Minions Conquer at the Box Office

Debuting on July 10, “Minions” conquered at the box office their first weekend, outselling “Jurassic Park,” which was box office king consecutively each week since its premiere five weeks prior to “Minions."  Also, “Magic Mike” premiered July 1, debuting with $11.6 million over the film’s first weekend (Business Insider ). BrownTrout is a distributor of the official Minions and Magic Mike 2016 wall calendar.

According to Bloomberg Business, “Minions” became the second-biggest animated film debut at the box office in its first weekend Bloomberg’s Article on “Minions" ). “Minions” collected $115.7 million in the U.S. and Canada during its first weekend. As of the third weekend in July, “Minions” made a gross of $262 million, and was knocked off the top spot at the box office, by the premieres of “Ant Man” and “Pixels” (Box Office Mojo ). 

BrownTrout is a distributor of the official Minions and Magic Mike 2016 wall calendar.

The Color Craze Continues…

Further proving the success of adult coloring books, Parade Magazine recently issued a news article ( Parade News Article ) on the benefits and joys of coloring as an adult. The article accessed popular coloring books for adults, mentioning the variety of genres, including a “Colour Me Good Benedict Cumberbatch," featuring the famous British Actor who has played in "Star Trek" and the Oscar-nominated film “The Imitation Game."  Recently, BrownTrout’s Color Your World line includes 2016 calendar products, such as a wall calendar, desk pad, engagement and pocket planner.

The article also emphasizes how the adult coloring book craze is still trending, becoming not only a sporadic fun activity from time to time, but developing into a hobby for adults. Unlike when we are kids, as adults, we can set aside time to color as a hobby, and it can become a daily activity to de-stress and unwind from other responsibilities. In Parade’s article, Psychologist Alice Domar, Ph.D. asserts that coloring utilizes both sides of the brain, which are required for creative and tactical activities, and as a result, can be more stimulating compared to doodling. 

Parade’s article also entails other benefits of adult coloring books- specifically in respects to collaboration and sharing. Some social media feeds (Pinterest for example) consist of designs and patterns, allowing people to share amongst each other different designs to color. Becoming more common in group therapies or with friends, people are starting to share the activity of coloring together in a group setting. Either way, the coloring craze continues to spread, as more people discover this fun and stress-free activity.  

Watch for BrownTrout Color Your World line of 2016 calendar products, including a wall calendar, desk pad, engagement and pocket planner.

Parade Magazine's Article on Adult Coloring Books

Learn History with Reality Show “Pawn Stars”

The popular History channel show “Pawn Stars," watched around the world, surrounds a popular pawnshop called Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. “Pawn Stars” airs Mondays on the History Channel, with its development rooted in the history savvy Harrison family. The show surrounds three generations of the Harrison family and their expertise on the credibility of historical artifacts. Moreover, BrownTrout publishes the official Gold & Silver Pawn Shop calendar.

The show started in 2009, and the show’s creator and producer, Rick Harrison, never expected the show to be a huge hit. The show appears in 150 countries, broadcasting in 38 languages, and the show has become one of the most popular reality shows on cable TV. In Gold and Silver Pawn Shop ’s Interview, Rick Harrison explained: “I pitched the show for four years. Everyone kept telling me no one wants to watch a show about four fat guys in a pawn shop."

The biggest appeal of the show is mainly the history lessons throughout each episode, which captivate the audience in a light-hearted manner rather than a monotonous history lesson. “(People) love to get history lessons from their uncle, not a professor," said Harrison. "Young people love to watch the show because I can make all these antiques’ history, all this history, relative to today.”

The show continues to produce intriguing and entertaining episodes for its viewers. “We’re trying to get a lot more history lessons in and things like that. You know, it’s a lot more history lessons, just a lot more stuff,” said Harrison. “We’re sort of back to [the way] we started the show.”

"Pawn Stars" Official Website

Fox News Article on "Pawn Stars"

School’s Out with 5 Seconds of Summer

The Australian pop-punk band, 5 Seconds of Summer, recently started their “Rock Out With Your Socks Out” World Tour, along with a new single called “She’s Kinda Hot." Ashton Irwin (Drums) has explained to  Billboard  that this single is something “for us to give our fans a place to belong.” The song incorporates more guitars, playing more into their second album, which is still untitled. Ashton Irwin, along with Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, and the album’s executive producer John Feldmann, wrote “She’s Kinda Hot." BrownTrout is delighted to be the official calendar publisher for the band.

5-seconds-summer-news

The band is comprised of Michael Clifford (Guitar), Luke Hemmings (Guitar), Calum Hood (Bass guitar), and Ashton Irwin. 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Rock Out With Your Socks Out” tour has already begun (first show was on July 17, in  Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center) and will wrap up on September 13, at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida.

5 Seconds of Summer appeals to teenagers, while incorporating the influences of Blink 182 and Green Day into their music. The group has been successful with their hit “Amnesia” which broke into the Top 20 of the Hot 100. According to  Billboard , their self-titled debut album rocketed to No. 1 last July with 259,000 copies sold in its first week.

5 Seconds of Summer's Official Website

Rolling Stone's Article on 5 Seconds of Summer

Katy Perry 2014 World Tour!

Source: www.ryanseacrest.com

Katy Perry's rise to fame has been nothing short of meteoric, and with her song 'Dark Horse' number one for the third straight week, and an upcoming world tour in support of her album Prismatic, she is only getting hotter! The pop songstress has over 50 million Twitter followers and was nominated as Artist of the Year for the Youtube Music Awards. Her tour will include dates in Europe and North America, beginning with concerts in the UK.

