Wow… in the hustle-bustle hype of this past week’s Idina news/pics/vids/etc, I completely forgot Idina-Here’s birthday!! shame shame on me.

But now that I’ve remembered…

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY IDINA-HERE! (10/14/05)
This site wouldn’t be what it is today if it wasn’t for all of you guys — the best fans any person could have, and it’s because of you that this site has thrived and grown so much over two years (three if you count the start-up site… probably not a lot of people on here remember that ). Your generosity, patience, and enthusiasm make maintaining this site a treat!

I definitely wanted to wait until I got this all confirmed before reporting back, but I’ve been informed that Idina was slated to record a song for the new Robert Zemeckis film, Beowulf, which comes out in theaters in the US on November 16th (worldwide release dates can be found here.) The song is titled “A Hero Comes Home”, and it’s produced by Glen Ballard specifically for the film. The song will be featured on the movie’s soundtrack, which will be released on November 13th.

While at WBR yesterday, I was able to hear the song, and it truly is beautiful and epic – very different from her solo material, but incredible nonetheless (it may well be one of my fav tracks of hers right now – I’m a sucker for songs in movies. ) It incorporates the intensity of the film’s score, and begins to play at the end of the film through the closing credits. This makes the song eligible for an Academy Award nomination for Best Song (and from what I’ve heard, both the studio and WBR have high hopes for it in that aspect.)

As a result of Idina’s involvement in the film, she will be attending the Los Angeles Beowulf premiere on November 5th, and may be involved in further press junkets for the film. Any further information will be posted once I find out about it.

Idina’s official site, IdinaMenzel.com, has gotten its first of several future makeovers to be launched over the next few weeks. This first one is just the beginning, featuring images from the beautiful photoshoot posted a few entries back.

Upcoming updates to the official page will expand the site drastically, so be sure to keep checking the site! It’s going to keep getting better! Oh, and be sure to sign up for mobile updates, which will be an incredible feature that’s a must for fans!

While it was written on the recent promotional sites, I wanted to verify that it was indeed official information before posting it. But after talking to reps at Warner Brothers, I can confirm that Idina’s new solo album will be titled “I Stand”. The release date has not been officially announced, but when it is, I guarantee you’ll see it posted here.

I went in to visit Idina’s promotional team at Warner Brothers Records today, and a lot can be expected within the next month or so! They’re really kicking it into high-gear, reaching out to the fans and getting the world ready for all things Idina.

So far, the iLike Facebook application and the Imeem site are the only ones currently set up by the promo team, but more will come soon, including a YouTube channel, MySpace, and the new IdinaMenzel.com. When all of those pages are launched, I’ll post about them here and make a list on the Links page.

Also, I got a sneak-peek at some of the promo images for “I Stand”‘s cover art while at WBR, and all I can say is: WOW!

The first HQ images from Idina’s Warner Brothers Records photoshoot for her upcoming album have surfaced online. I’m trying to get some more official information about publicity, so I hope to have that soon for you all. Check out these 3 beautiful new pics by clicking on the thumbnails below.

The promotional video that was shown at Idina’s recent Madison Square Garden concert can also be watched at the online site where these images were posted. So go take a look!

Also, I’ve been told that Idina plans to attend the November 17th Los Angeles film premiere for Enchanted at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theater. We should expect more promotions to begin soon!