Grammy(R)-Nominated Singer & Actress Christina Milian Captains a Talented Young Squad in 'Bring It On: Fight to the Finish'

Grammy(R)-Nominated Singer & Actress Christina Milian Captains a Talented Young Squad in 'Bring It On: Fight to the Finish'

FEATURING CHART TOPPING MUSIC, HOT STARS AND ROMANCE THE ALL-NEW CHEER-VENTURE TAKES ON FIERY NEW SPIRIT AS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY WRAPS ON THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF THE MEGA-HIT FRANCHISE

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- "Bring It On: Fight to the Finish," the highly anticipated, all-new installment of the popular film franchise about status and rivalry in the cheerleading world, recently completed principal photography in the Los Angeles area. Presented by Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions and Beacon Pictures, the latest film from the wildly successful series of DVD Originals(TM) stars Grammy(R)-nominated recording star and actress Christina Milian and is directed by Bille Woodruff ("Honey," "Beauty Shop"), one of the industry's most sought after film and music video directors, who brings a fresh new perspective to the franchise. "Bring It On: Fight to the Finish" is slated for release in late summer 2009 exclusively on DVD.

Sizzling young stars, hot new music, daring athletics with fierce competition and just a dash of romance have made the "Bring It On" movies an enduring worldwide phenomenon. With the unprecedented success of the previous installments, the franchise continues to be one of the marquee film franchises at the center of Universal's DVD Original(TM) strategy to aggressively produce superior family-branded fare for the explosive made-for-DVD market.

"There's a tremendous appetite out there for well-made, high-energy, dance-oriented movies and this fills that bill," says Glenn Ross, Executive Vice President - Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions. "We've made it a priority to keep surprising fans of the franchise with fresh ideas, as well as bringing the hottest music, the latest dance moves and the brightest new stars to the screen. With extraordinary talent like Christina Milian and Bille Woodruff leading the way, we're confident "Bring It On: Fight to the Finish" will continue to build on the franchise's dominating popularity and runaway success."

Christina Milian is the latest in a string of hot young stars to headline the franchise which has included Kirstin Dunst (the Spiderman films), Hayden Panettiere ("Heroes"), Solange Knowles Smith ("Johnson Family Vacation"), Gabrielle Union ("Deliver Us from Eva"), recording star Rihanna and Eliza Dushku (star of the upcoming Joss Whedon series "Dollhouse"). A hit recording artist ("Dip it Low," "Say I") and actress ("Love Don't Cost a Thing," "Be Cool"), Milian also stars in the forthcoming film "The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," opposite Jennifer Garner and Matthew McConaughey.

Milian is joined by a cast of extremely talented newcomers including Rachele Smith, Cody Longo, Holland Roden, Nikki Soohoo, Meagan Holder, Vanessa Born and Gabrielle Dennis, as well as the popular Hispanic recording artists from the Prima Js. Shot entirely in the Los Angeles area, "Bring It On: Fight to the Finish" is directed by Bille Woodruff, who, in addition to directing popular films including "Beauty Shop" with Queen Latifah and "Honey," starring Jessica Alba, has helmed music videos for top artists including Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Prima J, Paula Deanda, Lil Wayne and Usher. The film is produced by David Brookwell ("Raise Your Voice," "That's So Raven"), Sean McNamara ("Bratz, Raise Your Voice") and David Buelow ("Into The Blue 2," Legally Blondes) and is executive produced by Charlie Lyons ("The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," "The Guardian") and Armyan Bernstein ("The Hurricane," "Air Force One"). It is written by "Bring It On: All or Nothing" and "Bring It On: In It to Win It" screenwriter Alyson Fouse ("Scary Movie 2," "Everybody Hates Chris") and Elena Song ("Bring It On: In It to Win It").

The film's first-rate production team includes director of photography David Claessen ("Diary Of A Mad Black Woman," "The Rosa Parks Story"), production designer Mark Zuelzke ("Glass House: The Good Mother," "Nearing Grace"), editor Richard Halsey ("Edward Scissorhands," "Down and Out in Beverly Hills"), costume designer Ruth Carter ("Malcolm X," "Amistad," "Do The Right Thing") and music supervisor Paul DiFranco ("Bring It On: All or Nothing," "Bring It On: In It to Win It"). Choreographer Tony Gonzalez ("Bring It On: All or Nothing," "Bring It On: In It to Win It") once more brings his winning combination of energy, acrobatics and sizzling dance moves to the screen, and serves as the film's associate producer.

SYNOPSIS:

In the all-new movie, "Bring It On: Fight to the Finish," East Los Angeles high school cheer squad captain Lina Cruz (Christina Milian) and her best friends Gloria (Vanessa Born) and Treyvonetta (Gabrielle Dennis), have high hopes of winning the Spirit Championships with the team's fiery fusion of Latin and hip-hop moves. Instead, Lina's world is turned upside down when her mother remarries and her family relocates to Malibu where she is forced to adjust to a new home, a new stepsister (Holland Roden) and a new school with a less-than-stellar cheer squad. Always ready for a challenge, Lina takes on the daunting task on transforming Malibu Vista High Sea Lions cheer squad into a championship team, but she will have to get past the award-winning Jaguar cheer squad and their captain, Avery (Rachele Smith). Lina's budding romance with Avery's brother Evan (Cody Longo) only intensifies the rivalry. With the stakes higher than ever before, Lina devises a bold plan that could blow the Jaguars right off of the competition floor and lead the Sea Lions to victory!

The Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions banner, which includes Universal Animation Studios, develops and produces live-action and animated family productions directly for the home entertainment and television markets. Among the group's portfolio of prized properties is "The Land Before Time," the most successful feature-length children's home entertainment franchise of all time, having earned more than one billion dollars worldwide to date. Since its formation in 2005, the group has built an exceptional slate of family fare, including the all new DVD Original release "Bring It On: In It to Win It," the latest winning installment in the hugely successful "Bring It On" film franchise; the highly popular action-adventure epic "Scorpion King 2: Rise of A Warrior;" the Daytime Emmy(R) winning "Curious George" television series on PBS KIDS; a string of Barbie movies, based on the world-renowned Mattel-branded doll; and the forthcoming frolicking "Beethoven's Big Break," based on the beloved family franchise. Universal Studios Family Productions is part of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.

   CONTACTS: Universal Studios Home Entertainment   Michelle Slavich   Vice President, Publicity   (818) 777-5344   Michelle.Slavich@nbcuni.com  

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Source: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

CONTACT: Michelle Slavich, Vice President, Publicity of Universal
Studios Home Entertainment, +1-818-777-5344, Michelle.Slavich@nbcuni.com

Web Site: http://www.universalstudios.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment