The Weinstein Company (TWC) has announced that the New York Yankees are the latest group in a long list of celebrities and public figures who are stepping out to support BULLY, which is expanding to theaters nationwide Friday, April 13th, with a recent PSA they shot during spring training in Tampa, Florida.
Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, along with players Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera and Curtis Granderson took a timeout from practice at Steinbrenner Field to speak up about the effects bullying has on children and what people can do to make a change.
The 30-second PSA can be seen here.
“When a community of people come together, we have the ability to enact positive change through our words and actions,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "Bullying is a problem too powerful to ignore, and I’m proud to stand alongside so many others in raising awareness for this meaningful cause. "
“The Yankees are idolized by young people everywhere, so they really are perfect ambassadors for this film and its message,” said TWC President of Marketing Stephen Bruno. “We’re thrilled to have their voices in the mix.”
Other celebrities and public figures have stepped out in their own ways to help get the film’s message out including: Justin Bieber featuring his song “Born To Be Somebody” in a BULLY TV spot; Ellen DeGeneres featuring the families from the film on her show; Meryl Streep and attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson hosting an NYC screening; Victoria Justice, Giuliana Rancic and Joel McHale hosting the LA premiere; Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa hosting an NYC screening; Anderson Cooper hosting a town hall special on CNN to discuss bullying with Dr. Phil McGraw, Kelly Ripa and BULLY director Lee Hirsch; Tommy Hilfiger designing t-shirts; the dozens of celebrities who tweeted to help #BullyMovie trend; and many other supporters shooting PSAs. Companies including Bing and Twitter have partnered to help in the quest to reach as many parents, teachers and children as possible. And, in a move that inspired and rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters, Michigan high school student Katy Butler garnered more than half a million signatures on her petition to the MPAA on Change.org to lower BULLY’s R rating, which subsequently happened last week.
Efforts to pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act are also in the works after TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein’s recent meeting with Senator Bob Casey. This bill will amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to address and take action to prevent bullying and harassment of students.
BULLY leads all non-fiction films so far for 2012 with its strong opening weekend attendance.
