Hot This Week: October 31

How do folks celebrate Halloween? Apparently with a Cameron Diaz comedy, a "Someone Like You" single,  Nick Sparks, and Bill O'Reilly. Sure sounds spooky to me!

DVD

1. Bad Teacher
2. Horrible Bosses
3. Green Lantern
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
5. Zookeeper
6. Fast Five
7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
8. Bridesmaids
9. Scream 4
10. Monte Carlo

CD

1. Adele, 21
2. Casting Crowns, Come to the Well
3. Scotty McCreey, Clear As Day
4. Evanescence, Evanescence
5. Tony Bennett, Duets II
6. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
7. Lady Antebellum, Own the Night
8. Joe, The Good, the Bad, the Sexy
9. Five Finger Death Punch, American Capitalist
10. Lauren Alaina, Wildflower

Fiction Books

1. The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks
2. The Christmas Wedding, James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
3. Bonnie, Iris Johansen
4. The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides
5. The Affair, Lee Child
6. Damned, Chuck Palahniuk
7. Shock Wave, John Sandford
8. The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes
9. The Tehran Initiative, Joel C. Rosenberg
10. The Lady of the Rivers, Philippa Gregory

Nonfiction Books

1. Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. Boomerang, Michael Lewis
3. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
4. Suicide of a Superpower, Patrick J. Buchanan
5. Seriously... I'm Kidding, Ellen DeGeneres
6. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
7. That Used to Be Us, Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
8. West by West, Jerry West and Jonathan Coleman
9. Van Gogh, Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
10. In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson

Happy Halloween!

Reaper Awards Celebrate 2011's Best Horror

October: the weather is cooling, and the leaves are changing color and dropping off the trees, leaving behind bare, skeletal branches that sway hauntingly in the breeze. As Halloween approaches, interest grows in ghosts and goblins and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Such grim and macabre topics are the focus of the Reaper Awards, an annual event recognizing the best horror films on DVD and Blu-ray.

The “Grimmys” were established in 2009 by Home Media Magazine (a weekly publication focusing on home entertainment) and Dread Central (a website dedicated to the horror genre). Nominees are selected by a panel of judges made up of a variety of horror film experts, and winners are selected by fans in online polls.¹ The award, fittingly enough, is a Grim Reaper statuette. Past honorees have included such notable horror titles and series as Hellraiser, Friday the 13th, True Blood, Dexter, and Ghostbusters.²



This year’s Reaper Award nominees were announced on September 19; the Grimmy statuettes were handed out on October 24. They went to:³

Alien Anthology (Best in Show, Best Extras, Best Packaging)
Machete (Best Kill, Best Line)
Insidious (Choice Theatrical Cut)
Frozen (Best Direct-to-Video)
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (Best Catalog Title)
Thriller: The Complete Series (Best TV on DVD)
I Saw the Devil (Best Indie/Foreign Film)
Dexter: The Fourth Season (Best Big Bad)
Forget Me Not (Best Box Art)
Cabin in the Woods (Most Anticipated)

We know there are some horror film aficionados out there—what do you think of this year’s Reaper Awards? Are there any titles you feel they overlooked? What films have been popular in your library around Halloween? Let us know in the comments section below.

¹ http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/32459/dread-central-home-media-magazine-launch-the-reaper-awards
² http://www.homemediamagazine.com/awards/reaper-award-winners-through-years
³ http://www.homemediamagazine.com/reaper/alien-fox-dominate-2011-reaper-awards-25437

Hot This Week: October 24

Evanescence now has the number one album in the world, and Nick Sparks takes over the Fiction list. Meanwhile, no one can knock Bill O'Reilly from the top of Nonfiction and the DVD list once again sees a shake-up with Horrible Bosses taking the number one spot.

