Transformers

RSPR ROZ STEVENSON PUBLIC RELATIONS � Ph: (323) 296-6612 For a hard copy of this feature and/or additional art go to www.rozstevensonpr.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2007 Contact: Brandy Stowers (323) 296-6612 FANS SINCE CHILDHOOD: TYRESE GIBSON AND ANTHONY ANDERSON EXCITED TO CO-STAR IN TRANSFORMERS In Transformers Tyrese Gibson stars as Sergeant Epps, who discovers that he is one of the first present-day humans to come up against robotic powerful aliens, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. The earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between the two races of alien robots. Anthony Anderson portrays Glen, a hacker who strategizes with the military group to come up with a plan of attack to save the world from the battling Transformers. Also starring as part of the battling military team are Josh Duhamel, Rachael Taylor, Michael O'Neill, John Turturro and Jon Voight. Paramount Pictures will release Transformers nationwide on Tuesday, July 3th. Army Captain Lennox (Duhamel) is in charge of a small brigade of Special Forces Rangers, who find themselves the sole survivors of a bizarre attack on their base in Qatar. When Lennox's squad is surreptitiously transferred back to the U.S., they know they have seen and experienced something earth shattering, literally. They are part of a select group that includes the United States Secretary of Defense (Voight), members of a top secret military unit called Sector 7 (Turturro and O'Neill), along with a beautiful computer analyst (Taylor) and her associate, a smart but uptight hacker (Anderson). Half way around the world an average teenager, Sam (Shia LaBeouf) ask his father to match funds toward his first car, Sam's excitement quickly turns to disappointment with the purchase of a beat-up 1973 Chevy Camaro from a shady used car salesman, played by funnyman Bernie Mac. Sam awakens one morning by a distinctive roar and screeching tires. He thinks someone has stolen his car, but the car appears to have a mind of its' own. In a valiant effort to pursue the thief, he chases the Camaro only to find himself overpowered by a police cruiser that shockingly transforms into a menacing 20-foot robot. In the days ahead, he and his girlfriend (Megan Fox) are befriended by the robots and they learn that the aliens that have come to Earth in a desperate search for their life-source, the Allspark. As the forces of evil seek the key to ultimate power, mankind's last chance for survival rests in the hands of young Sam. Like every other boy his age, Gibson was a fan of Transformers action figures and a huge devotee of the television series. "I used to watch the cartoon every day when I got home from school,"he says. "Who would have thought a cartoon you loved as a kid would end up being such a milestone in your life as a grown man? It's crazy how things happen." When Anderson was asked if he was familiar with Transformers action figures, he immediately broke into song, "Transformers, more than meets the eye, Transformers, robots in disguise!" Anderson says proudly, "I can sing more of the song. I actually owned Optimus Prime and Megatron when I was growing up. I liked Optimus Prime the best. I played with that guy until he fell apart. "That's my era, I grew up watching the cartoon. When I heard there was a possibility of playing a character in the film, I was excited it, as well as meeting Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg." Gibson plays a Combat Controller, one of the most highly trained personnel in the Air Force. As a member of a Special Tactics Team that includes Captain Lennox and other several elite Army Rangers, he is responsible for leading those men into uncharted hostile territory, for reconnaissance, for establishing attack zones, and to call in fire power should the need arise, along with a host of other duties to numerous to list. But most important, he and his fellow soldiers are the first line of defense when it comes to defending his country, her people and her allies. To prepare for the role, Gibson spent time with an actual Combat Controller who was on leave after a tour in Iraq. In the Air Force for over 20 years, Captain Ray Bollinger is a respected an expert in his field and gave Gibson much of his technical dialogue for the desert sequences shot at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. "I communicate with all aircraft,"says Gibson who can still recite his team's site coordinates in his sleep, "The Blackhawks, stealth bombers, F22's, they're all on my wire. And it was a matter of running my lines with Ray because he knows the way it's supposed to sound; he knows the speed of it, the cadence. The English can sound like Chinese when you're speaking so fast, but once I became more comfortable in my character and understood what I was saying, it helped. I couldn't have rehearsed my lines with anyone but Ray." For Gibson, putting on the military garb helped him get into character. "Carrying the gun, wearing the heavy packs with all the equipment, the ammunition, you can barely breathe, but when I put it on, I become a chameleon, I am the character." Anderson describes his character as a "computer genius-geek-nerd who is accidentally pulled into the government's search for whatever is devouring all their secret system files and documents. My partner in crime, Maggie Madsen, brings in Glen to help her decipher an electronic computer language that the Decepticons are speaking; she needs help, so she comes to the smart guy,"he says coyly. "Glen's nervous at first,"explains Anderson, "because he's got a little addiction problem with hacking into highly classified systems like the Pentagon's, which he's done more than a few times. He can't help himself, he's drawn to it; he loves the excitement. He's just never been caught before. But this time, he really doesn't want to be in the mix with angry alien robots." Despite his initial reluctance Glen cannot help but be spellbound as he begins tapping into the alien's communications, breaking their code. "Glen knows their innermost secrets,"the actor says, "but it's frightening and disturbing. I mean, it's Defcon 38. Talk about heightened security levels; we're at fuchsia, man, "I like the bad guys now,"he says. In 1998, Gibson's singing career was born. He signed a record deal with RCA Records and completed his first self-titled debut album, which was nominated for a Grammy and featured the smash hit "Sweet Lady". It was through "Sweet Lady"that his female fans developed a sweet tooth for the young singer. The little kid from Watts was suddenly catapulted into sex symbol status and was rewarded the American Music Award's title of New Artist. Shortly after 2000 Watts, Gibson's sophomore album was released. The hit record "Just a Baby Boy", with Snoop featuring Mr. Tan was featured on the soundtrack of Gibson's debut film, Baby Boy, written and directed by John Singleton. Baby Boy was not only Gibson's feature film debut, but also a lead role in a major studio picture, an unheard of feat for an as-yet-unestablished actor. Gibson got his second Grammy nomination with his completed his third album, I Wanna Go There, in which he introduced the hit "How U Gonna Act Like That", the first release on his second label with Clive Davis and J-Records. Gibson continued his acting success with starring roles in films like, 2 Fast 2 Furious, the box office hit directed by John Singleton, and co-starring along side Paul Walker, Ludacris, Cole Hauser and the sexy Eva Mendez. Of course Gibson added his musical presence on that sound track for a song titled, "Pick up the Phone", featuring Ludacris and R. Kelly. In 2004, he starred in Flight of the Phoenix, along with Dennis Quaid, Huge Laurie, and Giovanni Ribissi. And in 2005, he teamed up once again with director John Singleton in Paramount's gritty revenge flick, Four Brothers. In that box office and DVD blockbuster, Gibson graced the silver screen along with Mark Wahlberg, and Andre 3000. That same year, Gibson also starred in Touchstone Pictures' highly anticipated film Annapolis, also starring James Franco and Donnie Wahlberg. In 2006 was a multifaceted year for Gibson, who simultaneously launched music and film projects. His company, HeadQuarter Entertainment -- Home of the Frontline Boyz is a multi-media empire featuring a film & TV production company, a music studio and recording label, and a talent management firm all under one roof. Gibson starred in Universal Focus Feature film Waist Deep directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, with an all-star cast featuring Meagan Goode and Lorenz Tate. Headquarter Entertainment has recently overseen the recording of the exclusive track for the film score by Gibson (aka Black-Ty), Snoop Dogg and Kurupt, called "Roll the Dice." On top of all of this, Gibson has found enormous success as a writer and producer in Hollywood, setting up one major studio project after another under his own company, HQ Pictures. Recently, Gibson sold his script To Each his Own to Sony Pictures, where he is also attached to star and produce. He also sold the pitches D.A. Verdict to MGM with James Mangold set to direct and Extortion for Universal with Neal Moritz producing. In December of 2006, Gibson made headlines by releasing Alter Ego a double-album for his fourth commercial release. Anderson has appeared in over 20 films and has earned three NAACP Image Award nominations. He is currently at work on several projects, including Steppin': The Movie for director Michael Taliferro, and the Fox Television pilot, K-Ville, directed by Deran Sarafian and starring Cole Hauser. Soon he will begin production on The Trunk with Djimon Hounsou and Thomas Krestchmann. Last year Anderson appeared in Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning The Departed along with a stellar cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson. In 2005 Anderson co-starred in Paramount Pictures' critically acclaimed Hustle & Flow opposite Oscar-winner Terrence Howard. Both films earned Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Anderson first gained attention as one of Jim Carrey's sons in Me, Myself and Irene, and has subsequently appeared in such blockbuster films as Scary Movie 3, Barbershop, Kangaroo Jack, Exit Wounds, Cradle 2 the Grave, Two Can Play That Game and Malibu's Most Wanted. In 2004, Anderson starred opposite Eddie Griffin and Michael Imperioli in My Baby's Daddy, opposite Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks 2 and had a cameo in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. He also lent his voice to Luc Besson's animated adventure, Arthur and the Invisibles. On television he has starred in recurring roles on numerous hit series. His roles include Antwon Mitchell in the acclaimed FX drama The Shield co-starring Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close; Bryan on The Bernie Mac Show; and Fox's current comedy series, �Til Death starring Brad Garret and Joely Fisher; and even lent his talent and humor to the WB sitcom, All about the Andersons, which was loosely based on his own life. Last year he also appeared as Detective Lucius Blaine on the popular Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Anderson grew up in Los Angeles and attended the High School for the Performing Arts where he earned first place in the NAACP's ACTSO Awards with his performance of a monologue from The Great White Hope. That performance, along with his dedication and talent, earned him an arts scholarship to Howard University. In 1996, Anderson landed his first professional job starring in the teen series Hang Time. He then quickly landed guest-starring roles on other shows including J.A.G. and NYPD Blue. Producer David E. Kelley was so impressed with Anderson's talent that he wrote a two-episode arc especially for him on the hit series Ally McBeal. Anderson currently lives in Los Angeles and is married to his college sweetheart. The couple has two children. DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present, in association with Hasbro, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production of a Michael Bay Film, Transformers, directed by Michael Bay from a story by John Rogers and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman and a screenplay by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, the film is based on Hasbro's TRANSFORMERSTM Action Figures. The producers are Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce and the executive producers are Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay, Brian Goldner and Mark Vahradian. The director of photography is Mitchell Amundsen. The production designer is Jeff Mann. The film is edited by Paul Rubell, A.C.E. and Glen Scantlebury. The costume designer is Deborah L. Scott. The music is by Steve Jablonsky. The music is Dave Jordan. The special visual effects are by Industrial Light & Magic. ####