Universal Pictures

The symbolic Everest of luge veteran Ruben Gonzalez is to make his fourth Olympic Games. For downhill skier Tyson Bolduc, earning a pilot's license after the Games would put him on top of the world.

The Universal Sports video vignettes, which will reach 55 million households in major markets around the country, are part of Champion apparel's "What's Your Everest" marketing campaign and online community to support people in reaching their personal aspirations and goals.

Champion is partnering in a Mount Everest expedition in spring 2010, including outfitting the climbing team with innovative Champion and Duofold cold-weather gear, and has created an Expedition Champion Web site, www.ClimbEverestWithUs.com. Visitors to Champion's Everest Web site may enter the "What's Your Everest?" community by submitting a video or written entry answering the question for a chance to win $10,000. Visitors may also provide supportive feedback to the community members who have declared their personal Everest goals.

"Everyone has an Everest dream. The 'What's Your Everest?' program is the perfect complement to the Champion brand message about living an active lifestyle and striving for personal achievement," said Claire Powell, director of Champion apparel marketing. "Through these amazing Olympians, we want to engage the everyday athlete and provide an opportunity for one of them to achieve something they may feel is unattainable."

The Olympians Reveal Their Personal Mount Everests

The athletes - ranging from veterans to up-and-coming stars - will be competing in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver on behalf of the United States. The videos serve as a platform for the athletes to share their encouraging stories of personal growth and reveal surprising achievements that demonstrate the possibilities.

Luge veteran Gonzalez, an author and sought-after motivational speaker, shares his unique experience of recently qualifying for his fourth Olympic games. "My Everest is to compete in four Olympics in four decades," he declares.

Gonzalez's path to Olympic glory was unusual. He didn't believe himself to be a particularly gifted athlete. He took up the sport of luge at age 21, and by age 39 he was racing against 20-year-olds in the Salt Lake Games in 2002.

Skier Bolduc will compete in various downhill events this winter but has already achieved his personal Everest of winning a national title. His new Everest is a little outside of his Olympic skill set: to get a pilot's license that will allow him to experience what he calls helicopter skiing. "One day, I'd like to fly a helicopter to the top of a mountain with my friends, and ski down it," he states.

The other participating athletes are Bill Schuffenhauer (bobsled), Marco Sullivan (alpine skiing), Shannon Bahrke (freestyle mogul) and Steve Nyman (alpine skiing).

"By partnering with Champion Athletic Apparel, our hope is for the fans of Universal Sports of all ages and backgrounds to be motivated by the dedication of these amazing athletes to declare their own Everest," said Doug Neiman, vice president of sales and sponsorships. "With gold medal and other aspirations, these athletes show that every person has dreams that can be achieved through personal strength and motivation."

The athletes' videos will be available on UniversalSports.com and on its cable channel November 13, 2009 through the end of the year. The TV segments will air during coverage of major winter sporting events and run in 42 markets as well as on Direct TV reaching 55 million households nationwide.

The Champion "What's Your Everest?" Community

Since launching its Everest Web site in September 2009, Champion has received hundreds of inspirational submissions from individuals whose dreams and aspirations range from being a good parent to bringing about world peace. "We continue to be incredibly impressed and inspired by the individuals who have already taken part in this program," Powell added. "We hope see even more people participating in the coming months before we select our $10,000 winner."

About Champion and Duofold

Champion offers a full line of innovative athletic apparel for men and women including sport bras, activewear, team uniforms, sweats and accessories. Champion can be purchased at most sporting goods and department stores. For more information about Champion apparel, visit www.championusa.com.

Introduced in 1906, Duofold is a leader in base layer apparel for men, women and children. As an outfitter of the National Ski Patrol, Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors, Duofold is the expert in helping winter athletes and outdoor enthusiasts perform at their best even under the most challenging weather conditions. Duofold is best known for its popular Varitherm and Originals cold-weather products. For more information visit www.duofold.com. Duofold is a brand of Hanesbrands Inc.

Champion and Duofold are owned by Hanesbrands Inc. (www.hanesbrands.com).

About Universal Sports

Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related and lifestyle sports programming available on television and online. Universal Sports is available in 56 million homes, including nine of the top 10 DMAs: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. Recent expansion includes launches in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.com.

SOURCE Hanesbrands Inc.

http://www.hanesbrands.com

Samba specialties, prepared by world-famous Chef Jason Ryczek, renowned for creating a variety of unique, mouth-watering dishes, will include such palate pleasers as Lobster Mashed Potatoes, Farfoa (yucca flour, toasted with butter, bacon and salt), Portuguese Sausage, Beef Kabobs and Leg of Lamb. Popular All You Can Eat menus, will include a Churrasco Feast, Gaucho Feast and Champagne Brunch (available on weekends), offering a tempting assortment of authentic Brazilian marinated meats and seafood. Traditional desserts will include a scrumptious Dulce de Leche, Fried Bananas and endless Chocolate Fountain.

Nightly live Samba performers in full festive regalia will entertain with Brazilian and Latin musical accompaniment.

Samba is open daily and features a lounge area for private parties. More information is available at Samba Brazilian Steakhouse & Lounge.

Universal CityWalk, part of Universal Studios Hollywood, features over 60 entertainment-themed restaurants, nightclubs, shops and dynamic entertainment options as well as Universal CityWalk Cinemas, offering the best movie-going experience in Los Angeles.

Universal Studios Hollywood, The Entertainment Capital of L.A., is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal. NBC Universal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, 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 (NYSE: GE), with 20% controlled by Vivendi.