DVD

1. Horrible Bosses
2. Fast Five
3. Zookeeper
4. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
5. Green Lantern
6. Bridesmaids
7. Scream 4
8. Thor
9. X-Men: First Class
10. Hanna

CD

1. Evanescence, Evanescence
2. Adele, 21
3. Five Finger Death Punch, American Capitalist
4. Scotty McCreey, Clear As Day
5. Lauren Alaina, Wildflower
6. Tony Bennett, Duets II
7. Ryan Adams, Ashes & Fire
8. Lady Antebellum, Own the Night
9. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
10. Martina McBride, Eleven

Fiction Books

1. The Best of Me, Nicholas Sparks
2. The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides
3. Snuff, Terry Pratchett
4. The Affair, Lee Child
5. Shock Wave, John Sandford
6. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
7. A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin
8. Lethal, Sandra Brown
9. The Dovekeepers, Alice Hoffman
10. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane, Debbie Macomber

Nonfiction Books

1. Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. Boomerang, Michael Lewis
3. Seriously... I'm Kidding, Ellen DeGeneres
4. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
5. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
6. That Used to be Us, Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
7. This is Herman Cain!, Herman Cain
8. In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson
9. Destiny of the Republic, Candice Millard
10. A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard

Make Your DVD Collection Timeless

Library Journal recently assembled a list of classic films essential for every library collection. These selected titles—pointedly named the Timeless Reels Collection—have withstood the test of time, making them true cinema classics. Midwest Tape is excited to now offer these titles together in one online collection.

Click the image below to shop the collection at midwesttapes.com.

What do you think of Library Journal's list? Are there any films you would add?

Hot This Week: October 17

Never doubt the power of fast cars and action heroes. Fast Five bumps Bridesmaids down a few notches. Meanwhile, American Idol winner Scotty McCreery tops the CD chart with his debut album and a handful of new releases shake up the Fiction and Nonfiction lists.

DVD

1. Fast Five
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
3. Bridesmaids
4. Scream 4
5. Thor
6. X-Men: First Class
7. Hanna
8. Setup
9. Everything Must Go
10. Paul

CD

1. Scotty McCreey, Clear As Day
2. Adele, 21
3. Tony Bennett, Duets II
4. Lady Antebellum, Own the Night
5. J. Cole, Cole World
6. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
7. Feist, Metals
8. Rodney Atkins, Take a Back Road
9. Jack's Mannequin, People and Things
10. Blink-182, Neighborhoods

Fiction Books

1. Shock Wave, John Sandford
2. The Affair, Lee Child
3. Survivors, James Wesley Rawles
4. Neverwinter, R.A. Salvatore
5. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
6. Lethal, Sandra Brown
7. Aleph, Paulo Coelho
8. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane, Debbie Macomber
9. A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin
10. Feast Day of Fools, James Lee Burke

Nonfiction Books

1. Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. Boomerang, Michael Lewis
3. Seriously... I'm Kidding, Ellen DeGeneres
4. This is Herman Cain!, Herman Cain
5. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
6. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
7. That Used to be Us, Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
8. Confidence Men, Ron Suskind
9. Destiny of the Republic, Candice Millard
10. A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard

Netflix’s Top Ten DVDs

In late September, Netflix released its list of top ten movies of all time. Some were surprises, i.e. Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and others made complete sense, like The Blind Side. Plenty of online sources quickly shared the list and commented on the films. And while many—including me—questioned Crash, this list definitely articulates the staying power of the Oscars.

As The Daily Beast sums it up, “of the top six films, three won the Oscar for Best Picture, and a fourth was nominated. Two are action flicks, yes, but they're two of the best-reviewed action flicks in years. Another movie features a performer who reminds us that he has acting chops beyond his usual blockbuster bait; in yet another, an 80-year-old favorite reassures us that he's still got it. Of the 10, only two can be said to be, well, kind of inane. But hey—sometimes we all need a little mindless fun amid the classics.”

