Touchstone Pictures Gives MySpace Members the Chance to 'STEP UP' to a Once-in-a-Lifetime Movie and Music Video Role

Touchstone Pictures Gives MySpace Members the Chance to 'STEP UP' to a Once-in-a-Lifetime Movie and Music Video Role

The Studio's First-of-Its-Kind Contest Takes MySpace Members Across America by Storm

LOS ANGELES, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of reality show phenomena, Touchstone Pictures is giving members of MySpace, the leading Internet lifestyle portal, the opportunity to be part of the movie STEP UP and perform in a music video for the movie with multi-platinum, pop sensation recording artist Ciara.

Five dancers have been selected on MySpace by movie fans nationwide, and will be traveling to Los Angeles to perform in Ciara's upcoming music video "Get Up" that will be featured in the film and on the STEP UP soundtrack. The five winners were announced yesterday, and can be viewed -- along with all twenty finalists -- on the STEP UP MySpace profile (www.myspace.com/StepUpMovie ).

The multi-month long contest began in mid-May, when MySpace members were invited to join the STEP UP MySpace profile and record themselves dancing to a demo track from the film's soundtrack. Hundreds of entries were received within two weeks from MySpace users across the country, from individual performances to duets, to choreographed group submissions.

"It's a special opportunity to give the public a chance to own a piece of the film. The MySpace contest -- like the movie STEP UP -- is all about believing in yourself, pursuing your dreams and making a difference in other people's lives," said Jack Pan, Vice President of Marketing at Buena Vista Pictures Marketing. "We wanted to reach out to the movie's core audience and give them the chance to make their dreams come true, as long as they stepped up with the goods."

The film's stars -- Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan -- along with director Anne Fletcher and international superstar Ciara, judged the submissions and selected twenty finalists on the basis of creativity, capability and charisma. Movie fans everywhere had an opportunity to visit the STEP UP MySpace profile to vote for the five winners they believe deserve to perform with Ciara.

In addition to a chance to perform in the music video, a number of entries will appear in the film's end credits, allowing selected participants to see his or her audition tape in a movie theatre. "The idea that anybody can be a part of the movie, and share this priceless experience with his or her family and friends, is a perfect wish-fulfillment opportunity for aspiring dancers," said Jack Pan. "There's no better payoff than to be surprised at the end of the movie with your own audition tape."

"This is a great example of an advertiser leveraging the MySpace network at every level. From the incorporation of user generated content directly into the film to MySpace serving as the movie's official website, this effort showcases Disney's continued innovation that engages with the MySpace audience in a meaningful way," said Colin Digiaro, SVP of Sales for MySpace.

About STEP UP

Everyone deserves a chance to follow their dreams, but some people only get one shot. Tyler Gage (CHANNING TATUM) is a rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks -- and the only thing that stands between him and an unfulfilled life are his dreams of one day making it out of there. Nora (JENNA DEWAN) is a privileged ballet dancer attending Baltimore's ultra-elite Maryland School of the Arts -- and the only thing standing in the way of her obviously brilliant future is finding a great dance partner for her senior showcase. When trouble with the law lands Tyler with a community service gig at Maryland School of the Arts, he arrives as an angry outsider, until his skills as a gifted street dancer draw Nora's attention. Now, as sparks fly between them, both on and off stage, Tyler realizes he has just one performance to prove that he can step up to a life far larger than he ever imagined. Featuring the directorial debut of leading choreographer Anne Fletcher, the film also stars R&B superstar Mario, Drew Sidora as well as rap legend Heavy D.

Touchstone's Pictures' STEP UP is produced by Offspring Entertainment and Summit Entertainment, and directed by renowned choreographer Anne Fletcher, STEP UP opens in theatres nationwide on August 11, 2006.

About MySpace.com

MySpace, a unit of Fox Interactive Media Inc., is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering popular culture. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and member forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain in terms of page views*, MySpace.com is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind. With more than 80 million member profiles, MySpace is committed to providing the highest quality member experience and will continue to innovate with new features that allow its members to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off.

*Among the top 2000 domains comScore Media Metrix, April 2006. For more information on comScore Networks, please go to http://www.comscore.com/ .

Press Contact:

Dennis Rice for Buena Vista Pictures Marketing
dennis.rice@disney.com
818-560-5610

Dani Dudeck for MySpace
ddudeck@edelman.com
323-202-1890

Source: Touchstone Pictures

CONTACT: Dennis Rice of Buena Vista Pictures Marketing,
+1-818-560-5610, dennis.rice@disney.com; or Dani Dudeck, +1-323-202-1890,
ddudeck@edelman.com, for MySpace

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