which reached platinum status in a remarkable three months and produced the top ten single "Candy." Moore's second album, I Wanna Be With You (Special Edition) was released in May, 2000 and also went platinum. Her self-titled third album is currently in stores and features the hit single "Cry."

Additionally, Moore launched an exclusive line of contemporary t-shirts called MBLEM in August 2004. MBLEM is available in over 100 various trend-setting boutiques across the nation.

Moore was raised in Orlando, Florida and currently lives in Los Angeles.

MICHAEL CLARKE DUNCAN (Clydesdale) is probably best known for his role opposite Tom Hanks in The Green Mile, for which his performance garnered an Academy Award nomination. Duncan first came to prominence in Armageddon, and re-teamed with Bruce Willis in the comedy The Whole Nine Yards. He also starred with Mark Wahlberg in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, and received critical acclaim for his performance in the Showtime original drama They Call Me Sir. Most recently, he starred as the voice of "Tug" in the animated film Brother Bear; as the villainous "Kingpin," opposite Ben Affleck in the big screen adaptation of Marvel Comics' Daredevil; and opposite The Rock in the adventure picture The Scorpion King. Duncan's other motion picture credits include See Spot Run, Bulworth, The Player's Club and Night at the Roxbury.

Born and raised in Chicago, Duncan studied communications at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. After a stint in security, he worked in commercials before making his feature debut in F. Gary Gray's comedy, Friday.

Duncan will soon be seen in the hit thriller Pursued, co-starring Christian Slater and Estella Warren; the indie flic D.E.B.S.; and Sin City, directed by Robert Rodriguez. He recently wrapped production on the film American Crude alongside Jennifer Esposito, Ron Livingston and Rob Schneider and on the fantasy film George and the Dragon with Patrick Swayze. He is currently in production on Michael Bay's The Island.

JEFF FOXWORTHY (Reggie) is one of the most respected and successful comedians in the country. He is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee and best-selling author of 11 books. Foxworthy stars in and executive produces the television series Blue Collar TV, which he created for the WB network. Blue Collar TV came about due to the success of the film Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie and the highly successful concert tour. The movie premiered on Comedy Central and was the highest rated movie in the channel's history. The movie is now available on DVD/VHS and to date has sold more than 2.5 million units. The soundtrack for this movie was RIAA certified gold and continues to chart in the Billboard Comedy Chart's top 10.

The sequel Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again will be available on DVD December 7, 2004 and will premiere on Comedy Central on February 13, 2005. Warner Bros. Records recently released the soundtrack.

Jeff also hosts The Foxworthy Countdown, a weekly syndicated three-hour radio show. The show, featuring the current Top 25 country hits as well as interviews with stars, is carried in over two hundred and twenty markets across the United States. Jeff received a CMA nomination in 2001 for Broadcast Personality of the Year. Jeff also has an HBO special and two Showtime specials to his credit. With critical acclaim and rave reviews from the first special, Jeff landed his second Showtime special, which earned a CableACE Award nomination. Jeff has also been bestowed with a People's Choice Award as "Favorite Male Newcomer" for The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He also won TNN's "Comedian of the Year" three years in a row.

Currently, Jeff has a line of greeting cards and specialty products through American Greetings that are available at all Wal-Mart stores. In October 2003, The Nevada Gaming Commission granted approval for Aristocrat Technologies, Inc. to place its Jeff Foxworthy? You Might Be A Redneck If…R video slot games in Nevada casinos.

Away from the stage, an interest which Jeff holds near and dear is the Duke University Children's Hospital in Durham, NC. Jeff is the Honorary Chairman of the Duke Children's Classic Golf Tournament. With Jeff's help, the hospital, which specializes in treating children with cancer, has raised over $4 million in the last four years.

JOSHUA JACKSON (Trenton's Pride) has been working non-stop since the hit series Dawson's Creek ceased production.

Jackson will soon make his West End (London) stage debut in A Life In The Theatre alongside Patrick Stewart. This acclaimed comedy by the Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award winning playwright and Oscar nominated screenwriter, David Mamet, will be directed by Lindsay Posner and will open at the Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue in London at the end of January. This hilarious and poignant play is inspired by Mamet's early backstage experiences and his own brief career as an actor.

On the feature film front, Jackson will soon star in Cursed, opposite Christina Ricci for director Wes Craven, which will be released in February of 2005. He has also completed production on three independent films including Americano, with Dennis Hopper; Shadow Dancer, alongside Harvey Keitel; and Aurora Borealis, with Donald Sutherland and Juliette Lewis.