Here’s the list:

10. No Country for Old Men
9. Iron Man
8. Inception
7. Sherlock Holmes
6. The Departed
5. The Hurt Locker
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. The Bucket List
2. Crash
1. The Blind Side

Does your collection feature these immensely popular flicks? How does this list compare to the most circulated DVDs at your library? Which of these films would you definitely recommend and which would be summarily left off your list?

New Warner Home Video Policy for Select Film Releases

We have recently learned that Warner Home Video will no longer distribute theatrical releases to libraries or home video rental stores until 28 days after they release the movies for sale at retailers. This Warner Home Video policy applies to all public libraries and video rental outlets such as Redbox, Netflix, and Blockbuster.

In addition to being released 28 days after the retail version, Warner’s rental version DVDs and Blu-rays will not contain bonus features or extras. However, we understand that there will be a significant price reduction for these products, apparently amounting to an average $4 per DVD title and $8 per Blu-ray title (see cost breakdown below).

Warner Home Video has announced that it may seek to enforce its new policy by auditing its distribution partners’ sales. Additionally, Warner may require retailers, like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target, to limit the number of copies of a new release that may be sold to a single customer.

Please note that Warner’s new policy will only impact titles that have a theatrical release, perhaps amounting to about 12 titles per year. Non-theatrical Warner releases will not be affected by this policy.

Below are the first three Warner theatrical titles affected. Note that Warner’s rental versions will feature rental artwork.

If your library had any of these titles on order previously, Midwest Tape will modify the order and adjust the pricing accordingly. If you do not wish to receive rental versions of these titles, please contact Customer Service at 1.800.875.2785 to cancel your order.

While we recognize this is Warner Home Video’s policy, feel free to contact us at 1.800.875.2785 or info@midwesttapes.com with any questions or concerns regarding this matter. You may also contact Warner Home Video directly at 888.383.9483.


You can also read more at Home Media Magazine: Warner Altering Distribution to Rental Channels?


Cost Breakdown

title	format	former retail street date	former retail SRP	former mwt library price	rental street date	rental SRP	new mwt library price
Crazy Stupid Love	DVD	1-Nov	28.99	21.99	29-Nov	22.99	17.99
Crazy Stupid Love	Blu-ray	1-Nov	35.99	26.99	29-Nov	24.99	18.99
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2	DVD	11-Nov	28.99	21.99	9-Dec	22.99	17.99
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2	Blu-ray	11-Nov	35.99	26.99	9-Dec	24.99	18.99
Hangover Part 2	DVD	6-Dec	28.99	21.99	3-Jan	22.99	17.99
Hangover Part 2	Blu-ray	6-Dec	35.99	26.99	3-Jan	24.99	18.99

Hot This Week: October 10

Bridesmaids stays at the top of the DVD list. Jay-Z's protege J. Cole debuts at number one on the CD chart. And Bill O'Reilly dethrones the Jacqueline Kennedy interviews.

DVD

1. Bridesmaids
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
3. Thor
4. X-Men: First Class
5. Hanna
6. Setup
7. Everything Must Go
8. Something Borrowed
9. Paul
10. Rio

CD

1. J. Cole, Cole World
2. Blink-182, Neighborhoods
3. Adele, 21
4. Tony Bennett, Duets II
5. Wilco, The Whole Love
6. Lady Antebellum, Own the Night
7. Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
8. Switchfoot, Vice Verses
9. Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot III
10. Mastodon, The Hunter

Fiction Books

1. The Affair, Lee Child
2. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane, Debbie Macomber
3. Feast Day of Fools, James Lee Burke
4. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
5. Lethal, Sandra Brown
6. Aleph, Paulo Coelho
7. Son of Stone, Stuart Woods
8. A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin
9. New York to Dallas, J.D. Robb
10. Heat Rises, Richard Castle

Nonfiction Books

1. Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
2. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
3. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
4. Confidence Men, Ron Suskind
5. Destiny of the Republic, Candice Millard
6. That Used to be Us, Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
7. A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard
8. In My Time, Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
9. Quest, Daniel Yergin
10. In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson

Amazon Announces Kindles in Libraries

Recently, retail giant Amazon announced that e-books for its highly popular Kindle e-reader would be available for lending from public libraries across the United States.¹ Let’s take a look at what this means for libraries and how libraries are reacting.

