With Film Industry Awards Season Heating Up, Verizon Customers Get Access to Exclusive Movie-Insider Discussions

Verizon Introduces Mobile Tickets to Variety's Screening Series for Industry Insiders

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Film industry insiders attending this year's Variety Screening Series in New York and Los Angeles will be among the first to use their mobile phones as tickets to gain entrance to the movies. For the first time ever, invited guests at Variety's award season Screening Series who are Verizon Wireless customers can receive their screening series tickets directly on their mobile devices for 10 Verizon-sponsored screenings.

This year's 6th annual screening series, which is open to voting members of select guilds including SAG, DGA, PGA and WGA, will spotlight at least 40 of the award show season's most critically acclaimed and anticipated films from major and independent studios through the end of the year. Mobile ticket holders will receive an MMS video greeting from Peter Bart, Variety's Editor-in-Chief, prior to each of the 10 Verizon-sponsored screening sessions. Immediately after each of the Verizon screenings, select directors, writers, producers and actors associated with the featured film will participate in a Q&A session live with the movie's audience.

Verizon FiOS and V CAST Customers Get Exclusive Coverage

Verizon customers across the nation can become film industry insiders themselves, as the Q&A discussions following each of the 10 Verizon-sponsored screenings will be available on Verizon Wireless V CAST and Verizon FiOS TV's FiOS1 and video-on-demand (VOD) services. The Q&A discussions, which will be held in November and December at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood and Landmark's Sunshine Theatre in New York, are tied to films that range from an epic journey during World War II in Australia, to the story of a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

"Verizon's TV and wireless customers get the special content that comes from movie industry insiders talking about the hot films of the year, while industry insiders themselves get to see the benefits of Verizon's technology in enhancing the movie-going experience. The Variety Screening Series is an excellent showcase for technology and powerful content," said Suzy Deering, executive director of media and sponsorships at Verizon.

"Variety is excited to have Verizon's technologies help expand the success and impact of the Screening Series," said Neil Stiles, President and Publisher of Variety. "Verizon provides a powerful and unique way to not only reach attendees at the screenings but consumers as well."

Verizon's mobile tickets and industry insider Q&A discussions will be available at the following screenings:

Date Location Film ---- -------- ---- Nov. 20 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles Australia Nov. 24 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles Milk Dec. 1 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles Doubt Dec. 1 Sunshine Theatre, New York Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dec. 8 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles Defiance Dec. 9 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles The Reader Dec. 11 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles The Wrestler Dec. 11 Sunshine Theatre, New York The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Dec. 14 Fine Arts Theatre, Los Angeles Revolutionary Road Dec. 15 Arclight Theatre, Los Angeles Seven Pounds Q&A discussions will be made available to Verizon customers as follows: Date Films ---- ----- Dec. 6 Australia, Milk, Doubt, Vicky Cristina Barcelona Dec. 18 Defiance, The Reader, The Wrestler Dec. 20 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road, Seven Pounds

FiOS TV is delivered over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes and businesses, providing stunning picture-and-sound quality, more and more HD and VOD choices, a broad spectrum of content diversity, and interactive features that create the ultimate home-entertainment experience. The service offers a broad collection of programming, with more than 400 all-digital channels and 11,000 VOD titles each month -- 8,500 are free of charge. The VOD library also includes more than 1,000 HD titles per month. FiOS TV is currently available to more than 8.2 million homes in 14 states.

FiOS1, a local TV channel that features local weather, traffic, news, sports and community features, is offered on FiOS TV in Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland.

Customers with select V CAST-enabled phones can check out V CAST whenever they want for just $3.00 for 24-hour use or by signing up for the $15.00 V CAST VPak monthly subscription, which also includes access to Verizon Wireless' ESPN MVP, Get It Now(R) and Mobile Web services. Customers get unlimited basic video, but application download fees may apply for 3D games and premium video. There are no airtime or megabyte charges to download, stream or watch V CAST content with any V CAST subscription.

For more information on any Verizon Wireless product or service, visit www.verizonwireless.com or call 1-800-2 JOIN IN.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 71 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About Variety

Variety is the leading publication for entertainment news, recognized and respected throughout the world of show business. The Variety Group-Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, Weekly Variety and Variety.com -- are all owned by Reed Business Information (RBI), the largest business publisher in the U.S. RBI is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc (NYSE: RUK and ENL).