Noah Ringer, Star of The Last Airbender, the American Taekwondo Association and Paramount Home Entertainment Join Forces for a Nationwide Celebration of the Film's DVD & Blu-ray™ Debut

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 16, 2010, in celebration of the Blu-ray™ and DVD release of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' The Last Airbender, Paramount Home Entertainment will team up with the American Taekwondo Association (ATA) for nationwide events.  The premier North American organization dedicated to the martial arts discipline of taekwondo, the ATA and its affiliates have over 1,500 licensed schools, all of which will have the opportunity to participate in themed parties to mark the film's home entertainment debut.  

In addition, actor and martial arts enthusiast Noah Ringer, who stars as Aang, the lone Avatar, will take part in a special streaming video event, giving hundreds of ATA students the chance to interact with him directly.  Students at select member martial arts schools across the country will be able to pose questions personally via Ustream as Ringer shares stories about his background in taekwondo and his experiences on the set, as well as demonstrates some of his martial arts skills live.  Fans interested in watching the live event can visit www.ustream.tv/lastairbender on November 16th from 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. PST.  The ATA will post the event at www.ataondemand.com and viewers can also connect via www.facebook.com/paramounthomeent.

Ringer achieved first degree black belt rank with the ATA when he was 12 years old and is proficient with a variety of Eastern weapons.  A newcomer to the world of acting, he first heard of the open auditions to play Aang through his taekwondo school and won the part over thousands of applicants.  He will next be seen in director Jon Favreau's sci-fi Western Cowboys & Aliens alongside Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Sam Rockwell.  

One of the top 10 family films of the year worldwide earning over $315 million at the global box office*, The Last Airbender will be available in a DVD/Blu-ray Combo pack, as a single disc DVD or single disc Blu-ray.

About American Taekwondo Association

The American Taekwondo Association (ATA) is the largest martial arts organization in North America.  Since its founding in 1969 by Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee, ATA has registered more than 1 million students. Today ATA has approximately 100,000 members around the world.  A non-violent system of self-defense, taekwondo first developed more than 1,000 years ago. ATA-affiliated schools practice the style of Songahm (meaning "Pine Tree and Rock") Taekwondo. Songahm Taekwondo places great emphasis on cognitive and emotional improvement, as well as on physical performance.  ATA operates through a network of more than 1,000 independently owned and operated affiliate schools on five continents. Its unique history includes pioneering steps that organized traditional martial arts techniques into a uniform curriculum by establishing standards to ensure consistency in instruction and learning. For more information, go to www.ataonline.com

About Paramount Home Entertainment

Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.  PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands.  PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.

About Ustream

Ustream is the leader in live video and its platform empowers any individual, public figure or brand to stream to a global audience of unlimited size.  Ustream offers free broadcasting and viewing platforms for the Web and mobile devices. The interactive functionality within Ustream enables real-time engagement with Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and AIM. Hundreds of high-profile broadcasters have partnered with Ustream to reach millions of people.  Ustream (www.ustream.com) is a privately-held company based in San Francisco, Calif.  

Follow on Twitter (@Ustream) or fan at Facebook.com/Ustream.

*Box Office Mojo

SOURCE Paramount Home Entertainment