The Good
First and foremost, this is good news for library patrons. The Kindle is the most popular e-reading device, and, with the announcement of the new Kindle Fire, is sure to only grow in popularity.² As such, many patrons have been looking for the ability to borrow Kindle books from the library. “We used to get so many calls” about Kindle books, said Rachelle Miller, director of the Troy-Miami County Library in Ohio. “Now they can download books.”³

While e-books have been available previously, they were incompatible with the Kindle, and syncing them to another device requires a USB cable. Kindle e-books are downloaded wirelessly. Furthermore, e-books borrowed on other devices are only available on that device, whereas Kindle books can also be read on patrons’ smartphones, tablets, or computers with Kindle apps. When switching between devices, Kindle books will even remember the user’s stopping point and allow them to pick up where they left off.⁴

Kindle books also allow readers to make “margin notes,” something that is frowned upon in standard, physical books checked out from the library. These notes will not be visible to other patrons who check out the same Kindle book; they will, however, be saved if that user should check the book out again, or if they purchase the book from Amazon.⁵

The Bad
And therein lies the rub. Patrons checking out Kindle books must have an Amazon.com account and complete their lending transaction at the Amazon website, which enables Amazon to pitch other books, not to mention all the other products they offer.⁶ And since patrons can check Kindle books out from the web, this may dissuade some patrons from actually visiting their library if all they want are Kindle books, which negates the benefits of a visit to the library, such as browsing and interaction.

There may also be some confusion for patrons, especially as the service first rolls out, as not all books will be available for Kindle lending, even if Kindle versions are available for purchase.⁷ So librarians at participating libraries should be prepared to answer questions about why certain books are available and others are not—especially if those books are offered in other e-book formats.

Reactions
As this news has just come out, it’s not surprising that reactions from librarians have been mixed. While many see the positives that Kindle lending has to offer, there are still a number of questions that remain to be answered. Overdrive, which manages the program, has tried to answer a number of those questions with a blog post about what Kindle lending means for libraries. Other questions remain that pertain directly to Amazon, including what sort of data they’ll collect from this program and how they’ll use it; concerned libraries will have to keep pressing Amazon for answers on those.⁸

And what can libraries do to get Kindle users physically into the library? The L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library in Eau Claire, Wisconsin now offers a number of iPads that patrons can check out; perhaps other libraries will consider lending Kindles to patrons now that Kindle books are available to them.⁹ That’s just one option, and there’s no doubt that librarians will continue to come up with creative ways to get new and existing patrons to come through the doors.

What Do You Think?
Is your library one of the 11,000 participating in the Kindle book lending program? What are the benefits and downsides? How will you keep Kindle users coming to the library? We’d love to hear your thoughts on these questions and Kindle lending in general. Let us know in the comments section below.

¹ http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_200127470_ksupport_library?nodeId=200747550
² http://www.geekblog.net/the-ereader-popularity-contest-is-won-by-the-kindle-not-the-iphone/
³ http://tdn-net.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=118197&SectionID=152&SubSectionID=255&S=1
⁴ http://venturebeat.com/2011/09/21/amazon-kindle-library-lending/
⁵ http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2011/09/21/21readwriteweb-amazon-turns-your-local-library-into-retail-84783.html?ref=technology
⁶ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2016323413_kindle_library_lending_questio.html
⁷ http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/libraries/article/48778-kindle-library-lending-goes-live.html
⁸ http://libraryrenewal.org/2011/05/11/library-ebooks-coming-soon-to-amazon-kindle-but-at-what-cost/
⁹ http://mashable.com/2011/09/23/library-ipad/