SOURCE Universal CityWalk

http://www.citywalkhollywood.com

http://www.republicdd.com/

Following UMG's recent agreement with TuneCore, UMRG's new portals will make use of TuneCore's leading distribution platform to provide unsigned artists worldwide distribution into the iTunes Store, eMusic, Nokia and other digital download stores. In addition, artists may have the chance to be involved in label showcases, creating and producing proper studio demos, or receiving professional reviews of their music by an artist or member of the company's A&R team. And as the careers of unsigned artists grow, they may benefit from having a number of artist-discovery, marketing and upstreaming opportunities within UMRG.

"Now, more than ever, the Web has opened up countless opportunities for unsigned artists to distribute their music directly to their audiences and we want to collaborate with them throughout that process," stated Cameo Carlson, Senior Vice President of Digital Business Development for UMRG. "And thanks to TuneCore, we can create a portal that provides them access to digital distribution and the expertise of a major label."

Jeff Price, CEO and founder of TuneCore.com, said, "It's our job to serve and connect artists with opportunities they choose and want. If an artist's goal is to be part of one of the most recognizable names in music, this relationship will potentially provide them a direct in to help them get heard and discovered by the people they want to reach, all while having complete control."

About Universal Motown Republic Group

Universal Motown Republic Group is a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

About TuneCore

TuneCore is a low, flat fee service that distributes music to iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and many other major download and streaming sites while taking no rights and no revenue from the sale of the music. Artists are building careers, selling significant volumes of music and generating revenue through TuneCore. Since its launch in 2006, TuneCore has distributed tens of thousands of albums and millions of songs to iTunes and other digital stores by Grammy winners and unsigned artists alike. TuneCore artists include Drake, Beck, Jay-Z, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Ricky Skaggs, Paul Westerberg, MGM Studios, Warren G, Bjork, Moby, High School Musical cast members, Ali Lohan, Cirque Du Soleil, Starbucks and tens of thousands more. More music is released in one day via TuneCore than any major record label over a year and the site recently expanded its offerings to distribute full-length films, TV shows, concert films, and documentaries to iTunes.

www.tunecore.com

For more information on TuneCore, please contact Nick Loss-Eaton [nlosseaton@shorefire.com], Miya Hannan [mhannan@shorefire.com] or Matt Hanks [mhanks@shorefire.com] at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171. For more info on Universal Music Group, please contact Maria Ho-Burge [maria.ho-burge@umusic.com], 212.331.2569.

SOURCE Universal Music Group

    Rentrak Top 10 Selling DVDs*

    RANK                  TITLE                    STUDIO          WEEKS IN
                                                                    RELEASE
     1   Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs            FOX                  1
     2   Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure         Disney               1
     3   Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen       Paramount            2
     4   Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs/
          The Scrat Pack                           FOX                  1
     5   The Proposal                              Touchstone           3
     6   Orphan                                    Warner               1
     7   Monsters Vs. Aliens                       Dreamworks           5
     8   Twilight                                  Summit Entertainment 33
     9   Drag Me To Hell                           Universal            3
     10  Land of the Lost                          Universal            3

    *Week ended October 31, 2009

    Rentrak Top 10 Renting DVDs

    RANK                 TITLE                     STUDIO          WEEKS IN
                                                                    RELEASE
     1   Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen       Paramount            2
     2   Orphan                                    Warner               1
     3   Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs            FOX                  1
     4   The Proposal                              Touchstone           3
     5   Land Of The Lost                          Universal            3
     6   Drag Me To Hell                           Universal            3
     7   The Maiden Heist                          Sony                 1
     8   Nothing Like The Holidays                 Overture Films       1
     9   Year One                                  Sony                 4
     10  Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past                New Line             6

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About Retail Essentials(R)

Retail Essentials measures weekly consumer sales activity on standard DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles in the U.S. brick-and-mortar channel. No other service provides faster access to in-depth market data and weekly estimations of gross consumer spending. Rentrak delivers sell-through data broken down by DVD title, format, category, genre, TV market and more, within 72 hours after the close of each business week. Clients can access current, weekly, and historical title sales data to competitively benchmark industry performance.

About Home Video Essentials(R)

Home Video Essentials is Rentrak's exclusive point-of-sale (POS) tracking system, which measures title-level performance via rental transactions on over 65,000 DVD and video game properties in the brick-and-mortar, online, and kiosk channels across North America. Rentrak is the world's largest processor of rental data, tracking in excess of one billion transactions each year from more than 13,700 storefronts within 72 hours after the close of each business week. Clients are able to identify consumer trends, quantify performance, and benchmark findings against the broader business sector.

About Rentrak Corporation

Rentrak Corporation, based in Portland, Oregon, is an information management company serving clients in the media, entertainment, retail and advertising industries. The company's Entertainment Essentials(R) suite of services is redefining media measurement in the digital broadband era. Entertainment Essentials provides customers with near-real-time, actionable insight into performance of content distributed over a wide variety of modern media technologies. Available by license or subscription, each Entertainment Essentials application allows executives to analyze detailed industry-wide and title-specific data to make decisions that enhance the bottom line and provide competitive advantage. For further information, please visit Rentrak's corporate website at http://www.rentrak.com.

    Contacts:    Sallie Olmsted/Amanda Bartz
                 Rentrak Corporation
                 310-854-8124/8151

SOURCE Rentrak Corporation

http://www.rentrak.com