'MTV News Presents: After the Tsunami' & Special Edition of 'Total Request Live' Premiere February 3rd, Along With 'MTV Asia Aid' Benefit Concert

'MTV News Presents: After the Tsunami' & Special Edition of 'Total Request Live' Premiere February 3rd, Along With 'MTV Asia Aid' Benefit Concert MTV.com to Host Online Auction to Benefit Relief Efforts, Featuring Items From Jennifer Lopez, Snoop Dogg, Destiny's Child, Gwen Stefani, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Tom Hanks, and More, as Well as Tickets to 2005 Video Music Awards & MTV Movie Awards NEW YORK, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV: Music Television today announced it will air an MTV News special to help continue to raise awareness of the tragedy in Southeast Asia and empower its audience to support fund-raising efforts worldwide. MTV NEWS PRESENTS: AFTER THE TSUNAMI will follow a special edition of "Total Request Live" dedicated to tsunami relief. In addition, on February 3 at 9 a.m. MTV2 will simulcast MTV ASIA AID, a benefit concert taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, and produced by MTV International; MTV will air an edited version on February 4 at 8 p.m. mtvU, MTV's college network, will simulcast MTV NEWS PRESENTS: AFTER THE TSUNAMI at 6 p.m. on February 3, and also air an edited version of the MTV Asia Aid benefit concert on February 7 at. 7 p.m. "This is the biggest natural disaster that this generation has ever witnessed," commented Dave Sirulnick, EVP of MTV News & Production. "In addition to showing the terrible impact of the tsunami, we also want to share with our audience the inspiring stories of young people who are helping with the relief efforts -- as well as the untold stories of hope amidst the sadness. We are eager to give our viewers a community where they can learn more about the tsunami and how it is affecting other young people around the world." MTV NEWS PRESENTS: AFTER THE TSUNAMI, premiering February 3rd at 6 p.m. ET/PT, features a powerful look at the impact of the tsunami in the affected areas, especially on young people. MTV News correspondent Gideon Yago travels with the U.S. Navy, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, as they undertake aid missions off the coast of Indonesia and assess the scope of the tsunami's damage. Gideon travels through Banda Aceh with tsunami survivors, as they return to what used to be their villages for the first time. MTV News' SuChin Pak travels to Thailand and surveys the tsunami damage in the resort town of Phuket and on the remote Phi Phi Islands. She also visits a camp where doctors from around the world are trying to match victim's DNA records with the many thousands of bodies yet to be identified, and also tours a refugee camp that over 2,000 men, women and children now call home. MTV UK News reporter Tim Kash travels to his native land of Sri Lanka to find out how people there are coping. Tim witnesses the mass devastation at the site of a train crash where 1,600 people perished, and ultimately realizes that his people are resilient and determined to come back from this tragedy. And MTV India VJ Cyrus Broacha travels from his home in the capital city of Mumbai to a remote South Indian fishing village devastated by the tsunami. Along the way he befriends a boy who lost his mother in the disaster, and spends time with some of the young volunteers who are helping the children try to return to normal lives. The February 3rd edition of TRL (5 pm ET/PT), which is the cornerstone of the network's afternoon programming block, will be dedicated to helping raise funds for tsunami relief and awareness of the continued strife in Southeast Asia. Hosted by Carson Daly, the show will feature young people who have volunteered in relief efforts; MTV News reports about the crisis from Gideon Yago and SuChin Pak; a special appearance by Sharon Osbourne, who will discuss the single she is producing with Simon Cowell to benefit tsunami relief; and information on ways that viewers can help support relief efforts. The MTV Store will also offer fans the chance to get their names included on the TRL ticker during the show, or on "MTV 44 1/2," the world's largest HDTV screen which resides in Times Square, by making a donation to Save the Children between now and February 1 at the the MTV Store in NYC (1515 Broadway, at 44th and Broadway). In addition, the show will mark the official launch of an MTV.com auction of celebrity-signed items, with proceeds benefiting UNICEF. The auction will end on February 13. Some of the items up for auction include: autographed guitars from Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Maroon 5, Yellowcard, and 3 Doors Down; 2 tickets to an exclusive MTV party with 50 Cent; tickets to the 2005 Video Music Awards, 2005 Movie Awards, and Total Request Live; signed posters, photos, and/or CDs from Jennifer Lopez, Destiny's Child, Tom Hanks, 50 Cent, Hilary Duff, The Hives, Kelly Clarkson, Mario, and NBA superstar Yao Ming; a WRFF Snoop Dogg Limited Edition scooter bike; a framed poster of Gwen Stefani's album cover, signed by Gwen herself; a set visit and walk-on appearance for the WB series "One Tree Hill"; a pair of tickets to the Hollywood premiere screening and after party of Keanu Reeves' latest film, CONSTANTINE; and other items from Alicia Keys, Missy Elliott, Simple Plan, Linkin Park, T.I., and others. In addition, the auction will offer the "TRL Wall of Fame," an actual piece of wall from the TRL studio that has been signed by nearly 100 of the biggest names in music, movies, and TV, including Destiny's Child, P. Diddy, Jude Law, Xzibit, Carmen Electra, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Simpson, Eminem, Jim Carrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Aguilera, Queen Latifah and many more. Details on the auction can be found at MTV.com. MTV ASIA AID, a worldwide television special and concert to benefit UNICEF featuring live performances from Good Charlotte, Kelly Clarkson, Hoobastank and Simple Plan, will premiere on MTV2 in the U.S. on February 3 at 9 a.m. and an edited version will premiere on MTV on February 4 at 8 p.m. Taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, the show will also include a pre-recorded performance from Jennifer Lopez and specially taped messages from Sting, 50 Cent, Ricky Martin, Nelly, Green Day, Moby, and Ronan Keating. Other plans include: * mtvU will air PSA's about tsunami relief efforts. In addition, mtvU is featuring VJ segments that promote their special tsunami resource on mtvu.com, where students can find information on relief efforts and how they can volunteer or contribute. * MTV, in partnership with Youth Venture, is awarding Tsunami Response Grants of up to $1000 each to teams of young people who have creative projects designed to help people affected by the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia and Africa. Applications and more information will be available starting February 3 on mtv.com. * MTVNews.com will promote its feature "What You Can Do To Help," which will continue to be updated, and will be producing a companion feature to the MTV News special, with diaries from the producers from the trips to Southeast Asia and photos of what they saw in India, Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. MTVNews.com will also be promoting and linking to the benefit auction. * Throughout January and February, MTV is airing public service announcements encouraging viewers to log onto MTV.com to learn more about how they can help tsunami victims. MTV Networks owns and operates the cable television programming services MTV: Music Television, MTV2, mtvU, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, TV Land, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, and Spike TV, as well as The Digital Suite from MTV Networks, a package of thirteen digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also operates and offers joint ventures, licensing agreements and syndication deals whereby its programming can be seen worldwide. Source: MTV/MTV News CONTACT: Janine Iamunno, MTV Communications, +1-212-846-6992, Ariana Urbont, MTV Networks, +1-310-752-8079 ------- Profile: International Entertainment