Well known as Dawson's Creek's fast-talking, self-deprecating "Pacey Witter," Jackson has been working in front of the camera for over fifteen years. His first feature film was Michael Bortman's Crooked Hearts, which was quickly followed by the Mighty Ducks trilogy, Digger and Andre the Seal. Jackson's other credits include The Skulls, Rose Troche's acclaimed drama The Safety of Objects, the HBO Films version of Moises Kaufman's groundbreaking play The Laramie Project, Gossip, Bryan Singer's Apt Pupil and Cruel Intentions. He has also had noted cameos in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's 11, Scream 2, Urban Legend and I Love Your Work.

During the sixth season of Dawson's Creek, Jackson made his directorial debut on the episode Lovelines. The Vancouver native divides his time between his hometown and Los Angeles.

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, JOE PANTOLIANO (Goose) landed his first professional role in 1972 when he played "Billy Bibbit" in the national touring company of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He worked in regional theater and has appeared in over 40 Off-Broadway productions. In 2003, he starred on Broadway, opposite Rosie Perez, in Frankie and Johnny.

After his move to Hollywood, Pantoliano landed the plum role of Angelo Maggio in the NBC miniseries From Here to Eternity, starring Natalie Wood, Kim Basinger, Peter Boyle and William Devane. He returned to the stage in Los Angeles, winning a Dramalogue Award and a Drama Critic's Circle Award for Best Actor in Orphans. He received his second Dramalogue Award as Best Actor for Italian American Reconciliation, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, and he was nominated for a CableACE Award for one of the original episodes of the horror series Tales From the Crypt, directed by Richard Donner. His other television credits include the highly acclaimed CBS drama EZ Streets, for which he was nominated for a Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actor; The Handler on CBS; and The Sopranos, for which he won the 2003 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a drama series.

Pantoliano has appeared in over 40 films including Risky Business, The Goonies, La Bamba, Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun, Midnight Run, The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals, Bad Boys I & II, Bound and Daredevil. Pantoliano has also produced and starred in several movies, including Taxman and Second Best.

Following his starring role in Bound in 1997, Pantoliano re-teamed with the Wachowski brothers in 1999, co-starring opposite Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne in Warner Bros. Pictures' smash hit The Matrix. He also starred in Christopher Nolan's hit film Memento, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay and won Best Director, Best Feature and Best Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2002.

Pantoliano has also published his first book, Who's Sorry Now: The True Story of a Stand-up Guy (Dutton Publishing), which was a New York Times best seller. He will next be seen in spring 2005 in The Moguls, starring opposite Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson, Tim Blake Nelson and Glenne Headly.

MICHAEL ROSENBAUM (Ruffshod) was voted one of People Magazine's Most Eligible Bachelors of 2002 and stars on the hit television series Smallville on The WB, where he plays the popular "Lex Luthor" of this Sci-Fi drama. Rosenbaum will also be seen in the upcoming Wes Craven film Cursed, with Christina Ricci, and was recently seen in Bringing Down the House with Steve Martin. He also starred in Sorority Boys, co-starring Barry Watson and Harland Williams. Additionally, Rosenbaum starred in the feature Urban Legend opposite Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Josh Jackson and Rebecca Gayheart. He also starred in the television sitcom Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane, opposite Selma Blair on The WB.

Rosenbaum took on lead roles while pursuing a theater degree at Western Kentucky University and doing summer stock in North Carolina. He moved to New York to pursue acting and quickly landed roles in Off Broadway productions and small independent films. Rosenbaum then segued into guest-starring appearances on several sitcoms and a recurring role in the "Amsterdam Kids" skit on The Conan O'Brien Show. In the same month, he landed both the series regular role of "Jonathan" on the WB show Tom and a role in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed by Clint Eastwood.

Despite ending his seven-year run as host of It's Showtime at the Apollo and his six-year run of The WB's The Steve Harvey Show, the Grammy nominated, original King of Comedy, STEVE HARVEY (Buzz), remains one of the busiest and most talented comedians in Hollywood today, gracing stage, screen, television and radio audiences worldwide.

With great anticipation, Harvey returned to primetime television in 2003 as host and executive producer of The WB's Steve Harvey's Big Time and returned for the second season in Fall 2004, expanding to a one-hour talk/variety/comedy/music show. Harvey also hit the silver screen with four movie releases: The Fighting Temptations, with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles; Warner Bros. Pictures' Love Don't Cost A Thing; the box office smash You Got Served, starring B2K; and Johnson Family Vacation, re-uniting Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer.

