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Your Football Photo May Be a Super Bowl Ticket

(NAPSI)-Capturing a digital image of a child’s first youth football game or the winning touchdown in the local high school game can be a snap with the right equipment.

It might also help you earn a trip to attend Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida and the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Celebration and have a chance to have your photo on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for one year.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, are inviting football fans to express their love for football through photography and submit their best youth football photos in the "Why Do You Love Football?" Photo Challenge.

In honor of all photos submitted into the contest, Canon U.S.A., Inc. will donate $150,000 worth of products to NFL Youth Education Towns (NFL YETs) across the country.

Built in Super Bowl host cities as lasting legacies of the game, the NFL YETs are education and recreation centers committed to making a positive, lasting difference in the lives of children. In addition to the product donation, the company will educate NFL YET staff and students in the art of photography and digital imaging.

A judging panel consisting of Archie Manning, former NFL quarterback and father of two Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks; Peter Read Miller, Sports Illustrated photographer; and other photo editors will determine the group of 14 finalists in each division. The voting will then be turned over to the fans, who can vote for their favorite photo from Dec. 21, 2009, until Jan. 8, 2010, via the contest Web site, with the grand-prize winner being crowned in early January.

Said former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, "This is my fourth year as a judge, and I continue to be amazed by the quality of photographs we receive year after year." To enter, submit as many as 10 images from Sept. 3, 2009, to Dec. 2, 2009, by visiting www.usa.canon.com/nfl and following the online instructions.

Tips For Improving Your Surround Sound System

(NAPS)-It seems Americans are all ears when it comes to learning ways to improve the sound from their PC, mobile phone or home theater.

According to a study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a majority of consumers view music and other audio content as a vital component of their daily lives. The study, "The Evolution of Audio: Is Anyone Listening?," found that 67 percent of consumers believe audio is an important part of their life, and almost half (48 percent) report they are always listening to some form of audio content.

That love of sound may be especially prevalent among many of us who own entertainment centers, complete with flat-screen TVs-and with good reason.

Experts say cinematic surround sound can bring out the realism, excitement and emotion of a movie or show, helping homeowners get more out of their viewing experience. The good news is that it can be simple to create a home entertainment system that sounds amazing. Dolby Laboratories offers the following tips to help you upgrade or optimize your home theater:

Getting Started

To enable HD surround sound from a home theater system, you'll need speakers, a subwoofer, an amplifier and a receiver. These devices are designed to work with the latest in audio technology to produce that cinematic experience you want to have in your living room.

Perfect Placement

Ideally, your front speakers should be positioned at ear level since most movie soundtracks are designed to sound best at this height.

Better Bass

There's no specific rule for placing a subwoofer beyond keeping it on the floor. The amount of bass you hear, however, will vary depending on the room or location. Try a few different places to determine what's best for you.

Best Seats In The House

If possible, center your seats between the surround speakers. The closer you place a speaker to the corners of a room, the more bass you'll hear.

The Shape Of Things

The shape of your room and how it's furnished will affect sound quality. Bare, metal or glass surfaces can cause reflections that result in harsher sound. By adding rugs, carpeting, wall hangings or curtains, you'll not only end up with better sound, but also a cozier room.

All In One

A home theater in a box (HTIB) is an alternative to buying a set of separate components. It combines components to simplify the buying and operating experience. These systems bundle a receiver with a full set of home theater speakers and sometimes also include a source device such as a DVD player.

For more information on how Dolby brings surround sound to your home theater, mobile and PC devices and where you can find the latest products with Dolby surround sound capabilities, please visit www.audiodolby.com. For an interactive application that helps you set up your home theater surround sound system, visit www.dolby.com/speakersetup.

Ghostly Attractions Designed To Thrill And Chill

(NAPS)-There's good news for those who are looking for attractions that provide a hauntingly good time.

A magazine and Web site that celebrate all things scary have put together a list of 25 attractions, events and locations that take their thrills and chills seriously. While many have a Halloween focus, a number are active all year round.

The list includes:

• Shocktoberfest, Reading, Pa. Shocktoberfest features four different haunts, a haunted nightclub and a midway. Owner Pat Konopelski has worked hard over the years to keep the event current and fun for his customers, including introducing text messaging as part of his queue-line entertainment.
• Shipwreck Halloween at the Queen Mary, Long Beach, Calif. Just walking around the Queen Mary can be a frightful experience, but when you add five different mazes-with themes ranging from pirates to vampires-and then throw in top-notch makeup and high-quality acting, you have a must-see haunt. The show makes great use of its most unique asset-a 70-year-old ocean liner that has been the subject of many paranormal investigations.
• The 13th Gate, Baton Rouge, La. Scene design and attention to detail make this attraction a favorite among customers and haunters alike. During the off-season, the haunt employs a year-round movie industry construction crew, which includes award-winning scenic artists, set carpenters, lighting and sound technicians, and special effects artists. Visitors can find themselves standing on a rickety bridge overlooking hundreds of live snakes. This 40,000-square-foot haunted house is definitely not recommended for the faint of heart.
• Erebus, Pontiac, Mich. Not long ago, Erebus took the title of the "World's Largest Walk-Through Horror House" according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It will take you about 45 minutes to an hour to complete your journey through this haunt, depending on how fast you can run.

This is just a brief example of the 25 attractions that Haunted Attraction Magazine thinks provide unique events and fantastic fun. The magazine features articles, forums, galleries and a store aimed at those who enjoy a frighteningly good time.

To learn more and to see the entire list, visit the Web site at www.hauntedattraction.com.

Video Game Brings Classic Characters To Life

(NAPS)-A new family-friendly game lets players assume the role of one of children's literature's most beloved heroes. In the classic book "Where the Wild Things Are"-and now in the motion picture of the same name - the rambunctious and imaginative Max embarks on an adventure across a magical island filled with creatures great and small.

The game, also called "Where the Wild Things Are" and based on the popular tale, lets players take control of Max as he explores the island of the Wild Things, journeying across its dangerous terrain. Along the way, they team up with a collection of fearsome but loveable creatures as they overcome hazardous obstacles and battle foes.

Its breathtaking and colorful graphics conjure images of the book's own award-winning illustrations and of favorite scenes from the movie, helping score high marks with fans of the story. But it's the game's core message of friendship and cooperation that has drawn particular applause.

Aside from the occasional bee-like creature or plant being squashed, there is virtually no violence in the game. Players instead focus on solving action puzzles, overcoming challenging obstacles and playing through a unique story narrative to save the Wild Things before it's too late.

A player might move Max through the game by using "water fruit" to splash away fireflies in order to clear space to grow special plants, or he or she might find imaginative ways to calm the island's inhabitants before gaining their special "wild abilities."

Available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS, the game offers seven unique worlds and 18 different levels. There's also an alternative ending that players gain access to by collecting "scepter achievements."

For more information, visit www.wherethewildthingsarethevideogame.com.