His delight is so contagious that I instantly banish my suspicion that this improbable encounter has been staged by the wily publicists of Miramax, which is releasing "East Is East" here on Friday.
Sony, which is releasing Aloha, has yet to comment.
Sony Legacy Recordings, which is releasing Out Among the Stars, will remain on-side.
"It's a challenge," said Meyer Gottlieb, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films, which is releasing it in partnership with Sony.
The choir, which is releasing its third album, has maintained a relationship with the automaker since the commercial was produced.
"Unlike a lot of books, this audio is almost a different animal," said Jamie Raab, publisher of Grand Central Publishing, which is releasing the printed version on Tuesday.
But the company, which is releasing the machine with DirecTV and TiVo, is not merely dipping a toe in; it is aiming to make a splash.
Mr. Brann also leads the Ananda Project, which is releasing "Morning Light" (Nite Grooves/King Street Sound), an eclectic album rooted in jazzy house tracks, next month.
"It was taken down without any word given to us," said Ryan Werner, distribution chief for Wellspring Media, which is releasing the film.
