Andy Samberg to Host 2009 MTV Movie Awards Live on Sunday, May 31st From The Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California

16 Mar 2009 16:30 Africa/Lagos

Andy Samberg to Host 2009 MTV Movie Awards Live on Sunday, May 31st From The Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California

NEW YORK, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh off his record-breaking album Incredibad, SNL star Andy Samberg is set to host the eighteenth annual MTV MOVIE AWARDS, premiering LIVE on MTV, Sunday May 31st from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA. This is Samberg's first time hosting the awards show, while Emmy Award(R) winning producer Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) returns for the third year as executive producer. With the legendary golden popcorn up for grabs in such unconventional categories as "Best Kiss," "Best Villain," and "Best Action Sequence," the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS promises more over-the-top moments and stand-out musical performances.


"Andy's connection with the MTV audience is so strong...it's electric," said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV. "The Lonely Island's digi-shorts are genius. We can't wait to see what subversive take he'll have on our audience's favorite movies of the year. We, like Andy's many fans, are thrilled he's decided to grace MTV with his unique talent."


"I'm super excited to host the movie awards," said Samberg. "I grew up watching the show and a lot of the past hosts are heroes of mine. Plus my friends and I were writers for the show prior to working at SNL, so it will be a sweet and satisfying homecoming. I can't wait to act really important."


Samberg joins the ranks of past hosts such as Ben Stiller, Jimmy Fallon, Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake to name a few. The celeb-filled event is MTV's bold nod to the typical awards shows celebrating the year's best in movies,. Hailed for clever, one-of-a-kind film parodies, sexy lip-locking moments (from the likes of Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen), and outrageous acceptance speeches (Mike Myers' ode to Austin Powers with a mojo-induced dance number), the MTV Movie Awards has produced some of the most unforgettable and outrageous moments in award show history.


Samberg, along with his Lonely Island partners Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, have recently released their first full-length album, "Incredibad," which was released by Universal Republic Records on Tuesday, February 10th. The album quickly became the first comedy album to hold the title as the top selling album on iTunes. "Incredibad" features favorites as well as new musical creations featuring a diverse arsenal of guest-artists including hip hop impresario T-Pain, Grammy(R)-winning superstar Norah Jones, The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, and comedic legend and Tenacious D-veteran, Jack Black. In addition, Samberg is currently starring in his fourth season as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live." Samberg, and SNL writers and sketch directors Schaffer and Taccone, are best known for their innovative SNL Digital Shorts which have re-invigorated the series. The trio's most praised shorts -- "D**k in a Box" and "J**z in My Pants" -- are currently reigning over Hulu.com, and are among the Top five selling videos on iTunes. The three have also served on the writing teams for two previous MTV MOVIE AWARDS.


With a diverse range of comedic talents, Samberg has emerged as a captivating and hilarious leading man in both television and film. Samberg starred in his feature debut in Hot Rod and will next be seen in I Love You Man for Paramount Pictures which will be released March 20, 2009. Additionally, Andy will lend his vocal talent in the upcoming film "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs. Prior to joining "Saturday Night Live," Samberg performed stand-up comedy in both New York and Los Angeles for seven years.


Nominees for the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS will be announced in the spring. The official 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS site launches on March 16. For more on MTV's ongoing movies coverage, check out http://www.mtv.com/movies/.


Mark Burnett serves as Executive Producer for the 2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS. Audrey Morrissey is Co-Executive Producer. Lee Rolontz is Executive Producer for MTV, Garrett English is Executive in charge for MTV and Jane Mun serves as Producer. Robin Reinhardt-Locke is Celebrity Talent Executive.


About MTV


MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24 hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched ten dynamic online communities and six new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space -- delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE: VIA.B) , one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in...www.mtvpress.com.


About Mark Burnett Productions


Mark Burnett is a leading executive producer for primetime television, cable and the internet, and has produced over 1,100 hours of television programming which regularly airs in over 70 countries around the world. Mark Burnett (President of MBP) revolutionized television with hits such as Survivor (CBS), The Apprentice (NBC), Rock Star (CBS), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (FOX), which is currently being produced in 52 countries, and the daytime syndicated hit Martha. In the summers of 2007 and 2008, MBP entered the world of Award Shows, when Mark Burnett served as executive producer for the MTV Movie Awards. Since 2001, Mark Burnett Productions has garnered a total of 51 Emmy nominations and Mark Burnett has 2 Emmy wins and has won 4 People's Choice Awards. Mark Burnett has been named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME magazine and named TV Guide's most valuable player. He has won both BRANDWEEK'S Marketer of the Year Award and the prestigious ROSE D'OR FRAPA Format Award. In 2007, Mark Burnett was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. In 2008, Mark was honored with the announcement that he is to receive a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.