And if film and TV aren't enough, Steve Harvey continues steering the helms of his popular daily morning drive radio show in Los Angeles, California and syndicated in Dallas, Texas. The Steve Harvey Morning Show, now in its fourth year, continues to boast top ratings with loyal listeners, chart topping artists, award winning celebrities and American Idols on Harvey's A.M. shift.

Always known for his impeccable and undeniable style, designers on all fronts have joined forces with Harvey in the creation of "The Steve Harvey Collection," featuring suits, shirts, ties, hats and shoes coming soon to stores around the country.

A native of Cleveland Ohio and the youngest of five children, Harvey makes his home in Dallas with his family. He and his wife continue their unending pursuit and commitment to further opportunities in local schools in both cities with their generous contributions to the Steve and Mary L. Harvey Foundation. Mr. Harvey has been chosen as the National Spokesperson for Burger King and is currently a Spokesperson for GMC Yukon Denali.

Nominated for a 1999 Emmy Award for his memorable role as "Dennis Finch," the wise-cracking, power-hungry assistant on Just Shoot Me, DAVID SPADE (Scuzz) was previously best known for his five-year stint as a cast member of NBC's Saturday Night Live. Nominated for a Golden Globe in 1999 and 2000, and an American Comedy Award in 1999 for his work on Just Shoot Me, Spade's film career also continues to grow.

Last year, Spade joined the cast of the popular ABC comedy 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. This year, Spade created his own Comedy Central show, which he will executive produce and write along with pal Hugh Fink (former "SNL" writer). The show is a half hour comedy spoof on Hollywood, ala Spade's famed Saturday Night Live sketch "Hollywood Minute." The show will premiere in January of 2005. Spade was last seen starring in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, which he co-wrote with Fred Wolf. Previously, Spade starred and co-wrote Joe Dirt. He is also the lead voice in the animated holiday classic, The Emperor's New Groove with Eartha Kitt, John Goodman and Wendie Malick.

Born in Birmingham, Michigan, and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Spade began his career by performing stand-up comedy in clubs, theaters and colleges across the country. He made his television debut on "SNL" and was soon named the Hot Stand-Up Comedian of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine. In addition to "SNL," Spade has guest-starred on the critically acclaimed The Larry Sanders Show and appeared in HBO's 13th Annual Young Comedians Special. In 1999, he headlined his own HBO special, David Spade: Take the Hit.

Spade co-starred with "SNL" alumnus Chris Farley in the films Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, and the pair won a 1996 MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo for the former. His other feature credits include Reality Bites, Light Sleeper and Coneheads. In 1999, Spade starred in the romantic comedy Lost & Found, for which he also co-wrote the screenplay.

A musical and cultural icon, hip-hop Renaissance man, entrepreneur, and Hollywood's newest leading man, SNOOP DOGG (Lightning) is quickly becoming the hottest commodity in the world of entertainment.

Snoop's music fans won't be disappointed this year with two new projects on the rise. He has just released his anticipated solo record Snoop Dogg R&G: Rhythm & Gangsta The Masterpiece (Geffen Records). The first single, "Drop It Like It's Hot," has already achieved great success. Additionally, Snoop re-connected with his childhood friends, Nate Dog and Warren G on the successful album 213: The Hard Way.

Furthering his entrepreneurial status, Snoop is partnering with leading modern fashion performance brand Pony to create a shoe collection called "The One and Only." The collection will be available in exclusive stores globally for the Fall/Winter 2005 collection.

Snoop recently wrapped the independent film The Tenants with Dylan McDermott. He was last seen on the big screen starring in the comedy hit Soul Plane. Earlier this year, he appeared as the powerful, but extremely lovable gangster "Huggy Bear" in the hit comedy Starsky & Hutch, starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

Snoop's other film credits include Half Baked, John Singleton's Baby Boy, the critically acclaimed Training Day, opposite Denzel Washington, The Wash with Dr. Dre, and Todd Phillips' Old School. Snoop could also be heard as the voice of "Ronnie Rizzat" in Malibu's Most Wanted starring Jamie Kennedy. His first feature role in a major motion picture was as the title character in the urban horror film Bones, co-starring Pam Grier. In addition to his film career, Snoop was recently featured in his own comedy/variety show Doggy Fizzle Televizzle, on MTV.

