KEYSHIA COLE and VOICES OF UNITY YOUTH CHOIR To Perform National Anthem During 'NFL Opening Kickoff 2007 Presented By Sprint' Before Saints-Colts Game

KEYSHIA COLE and VOICES OF UNITY YOUTH CHOIR To Perform National Anthem During 'NFL Opening Kickoff 2007 Presented By Sprint' Before Saints-Colts Game

Anthem Follows Live Performance by JOHN MELLENCAMP in RCA Dome Thursday, September 6 on NBC

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock & Roll, R&B and gospel soul will fill the RCA Dome during the "NFL OPENING KICKOFF 2007 PRESENTED BY SPRINT" on Thursday, September 6.

Award-winning R&B singer-songwriter KEYSHIA COLE will be joined by Ft. Wayne, Indiana's VOICES OF UNITY YOUTH CHOIR in singing the National Anthem to kick off the 2007 NFL season. Indiana legend JOHN MELLENCAMP will celebrate his Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts with a live performance.

As part of the show, the anthem and the celebratory moment will be televised live from 8-8:30 PM ET on NBC and the NFL Network and leads into the season opener between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints (NBC, Westwood One Radio Sports, 8:30 PM ET). For the first time, the live pregame broadcast will also be available via NFL Mobile on Sprint's wireless service to Power Vision pack subscribers with multimedia enabled phones.

The performances are part of the celebration to kick off the 2007 season and to honor the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts and the city of Indianapolis.

Cole is an award-winning and chart-topping R&B artist producing five #1 songs in a span of two years, including collaborations with Diddy and Sean Paul. The follow-up to Cole's platinum selling debut album, "Just Like You," is due for release on September 25th.

VOICES OF UNITY YOUTH CHOIR most recently visited the RCA Dome in November 2006 when they sang the national anthem in front of a sold-out crowd and national television audience. The Voices of Unity Youth Choir is the youth choral program of Unity Performing Arts Foundation, the first phase of a multi-faceted artistic vision that includes vocal music, dance, drama, oratory, creative writing and instrumental music. It is comprised of young people ages 9 through 20 from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.

As previously announced, FAITH HILL, KELLY CLARKSON and HINDER will perform during a free concert open to the public at Monument Circle parts of which will air live during the special pregame show.

This is the fourth consecutive year the NFL has saluted the Super Bowl champions with the opening game in their stadium on a Thursday in primetime.

NFL OPENING KICKOFF 2007 is an NFL NETWORK PRODUCTION and will be executive produced and directed by WHITE CHERRY ENTERTAINMENT and DON MISCHER PRODUCTIONS, the producers of the Super Bowl pregame and halftime shows.

In addition to presenting sponsor Sprint, top tier sponsors for the NFL's kickoff platform include Coors Light, Diet Pepsi MAX, EA Sports and GMC.

HISTORY OF NFL OPENING KICKOFF EVENTS

DATE LOCATION NETWORK TALENT GAME
9/5/2002 Times Square, CBS, Bon Jovi, Enrique San Francisco at
New York MTV, Iglesias, Alicia NY Giants (ESPN)
VH1 and Keys, Eve, Cast of
ESPN Broadway musical
Rent with Joey
Fatone of NSYNC

9/4/2003 The National ABC Aerosmith, Mary J. NY Jets at
Mall, Blige, Aretha Washington (ESPN)
Washington, DC Franklin, Britney
Spears, Good
Charlotte

9/9/2004 Gillette ABC Boston Pops, Mary Indianapolis at
Stadium, New J. Blige, New England (ABC)
England/ Destiny's Child,
Metropolitan Park, Elton John, Toby
Jacksonville Keith, Lenny
Kravitz (NE);
Jessica Simpson
(Jax.)

9/8/2005 Gillette ABC Green Day, Oakland at New
Stadium, New Santana, Michelle England (ABC)
England/ Branch, Ozzy
Los Angeles Osbourne, Trisha
Coliseum, Yearwood (NE);
LA/Detroit Kanye West, Maroon
5, Good Charlotte
Rihanna (LA);
Rolling Stones
(taped from
Detroit)

9/7/2006 Heinz Field, NBC Rascal Flatts, Miami at
Pittsburgh/Miami Martina McBride Pittsburgh (NBC)
(Pitt.); Diddy,
Cassie, Yung Joc,
Tego Calderon
(Miami)

9/6/2007 RCA Dome, NBC, John Mellencamp, New Orleans at
Indianapolis NFLN Faith Hill, Kelly Indianapolis(NBC)
Clarkson, Hinder,
Keyshia Cole,
Voices of Unity
Youth Choir

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: brenda.reynoso@umusic.com

Source: Geffen Records

CONTACT: Brian McCarthy for NFL, +1-212-450-2069, mccarthyb@nfl.com; or
Mike McCarley, +1-212-664-5528, mike.mccarley@nbcuni.com, or Brian Walker,
+1-212-664-5533, both for NBC; or Dave Mellin for SPRINT, +1-303-498-0078,
dave.mellin@sprint.com; or Bob Merlis for MELLENCAMP, +1-323-962-6887,
bobmerlis@bobmerlis.com; or Tresa Sanders, +1-212-841-8272,
Tresa.Sanders@umusic.com, or Jim Merlis, +1-310-865-0570,
Jim.Merlis@umusic.com, both for KEYSHIA COLE; or Marshall White for VOICES OF
UNITY YOUTH CHOIR, +1-260-482-6899, upaf2000@aol.com

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