ALEX AND ANI Releases New Holiday Bracelet Benefiting Give Kids The World Village

Most of my family and friends have at least one piece of Alex and Ani jewelry or have heard about it. As for me, I do proudly own a beautiful, “Let it snow” triple bracelet given to me by my oldest son.  Recently our family and blog are honored to partner with Give Kids The World Village,  the Central Florida nonprofit that provides free dream vacations to critically ill children and their families.

I was thrilled to find out that ALEX AND ANI released a new Christmas-themed bangle to benefit Give Kids The World Village. I cannot think of a better gift to give or receive this Christmas season. The Christmas Car bangle will be sold until January 31, 2019 and can be purchased online or at ALEX AND ANI retailers around the country. The company, a dedicated supporter of Give Kids The World, will donate 20 percent of each sale to the nonprofit resort.

ALEX AND ANI has raised over $546,000 for Give Kids The World since the partnership began in 2014. It has helped fund more than 200 wish trips for critically ill children and their families. The free, weeklong trips include accommodations, meals, transportation, theme park tickets and more. “We are so grateful to ALEX AND ANI for everything it has done to help the children and families we serve,” said Give Kids The World President and CEO Pamela Landwirth. “Its CHARITY BY DESIGN bangles are both beautiful and meaningful. ‘The Christmas Car’ follows in this tradition and is sure to become a holiday favorite.”

Available in a sparkling gold finish, The Christmas Car features a red Volkswagen Beetle carrying an evergreen tree on its roof. It is part of ALEX AND ANI’s holiday collection and is the fifth bangle created to benefit Give Kids The World. “The road to the holidays is always paved with excitement (and evergreen needles,)” writes ALEX & ANI describing its Christmas Car piece. “Overflowing with packages, hot cocoa, cheerful songs, and warm feelings, it’s a caravan traveling full speed to Christmas bliss. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.”

The Christmas Car is a great addition to your jewelry collection, makes a great gift for friends and loved ones, and provides a way to give back to a charitable cause.

To purchase this holiday piece: http://visit https://www.alexandani.co

Disclosure: 3decades3kids is a Give Kids the World partner blog. All opinions are that of Diane and do not reflect the views of the parent company represented. Contact me at Diane@3decades3kids.net or @3decades3kids across all social media networks. 

PBR to Open 2019 Season at Madison Square Garden January 4, 5, 6, 2019

Grab your friends and family, it’s that time of year in NYC! I don’t know about you but our family’s favorite way to start of the new year is to join our friends and kick up our boots at PBR in NYC! It’s the one time a year we can go total country right here  in the heart of New York. Of course we are not the only ones, there are plenty of people who join the fun. You might be a super fan of  bull riding, or maybe it’s a first for you, both seem to enjoy the event just the same. As for our family, we have been going for years and are totally hooked on the sport. This year for the 13^th consecutive year, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will buck into “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” as the toughest sport on dirt launches the 2019 season for the elite PBR Unleash The Beast. The PBR’s brand of thrilling, high-flying rides and jaw-dropping wrecks will buck into the Big Apple on Jan. 4-6 for the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden, presented by Ariat, when the Top 35 riders in the world will square off against the rankest bucking bulls in the nation, the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast, in an effort to be crowned the event champion and earn crucial points towards the world standings.

The New York City event will also be one of four Majors, where riders will have the chance to earn increased world points (1,125), and their share of the augmented event purse, with the event winner poised to collect a $100,000 check. Last season, Gage Gay won the Garden event as one of only two riders to go a perfect 4-for-4. In the biggest payday of his PBR career, Gay earned $109,025.50 and 700 PBR world points catapulting the North Carolina cowboy to the No. 1 spot in the world standings for the first time in his career. While Gay will be unable to defend his title, sidelined by a knee injury, five past winners, including 2017 World Champion Jess Lockwood (2017), two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney (2014, 2009 and 2007), Fabiano Vieira (2014), Cody Nance (2012) and Valdiron de Oliveira (2011 and 2008), are all anticipated to return to Madison Square Garden in search of claiming yet another win in New York City.

The event comes on the heels of yet another electric race for the PBR World Championship. While Kaique Pacheco fought through a torn PCL and MCL to retain his lead atop the standings and claim the 2018 PBR World title, No. 2 Jose Vitor Leme, No. 3 Cody Teel, No. 4 Claudio Montanha Jr. and No. 5 Marco Eguchi, winner of the World Finals event, kept the pressure on, leading the title to be decided by the final outs.

For three nights, the Top 35 bull riders in the world will take on their 1,800-pound bovine opponents atop 750 tons of dirt spread 8 inches deep across the home of the New York Rangers and New York Knicks, striving to win their share of the $140,000 event purse. The PBR has awarded more than $1.2 million in New York City in the last decade, as well as valuable world standings points that count toward the season’s overall $1 million PBR World Championship title decided each November in Las Vegas. Fans can witness America’s Original Extreme Sport beginning on Friday, January 4 at 7:45 p.m. ET, Saturday, January 5 and 6:45 p.m. ET, and on Sunday, January 6 at 1:45 p.m. ET. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or via phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the MSG Box Office or via phone at 866-858-0088.

PBR Elite Seats will be available for those wanting a true VIP experience. Located in an exclusive section of the arena immediately next to the chutes and all the action, the PBR Elite Seats are priced at $545 each and will give fans the VIP experience of a lifetime; a pre-event reception with refreshments, backstage tours featuring a PBR 101 presentation, and meet-and-greet with top PBR stars. These seats are also available now. As the first stop of the 2019 PBR Unleash The Beast season, New York City will host the beginning of a fierce 26-stop tour that includes stops in Chicago, Anaheim, Kansas City, St. Louis, and Sacramento. The season will culminate with the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas where the 2019 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most PBR world points during the season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.

About the PBR (Professional Bull Riders):

The world’s premier bull riding organization began as a dream of 20 bull riders 26 years ago and now operates in five countries. On its elite tour, the organization features the Top 35 bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business. The televised PBR Unleash The Beast, along with the PBR Velocity Tour (VT), the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD) and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico have paid nearly $184 million in earnings to its athletes. Thirty-six bull riders have earned more than $1 million, including two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney who is the top-earning athlete in Western sports history with more than $7.3 million in career earnings. PBR is part of the Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) network. For more information on the PBR, go to PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Instagram at Instagram.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls Now Available 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY^TM AND DVD DECEMBER 18, 2018

FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Enjoy the delightfully thrilling tale of a mysterious house where things, including the inhabitants, are not what they seem to be. The House With a Clock in its Walls arrives on Digital and via the digital movie app Movies Everywhere as well as on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray^TM, DVD and On Demand  Based on the classic children’s book and praised as “creaky, freaky haunted-mansion fun” (LA Times), The House With a Clock in its Walls features over 60 minutes of bonus content including an alternate beginning and ending, stunning featurettes, deleted scenes, a hilarious gag reel, and feature commentary. Enchanting from start to finish, it’s the perfect adventure for families during the holidays.

Full of wonder and adventure, The House With a Clock in its Walls mesmerizes audiences of all ages and keeps the magic alive when stars Jack Black (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Kung Fu Panda), Cate Blanchett (Ocean’s 8, Thor: Ragnarok) and Owen Vaccaro (Daddy’s Home, Mother’s Day) arrive as Uncle Jonathan, Mrs. Zimmerman and Lewis Barnavelt. In the most unexpected places, fantastical events, miraculous twists and suspense filled moments ensue in this “zany kids adventure” (The Hollywood Reporter) that soon captivates adults as well. In the tradition of Amblin classics, master frightener and director Eli Roth’s The House With a Clock in its Walls is a family-friendly fantasy film that “stands alongside the ‘just for kids’ classics of the 1980’s and 1990’s” (Forbes).

In The House With a Clock in its Walls directed by Eli Roth (The Green Inferno, Cabin Fever), Lewis Barnavelt (Vaccaro) goes to live with his Uncle Jonathan (Black) in a creaky and creepy mansion with an eerie tick-tocking heart. But when Lewis soon finds out he’s in the presence of magic practiced by his uncle and neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman (Blanchett), his new town’s dreary aura boosts to life in an exciting and dangerous way. Based on the beloved children’s classic book written by John Bellairs and illustrated by Edward Gorey, The House With a Clock in its Walls is written by Eric Kripke (creator of TV’s “Supernatural”) and co-stars Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks,” Inside Out), Colleen Camp (Clue), Renée Elise Goldsberry (“One Life to Live”), and Sunny Suljic (Mid90s, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). It is produced by Mythology Entertainment’s Brad Fischer (Shutter Island) and James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), as well as Kripke.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY^TM, DVD & DIGITAL:

• Warlocks and Witches – Go behind the scenes with the enchanting cast of The House with a Clock in Its Walls
  • Finding Lewis – A look at the casting of Owen Vaccaro
  • Jack’s Magical Journey – A look at the unique dynamism and magic that Jack Black brings to the character of Jonathan Barnavelt
  • The Great Cate – The cast discuss Cate Blanchett’s wonderful performance as Florence Zimmerman
  • The Terrifying Isaac Izard – Watch Kyle MacLachlan’s creepy evolution from living icon to undead-warlock
• Movie Magic
  • The Ultimate Haunted House – Join filmmakers for a guided tour through the incredible house at the center of the film
  • Automatons Attack – A behind-the-scenes look at the mechanical horrors involved in this chilling sequence
  • Pumpkin Puke – Behind the scenes with the cast and an army of spooky, snarling, vomiting pumpkins
  • Moving Pieces – Filmmakers and cast discuss the amazing clock room set
  • Baby Jack – A behind-the-scenes look at the creepy Baby Jack sequence
• Tick Tock: Bringing the Book to Life – Filmmakers discuss how they adapted the book for the big screen
• Eli Roth: Director’s Journals – Director Eli Roth takes viewers behind the scenes
  • Candler Mansion
  • Newnan, GA
  • The Chair
  • Comrade Ivan
  • New Zebedee Elementary
  • Wrap Day
• Owen Goes Behind the Scenes – Armed with his own camera, Owen guides viewers on his own journey behind-the-scenes of the movie
  • Around the Set
  • Behind the Camera
  • The Big Interview
  • Downtime on Set
• Theme Song Challenge – Eli Roth and the cast are challenged to come up with a theme song for the film
• Do You Know Jack Black? – The cast compete with each other to see who knows Jack Black the best
• Abracadabra! – Eli Roth performs a magic trick for Owen Vaccaro
• Jack Black’s Greatest Fear – Eli Roth and Owen Vaccaro play a prank on Jack Black
• The Mighty Wurlitzer – Composer Nathan Barr discusses how he created the film’s unique and distinct score

BONUS FEATURES ON 4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY^TM DVD & DIGITAL:

• Alternate Opening and Ending with Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black available
  • Alternate Opening
  • Alternate Ending
• Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black available
  • More Books, Please
  • A Horrible Practical Joke
  • Tarby Ditches Lewis
  • Eat Up
  • Play for Him
  • Get Out of the Way
  • Time Is of the Essence
  • The Clock That Never Breaks
  • 12 Minutes to Go
• Gag Reel
• Feature Commentary with Director Eli Roth and Actor Jack Black

The film will be available on 4K Ultra HD in a combo pack which includes 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray^TM, Blu-ray^TM and Digital. The 4K Ultra HD disc will include the same bonus features as the Blu-ray^TM version, all in stunning 4K resolution.

• 4K Ultra HD is the ultimate movie watching experience. 4K Ultra HD features the combination of 4K resolution for four times sharper picture than HD, the color brilliance of High Dynamic Range (HDR) with immersive audio delivering a multidimensional sound experience.
• Blu-ray^TM unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
• Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
• MOVIES ANYWHERE is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-ray^TM and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. MOVIES ANYWHERE is only available in the United States. For more information, visit https://moviesanywhere.com.

Disclosure: Diane Sullivan is a movie blogger who partners with the newest blurays/dvds coming out and in the movie theater. Contact me for collabs at 3decades3kids@gmail.com or @3decades3kids across all social media networks.