VH1 and VH1 Classic Celebrate The Beatles with The Beatles Anthology Premiering in Three Installments August 26, September 2, and September 9 at 9PM*

VH1 and VH1 Classic Celebrate The Beatles with The Beatles Anthology Premiering in Three Installments August 26, September 2, and September 9 at 9PM*

VH1 Classic To Air 9 Days of Beatles Programming Starting September 1 with Classic Beatles' Documentaries, Concerts, and Films VH1 and VH1 Classic's Beatles Programming Marathons Support September 9 Debut of MTV Games' The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM)

NEW YORK, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 and VH1 Classic are kicking off a programming bonanza centered on one of the biggest-selling bands in pop culture history - The Beatles. The networks extensive and wide-ranging programming is airing in support of the highly anticipated launch of MTV Games' The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM) on September 9.

The 3-week-long programming block begins with the airing of "The Beatles Anthology," the comprehensive documentary series focused on the history of the "Fab Four." "The Beatles Anthology" simulcasts on VH1 and VH1 Classic on Wednesday, August 26, Wednesday, September 2, and Wednesday, September 9 at 9PM*. Then beginning Tuesday, September 1, VH1 Classic goes into full gear with "9 Days of Beatles" featuring classic Beatles' documentaries, concerts and films.

Footage from "The Beatles Anthology" documentary was compiled from interviews, studio sessions, films, and home videos, with production taking place over the course of five years. From their childhood in England to the band's eventual breakup, this in-depth documentary takes a look into the careers of four of the greatest musicians to grace the stage. Directed by Geoff Wonfor and Bob Smeaton, this Emmy-nominated film follows John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr around the world as they share their stories. Fans will have an opportunity to see and hear some of their favorite Beatles performances as well as rarely seen footage.

All You Need Is. . .. "9 Days of The Beatles" on VH1 Classic

In addition to the Anthology, VH1 Classic will be airing an unprecedented "9 Days of The Beatles" programming. Select programming is highlighted below. For a full schedule visit VH1Classic.com.

On Tuesday, September 1 at 8PM* "9 Days of The Beatles" kicks off with "The Beatles Retrospective" hosted by Mark Goodman. Take a stroll down memory lane as VH1 Classic takes you through The Beatles' catalogue of amazing videos with "She Loves You/I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "You're Gonna Lose That Girl," "Penny Lane," "Revolution," "When I'm 64," "I Am The Walrus" and "Hey Bulldog."

Following on Tuesday, September 1 at 9 PM*, VH1 Classic will premiere the classic Beatles movie "Help!" which showcases The Beatles in a plot that revolves around Ringo's possession of a sacrificial ring, which he cannot remove from his finger. Songs included in the film are "Help!" "Another Girl" and "Ticket to Ride."

"The Beatles Anthology 2" airs on Wednesday, September 2 at 9PM* and is simulcast on VH1. This anthology takes viewers through the harrowing tour of "Hard Day's Night" and into the frenzy of Beatlemania. From performances at Shea Stadium in New York City to receiving medals from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in London to meeting and hanging out with Elvis, the "Fab Four" are seen at the height of their fame. The anthology continues with behind-the-scenes footage of Rubber Soul and takes viewers through one of the group's most prolific albums, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The documentary also follows the band through their classic "Strawberry Fields" and into the summer of love as Timothy Leary called his "avatars" to sing the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" during the first world satellite television program.

"A Hard Day's Night" premieres on Thursday, September 3 at 9PM*. This Academy-Award nominated film offers fans a typical day in the life of a Beatle. Songs: "I'll Cry Instead," " A Hard Day's Night," " I Should've Known Better," "Can't Buy Me Love," "If I Fell," "And I Love Her," "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You," "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)," "Tell Me Why." "Don't Bother Me," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "All My Loving'" and "She Loves You."

"The Making of Sgt. Pepper" premieres on Friday, September 4 at 9PM*. This documentary celebrates the classic album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and features outtakes and interviews from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, George Martin, Brian Wilson, Phil Collins and more.

Later that evening, "Paul McCartney: St. Petersburg Live" premieres on Friday, September 4 at 11PM*. This special documentary story of Paul's historic visit to Russian 2003, marking the first time McCartney set foot on Russian soil. Songs include: "Hey Jude" "Yesterday" and "Let It Be," and "Back in the U.S.S.R."

On Saturday, September 5 at 11PM* VH1 Classic will air "John Lennon Live in NYC." In his last full-length concert, John Lennon delivers some classic performances of songs "Instant Karma," "Come Together" "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance" among others.

On Sunday, September 6 at 5PM* VH1 Classic celebrates John Lennon's legacy with the 1998 documentary "Imagine: John Lennon." The self-narrated documentary presents a wealth of Lennon footage and bridges his two musical phases - as a member of The Beatles and as a solo artist - together and presents a career-spanning collection of Lennon's many musical highlights. In addition there are a couple of heretofore unreleased recordings: an acoustic demo of "Real Love" taped in 1979 (an alternate recording of which would be finished by The Beatles for 1996' s Anthology 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthology_2) and a rehearsal take of "Imagine" in mid-1971 before the final take was captured.

