Winners!

It is contest ending time around here again, which of course means that I have more to put up soon - and I will, although I am about to head out to Blissdom next week, so I'm trying to catch up on a ton of things at home so my family has everything they need while I'm gone for five days. Keep watching!

The Avatar Blu-Ray copies - I had two to give away - were won by Michelle (great name, no?) and Cherl F from The Lucky Ladybug. They both have 48 hours to get back to me with their contact information before I select a new winner.

And more locally, I had tickets to give for Disney on Ice's Toy Story 3 that starts this coming Wednesday January 26 at the Allstate Arena. I am so excited to see the show when it moves to the UC on Wednesday February 2. And I hope that Tiaras & Tantrums is looking forward to seeing it with her family four pack of tickets as much as I am! Congrats to her for winning the tickets.

If you didn't, you can still go see Disney on Ice in the next couple weeks - and for a discount, too! Simply go to Ticketmaster and enter MOM in the “MC Promotions Box” or mention the code when purchasing tickets at the Allstate Arena or United Center Box Offices or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Note that this is not valid on Front Row or VIP seats. No double discounts. Service charges and handling fees may apply. Discount not valid on Front Row or VIP seats.

That will get you a family four pack of tickets for $44* Monday-Thursday or to a Friday Matinee, excluding holidays, simply by using the coupon code MOM. If you're going Friday night or on the weekend, you can still save $4 using the same coupon code.

The show dates are:
Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL
January 26-30, 2011
Wed, Jan 26 7:00PM
Thu, Jan 27 7:00PM
Fri, Jan 28 10:30AM,7:00PM
Sat, Jan 29 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:00PM
Sun, Jan 30 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:00PM (Spanish language show)

United Center in Chicago, IL
February 2-13, 2010
Wed, Feb 2 7:00PM
Thu, Feb 3 10:30AM, 7:00PM
Fri, Feb 4 10:30AM, 7:00PM
Sat, Feb 5 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:00PM
Sun, Feb 6 11:30AM, 3:00PM (Spanish language show)
Wed, Feb 9 7:00PM
Thu, Feb 10 10:30AM, 7:00PM
Fri, Feb 11 10:30AM, 7:00PM
Sat, Feb 12 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:00PM
Sat, Feb 13 11:30AM, 3:30PM, 7:00PM

As for the Monster Jam tickets - and oh is Mister Man excited about this one, although I have to admit to being a little nervous about the noise! He can't wait to see all the crashing and smashing and jumping and action of Monster Jam. Brandie from A Journey of 1000 Stitches Begins With Just One... will enjoy the show with her family, as well.

Again, all is not lost if you didn't win. The show will run Friday February 11 at 7:30, Saturday February 12 at 2 and 7:30, and Sunday February 13 at 2 and 7:30.

There are ticket discounts for this show, as well. Use the promo code MOM to save 33% on adult tickets Saturday and Sunday. Children's tickets (I love shows that charge less for children!) are $10 all weekend, and adult tickets are already $10 on Friday night. For the discounted tickets, use promotional code MOM when purchasing tickets at the Allstate Arena box office, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Enter Code in the “MC Promotions Box” on Ticketmaster. Offer only valid on $20 mid-level seats. Not valid the day of the show. Service charges and handling fees may apply. No double discounts.

Congrats to all the winners!

Giveaway: Avatar Blu-Ray

Last year at this time, all the talk in theaters was about Avatar - how cool it was, how unique and ground-breaking, how much it drew people in. And for me, the talk was about where it stopped. Shhhh but I never got around to seeing it. It wasn't that I didn't want to - it was on the top of my list of movies to see - but just that I never made it to the theater. With two small children and a husband who regularly has work events at night, movies in the theater unfortunately don't happen as often as I'd like.

On the plus side, movies come out on DVD and often have all sorts of bonuses that you don't get at the theater. Avatar is no exception, and I was lucky enough to receive a copy on the new Blu-Ray last week. In keeping with the cool vibe of the movie, the Blu-Ray has three discs (yep, THREE) full of stuff.

Not only do you get the original theater version, but there is also a re-release and a 3 hour extended cut with sixteen additional minutes that doesn't include a bonus feature with 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Watching the movie for the first time, I was blown away. It wasn't in 3-D like most of my friends saw it in the theater, but the movie doesn't need that special effect to make it a great movie.

One of my favorite parts was the soundtrack behind it. The music was so moving, and - lucky me - the Blu-Ray also includes the audio track with all the ahhh bad words taken out. I can even listen it with the wee ones (who also love the sound track btw).

As blown away as I was by the movie, I made sure to explore some of the features included for the Blu-Ray. One of the most enlightening was Capturing Avatar that went through the making of Avatar. I had no idea this was a sixteen year oddessey. Wow. It includes interviews with James Cameron, Jon Landau, and various other members of the crew and cast who discuss Cameron’s vision and inspiration behind the film.

With Pandora's Box, I learned even more about the movie's making. It went through three stages of production (and yes, I saw parts from all three in this feature) - Performance Capture, Template (where the film looks more like a video game than a movie!), and the end product. This feature also has interviews with Cameron and the other filmmakers and can be viewed as sort of a “master class” on the creation of “Avatar”.

I won't say too much about the movie itself because well... most of you have probably already seen it, right? And for those of who you haven't, I don't want to ruin it. I will say that it has an intriguing storyline that kept me interested enough that I sat through the three hour version of the movie without wondering once when it would be over or looking at my watch. That alone is a feat.

And lucky you (or two yous, as the case may be!), I have two copies of the Avatar Blu-Ray to give away to lucky readers. So what do you have to do to win one of these Blu-Ray copies? First of all, let me stress that you must follow all the rules. If you do not follow the rules, your entry will not count!

This contest is open until Tuesday January 18 at 7pm CST. I must have a valid way to reach you, so leave me your email address in your comment or be sure your profile has your email address visible. No duplicate comments will count. This giveaway is open to US residents age 18 and older. Winners will be selected via random.org and must respond within 48 hours of being notified by me or I will select a new winner.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me - did you see Avatar in theaters? What did you like best, or why didn't you?

Bonus Entries (leave a comment for each entry - if you put it all in one comment, I'll count it as one entry):

1) Earn one additional entry for following me on Twitter and tweeting this contest with the following tweet: "Avatar is now out on DVD with lots of extras. Win one from @honestandtruly http://bit.ly/guDudd" (leave a link to your tweet as your comment and make sure you do all the steps!)
2) Earn one additional entry by following this review blog publicly via Google Friend Connect.
3) Earn one additional entry by following my “regular” blog Honest & Truly! publicly via Google Friend Connect.

Good luck!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a copy of Avatar from Fox for review purposes only and no compensation. All opinions expressed are my own.