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AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets Joins UNCF as They Celebrate 30 Years of Supporting Minority Students With An Evening of Stars(R)

Posted on: Monday, 12 January 2009, 07:25 CST

DALLAS, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets announced today its sponsorship of UNCF's 30th annual TV entertainment special, An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS) Tribute to Patti LaBelle. The two-hour celebration benefits minority students and historically black colleges and universities. AEOS, a concert for a cause, will honor singer/actress/author Patti LaBelle and is made possible thanks to UNCF's collaboration with singers, actors and professional athletes. The company returns as a sponsor this year as part of its continued commitment to educational programs that support African-American communities across the country.

"I'm proud of our company's long history of supporting organizations and initiatives that improve student achievement, teacher preparedness and minority student success," said Jennifer L. Jones, vice president, Diverse Markets, AT&T Operations, Inc. "UNCF's efforts supporting African-American students and institutions are crucial to the communities where we live and work, and we are honored to be a part of this celebration."

This year, viewers will be offered exclusive behind the scenes access with AT&T Video On Demand platforms via AT&T Music & AT&T U-verse(SM) TV services. Fans will get the inside scoop on the AEOS show with unique footage that includes a one-on-one interview with Patti LaBelle, rehearsal interviews with various artists and special red carpet moments. AT&T Video On Demand platforms provide customers with a wide range of content from first-run movies and candid celebrity interviews to live concert performances and sporting events that allow customers to engage in a premier entertainment experience.

"The show is about artists, sponsors and fans coming together for a great cause, helping African American students and schools," said Tracy McDade, associate director, Diversity Marketing, AT&T Operations, Inc. "We're thrilled to provide fans with exclusive content so they can join the cause and experience AEOS fully."

An Evening of Stars(R) 2009 will pay tribute to rhythm and blues singer Patti LaBelle with the Award of Excellence for her outstanding career and history of support for UNCF. Patti LaBelle has won two Grammy Awards and has received three Emmy Award nominations. Presenters and performers for 2009 include Big Daddy Kane, Wayne Brady, Kobe Bryant, Fantasia, Vivica A. Fox, Jennifer Hudson, Duane Martin and Brian McKnight. Beyonce, Wyclef Jean and Mariah Carey also join An Evening of Stars(R) in taped video messages to Patti Labelle.

The two-hour 30th anniversary celebration was taped before a live audience at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles in late 2008 and will air nationwide on January 24 and 25, 2009.

Since 2000 the AT&T Foundation has provided more than $2.8 million to organizations supporting minority higher education, including UNCF. The Foundation has a strong legacy of supporting organizations focused on the empowerment of the African American community, including the National Urban League, NAACP, National Black Chamber of Commerce, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Council of Negro Women, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, 100 Black Men and the Black Leadership Forum.

For more information on An Evening of Stars please visit http://www.aneveningofstars.org or http://www.uncf.org. For behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive content from the 2009 show, visit music.att.net. AEOS content is available now thru March 21, 2009.

About An Evening of Stars

An Evening of Stars (An Evening of Stars(R) (AEOS), originally known as The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars(R), first aired in 1979 and, since that time, has become one of the longest-running and most successful televised events in U.S. history. Lou Rawls, a spokesperson for UNCF and champion for AEOS for more than 25 years, is credited with helping raise more than $200 million to help UNCF scholarship recipients, member institutions and their students pay the cost of higher education. In recent years, AEOS has featured a Who's Who of recognizable talent, including Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Ne- Yo, Nancy Wilson, Beyonce, Anita Baker, Jill Scott, Whoopi Goldberg, Fantasia, Joss Stone, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Bolton, Natalie Cole, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Hall and Oates, Ziggy Marley, Maroon 5, and scores of others. An Evening of Stars(R) received an NAACP Image Award for its 2006 tribute to Stevie Wonder.

About UNCF

UNCF -- the United Negro College Fund -- is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 39 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 18 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 900 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."(R) Learn more at http://www.UNCF.org.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

(C) 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other AT&T marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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