Snoop Dogg was born Calvin Broadus in Long Beach, CA in October 1971. His rise to fame began in 1993 with the release of his debut album Doggystyle. Fueled by the rapper's street credentials and criminal infamy, the anticipation for the album was unprecedented - selling 1.5 million albums in advance of the release. It was the first debut rap album to hit the charts at number one. His sixth and most recent studio album is entitled Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Boss. In addition, he has contributed songs to a number of movie soundtracks including Bad Boys II, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Dr. Doolittle II and Save the Last Dance.

FRED DALTON THOMPSON (Sir Trenton), former United States Senator, prosecutor and accomplished film and television actor, reprises his recognized Law & Order character of District Attorney "Arthur Branch," in NBC's Law & Order: Trial by Jury, the new drama series from executive producer Dick Wolf.

After growing up in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, Thompson attended Memphis State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science. He went on to receive a law degree from Vanderbilt University. Two years later, Thompson was named an assistant United States attorney and later served as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee. His experience with the Watergate scandal is detailed in his memoir, At That Point in Time. In 1994, Thompson was elected to the United States Senate and was re-elected for a second term in 1996. In addition, Thompson is also a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think-tank.

Thompson first appeared on screen in the feature film Marie in 1985, portraying himself in the fact-based story of a high-profile case he handled in Tennessee. Since then, he has appeared in numerous other movies and television programs, including the features In the Line of Fire, Die Hard II, The Hunt for Red October and the television series China Beach, Wiseguy and Matlock. Thompson will retain his dual starring role as "Branch" on the original series Law & Order.

A two-time Oscar winner and seven-time nominee, DUSTIN HOFFMAN (Tucker) is distinguished as one of the cinema's most acclaimed leading actors.

Hoffman caught the world's attention for his role as "Benjamin Braddock" in Mike Nichol's Academy Award nominated film, The Graduate. Since then, he has been nominated for six more Academy Awards, for such diverse films such as Midnight Cowboy, Lenny, Tootsie (a film he also produced through his company, Punch Productions) and Wag the Dog. Hoffman won the Oscar in 1979 for his role in Kramer vs. Kramer and again in 1988 for Rain Man.

Hoffman currently stars in David O. Russell's comedy I ? Huckabees with Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Mark Wahlberg, Lily Tomlin and Jason Schwartzman. A husband-and-wife team (Hoffman and Tomlin) play detectives, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.

Additionally, he currently stars in Marc Forster's Finding Neverland opposite Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. Finding Neverland is a tale of magic and fantasy inspired by the life of James Barrie, the real-life author of the children's classic Peter Pan. Set in London in 1904, the film follows Barrie's creative journey to bring Peter Pan to life, from his first inspiration for the story up until the play's life-changing premiere. Finding Neverland premiered at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

Hoffman will soon star in Jay Roach's Meet the Fockers, the sequel to Meet the Parents, opposite Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Barbara Streisand, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo. The film is about the hell that breaks loose when the Byrnes family meets the Focker family for the first time. Hoffman plays "Mr. Focker," the father of "Gaylord Focker" (Ben Stiller). Meet the Fockers will be released on December 22, 2004.

Hoffman recently starred in Gary Fleder's Runaway Jury, opposite John Cusack, Gene Hackman and Rachel Weisz; James Foley's Confidence, opposite Edward Burns and Rachel Weisz; and Brad Silberling's Moonlight Mile, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Susan Sarandon.

His other film credits include: Little Big Man, Straw Dogs, Papillon, All the President's Men, Marathon Man, Straight Time, Agatha, Ishtar, Dick Tracy, Billy Bathgate, Mad City, Hero, Sleepers, Sphere, American Buffalo, Hook and Outbreak.

On stage, Hoffman has had an equally impressive career. His first stage role was in the Sarah Lawrence College production of Gertrude Stein's Yes is For a Very Young Man. His performance in this play led to several roles Off Broadway for which he won the Obie and Drama Desk Award for Best Actor. His success on stage caught the attention of Mike Nichols, who cast him in The Graduate. In 1974, Hoffman made his Broadway directorial debut with All Over Town. In 1984, Hoffman garnered a Drama Desk Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of "Willy Loman" in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman, which he also produced. In addition to starring in the Broadway production, a special presentation aired on television and Hoffman won the Emmy Award. Additionally, Hoffman received a Tony Award nomination for his role as "Shylock" in The Merchant of Venice, which he reprised from his long run on the London Stage.

As a producer, Hoffman produced Tony Goldwyn's feature film A Walk on the Moon starring Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber and Anna Paquin. He executive produced The Devil's Arithmetic, which won two Emmy Awards.

Hoffman was born in Los Angeles and attended Santa Monica Community College. He later studied at the Pasadena Playhouse before moving to New York to study with Lee Strasberg.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG (Franny) began performing at age eight in New York with the Children's Program at the Hudson Guild and the Helena Rubenstein Children's Theatre. Later, she moved to the Bay Area and joined the Blake Street Hawkeyes Theatre in Berkeley, partnering with David Schein. Moving shortly into solo performances, Goldberg created The Spook Show, which she toured throughout the United States and Europe. It was at this 1983 performance that Whoopi caught the attention of Mike Nichols, who offered to present her in her own Broadway show. An evening of original material, written and created by Whoopi, the show opened to the Lyceum Theatre to critical acclaim, which was later taped for the HBO special Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway, and the record album of her Broadway show won a Grammy Award as Best Comedy Recording of the year in 1985.

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Whoopi's Broadway show also turned out to be an audition for Steven Spielberg, who casting the film version of Alice Walker's The Color Purple. The film launched her film career and, in addition to an Academy Award nomination, earned her the 1985 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture, as well as the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture. Since The Color Purple, Whoopi has starred in such motion pictures as Jumpin' Jack Flash, Burglar, Fatal Beauty (for which she won a second Image Award), Clara's Heart, Ghost, The Long Walk Home (earning her a third Image Award), Soapdish, and Robert Altman's The Player.

Her performance as "Oda Mae Brown" in Ghost - the highest grossing movie of 1990 - earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award, the NAACP Image Award, the British Academy (BAFTA) Award, the Movie Award, an American Comedy Award and the Saturn Award (presented by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films).

Her other credits include the box-office hit Sister Act, which garnered her yet another Golden Globe Award nomination, and the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, in addition to winning the Image Award for Motion Picture of the Year. Her film credits also include her Image Award-nominated performance in Sarafina!, Made in America, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit and Corinna, Corinna. She appeared in a cameo role in The Little Rascals and in the feature film, Star Trek: Generations. She went on to star in Warner Bros. Pictures' Boys on the Side, Moonlight and Valentino, Eddie and Bogus, The Associate, Ghost of Mississippi, How Stella got her Groove Back, The Deep End of the Ocean, Girl, Interrupted, Kingdom Come and Rat Race.

Whoopi commemorates the 20th anniversary of her original one-woman show with a limited engagement production on Broadway. Whoopi…The 20-Year Anniversary is currently running on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre through January. Whoopi is also executive producer of Lifetime's Strong Medicine and its forthcoming spin-off series, as well as Nickelodeon's Whoopi's Littleburg and an upcoming series about the world of girls' soccer.

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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

FREDERIK DU CHAU (Director/Story) studied at the film department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in his native Belgium from 1984 to 1988. He simultaneously traveled the world as a camera assistant for several major European news organizations until his graduation from film school, when he worked as an animator/director for television and commercials in Europe.

In 1989, his short film The Mystery of The Lamb was selected for the Los Angeles Animation Celebration film festival, which brought him to the United States. At the Baer Animation Studio in Los Angeles, he worked as an animator on numerous commercials, which featured animation combined with live action. He then co-directed the animation/live action short film Sony Wonder, with Hoyt Yeatman of Dreamquest, and directed the animation for the direct to video hit Land Before Time: Time of the Great Giving.

After spending time working as a storyboard artist for animation legend Chuck Jones, he directed the feature animation film Quest for Camelot for Warner Bros. Pictures. This film received a Vision Award for Best Picture in 1999. He also directed a pilot presentation for Forest Whitaker's Spirit Dance Entertainment entitled Stripped, for which he created a new look that transforms live action into animation in real time.

In 2000, Du Chau, along with Kirk DeMicco, wrote Hong Kong Phooey, a live action comedy about a Kung Fu fighting dog, based on the popular Hanna-Barbera cartoon. This project was sold to Alcon Entertainment. Also with Kirk DeMicco, Du Chau wrote Sky Boys in 2002, a drama about two Irish brothers who fall in love with the same woman while building the Empire State Building. The project is set up at Ascendant Pictures.

Co-Presidents ANDREW A. KOSOVE and BRODERICK JOHNSON (Producers) founded Alcon Entertainment in 1997 (named after the ally of Hercules - a mythological archer who never missed his target) to develop, package, finance and produce feature length theatrical motion pictures and television programming, backed financially by Frederick W. Smith, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Federal Express Corporation.

Kosove and Johnson draw from common professional goals and a shared alma mater, Princeton University, where they were classmates beginning in 1989. Kosove graduated magna cum laude with a joint degree in politics and economics. Johnson, who earned his degree in economics, later worked as a quantitative analyst for Saloman Brothers in New York.

Since its launch seven years ago, Alcon has quickly risen to prominence by successfully attracting top veteran filmmakers and up-and-coming talent alike, and was featured in the 2000 Entertainment Weekly's "Power 100" issue. Following its maiden effort for Warner Bros. Pictures, the David Spade and Sophie Marceau comedy Lost & Found, Warner Bros. Pictures released Alcon's second film, My Dog Skip, a $7.5M production that was the #1 family film in America for four consecutive weeks. The film, which starred Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane and then-unknown Frankie Muniz, grossed $35M domestically and became one of the most profitable films of the year. Alcon followed with the hit comedy Dude, Where's My Car? starring Ashton Kutcher.

Shortly after the success of My Dog Skip, Warner Bros. Pictures and Alcon entered into a $300 million exclusive, long-term worldwide distribution agreement. Alcon's next project under its new relationship with Warner Bros. Pictures was The Affair of the Necklace, directed by Charles Shyer and starring Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank. The period drama earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design. Recently, Alcon saw Warner Bros. Pictures release the $67M hit Insomnia, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.

Following Racing Stripes, Alcon's next release will be The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, based upon the New York Times bestseller, starring Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Blake Lively. The company also announced that it will team up with Brett Ratner and his Rat Entertainment partner Jay Stern to produce the live-action/CGI family comedy Hong Kong Phooey, based on the beloved children's property. Most recently, Denzel Washington has agreed to direct and produce Alcon's Brothers in Arms: The Story of the 761st, based upon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's book of the same title.

After deciding that investment banking wasn't his game, ED McDONNELL (Producer) boarded a flight to Los Angeles with $200 and was hired as a secretary at United Artists, then MGM, and moved on to become an executive for nine years at Paramount.

He started as an assistant in low budget productions, and then joined Henry Winkler as an executive and was involved in such pictures as Young Sherlock Holmes. McDonnell went on to join Steven Segal and spent the next six years producing his movies, such as Under Siege, Under Siege 2, Dark Territory, On Deadly Ground and Glimmer Man. He then joined Paul Witt at Warner Bros. Pictures where he produced such movies as Three Kings and Insomnia.

In 2001, McDonnell formed Maple Shade Films and has since produced Original Sin, A Walk to Remember, Shanghai Knights and Catwoman.

LLOYD PHILLIPS' (Producer) motion picture credits include The Legend of Zorro, which is currently in production, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas; Vertical Limit, starring Chris O'Donnell and Bill Paxton, directed by Martin Campbell; and Beyond Borders, directed by Martin Campbell, starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. He also served as Executive Producer on Sergei Bodrov's Running Free, produced by Jean-Jacques Annaud. Phillips also co-produced Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys, starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt; Heart of High Country; Lee Tamahori's The Edge, starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin; Ruby Cairo (aka Deception), starring Andie MacDowell, Liam Neeson and Viggo Mortensen; Nate and Hayes, and Warlords of the 21st Century (aka Battletruck).

STEVEN P. WEGNER (Executive Producer/Story) is the Vice President of Development for Alcon Entertainment, the motion picture production and finance company headed by producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Steven has been heading motion picture development for Alcon for the past six and half years and currently supervises their entire 14 picture slate. He set up the Christopher Nolan-directed feature film, Insomnia, starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank, at Alcon, which went on to gross $120 million worldwide.

He also supervised the development and co-produced the teen comedy Love Don't Cost a Thing starring Nick Cannon and Steve Harvey, as well as the romantic-comedy Chasing Liberty, starring Mandy Moore. In addition, he is the co-producer of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which is due for release in the summer of 2005.

Steven is presently overseeing the development of the live-action version of Hanna-Barbera's cult cartoon Hong Kong Phooey, and the black comedy The Whole Pemberton Thing.

Steven also developed the feature film comedies Lost & Found and Dude, Where's My Car?

Prior to arriving at Alcon, Steven worked as a freelance script analyst for production companies such as New Line, Largo, JVC, Woods Entertainment and Summit Entertainment. Steven got his start in the business as an intern for Arnold Kopelson Productions and is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television.