Two special concerts highlight the Beatles' legacies on Monday, September 7. "The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited," airs at 8PM* and follows the 1971 landmark benefit concert that brought together an extraordinary ensemble of major artists collaborating to raise money for UNICEF to help the people of Bangladesh after the Bhloa Cyclone and Liberation War ravished the country. George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and more held the sold out concert on August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden. Next premiering at 9PM* is "The Concert for George." On November 29, 2002, one year after George Harrison's death, his many friends gathered to celebrate his life by playing his music, including artists Eric Clapton, Jools Holand, Jeff Lynne, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Billy Preston, and Ringo Starr.

The Beatles week on VH1 Classic continues with "Storytellers: Ringo Starr" on Tuesday, September 8 at 8:30PM*. Taped in front of a live studio audience in 1998 before the release of his album "Vertical Man," Ringo devotes his set to the stories behind some of his solo successes including, "Back off Boogaloo" and "It Don't Come Easy" and The Beatles hits including "Love Me Do," "With A Little Help from My Friends" and "Don't Pass Me By."

"9 Days of The Beatles" programming comes to a close with "The Beatles Anthology 3" which premieres on Wednesday, September 9 at 9PM* and is simulcast with VH1. Having already found fame and international success The Beatles form their new recording company, Apple Corp and release a new string of hit albums including, The White Album, Yellow Submarine, and finally one of their quintessential best, Abbey Road.

MTV Games' The Beatles(TM): Rock Band(TM)

The Beatles have sold more than 600 million albums internationally; in the U.S., they have had more number one singles (20) on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart than any other music artist in history, as well as 15 number one albums. This anthology depicts the music, mayhem, and the men behind one of the biggest music phenomenon in music history.

The Beatles: Rock Band gives fans the chance to experience for themselves The Beatles' extraordinary catalogue of music for the first time via a gameplay journey. From the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal, final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop, fans can follow in The Beatles' footsteps as they traverse the globe during the height of Beatlemania.

Additionally, for the first time in a music videogame, The Beatles: Rock Band introduces three-part vocal harmonies, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal styling of The Beatles. Beatles fans will also be thrilled to hear previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago. Of The Beatles' epic catalogue, 45 songs will be available on-disc. In addition, the entire Abbey Road album will be available for future download purchase, as will additional music from The Beatles' catalogue.

In conjunction with the release of the entire, original, digitally re-mastered Beatles CD catalogue, The Beatles: Rock Band will be available Sept. 9, 2009, simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), and the Wii(TM) system from Nintendo. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band(TM) instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero and other authorized third-party music video game peripherals and microphones.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Harrisongs Ltd and Startling Music Ltd has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive videogame format.

The Beatles: Rock Band is published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) will serve as distribution partner for the game. Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, has also provided his expertise, serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking project

About Apple Corps. Ltd.

Apple Corps Ltd. was founded by The Beatles in 1968 to look after the group's own affairs. The London-based company has administered the catalogue of The Beatles releases of the 1960s that have sold to date more than 600 million records, tapes and CDs. Since the 1990s, Apple has piloted new Beatles projects that have become benchmarks for pioneering accomplishment and which have included The Beatles Anthology projects, the 28-million selling album The Beatles 1 and The Beatles LOVE show and CD. Further information on The Beatles' projects can be found at www.thebeatles.com.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, LOGO, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, Addicting Games, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Aton, GameTrailers and Xfire.

About MTV Games

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of ground-breaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit: www.harmonixmusic.com.

About Electronic Arts Inc.

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA(TM), EA SPORTS(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com/.

2009 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harmonix, Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., an MTV Networks company. Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and The Beatles: Rock Band are developed by Harmonix Music Systems, inc. MTV: Music Television, MTV Games and all related titles and logos are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Guitar Hero is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PlayStation" "PLAYSTATION" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

'Hofner and the design of the Hofner bass guitar are the trademarks of KARL HOFNER GmbH & Co. KG, Germany. All rights reserved. Ludwig is a registered trademark of Conn-Selmer, Inc. Rickenbacker, the Triangular Name Crescent Design, and logotypes are among the trademarks and service marks in the United States and other countries of Rickenbacker International Corporation.

GRETSCH, BIGSBY, and DUO JET are the trademarks of Fred W. Gretsch Enterprises, Ltd. and used herein under license. All rights reserved.

The photo of The Beatles from "A Hard Day's Night" is part of the private collection of, and appears courtesy of, Mr. Bruce A. Karsh.

About VH1 Classic

Launched in May 2000, VH1 Classic is a 24-hour network that presents videos, concerts and music specials featuring the best of rock, soul and pop from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Featured artists include The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Madonna, and U2. Learn more at VH1Classic.com

About VH1

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, and exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

   * All times ET/PT     Contact:   Erica Cantwell                         Nyle Washington   Erica.Cantwell@vh1.com                 Nyle.Washington@vh1.com   (212) 846-3683                         (212) 846-5576    For MTV Games:   Jeff Castaneda                         Mariana Agathoklis   Jeff.Castaneda@mtvstaff.com            Mariana.Agathoklis@mtvstaff.com   (212)846-6774                          (212) 846-5755  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Erica Cantwell, +1-212-846-3683, Erica.Cantwell@vh1.com, or
Nyle Washington, +1-212-846-5576, Nyle.Washington@vh1.com; or For MTV Games:
Jeff Castaneda, +1-212-846-6774, Jeff.Castaneda@mtvstaff.com, or Mariana
Agathoklis, +1-212-846-5755, Mariana.Agathoklis@mtvstaff.com

Web Site: http://www.vh1.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment