I spent some time with Donna Summer in the 90s when she asked me to do some work for her. She was an extremely talented woman who had enormous influence on synth pop and dance music. Her unforgettable voice will continue to influence the music industry. My condolences go out to her family, friends and millions of fans.

It was an honor to have known one of the greatest inquisitors, Mike Wallace. I first met him in 1998 when we sat next to each other at Malcolm X’s widow’s funeral. During our shared limo ride to the cemetery, I saw a personal side to him off camera.

I experienced how he influenced so many media legends while I was working with the 60 MINUTES team over the past few years. He was an extraordinary talent with impeccable storytelling skills that will continue to inspire the media world.

                                                                                         

For the first time, TIME Magazine has picked 100 of the most influential fashion icons since 1923, including the “Queen of the Pin-Ups,” Bettie Page!

According to TIME, “Today she’s known in some circles as a style goddess, worshipped for her sex appeal, lack of inhibition and ease in front of the camera. Her jet-black hair, thick bangs and innocent blue eyes defined the the bad-girl look of the era.”

Read more here.

For the first time Bettie Page shares her life story in an authorized documentary

VIP/Press Screening: Friday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m., Century Orleans 18 Theater, Las Vegas

Red Carpet Appearances: Claire Sinclair (Bettie Page Clothing spokesmodel and Playmate of the Year 2011) and Tempest Storm (burlesque star) will be in attendance. Along with Boston based pin-up model and burlesque dancer Ludella Hahn, Bettie Page Clothing founders Jan and Tatyana, Secrets in Lace founder Dan Whitsett and Secrets in Lace model Bettina May.

Bettie Page Look-A-Like Contest: A Bettie Page look-a-like contest will take place at 5:30 p.m., 25 winners including their plus ones admitted free to VIP screening, the top winner will get a Bettie Page gift bag that includes a DVD of the movie, poster signed by the director and other goodies. There will be a Q&A with director Mark Mori following the VIP screening.

UPDATE:The winner of the Bettie Page look-a-like contest will receive a $200 Bettie Page Clothing gift certificate. The runner-up will receive a $150 Secret in Lace gift certificate.

Tickets: $10

Rated: R for sexual content and graphic nudity throughout

Length: 101 minutes

 

PRESS RELEASE

For the first time Bettie Page shares her life story in an authorized documentary

When: April 5 – 8, show times 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Where: Century Orleans 18 Theater
Tickets: $10
VIP/Press Screening: Friday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Claire Sinclair (Bettie Page Clothing spokesmodel and Playmate of the Year 2011) and Tempest Storm (burlesque star) will be in attendance. A Bettie Page look-a-like contest will take place at 5:30 p.m., 25 winners including their plus ones admitted free to VIP screening, the top winner will get a Bettie Page gift bag that includes a DVD of the movie, poster signed by the director and other goodies. There will be a Q&A with director Mark Mori following the VIP screening.
Rated: R for sexual content and graphic nudity throughout
Length: 101 minutes

Bettie Page Reveals All Trailer from Bettie Page Reveals All on Vimeo.

March 27, 2012 -The world premiere of Bettie Page Revels All, directed by Academy Award nominee documentarian Mark Mori, will take place during the Viva Las Vegas Film Festival at Century Orleans 18 Theater April 5 thru 8.

This exclusive film, narrated by the late pinup queen and co-produced by Mark Roesler with the participation of CMG and Bettie Page LLC, is an intimate look at the rise and fall and rise of one of the world’s most recognized and controversial sex symbols.
With her razor sharp wit and Tennessee twang Bettie Page emerges from decades of seclusion to reveal her secret past. In this inside story of the world’s greatest pinup model, Bettie Page herself recounts how her unabashed sexual expression and sexually provocative fetish poses set the stage for the 1960s sexual revolution and ushered in a new era in fashion.

The film features interviews by Hugh Hefner, Dita Von Teese, Bunny Yeager, Paula Klaw; with appearances by Rebecca Romijn, Tricia Helfer, Tempest Storm, Sam Menning and Joey Arias, including Bettie Page photographers, ex-husband Harry Lear, ex-boyfriends, auto designer Richard Arbib, and U.S. Brig. Gen. Charles West.

“Bettie Page’s joyous free spirit, as seen in her photos and as I discovered in my conversations with her, influence two generations of women all over the world, including pop music icons like Katy Perry, Beyonce and Madonna as well as fashion designers, artists and filmmakers. This inspired me to make this film and bring her joie de vivre to a wider audience. I feel honored to bring Bettie’s own statement about her life and who she is to the world,” says Mark Mori, Film Director, Bettie Page Reveals All.

The film also features unpublished photos and film of Bettie Page including new information and documents from her FBI files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, the film uncovers documents from the 1955 Kefauver hearings on pornography and crime, which had been sealed for 50 years.

“In the past three decades of representing the greatest legends of the 20th century, there has never been or will be another woman like Bettie Page. Bettie Page’s burgeoning commercial success includes eight Bettie Page stores and lifestyle lines like clothing, lingerie, shoes, swimwear, fragrance and various gift items,” says Mark Roesler, CMG CEO and Bettie Page’s licensing representative.

About Mark Mori:
Mark Mori is an Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker and Emmy Award winning TV producer. His films have garnered awards, film festival screenings, theatrical distribution and television broadcast worldwide. Mori’s most notable projects include: Building Bombs, Academy Award nominee Documentary Feature (Producer/Director); Blood Ties the Life and Work of Sally Mann, Academy Award nominee Documentary Short (Executive Producer); The Fire This Time, Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee, PBS Frontline (Co-Producer); Kent State, the Day the War Came Home, News & Documentary Emmy Award (Executive Producer).

Press Contact:
Cara McMains | CMG Worldwide | Public Relations Director | cara@cmgworldwide.com | 317.570.5000 Ext. 48

CBS News Interviews CMG CEO Mark Roesler

Excerpt from the article:

Her image, though, may be one of the most bankable assets the Whitney Houston estate has, Roesler said. “Whitney Houston is one of the most recognized faces in the world, certainly, probably the most recognized face at the moment in the world,” he said. “And I think what you’re going to see for future generations, let’s take a James Dean or a Marilyn Monroe or people like that, those personalities have been deceased for a quarter of a century to 50-plus years, and you still see the interest in these personalities around the world.”

Read more here.

Mark Roesler, chief executive of CMG Worldwide, a company that collects licensing revenue for the estates of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and others, said fans will be looking to fill the hole Houston left behind on the eve of music’s biggest night.

Read more here.

Celebrity death industry
CBC The National

The sudden death of the singer Whitney Houston raises questions about celebrity deaths and how they can affect an artist’s sales and legacy.

“This weekend the world lost a voice of unparalleled excellence. In the wake of Whitney Houston’s passing, we are rightly celebrating one of the greatest pop stars of all time – who not only sold over 170 million records worldwide and had 11 No. 1 hits – but also set the mold for other pop stars to aspire to be. Her legendary life joins the ranks of other memorable icons like Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. I know Houston’s influence over our music generation will forever have an impact; her mark on history has just begun.”

For Immediate Release

CMG will Protect and License the Legacy of the Sultry, Raven-haired Actress that Costarred in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

CMG, the global leader in marketing, licensing, and managing the most illustrious names of the 20th century and today, is excited to announce its worldwide exclusive partnership with the estate of the legendary actress, Jane Russell.

Phil Korkis, Director of Sports Licensing & Legal Counsel, who is the licensing manager of Jane Russell’s Estate said: “Remembered as a 1940s and 50s bombshell, Jane Russell stands as a legend of her time. CMG looks forward to working with another prolific film legend in protecting and promoting her intellectual property.”

Russell, who died on February 28, 2011, at the age of 89, is best known for her role in the Howard Hughes film “The Outlaw,” her role as Calamity Jane opposite Bob Hope in “Paleface,” and her comedic performance in “Gentleman Prefer Blondes” alongside Marilyn Monroe.

During her lifetime, the bona fide star founded the World Adoption International Fund and began a mission to find loving families for thousands of children. She also campaigned for changes in US adoption laws. Her other accomplishments include having her hand and footprints immortalized outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theater and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The children of Jane Russell said: “CMG is a perfect fit for what our mother and our family stand for and believe in. CMG upholds an excellent standard so very important to our mother and her image. They truly represent the best of the golden years of Hollywood.”

For more information about licensing opportunities involving Jane Russell, please contact Phillip Korkis at phillip@cmgworldwide.com.

CMG is recognized as the predominant firm in the protection and marketing of the greatest entertainment music, and sports personalities of the 20th Century. Included among these are the estates of James Dean, Ava Gardner, Clark Gable, Robert Mitchum and Bettie Page, as well as celebrities such as Bill Elliott. For more information, please visit www.CMGWorldwide.com.

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Press Contact:
Cara McMains / Public Relations Director
cara@cmgworldwide.com