PTS PARAGON - Music

When the weight of rejection begins to set in after being denied entry to every college he has applied to, a high school burnout attempts to placate his mom and dad and win the heart of his dream girl by scheming with his friends to create a fake university in a hilarious comedy of artificial education directed by Steve Pink and starring Justin Long. Bartleby "B" Gaines (Long) is a high school senior whose street smarts just never seemed to translate into the classroom, and whose bad luck in love has left him pining for the unattainable Monica (Blake Lively). When Bartleby and his rebellious crew of outcasts find the frequent college rejection letters they have all been receiving bringing endless grief from their disappointed parents, they soon band together to create the fictional South Harmon Institute of Technology. After creating a believable fa?ade in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, employing the talents of a close friend's brilliantly subversive uncle (Lewis Black) to pose as the dean, and creating a phony website in order to sell the school to their parents, Bartleby and friends soon realize that all of their hard work has paid off in ways than they never imagined. With a variety of college rejects attempting to enroll in classes at the ersatz university and the skepticism of some privileged students from a nearby college drawing unwanted attention to the South Harmon Institute of Technology, Bartleby and friends find their ruse becoming ever more difficult to maintain. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide ~ Official Website: <a href="http://www.acceptedmovie.com/" target="_blank">Accepted</a>

Dewey Finn is a hell-raising guitarist with delusions of grandeur. Kicked out of his band and desperate for work, Dewey impersonates a substitute teacher and turns a class of fifth grade high-achievers into high-voltage rock and rollers. The private school's uptight and skeptical head, Principal Mullins, watches on as the 'new sub' preps the kids for Battle of the Bands. ~ Starring: Jack Black; Joan Cusack; Mike White; Sarah Silverman; Joey Gaydos ~ Director: Richard Linklater ~ Official Website: <a href="http://www.schoolofrockmovie.com/" target="_blank">School of Rock</a>

Fame is set at New York's High School of Performing Arts, where talented teens train for show-business careers. The film concentrates on five of the most gifted students: singer Irene Cara, actors Paul McCrane and Barry Miller, dancer Gene Anthony Ray, and musician Lee Currieri. More so than the subsequent TV series Fame, the film emphasizes the importance of keeping up one's academic achievements in this specialized school. The faculty includes no-nonsense English teacher Ann Meara, erudite musical instructor Albert Hague, and martinet dance teacher Debbie Allen. Of the film's cast, Ray, Currieri, Allen and Hague were carried over to the TV version of Fame, which premiered in 1981. The score for the film version of Fame was honored with an Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide ~ Director: Alan Parker

Twelve years ago, on a moonlit rooftop above Washington Square, Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), a sheltered young cellist, and Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a charismatic Irish singer-songwriter, were drawn together by a street musician's rendition of ''Moondance'' and fell in love. After the most romantic night of her life, Lyla promised to meet Louis again but, despite her protests, her father rushed her to her next concert--leaving Louis to believe that she didn't care. Disheartened, he found it impossible to continue playing and eventually abandoned his music while Lyla, her own hopes for love lost, was led to believe months later that she had also lost their unborn child in a car accident. Their orphaned son (Freddie Highmore) uses his musical talent as a clue to find his birth parents. ~ Director: Kirsten Sheridan
~ Official Website: August Rush

F. Murray Abraham earned a Best Actor Oscar for his imperious performance as Antonio Salieri, a mediocre composer whose churlish young rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce), wins immortality with his musical genius. Salieri, not happy to see his talent eclipsed, deviously plots revenge. Sly and compelling from start to finish, Amadeus also won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director (Milos Forman).

Chris Cole (Mark Wahlberg) was born to rock. His longtime girlfriend Emily (Jennifer Aniston) believes Chris's talent could take him all the way - but instead of writing his own music, Chris worships at the altar of Bobby Beers, the fiery frontman for Steel Dragon, the heavy metal rock legends that both inspire and consume his life. The night his bandmates boot him out of the group he founded, Chris is devastated - until an unexpected phone call changes his life forever: he, Chris Cole, has been tapped to replace Bobby Beers as the lead singer of Steel Dragon. In an instant, Chris rockets to the dizzying heights of sudden stardom, rising from devotee to icon, from the ultimate rock fan to the ultimate rock god - the wanna-be who got to be. ~ Also starring: Timothy Olyphant; Jason Flemyng; Timothy Spall; Dominic West ~ Director: Stephen Herek ~ Official Website: <a href="http://rockstarmovie.warnerbros.com/index_flash.html" target="_blank">Rock Star</a>