Jesse McCartney & Monica to Perform at Sept. 8th, ‘Get Schooled’ Launch
Jesse McCartney and Monica to Perform at Sept. 8th ‘Get Schooled’ Launch
Concert
and Block Party for Los Angeles-area Students, Celebrities and Guests
Conclude Day-long Kick-off of National Education Initiative at
Paramount Pictures Lot
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 2
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA. today
announced that multi-platinum recording artist Jesse McCartney and
Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Monica will perform in a live
concert on Tuesday, Sept. 8 as part of the kick-off event for Get
Schooled. The national initiative, co-developed by Viacom and the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to engage students, families and
community members in efforts to improve America’s public education
system and encourage more young people to complete their education. The
performances by Monica and McCartney wrap-up a day of activities on the
Paramount Pictures lot that unite community and business leaders with
the entertainment industry, in efforts to secure young people’s future
through education.
Get Schooled is also supported by corporate partners
AT&T, Capital One Financial Corporation, and NYSE Euronext, which
have signed on to the initiative in order to promote education reform
efforts and develop innovative ways of engaging communities and
supporting students.
The block party and concert on Sept. 8 will include more
than 400 Los Angeles-area public school students, parents, teachers and
school administrators as well as various special guests and celebrities.
“My understanding and love for music began in a music
class in elementary school and was nurtured over the many years of my
academic career. Get Schooled is a resource that gets students and
communities involved in the education program so students can continue
to find their passions, as I did mine. It’s an honor to be
participating in this event that continues to motivate students to
discover what they love,” said Jesse McCartney.
Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist
Monica, who makes her reality television debut with “Monica: Still
Standing” on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 10 p.m./ET on BET, added, “Many kids
still believe that success comes just from raw talent. That just isn’t
true. A good education opens doors to possibilities you many not be
able to imagine today. Get Schooled is a program that is there to help
and I’m happy to be involved.”
As previously announced, the day’s activities also
include a conference focused on current education challenges in America
emceed by Stephen Colbert, of The Colbert Report on Comedy
Central. The conference will include presentations by Bill Gates,
Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of
Education Tony Miller, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, author and political
columnist Arianna Huffington, New York City Department of Education
Chancellor Joel Klein and Los Angeles area high school athletic
director Stephen Minix.
The event will also include the world premiere of Get Schooled: You Have the Right, a
special documentary which highlights the education stories of three
successful professionals who work alongside President Barack Obama, pop
superstar Kelly Clarkson and 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James. The program
highlights the education challenges, life choices and breakthroughs
experienced by President Obama’s speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, Clarkson’s
music director Jason Halbert and James’ sports marketing executive
Latesha Williams. The documentary special will be aired in the first
programming “roadblock” of its kind across all Viacom networks,
including BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land and
Nickelodeon. Cable partners for the television premiere of Get Schooled: You Have the Right include Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications and Bright House Networks.
ABOUT GET SCHOOLED
Get Schooled is a national program that connects, inspires and
mobilizes people — from policymakers and corporate leaders to
communities and kids — to find effective solutions to the problems
facing our education system. It provides resources and information,
community outreach and creative programming that engage a range of
audiences to address America’s education crisis. Get Schooled’s
co-developers are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom,
including BET Networks, MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures. The
initiative combines the Foundation’s deep knowledge of education reform
with the power of Viacom’s diverse brands to raise awareness about the
challenges facing America’s public education system and provide
information and solutions for students and their families.
To find out more about Get Schooled and the initiative’s groundbreaking national television premiere on Sept. 8, visit www.getschooled.com.
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