Universal Pictures and LiveDigital Announce the Winner of 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' Online Showoff Event

Universal Pictures and LiveDigital Announce the Winner of 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' Online Showoff Event

As Car Culture 'Peels Out' Online, LiveDigital Community Votes Vergel's Toyota Celica The Most 'Tricked Out' Ride

LOS ANGELES, June 13 /PRNewswire/ -- After dozens of videos and thousands of votes in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" Online Showoff, the smoke has cleared at LiveDigital and one tuner has risen above the rest. Vergel Oriel's tricked out 2002 Toyota Celica sped away with hundreds of votes from the online car community to win a cool $1,000 and a private screening of Universal Pictures' upcoming summer high-octane action film "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," in theaters June 16, 2006.

"It's an amazing feeling to get this kind of positive feedback and recognition from people across the country, with my video getting more than 10,000 hits. I've put so much time and effort into making my car the fastest and the hottest," said Vergel. My favorite parts of the car are my 19" racing wheels and the interior, done up with a fiberglass two-tone and Bride seats with Takata harnesses. I can't wait to get my hands on that grand and have a private screening in my hometown with 100 of my friends. Thanks LiveDigital - - see you on the streets."

Hosted by RJ DeVera, of MTV's "Trick It Out" and longtime import car model Kaila Yu, the event attracted the attention of import car owners and underground racers the world over. Powered by LiveDigital's powerful multimedia platform, tuners and automotive experts were given the opportunity to broadcast their rides to the world.

"It was absolutely remarkable to witness car owners and customizers worldwide participate in this event, upload their videos and get involved in a big way," said LiveDigital CEO Lawrence Ng. "We have given car culture an online home and appealed to a unique community that has a distinct interest in the release of 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.'"

"We're pleased with the response that the Online Showoff generated with LiveDigital's audience and congratulate Vergel on his victory," commented Doug Neil, Senior Vice President, Digital Marketing, Universal Pictures.

The third installment in "The Fast and the Furious" series takes viewers to the streets of Tokyo and the colorful underground world of drift racing. The trailer and film profile can be viewed at http://fftd.livedigital.com/. Fans of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise can still log on to LiveDigital to take a look at all the cars that were entered into "The Fast and the Furious" Online Showoff at http://livedigital.com/events/onlineshowoff.

About "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"

From the producer of the worldwide blockbuster hits "The Fast and the Furious" and its sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," comes the latest installment of the adrenaline-inducing series built on speed -- "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift." Set in the sexy and colorful underground world of Japanese drift racing, the newest and fastest customized rides go head-to-head on some of the most perilous courses in the world.

Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is an outsider who attempts to define himself as a hot-headed, underdog street racer. Although racing provides a temporary escape from an unhappy home and the superficial world around him, it has also made Sean unpopular with the local authorities. To avoid jail time, Sean is sent to live with his gruff, estranged father, a career military-man stationed in Tokyo.

Now officially a "gaijin" (outsider), Sean feels even more shut out in a land of foreign customs and codes of honor. But it doesn't take long for him to find some action when a fellow American buddy, Twinkie (Bow Wow), introduces him to the underground world of drift racing. Sean's simple drag racing gets replaced by a rubber-burning, automotive art form -- with an exhilarating balance of speeding and gliding through a heart-stopping course of hairpin turns and switchbacks.

On his first time out drifting, Sean unknowingly takes on D.K., the "Drift King" (Brian Tee), a local champ with ties to the Japanese crime machine Yakuza. Sean's loss comes at a high price tag when he's forced to work off the debt under the thumb of ex-pat, Han (Sung Kang). Han soon welcomes Sean into this family of misfits and introduces him to the real principles of drifting. But when Sean falls for D.K.'s girlfriend, Neela (newcomer Nathalie Kelley), an explosive series of events is set into motion, climaxing with an ultimate high stakes face off.

"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" is directed by Justin Lin ("Better Luck Tomorrow," "Annapolis") and written by Chris Morgan ("Cellular"). The film is produced by Neal H. Moritz ("xXx," "S.W.A.T.") and executive produced by Clayton Townsend ("The Skeleton Key," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"). www.thefastandthefurious.com

About LiveDigital

LiveDigital's comprehensive multimedia platform, tightly integrated set of publishing, communication and networking features support and enable the social web like never before. Users can engage, create, and share their personalized content online in a multitude of ways for a more meaningful experience. For more information, visit http://www.livedigital.com/.

About Oversee.net

Oversee.net is a technology-driven media company. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Company has over 150 employees and offices in Northern California and New York. The Company has been growing profitably since inception. To learn more, visit http://www.oversee.net/.

About Universal Pictures

NBC Universal is 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, 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 and 20% owned by Vivendi.

Source: LiveDigital

CONTACT: Will Ostedt, wostedt@ppmgcorp.com, or Landon Cowan,
lcowan@ppmgcorp.com, both of The Pollack PR Marketing Group, +1-310-556-4443,
for LiveDigital

Web site: http://www.livedigital.com/
http://www.oversee.net/
http://www.thefastandthefurious.com/
http://fftd.livedigital.com/
http://livedigital.com/events/onlineshowoff

-------
Profile: intent