Jesse McCartney and Monica to Perform at Sept. 8th 'Get Schooled' Launch

Jesse McCartney and Monica to Perform at Sept. 8th 'Get Schooled' Launch

Concert and Block Party for Los Angeles-area Students, Celebrities and Guests Conclude Day-long Kick-off of National Education Initiative at Paramount Pictures Lot

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE:and) (NYSE:VIA.B) today announced that multi-platinum recording artist Jesse McCartney and Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Monica will perform in a live concert on Tuesday, Sept. 8 as part of the kick-off event for Get Schooled. The national initiative, co-developed by Viacom and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to engage students, families and community members in efforts to improve America's public education system and encourage more young people to complete their education. The performances by Monica and McCartney wrap-up a day of activities on the Paramount Pictures lot that unite community and business leaders with the entertainment industry, in efforts to secure young people's future through education.

Get Schooled is also supported by corporate partners AT&T, Capital One Financial Corporation, and NYSE Euronext, which have signed on to the initiative in order to promote education reform efforts and develop innovative ways of engaging communities and supporting students.

The block party and concert on Sept. 8 will include more than 400 Los Angeles-area public school students, parents, teachers and school administrators as well as various special guests and celebrities.

"My understanding and love for music began in a music class in elementary school and was nurtured over the many years of my academic career. Get Schooled is a resource that gets students and communities involved in the education program so students can continue to find their passions, as I did mine. It's an honor to be participating in this event that continues to motivate students to discover what they love," said Jesse McCartney.

Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist Monica, who makes her reality television debut with "Monica: Still Standing" on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 10 p.m./ET on BET, added, "Many kids still believe that success comes just from raw talent. That just isn't true. A good education opens doors to possibilities you many not be able to imagine today. Get Schooled is a program that is there to help and I'm happy to be involved."

As previously announced, the day's activities also include a conference focused on current education challenges in America emceed by Stephen Colbert, of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. The conference will include presentations by Bill Gates, Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, author and political columnist Arianna Huffington, New York City Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein and Los Angeles area high school athletic director Stephen Minix.

The event will also include the world premiere of Get Schooled: You Have the Right, a special documentary which highlights the education stories of three successful professionals who work alongside President Barack Obama, pop superstar Kelly Clarkson and 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James. The program highlights the education challenges, life choices and breakthroughs experienced by President Obama's speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, Clarkson's music director Jason Halbert and James' sports marketing executive Latesha Williams. The documentary special will be aired in the first programming "roadblock" of its kind across all Viacom networks, including BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land and Nickelodeon. Cable partners for the television premiere of Get Schooled: You Have the Right include Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks.

ABOUT GET SCHOOLED

Get Schooled is a national program that connects, inspires and mobilizes people -- from policymakers and corporate leaders to communities and kids -- to find effective solutions to the problems facing our education system. It provides resources and information, community outreach and creative programming that engage a range of audiences to address America's education crisis. Get Schooled's co-developers are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom, including BET Networks, MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures. The initiative combines the Foundation's deep knowledge of education reform with the power of Viacom's diverse brands to raise awareness about the challenges facing America's public education system and provide information and solutions for students and their families.

To find out more about Get Schooled and the initiative's groundbreaking national television premiere on Sept. 8, visit www.getschooled.com.

   Media Contacts:    Brunswick Group   Maria Figueroa Kupcu       Katie Foley   (212) 333-3810             (212) 333-3810   mkupcu@brunswickgroup.com  kfoley@brunswickgroup.com    Viacom                     Paramount Pictures   Jeremy Zweig               Patti Rockenwagner   (212) 846-7503             (323) 956-5011   jeremy.zweig@viacom.com    patricia_rockenwagner@paramount.com    Gates Foundation   media@gatesfoundation.org  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: kfoley@brunswickgroup.com

Source: Viacom Inc.

CONTACT: Maria Figueroa Kupcu, mkupcu@brunswickgroup.com, or Katie
Foley, kfoley@brunswickgroup.com, both of Brunswick Group, +1-212-333-3810; or
Jeremy Zweig of Viacom, +1-212-846-7503, jeremy.zweig@viacom.com; or Patti
Rockenwagner of Paramount Pictures, +1-323-956-5011,
patricia_rockenwagner@paramount.com; or the Gates Foundation,
media@gatesfoundation.org

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

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Profile: International Entertainment