PHILIP A. PATTERSON (Co-Producer/1st Assistant Director) began his career in Australia making television advertisements in the early 80's. He started working on feature length productions in 1984 and the lessons learned on films such as Crocodile Dundee, Crocodile Dundee II, A Cry in the Dark and The Rescue offered the opportunity to work on American-based productions, The Mosquito Coast and At Play in the Fields of the Lord.

Moving to the U.S. in 1991 led to work on Lorenzo's Oil, Mr. Wonderful, The Getaway, Little Big League, Beyond Rangoon, Empire Records, Twelve Monkeys, Flipper, Switchback, The Edge, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Running Free, Vertical Limit, Lost in La Mancha, Scooby Doo and Beyond Borders.

KIRA DAVIS (Co-Producer) began her film career in 1994 on a small film called Love Is All There Is, starring Angelina Jolie. It was on this production that she met the two co-presidents of Alcon Entertainment, and began working with them as an assistant in 1997. A year later, Davis was promoted to production executive and now serves as Vice President of Production and Marketing for the company. During her tenure at Alcon, she has overseen the productions of Lost & Found, My Dog Skip, The Affair of the Necklace, Insomnia, Love Don't Cost A Thing, Chasing Liberty and most recently is executive producing The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, based on the best-selling book of the same name.

Davis is a native of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She studied theatre with an emphasis in directing and graduated magna cum laude from New Mexico State University. After graduating, she worked in a series of professional theatres, including La Jolla Playhouse and the Mark Taper Forum, before becoming Alcon's first official employee.

KIRK DE MICCO (Co-Producer/Story) is currently co-writing a script with John Cleese for Dreamworks Animation. He and Cleese recently co-wrote a script based on the Roald Dahl novel The Twits, to be directed by Mark Mylod.

After selling his first script A Day in November to Arnold Kopelson Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, he worked on the Warner Bros. Pictures animated features Quest for Camelot and New Gods, which was based on the comic book by Jack Kirby. He also wrote Sky Boys, which is set up at Ascendant Pictures. In addition to uncredited studio rewrites, he has also sold pitches for a Looney Tunes movie entitled Rock Jam to Warner Bros. Pictures, a pitch entitled "Splitting Adam" and the feature film version of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Hong Kong Phooey.

He has recently executive produced a two hour documentary for the Discovery Channel and his script Space Chimps is in pre-production.

Director of Photography DAVID EGGBY (A.C.S.) began his career in stills, serving as a Naval Airman Photographer with the Royal Australian Navy for 6 years. He then worked on several police TV dramas, commercials, mini series, and made for television movies. His first feature film was George Miller's groundbreaking futuristic adventure Mad Max in 1977. Since then, he has established himself and is well known in the U.S. and overseas for his visually innovative style. His talent for visual effects & action movies has garnered him repeat collaborations with several directors including Rob Cohen (Daylight, Dragonheart, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) and Simon Wincer (Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man, Quigley Down Under, Lightning Jack).

Eggby recently completed filming the comedy movie Ugly Americans. Some of his other film credits include Scooby Doo, Pitch Black, Horseplay, Blue Streak, Virus, Fortress, Warlock, The Blood of Heroes, The Naked Country, Buddies and Kansas.

TOM FINAN (Editor) has worked on a host of notable films including Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, The Emperor's New Groove, Stuart Little, Hercules, The Lion King, Pet Cemetery II, Grand Isle, Problem Child, It Had to Be You and The Wizard. His television credits include They've Taken Our Children: The Chowchilla Kidnapping, Writer's Block, Tales From the Crypt and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

As an associate editor, Finan worked on Oliver Stone's Platoon, which won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Editing, and Salvador. Among his assistant editor credits are Gremlins and the Academy Award-nominated film Coal Miner's Daughter.

WOLF KROEGER (Production Designer) received a BAFTA Award nomination in 1992 for Best Production Design for his work on Last of the Mohicans. He also garnered a Genie Award for Best Achievement in Art Direction for Shadow of the Wolf in 1993, and another in 1985 for The Bad Boy. In 1986, he received another Genie Award nomination for his work on It Rained All Night the Day I Left.

Kroeger's motion picture credits in art direction and production design include Beyond Borders, Equilibrium, Reign of Fire, Enemy at the Gates, Running Free, The 13th Warrior, The Edge, The Three Musketeers, Casualties of War, The Year of the Dragon, Ladyhawke and In Praise of Older Women.

Born in Mesa, Arizona, DAVID F. SCHMIDT (Screenplay/Story) grew up in Mission Viejo, California. In 1975, he was the second round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox and signed with the organization straight out of high school. He played in the position of catcher from 1975-1982, with a brief stint in the big leagues in 1981.

