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Academy Award Winner Forest Whitaker Leads More Than 200 World-Renowned Actors, Artists, Clergy and Christian Musicians for Old Testament Edition
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., July 10, 2007 – The most ambitious, critically-acclaimed presentation of the Bible ever produced, Inspired By… The Bible Experience, has confirmed more than 200 cast members for the Old Testament prequel to its bestselling New Testament edition. Highlighting the cast is 2007 Academy Award–winning actor Forest Whitaker as the voice of Moses, along with Angela Bassett (Esther), Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jonah), Denzel and Pauletta Washington (Song of Songs), LL Cool J (Samson), Nick Cannon (Adam), Eartha Kitt (Serpent), Bishop T.D. Jakes (Abraham), Bishop Eddie L. Long (Joel), Della Reese, Bernice and the late Yolanda King, daughters of Martin Luther King Jr., and introducing Paul Adefarasin, pastor of House on the Rock church in Lagos, Nigeria (voice of God).
Inspired By… The Bible Experience (Old Testament) is slated for a fall 2007 release with a cast featuring three Oscar winners, five Golden Globe winners and seven Emmy winners. Just like its predecessor, it is based on Zondervan’s contemporary Today’s New International Version (TNIV) translation and includes dramatic performances set to an original musical underscore by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Hollywood-style sound design created at Technicolor Studios. In addition to the Old Testament edition, the Complete Bible will also be available in stores nationwide this fall.
“We are thrilled with the cast assembled for the Old Testament portion of The Bible Experience. The fact that celebrities, artists and clergy have enthusiastically requested to be a part of this affirms that The Bible Experience is truly a one-of-a-kind, groundbreaking project,” said Ron Belk, president and CEO, Inspired By Media Group. “Each one of these voices bring something special to their role, and it’s the culmination of their talents that makes this an audio Bible in a category all its own.”
Critically acclaimed for its first-class production quality, Inspired By… The Bible Experience has quickly become the category leader. Since its release last fall, Inspired By… The Bible Experience has sold more than 310,000 units and has become not just the bestselling audio Bible, but also one of the industry’s fastest-selling new Bibles, outselling perennial bestsellers.
“It’s evident that The Bible Experience’s universal appeal knows no boundaries, as evidenced by its remarkable sales, and we believe it is poised to have a long-term impact on the faith of millions of people,” said Paul Caminiti, vice president and publisher of Bibles for Zondervan. “Our mission is to introduce innovative projects that engage more people in the Bible, and The Bible Experience is doing just that by bringing the Bible to life like never before.”
In addition to brisk sales, Inspired By… The Bible Experience has received unprecedented consumer satisfaction and national recognition, including numerous five-star reviews, Audiobook of the Year – the highest honor of the Audio Publisher’s Association – an AudioFile Earphones Award and a nomination for an NAACP Image Award, among others.
Inspired By… The Bible Experience (New Testament) is now available in stores nationwide. It is available in CD and MP3 formats as well as audio download. A behind-the-scenes “making of” video, audio samples, a listing of the voices, news and reviews can be found at www.zondervan.com/BibleExperience.
About Inspired By Media Group Branded by its signature banner Inspired By…, Inspired By Media Group, Inc. is committed to serving the faith-based and general markets by creating family-oriented products that are culturally relevant in scope. Executive team Ron Belk, Kyle Bowser, Lou “Buster” Brown and Robi Reed combine 40 years of experience in the convergent areas of music, television, film, theater, literature, new media and technology to create an industry leader in contemporary multimedia products. Visit Inspired By Media Group on the Web at www.inspiredby.com.
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HarperCollins company, is a world leader in Christian communications and the leading Christian publishing brand. For more than 75 years, Zondervan has delivered transformational Christian experiences through general and academic resources by influential leaders and emerging voices, and been honored with more Christian Book Awards than any other publisher. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., with offices in San Diego and Miami, Zondervan conducts events and publishes its bestselling
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