(Akiit.com) Lionsgate, the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, has forged two major partnerships in the faith-based entertainment genre, it was announced by Lionsgate President Steve Beeks.

The Company has reached a distribution agreement with publisher Thomas Nelson, Inc., making Thomas Nelson the exclusive distributor of Lionsgate product in the Christian retail market. The largest Christian publisher and the sixth largest overall publisher in the world, Thomas Nelson is expanding its DVD distribution business through the deal.

Lionsgate also has acquired the exclusive North American home entertainment distribution rights to three DVD documentaries based on the best-selling books by leading Christian non-fiction author Lee Strobel – THE CASE FOR CHRIST, THE CASE FOR A CREATOR, and THE CASE FOR FAITH.

Having sold more than eight million copies combined, the award-winning books have received extensive critical acclaim. Produced by Illustra Media, in association with Carmel Entertainment, the first documentary, THE CASE FOR CHRIST, will ship to retail in the third calendar quarter of 2007.

With these partnerships, Lionsgate looks to expand its overall industry leadership in the faith-based category and increase its presence in Christian retail.

THE CASE FOR CHRIST, which has sold over four million copies, will be the anchor of the company’s foray into this marketplace. Additionally, Lionsgate will utilize its relationship with Thomas Nelson to gain leverage for its existing library of product as well as upcoming inspirational theatrical titles such as CHURCH BOY, based on the true story of inspirational gospel music icon Kirk Franklin, and a feature adaptation of Thomas Kinkade’s painting THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE.

Lionsgate established a stronghold in the African-American faith-based market through its hugely successful partnership with Tyler Perry and the feature films DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION, and DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS.

“Lionsgate is making a concerted effort to expand its leadership in the faith-based category.

Making Lee Strobel’s THE CASE FOR CHRIST the first new title under the Thomas Nelson relationship is a very powerful statement to show our commitment,” said Beeks.

“Thomas Nelson has the best sales team in the industry, and they provide our faith-based product with unprecedented access to millions of proven Christian product buyers across the United States.”

“This is a strategic moment for Thomas Nelson and Lionsgate,” remarks Gary Davidson, senior vice president of Christian retail sales at Thomas Nelson. “We are very excited to partner with Lionsgate where we can offer quality family friendly and faith-based films to our Christian retail customers. Thomas Nelson and Christian retail share the belief that the DVD medium has huge potential for revenue and market share growth in the foreseeable future.”

“I’m thrilled to partner with Lionsgate and Thomas Nelson to expand my books into a visual market,” Strobel said. “Illustra and Carmel Entertainment produce extremely high-quality films, and both Thomas Nelson and Lionsgate have the expertise necessary to achieve widespread distribution of the DVDs.”

By Stacey Williams

Book Review: Acolytes

(Akiit.com) Nikki Giovanni is a name recognizable to poetry readers and anyone else who was intellectually living and breathing during the Black Arts Movement. She is the author of at least 30 books for adults and children and the recipient of almost an equal number of honorary degrees. She has been named woman of the year by various journals, received keys to dozens of cities, and is currently a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech. Her most recent literary honors were for her illustrated children’s history book, Rosa, published in 2005.

Giovanni has now published a collection of new poems and essays titled Acolytes, dedicated to the memory of three women: her mother; Rosa Parks; and Edna Lewis, the “Grande Dame of Southern Cooking.” In fact, the entire book is a tribute to more than 30 African Americans, their names gleaned from a wide span of history, from Gabriel Prosser’s activism in the slave uprisings in the late 1700s to Leo Sacks’ musical response to Hurricane Katrina. Artists, illustrators, educators, writers, artists, activists, poets, academics, sports figures, book editors, historical victims of racially motivated oppression, and institutional representations of African American quests for freedom are all referenced, cited and positioned as “acolytes,” the bearers of inspiration.

The essays in the first third of the book (Giovanni divides the text into three “stanzas“) are predominantly reflections on events in African American history: the death of Emmett Till, the Middle Passage, the Underground Railroad, the creative response of the Harlem Renaissance, and the contemporary music/oral poetry performance theater movement. These events, Giovanni posits, are the foundations from which poets sustain their power: “Come here, Rap, let me tell you something. You ain’t no orphan. You got folks. You come up from the south with that sweat and that moan.”
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San Francisco, CA (Akiit.com) - The Financial-Quest Group (FQ-Group) has begun to market an economic advancement program that’s anchored by the family reunion format. Over 200,000 family reunions occur in the U.S. each year and more than 37% of U.S. adults attend these events. “Family reunions offer an excellent opportunity to promote economic advancement through a program itinerary,” according to Howard Ware, CFP® and founder of FQ-Group.