Source: MTV

CONTACT: Stephanie Berman, MTV Press, +1-212-846-7175,
Stephanie.berman@mtvstaff.com; or For Andy Samberg, Carrie Byalick of IDPR,
+1-212-334-0333, CByalick@ID-PR.com


Web Site: MTV MOVIE AWARDS

Make A Better YOU in 2008 Natasha Talks Tips For Success

Natasha Darras

20 Dec 2007 11:20 Africa/Lagos


Make A Better YOU in 2008 Natasha Talks Tips For Success

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ --

People everywhere are making resolutions, says Natasha Darras, 17, a rising star on the high school golf circuit in southern California.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/AQTHFNS1)
For anyone, whose age ends in teen, Natasha offers these tips for 2008:

If you have a love life, evaluate it. Measure how happy you are and if your special person is good enough for you. Someone who is respectful, fun and thoughtful can make a big difference in your life. And if you add a dose of cute, well that counts a lot too.


Love life or not, Natasha recommends these great, safe places to meet people:


-- Concerts: Teens love them and you can meet people with similar
interests and tastes in music.

-- Paint ball fields and golf courses -- this is where the guys hang out.

-- Search Facebook or MySpace for cute
profile pictures of friends or people you just met.



Save a life. Sounds dramatic, yet bringing home an animal from your local shelter can help families bond and add a new dimension to your life.


Have a weekly dinner with your high school friends, same day, same time each week. Wednesdays are good because it makes the school week go quicker and weekends don't seem so far away.


Love your body. Instead of dieting, try simple things to feel better about yourself.


"When you are 40, you will see pictures of yourself now and be saying -- Gosh! I was hot! I cannot believe I was self-critical, when I was so beautiful," says Natasha.


Try these things to feel good about yourself:

-- Take a walk to a friends' house or just walk around your block.

-- Stop drinking soda. Have frozen yogurt instead of ice cream and go
without toppings.

-- Once a day have a piece of fruit.

-- Once a week, eat anything you want, all day long. If you are good all
week, your body won't reflect one bad day of eating junk.



"Dream a little," she says. "You never know where you can see your favorite star and sometimes, just keeping an eye out really helps. I am always looking for Chace Crawford, Chuck Wicks or any of the Jonas Brothers!! Often you see people in the most unexpected places."


Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. Natasha Darras http://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=69897


Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071220/AQTHFNS1
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Natasha Darras

CONTACT: Robin Nolan, +1-650-279-9512, robin@mcdavidpr.com, for Natasha
Darras


NOTE TO EDITORS: Natasha Darras available for interviews.

March of Dimes Honors Babies on 'El Dia de Todos los Santos'

March of Dimes Honors Babies on 'El Dia de Todos los Santos'

More than 5,000 Latino Infants Don't Live to See their First Birthday

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

On "El Dia de Todos Los Santos" the March of Dimes is honoring all babies -- those born healthy, those who need help to thrive and survive, and those who died in infancy.


Nearly 28,000 infants die before their first birthday each year -- more than 5,000 to Latina mothers and more than 2,500 in California alone.


Vicente Perez, Jr. is just one of those.


He was born 13 weeks too soon on August 25, 2005, along with his two sisters, Priscilla and Melissa. The triplets spent months in hospital neonatal intensive care units. Priscilla and Melissa finally came home, but Vicente lived only six months.


"Parents are not supposed to bury their children," said his father, Vicente Perez, Sr. "Vicente was our only son and we had to bury him. We lost part of our lives when we lost him."


Mr. Perez's story is one of thousands being gathered by the March of Dimes across the country as part of Prematurity Awareness Month in November. People can share their stories online at http://marchofdimes.com/everybaby or by getting on board a specially equipped "Every Baby Story Tour" motorcoach that will visit 16 cities across the country.


Mr. Perez shared his story at a breakfast for the news media at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where he was joined by Dayanara Torres, star of CW-TV's Watch Over Me, and Carolina Reyes, MD, the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Best Babies Network, a coordinating body for the Healthy Births Initiative.


"Latinos are the largest and fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. More than 100,000 Latino infants are born premature each year and the rate of preterm birth among Latinos has increased nearly 10 percent over the past decade -- from 10.9 percent in 1994 to 12 percent in 2004," said Dr. Reyes. "Prematurity is the leading cause of newborn death."


Nationwide, more than a half million babies are born too soon each year and babies who do survive face lifelong health risks and developmental challenges. Premature births (birth before 37 weeks gestation) in the United States have increased more than 30 percent since 1981, and in 2004 more than 520,000 infants were born too soon.


In California, nearly 11 percent of babies -- more than 50,000 -- were born premature in 2004, an increase of about 7 percent over the previous decade.


"Having a premature baby is very painful; imagine having three clinging to life?" asked Mr. Perez. "Our babies were being cared for at different hospitals. One day, I got emergency calls from both hospitals saying my babies were very sick. I didn't know where to go. They were all my children and they needed me there."


The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at http://marchofdimes.com/ or its Spanish language Web site at http://nacersano.org/.


Source: March of Dimes

CONTACT: Todd P. Dezen, +1-914-997-4608, tdezen@marchofdimes.com, or
Elizabeth Lynch, +1-914-997-4286, elynch@marchofdimes.com, or Robert Storace,
+1-914-997-4622, rstorace@marchofdimes.com, or Patricia A. Gonzalez-Portillo,
Los Angeles Division, +1-213-637-5070, all of the March of Dimes


Web Site: http://nacersano.org/
http://www.marchofdimes.com/