By MCN Editor editor@moviecitynews.com

Movie Milestone: Redbox Rents One Billionth Movie

Redbox Thanks Consumers with “Thanks A Billion” Celebration

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Redbox, the popular DVD rental kiosk provider and wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTR), reached a major movie milestone today with the rental of its one billionth movie. “Clash of the Titans,” rented from a redbox® location in Tampa, Florida, was the one billionth movie rented. The milestone occurs only six years after the popular red kiosks first debuted in Denver, Colo. Today, redbox has more than 24,000 convenient locations nationwide.

“One billion rentals is an incredible milestone as redbox has quickly become the local video store for millions of consumers nationwide,” said Mitch Lowe, president, redbox. “Our popularity is a testament to our consumers’ loyalty and our steadfast commitment to making movie rentals affordable and convenient for our consumers.”

Thanks a Billion Celebration

To celebrate its one billionth rental, redbox has launched the “Thanks a Billion” celebration. The nationwide event thanks redbox renters with a free one-night movie rental and chances to win premium prizes. Throughout the month of September, eligible redbox renters can enter the unique DVD code found on their redbox rental at redbox.com/thanks to receive a promotional code good for a free, one-night rental. Renters also will be entered to win the “Thanks a Billion” grand prize – a choice between a trip to the People’s Choice Awards® or a Sony® Home Entertainment Theatre System. The nationwide “Thanks a Billion” celebration runs from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30, 2010. Log on to redbox.com/thanks for complete rules and details*, as well as complete odds of winning and prize descriptions.

Averaging more than 9.5 million rentals a week, redbox makes renting and returning new release DVDs and Blu-ray Discs® easy for consumers. The rent and return anywhere® policy lets consumers return movies to any of the more than 24,000 locations nationwide. Each fully automated redbox kiosk holds 630 discs, representing up to 200 titles. Consumers simply use a touch screen to select their favorite movies, swipe a valid credit or debit card and go. For added convenience, consumers can visit www.redbox.com to reserve their movies online or via the iPhone® app from redbox.

About Redbox
Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Coinstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTR), offers new release DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals through its network of conveniently located, self-service kiosks. Redbox has rented more than one billion movies and is available at approximately 24,000 locations nationwide, including select McDonald’s restaurants, leading grocery, drug and convenience stores, select Walmart locations and Walgreens locations in select markets. For more information, visit www.redbox.com.

* No purchase necessary and void where prohibited. The “Thanks a Billion” celebration is subject to Official Rules. Contest Sponsor: Redbox Automated Retail, LLC 1 Tower Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois 60181.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon