Rapper 50 Cent To Appear At MTV Australia Awards

New Zealand
Press Release Friday March 14, 2008

Announcing Superstar Rapper 50 Cent As Special Guest Presenter/Performer
At The MTV Australia Awards 2008

MTV Australia Awards and MTV Mile High Gig tickets on sale NOW from airnewzealand.co.nz

AUCKLAND, FRIDAY MARCH 14 2008: With a hit list that just keeps on growing, MTV New Zealand today announces rap mogul 50 Cent as the latest star to join the award winning list of performers and presenters announced so far. The newly styled show has already announced Oscar nominee and indie cult figure Juliette Lewis who will perform with her band Juliette and The Licks and Grammy Award winning rapper Eve as both performing and presenting at the MTV Australia Awards 2008. With this year’s nominees already causing ripples amongst the press, 50 Cent is sure to stir up added excitement as he makes his way down under. MTV New Zealand will also ‘present’ the 50 Cent New Zealand Tour 2008. MTV Australia Awards 2008 will broadcast on MTV Monday April 28 from 7pm.

Kiwis can be there in person by purchasing a highly coveted seat on the MTV Mile High Gig, in association with Air New Zealand. The MTV Mile High Gig departs Auckland for Sydney at 5.30pm on ANZAC day, Friday April 25. Tickets to this once in a life time experience are on sale NOW from airnewzealand.co.nz. With last year’s MTV Mile High Gig selling out in less than 6 days (an Air New Zealand record) fans will need to get in quick to be part of the action.

With 11 Grammy nominations and multi platinum album sales, 50 Cent has already proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with in the music world. Attesting to his popularity with fans in Australia, both “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” and “The Massacre” went to #1. His collaborations with some of the music industry’s most influential figures have earned him royalty status amongst his peers and fans alike. The rapper has worked with some of the most highly regarded members of the hip-hop community including Justin Timberlake, Mary J Blige, Akon, Timbaland, Dr Dre and Eminem, who was instrumental in launching the artist’s career into the mainstream.

“We're delighted to have the opportunity to bring 50 Cent to Australia to perform at our Awards show,” commented Dave Sibley, Managing Director, MTV Networks Australia and NZ. “50 Cent is an incredibly popular artist with MTV viewers. We're committed to delivering high calibre artists to fans in Australia and will continue to work very hard to make 50 cent's trip a roaring success.”

The MTV Australia Awards 2008 will air exclusively on MTV, channel 60 SKY Digital, Monday, April 28 from 7pm. Further MTV Australia Awards talent will be announced in the coming weeks.

For press enquires contact Pip Jamieson (Marketing Manager, MTV New Zealand) on +64 275 111 011, +64 9 308 6612 or pip.jamieson@mtvn.co.nz

THE VIEWER VOTED CATEGORIES FOR THE ‘MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS 2008’

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Fergie Clumsy
Mika Happy Ending
Delta Goodrem Believe Again
Foo Fighters The Pretender
50 Cent feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland Ayo Technology

AUSTRALIAN ARTIST MUSIC AWARD
Sneaky Sound System N/A
Silverchair N/A
Delta Goodrem N/A
The Veronicas N/A
Operator Please N/A

NEW ZEALAND ARTIST AWARD
Opshop N/A
Scribe N/A
The Mint Chicks N/A
Atlas N/A
The Checks N/A

MTV LIVE PERFORMER AWARD
Foo Fighters Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace Tour
Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveShow Tour
P!nk I’m Not Dead Tour
Lupe Fiasco Snow Jam
Juliette & the Licks The Lair

TELEVISION MOMENT AWARD
Chaser’s War on Everything APEC 2007 Stunt
Corey Worthington The ‘A Current Affair’ Interview
Jake Brown X Games 45ft stack & stand
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila Brandi and Vanessa’s fight
Snoop Dogg MTV Citizenship campaign

MTV GOOD KARMA AWARD
Bliss n Eso South African fundraising efforts, including ‘Bullet and a Target’ charity single
Sea Shepherd Crew of the Steve Irwin Trying to keep whales on the planet a little longer
Young People of Australia For believing saying sorry was something worth voting for
Earth Hour Engaging Australia and the world to act against climate change.
Movember Raising awareness and funding for male health issues
BAD KARMA AWARD
Kevin Andrews For refusing Snoop Dogg entry into Australia
Kevin Andrews For saying “He doesn't seem the sort of bloke we want in this country”
Kevin Andrews For defining ‘bad hair day’
Kevin Andrews For all of the above, especially the hair, and the Snoop Dogg thing

REMAKE AWARD
Summer Heights High Ja’mie’s teary tirade
Chris Crocker ‘Leave Britney Alone’ freakout
Heath Franklin Chopper’s Weather Report
Roads & Traffic Authority ‘Speeding. No One Thinks Big of You.’ Campaign
Winners will be announced at the MTV Australia Awards on Saturday, April 26 2008. The show will broadcast on MTV, channel 60 SKY Digital, Monday, April 28 from 7pm. Further MTV Australia Awards talent will be announced in the coming weeks.

About MTV New Zealand: MTV NZ is a 24-hour music and entertainment channel targeting 15 -29 year olds on SKY Digital channel 60 and SKY Mobile TV on Vodafone 3G. Visit www.mtv.co.nz for more details.

About MTV Networks International includes the premier multimedia entertainment brands MTV: Music Television, VH1, Nickelodeon, TMF (The Music Factory), VIVA, Comedy Central and Game One seen in 420 million households in 164 countries and 18 languages via 104 locally programmed and operated TV channels and 90 Web sites. The company's diverse holdings also include interests in television syndication, digital media, publishing, home video, radio, recorded music, licensing & merchandising and two feature film divisions, MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies. MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

ends

© Scoop Media