The economic advancement program is known as a Family Reunion Business Plan. It’s promoted, coordinated and practiced throughout the year by family members. Surveys are also conducted to identify family needs and seminar topics for the reunion itinerary.

These plans build on relatives’ emotional ties and the premise that family resources should be exhausted before going “outside” for solutions. Some components developed to coordinate this process include: an e-mail alert system, disaster response plan, family-tree profiles, education program, personal financial planning, small business development and an annual reunion. Read The Full Story…

Fairfield, CA (Akiit.com) - Pastor Jerone Davison is the author of the popular book The Spiritual Fragrance of a Woman - the Fragrance that Attracts the Right Man. Pastor Jerone is a young man who loves the people in his church and prays that their heart’s desires will be met. He is passionate about the futures of single women in the church and prays to see them happily married.

“The question in our churches is why aren’t our daughters getting married? Why aren’t the men who come to church and get saved choosing to marry the single saved women in the church? Are the women doing something wrong? I don’t think so. Are all of our men going Gay, DL, Thug Life or Crazy Coo Coo Style? I pray not,” says Davison.

The low marital statistics in the Afro American community is not only off the hook but off the charts, being the lowest race to commit to marriage. “Have we all fallen to the hype of Hip Hop or have we just walked away from Bible believing values and morals? What’s up?”

Davison says that one of the reasons why he feels black men don’t marry is because most have grown up in single parent or illegitimate homes. Most have never seen a good marriage first hand leaving no desire for marriage. Marriage for most of today’s men is nowhere on the list of life’s priorities. This is a major issue and is growing uglier by the generation. Which is why the women in our communities must be more demanding of a marital commitment from their boyfriends before sex? Challenge them to be responsible men by making them wait and make a decision. Premarital sex changes everything it changes his feelings about the woman which is why most of the time it’s a hit and quit it situation.

Secondly, most of today’s men don’t understand the spiritual or natural significance of marriage and the impact it has on our children thinking that marriage is only a piece of paper. This is where the Church comes in. We’ve got to preach about marriage. After all car registration is paper, a driver’s license is paper covered by plastic, a receipt is paper etc and without most of these you would be consisted illegitimate just as illegitimate as shacking up and pretending to be married.

Lastly, the Fear Factor. Men have a fear of losing sexual excitement, thinking the more the merrier; they fear that one woman can’t satisfy. Not knowing that sex in marriage is the greatest love of all because God’s blessings are on marriage and marriage has the big three love, commitment and trust anything else is uncivilized. Marriage is a true gift from God and it’s a shame to see it go to waste. The Spiritual Fragrance of a Woman - the Fragrance that Attracts the Right Man can be purchased at www.amazon.com or www.disilgold.com
 

Frankfort, KY (Akiit.com) - During the Civil Rights struggle of the 1960’s, the pride of Black Americans was elevated when the Black Arts Movement popularized the slogan “black is beautify.” In his debut book of poetry, When Heaven Smiles (Awesome Records, $9.95, ISBN: 978-1-893680-09-8) author David Shabazz is laying the groundwork for that slogan’s return. When Heaven Smiles is a collection of poems dedicated to African American women. According to the author, the book was written to celebrate the beauty of black women and to pay tribute to them for their commitment to holding black families together.

“Black women have endured the hardship of slavery, racism, discrimination just as black men have but they have always remained steadfast about keeping the black family unit stable,” Shabazz said. “In recent times they have felt unwanted and unappreciated by the very men they love and prefer. This book is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to black women everywhere and to tell her that she is heaven-on-earth to a black man.” Shabazz says on a superficial level the book is praising the physical attributes of black women, but his real aim is to address the deeper issue of finding the beauty in being who you are as a person.

In stressing the need to show more appreciation for black women, Shabazz points to a recent study Black Males Left Behind which states that seven out of 10 black children are born out of wedlock. “This shows that we are having sex with black women and then leaving them behind to raise the children,” he said. “Since slavery everyone turned their back on the black man except the black woman. Disrespecting black women certainly didn’t start with us, but we can no longer perpetuate this travesty against the very person who has consistently and overwhelmingly remained loyal to black men.”

The book contains over 30 poems using a mixture of several different poetic styles combined with sensual photographs featuring model Cleney Taymil. Shabazz uses candor and simplicity to emphasize his love and appreciation for black women. When Heaven Smiles is currently available in perfect bound soft cover format.