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Welcome to Kicking the Seat!

Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).

The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar NoéRachel BrosnahanAmy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.

Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.

The KtS Contest: I Am an Island!

UPDATE: This contest has ended. Congratulations, Amyee!

Hey, Adventurers!

The fine folks at Partnershub have teamed up with Kicking the Seat to give one lucky reader the chance to win a Blu-ray Combo Pack of Walden Media and Hallmark Channel's Return to Nim's Island!

The sequel to 2008's box office hit Nim's Island picks up the story a few years later with 14-year-old Nim (Bindi Irwin) more determined than ever to protect her island and the animals that call it home. With ruthless resort developers and greedy wildlife poachers threatening the existence she loves, Nim realizes she and her animal pals can’t defend their home alone. To save her island, she is forced to combine forces with an outsider: Edmund, a runaway from the mainland. Only with his help does she stand a chance of stopping the villains from dismantling her world.

To win the "I Am an Island" Contest, simply answer the following question in the "Comments" section below:

"What would you name your own private island paradise?"

I'm looking for coolness and creativity here (laughs are a plus). "Jeff's Island" doesn't cut it.

The author of my favorite entry will add this fun family adventure to his or her video library (the Combo Pack includes the film on Blu-ray, DVD, and VUDU Digital Copy).

Contest closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, March 24th, 2013.

Be sure to catch Return to Nim's Island on Hallmark Channel, beginning March 15th.* And check out the Return to Nim's Island Family Adventures Blog App below for quizzes, activities, and more!

Thanks again, and good luck!

All prizes for the "I am an Island" Contest and The Return to Nim's Island Family Adventures Blog App are provided courtesy of Walden Media & Hallmark Channel. Prize will be sent via FedEx or UPS. No P.O. boxes, please. Kicking the Seat will contact the contest winner within twelve hours of the contest deadline. If no response is received within twenty-four hours, an alternate winner will be chosen.

 *You can also purchase the Combo Pack exclusively at Wal-Mart, beginning March 19th.

The KtS Contest: Embarkin' with Bilbo!

The KtS Contest: Seen Any Good Books Lately?