Following his professional baseball career, Schmidt went into the insurance business for a few years, until he got sick of wearing a suit. Over the next several years he worked at a variety of odd jobs, including installing cabinets and delivering for Sears three days a week while attending college. About 10 years ago, his cousin (Daniel Knauf, creator of the HBO series Carnivale) showed him a script he had written called Blind Justice. Schmidt thought he'd give screenwriting a try, so he read a couple of books on the craft and took a crack at it.

Schmidt's first script, Highrider, was optioned by Alcon Entertainment. He subsequently pitched them another idea about a half-breed horse who dreamed of running against the thoroughbreds. Alcon had him write the screenplay, and later on the protagonist was changed from a horse to a zebra. The title of the movie was also changed to Racing Stripes.

Highrider has recently been optioned again, as well as another of Schmidt's scripts, Dog Gone Genius, about a dog that bites through a computer cable and becomes a genius.

Schmidt currently lives in Laguna Beach.

DEVA ANDERSON (Music Supervisor) began her career in Amherst, Massachusetts working both as a DJ and in music sales while attending Hampshire College. At Hampshire, Deva was awarded the prestigious Threshold Grant to research African American music from slavery times to rap. After graduation, upon returning to the west coast, Deva landed a job at the Concrete Foundations Forum, planning their acclaimed annual convention. She then made the move to the music trade journal Hits Magazine where she co-wrote a column, promoted music to radio stations, managed bands and worked in concert promotions. From there, Deva was asked to music supervise Tom Hanks' directorial debut That Thing You Do! for Play-Tone, the development company headed by Gary Goetzman and Hanks.

After the film, Deva was asked to head the music department for Play-Tone Productions and established her own company, Deva Anderson Music Supervision. She has supervised a diverse group of feature films including My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Dog Skip, Anywhere But Here, Murder By Numbers, The Truth About Charlie, Star Maps and Beloved. Deva has also music supervised various television films/mini-series including Tuesdays With Morrie, Their Eyes Were Watching God and HBO's From The Earth To The Moon. Her current projects include the upcoming films Because of Winn Dixie and Last Holiday. She is a favorite with directors Wayne Wang and Jonathan Demme, as well as Oprah Winfrey's production company Harpo Productions.

Deva was also tapped as the head executive of Play-Tone Records which is distributed through Sony Soundtracks. She has been the soundtrack executive on My Big Fat Greek Wedding, as well as certified Gold soundtracks Bring It On, Band of Brothers, Josie & The Pussycats, The Sopranos and Sex & The City.

MARK ISHAM'S (Composer) dynamic and diverse musical career has included a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award and multiple Grammy, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his material both as a composer and as a recording artist/instrumentalist. His wide range of talents and eclectic musical interests have produced over 50 film scores and several albums of electric jazz, classic acoustic jazz and New Age music, in addition to dozens of

special projects and recordings. As a trumpet player, he is in high demand and has been a guest soloist for some of today's top recording artists in jazz, pop, rock, classical and country music.

Born in New York, Isham began his musical career as a trumpet player, first in classical music and then in jazz. His mother was a violinist and his father taught music and history, and Isham began his studies in classical piano, violin and trumpet at an early age. As a young man, he played trumpet in the Oakland and San Francisco Symphonies and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. He went on to play in various jazz and rock bands and in his early 20's he forged into electronic music, becoming a renowned synthesizer programmer. Yet trumpet remained Isham's primary focus as he established parallel careers as a classical trumpeter, jazz stylist, rock guest artist and solo instrumentalist. Since then, he has evolved into one of the busiest film composers in Hollywood. Whatever the creative outlet, Mark Isham continues to be one of the most fascinating, prolific and provocative artists on the scene.

As a film composer, Isham's credits number over 50 including The Cooler, Miracle, Twisted, Life As A House, October Sky, Kiss the Girls, Varsity Blues, At First Sight, Blade, Fly Away Home, A River Runs Through It, Rules Of Engagement, Men Of Honor, Save the Last Dance, Point Break, Nell, Of Mice and Men, The Net, The Majestic, Crash and In Her Shoes. Since his first film score for the critically acclaimed film Never Cry Wolf in 1983, Isham's musical capability has led him to compose scores for every combination, from large orchestras to intimate jazz ensembles to electronic instruments. His musical versatility is well utilized; he composes in any style - often using classical, jazz, and pop throughout a single score, threading these elements together into the story.

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