Add One to Pre-Oscar Nods: American Values Awards: Conservative Seattle Publisher Invites Colleagues to Honor Films that Americans Actually Like.

Magic Picture Frame Studio, publisher of the history text, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, is calling upon other conservative media organizations to join with it in launching the American Values Awards for Movies and Television (TM). Because the highest-grossing movies of 2005, and of all time, depict stories of love, honor, commitment, good versus evil, and the triumph of the human spirit, Magic Picture Frame Studio founder Michael Class believes there should be an award that “recognizes the portrayal of these traditional American values in movies and on television.”

The winners for 2005 include:

Cinderella Man, a story of commitment to family during the Great Depression; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, a morality play based on the New Testament of the Holy Bible; Star Wars: Episode III and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, stories of good versus evil; The Great Raid, a true story of American heroism during World War II; End of the Spear, a true story of spiritual growth and finding God; Millions, an off-beat story about doing the right thing; The Greatest Game Ever Played, a story of good sportsmanship.

The complete list of winners is available at: www.MagicPictureFrame.com.

“I want media leaders with a sense of patriotism and respect for family to join with me to turn the American Values Awards into a high-profile event,” says Class, who launched Magic Picture Frame Studio after helping start a successful Seattle-based Internet company and take it public.

The retired dot-com executive is intent on transforming the way children learn American history and moral values. His company’s first release is the museum-quality book, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, in which a modern boy time-travels into great events of the 20th century. Amazing digital photography places Anthony in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and on Normandy beach on D-Day. It's all historically accurate: Even Anthony's conversations with American heroes are based on things they really said. Photographs from the book are available at: www.MagicPictureFrame.com.

Class sees movies as a teaching tool. Each chapter of the book includes a list of recommended books, movies, music, and places to visit: 600 movies are included in the book, 100 movies are listed on the Web site.

About the critically-acclaimed movies of 2005, Class says: “Skip Syriana, Munich, and Brokeback Mountain unless your only criterion for seeing a movie is aesthetic merit. These movies are morally confused. I don’t want my kids seeing them. Syriana blames America for terrorism. Munich confuses justice with vengeance, and morally equates counter-terrorism with terrorism. And Brokeback Mountain? What’s positive about a film whose main character's sexual behavior destroys a family?”

Class had high hopes for his science fiction favorite: "I really wanted to include War of the Worlds, but I choked on one of the deviations from H.G. Wells’ book. Why couldn’t it feature a married father defending his family, instead of a divorced father? Why do Hollywood screenwriters seem to think every family is “broken?” See the 1960 original instead. In fact, the only recent movie I can think of that is positive on marriage is a cartoon: The Incredibles (2004)."

But Class has renewed hope for 2006. He advises: “See Glory Road. It’s the inspiring true story of how a small school in West Texas with an unproven coach and an all-black starting team of basketball players changed history: heroes all. It’s a story of character, integrity, and overcoming prejudice. It’s a story of inner strength and doing something that is bigger than yourself. In the theater where I watched the film, people stood up and cheered when the movie was over. I did, too."

Class invites people to nominate movies for the American Values Award for 2006 at his Web site.

Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame (hardcover, 225 pages, $35) is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, or by calling toll-free: 1-800-247-6553. The book is also available at select bookstores and on amazon.com.

Note to editors and book reviewers: Michael S. Class and Anthony are available for interviews. Photographs and review copies of the book are available.

Contact: Michael S. Class (author), 425-222-7562, class@MagicPictureFrame.com, Magic Picture Frame Studio, P.O. Box 2603, Issaquah, WA 98027-0119. Or contact: Maryann Karinch (publicist), 970-577-8500, maryann@karinch.com.