There’s a lot of tooting our own horn this month. First MERCY wins an award , now:

ThemeParkInsider.com’s readers have voted The Simpsons Ride , the Best New Attraction of 2008 .

From the article:

"These twin rides debuted on consecutive days in May and wowed fans with their mix of irreverent humor and physical thrills. Theme Park Insider readers said that The Simpsons Ride is ‘hilarious, thrilling, and visually astounding,’ and that even ‘the waiting is enjoyable.’
Mark Woodbury, President, Universal Creative, Universal Parks & Resorts said of the honor, ‘The Simpsons Ride represents what Universal does best - which is to take pop culture’s blockbuster entertainment concepts and bring them to life in wildly entertaining theme park experiences. We appreciate the recognition and share it with our partners at Fox Licensing and Gracie Films, who helped us create a truly authentic Simpsons experience.’ "

More than 75,000 votes were cast picking the Simpsons Ride over some Tough competition like Disney’s Toy Story Mania. It’s always fulfilling to have been a part of something that people truly enjoy.

Emilee Harris wins Breakout Female Action Star of the Year (Short) at the 4th Annual Action on film Festival!

Congratulations Emilee from all of us at Not Afraid! You deserve the accolades! Now we can slap some laurels on the film and call it an “Award-winning Short.” 

In all seriousness, MERCY was nominated for 3 AOFF awards, and two for Emilee herself, so we’re honored to have our star take one home.  Much thanks to our other nominees Dave Marks and The Dave Rayburn Project.  We’re sorry you didn’t win, but appreciate your contributions to the project.

To learn more about MERCY the film the please visit the Audience website and blog , click on a Mercy tag at the bottom of this post, or visit the Mercy Channel. To learn more about the character, backstory and the mysterious world of Earlytown, please visit www.whoismercyhawkins.com.

Congratulations, again Emilee.

You can see some photos from our premiere below with our award nominated actress, Emilee Harris, our villain, James Pomichter, Director Antony Teofilo, and the award nominated band, The Dave Rayburn Project.

Thanks to everyone who made it to the screening, we appreciate the support. Stay posted for more Mercy news.

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MERCY has received three Action on Film Festival award nominations, with two going to MERCY herself, Emilee Harris. She was nominated for both:

• Female Breakout Action Star -Short
• Female Action Performer of the Year

Congratulations Emilee, you deserve the recognition for your hard work portraying and creating, MERCY .

In addition, Tony went to great lengths to ensure we had top notch original music as part of the MERCY experience, getting original songs like “Crying on The Floor” written by Gary Fitch and performed by The Dave Rayburn Project, and “Audra’s Lullaby” written by composer Dave Marks and performed by Dave with vocals by Rosalie Deighton . This effort was also recognized by the festival with our third nomination for:

• Best Soundtrack - Short

Congratulations to you all, and we hope to see you at the World Premiere on July 26, 2008 at 10PM at the Laemmle Theater at One Colorado Blvd. in Old Pasadena CA. Tickets can be purchased here.

The other night I was at MATCH in North Hollywood, having drinks with client, friend, and Xanderhouse Productions Producer Cheri Waterhouse, discussing a project. While we were there I ran into an old collaborator, Shawn Michael Patrick, the star of Not Afraid!’s Viet Nam war drama, GLAZED.

I hadn’t seen Shawn in a few years and we had the quick opportunity to catch up. He had just finished his second to last sell-out performance of LADY, written and directed by Dirty Sexy Money creator Craig Wright. Shawn and the play have received good reviews from StageScene LA:

“Shawn Michael Patrick as Dyson and Matt Kirkwood as Kenny both give absolutely sensational performances. Patrick is dynamite with a burning fuse, and charisma which masks the damage that his repeated infidelity is causing his family.”

As well as Daily Variety. Not to mention the sell out crowds speak for themselves.

Shawn was a joy to work with on GLAZED, and since then his career has really flourished with parts on CSI, Entourage, Weeds, Brothers & Sisters, and most recently a recurring role on Dirty Sexy Money.

Congratulations Shawn, we applaud your work and wish you continued success.

AOF hasn’t released the full screening schedule, but they have let us know that MERCY will be screening at the Laemmle Theater, located at One Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA during the Saturday July 26, 2008 10pm short film block.

The 4TH Annual AOF International Film Festival takes place from July 25-31, 2008 at the beautiful Laemmle Theaters in Old Pasadena CA. The theatres are located at the One Colorado Complex-42 Miller Alley Pasadena CA, 91105. The Festival will feature celebrities including: 2008 AOF Lifetime Achievement Award Winner John Savage, 2008 AOF Legacy Award Winner Michael Madsen, actor Vinnie Jones and action star Jason Statham.

You can reserve your tickets now by calling AOF directly at 626.355.6929 or you can order them online at aoffest.com. For a single program pass, tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. There are also many other ticket packages available on their website.

We’ve just learned that “Mercy” will be making her world premiere at the Action on Film Festival, taking place from July 25-31, 2008 at the Laemmle Theaters in Old Town Pasadena, CA. We haven’t received the official screening schedule yet, but we expect it in the next few weeks, so check back for updates.

If you’d like to signup for updates to screenings and other “Mercy” events, or would like more information on the film or the filmmakers please e-mail us at “mercy at whoismercyhawkins dot com”.

The reviews have also come in:

• LA Times
• Jo Blo
• Coasterdom
• The Coaster Critic
• About.com
• Ultimaterollercoaster.com
• Theme Park Insider
• Mice Age

Congratulations to the entire team.

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Synopsis:

The Simpsons™ are visiting Krustyland, the low-budget theme park created by famed TV personality and shameless product huckster Krusty the Clown!

You are there right alongside Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie as you enter through the carnival-like midway. Once you board your vehicle you’re in for one surprise after another as you embark on a wild, over-the-top ride through the park… flying, floating, and more or less crashing your way through Krustyland’s kiddie attractions, stunt shows, and thrill rides.

How we were involved:

Not Afraid! founder Paul Cuoco spent two years working with digital projection specialists to create and build the world’s first 4K resolution 60 frame per second, 85 foot dome projection system as the main attraction to this fun and funny motion simulator attraction.

To learn more about the ride visit: http://www.simpsonsride.com/

The Simpsons™, The Simpsons™ Ride and all Simpsons characters and elements are ™ & © 2008 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.