See the Official Tour Schedule here!

Perry's beauty and style are also attracting a lot of attention in the elegant world of fashion. In January she graced the cover not only of Entertainment Weekly but also of Marie Claire, and has also appeared in her first commercial for CoverGirl. And we are big fans as well: next year she'll be joining the BrownTrout family of calendars!

Check out the video for 'Dark Horse (featuring Juicy J)'

Emblem 3 Is Going On Tour!

Emblem 3 had an amazingly successful 2013, and it looks like they're wasting no time in also making this year a smash! This week saw the release of their new webseries, E3TV, which gives fans a chance to see the guys offstage in their dressed-down, Southern California casual. But that's not the only exciting E3 news, as the group gears up for a tour of North America and the UK.

Since their huge breakout success on the X-Factor and the release of their debut album "Nothing to Lose" last summer, the group has already amassed a loyal following. Their videos have garnered millions of views (and quickly counting), and with E3's contagiously positive outlook on life it's easy to see why. If you love the sunny and soulful vibes of hits like 'Sunset Blvd,' 'Chloe (You're the One I Want)' and '3000 Miles,' come out and support E3 as their musical journey takes them all across the country, and beyond!

See the official E3 Tour Schedule here!


Purchase 2014 Emblem 3 calendars and poster books here!

Emblem 3 Square 12" x 12" Wall Calendar

Emblem 3 Square 12" x 12" Wall Calendar

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

Known for their diminutive size, bright iridescent colors, and hovering flight, hummingbirds live only in the Western Hemisphere. However, they can be found almost anywhere between Argentina and Alaska. Early Spanish explorers called these migratory birds joyas voladoras, or flying jewels. In order to survive, they consume as much as three times their body weight each day. That’s a lot of nectar and insects! This Hummingbirds wall calendar will help you keep up with these busy birds.

Purchase this calendar here!

Hummingbirds 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

Hummingbirds 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

Volcanoes

Volcanoes 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

They are responsible for the sprouting up of islands and the very creation of the continents, but they can also cause widespread destruction to human, animal and plant life. Yes, almost nothing in nature is as powerful, awe-inspiring and, if you happen to see one up close, absolutely terrifying as a Volcano . They are also extremely beautiful, with the signature orange-red glow of lava running in rivulets down the hillside. Browntrout presents, from our science and nature titles, our 2014 Volcanoes calendar.

Volcanoes 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

Volcanoes 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

The word ‘volcano’ originates from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forges. Since antiquity people have been fascinated with the power of fire to destroy and renew, and their association of those elements with the underworld can most likely be explained by volcanoes and geothermal events. Volcanoes are the results of fissures in the Earth’s crust, the solid outer layer which encloses the mantle of molten rock and metal beneath us. When the shifting pressures of the tectonic plates become unstable, lava and hot gases will escape toward the surface, often violently.

Although the word volcano typically summons up images of a mountain with an exploding top, volcanoes can also take the form of gaps or trenches in the middle of the ocean, which much like hot springs release heated gas and water. Another kind of volcanic eruption can result in a toxic cloud of dust, which is the most long-lived and thus dangerous aspect of volcanism and seismic activity.

Volcanoes capture our imaginations perhaps not only because of the incredible danger they pose to us, but also because they are a gateway to an immense underground world, and a reminder of the capacity of the earth to reshape itself and change. They do make for some incredible scenery (at a safe distance!), so pick up our Volcanoes title today and marvel at our dynamic Earth all year long!

Purchase this calendar here!

Volcanoes 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

Volcanoes 12" x 12" Square Wall Calendar

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and we would like to honor and remember the man who was a great spiritual leader, activist, humanitarian, and who championed the value of every person regardless of their background. He played a pivotal role in the African American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 60's. King was born Michael King in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. His father had the young boy's name changed to Martin Luther as an homage to the German religious reformer. Although as a youth he was an independent thinker who often challenged the traditions of the Christian Church, indeed King found that the Bible contained important wisdom and decided to enter the seminary.

As an activist King was inspired by the tenets of his Christian faith, as well as the ideas of the American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau's idea of 'civil disobedience,' where one resists without violence a government which one believes is unjust, would dramatically influence King as well as another important activist, Mohandas Gandhi. Fed up with the prevailing racism, discrimination and police brutality of the American south, many African Americans turned to the non-violent resistance King taught as an alternative to violence. This took the form of sit-ins at lunch counters which refused to serve black patrons and continued with the boycott of a bus line in Montgomery after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat in 1955.

In places like Birmingham and Albany, Martin Luther King continued to organize displays of civil disobedience, resulting in mass arrests of activists, both black and white. King himself was arrested multiple times, but continued the struggle for desegregation and civil rights, receiving increasing fame and support. In 1963 during a march on Washington, D.C., King gave his immensely famous and touching "I Have a Dream" speech, which remains one of the most eloquent appeals for racial equality. Through his vehement opposition to the Vietnam War and challenging of the status quo, Martin Luther King, Jr. was not without enemies, and on April 4, 1968 he was murdered by a gunman in Memphis, Tennessee. Although his life was cut tragically short, King's inspiring words and actions live on, and he remains one of the most important and poetic voices not just for racial equality under the law, but truly for all human dignity and respect.