mtvU Simulcast of �Woodies� on November 2nd to Mark First On-Air, Online and On Mobile Debut of a Live Music Event; MTV to Premiere Special on Show November 4th

College Students Nationwide Begin Voting Today via mtvU.com and mtvU Mobile to Determine �Woodies� Winners

NEW YORK--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Sept. 12, 2006--mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, today announced the nominees for the 2006 "mtvU Woodie Awards" � the only awards honoring the music voted best by the college audience.  Top nominees this year include Arctic Monkeys and Imogen Heap, who garnered three nods each and will compete in the "Breaking Woodie" (Best Emerging Artist) and "Streaming Woodie" (Most Downloaded) categories.  Eleven other artists, including Atmosphere, Gym Class Heroes, Hellogoodbye, Nightmare of You, Plain White T's, Taking Back Sunday, The Academy Is and The Fray followed with two nominations each.  Nearly fifty emerging and influential artists have been nominated for the 2006 "Woodies," representing the music that college students lived their lives to this year.  Winners will be determined through student voting and announced at a live concert event October 25th at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

The 2006 "mtvU Woodie Awards" will debut on November 2nd at 8pm ET and mark a significant multi-platform milestone, as the show premieres simultaneously on mtvU, mtvU.com and mtvU Mobile, as well as Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs and Media Center Extenders including the Xbox 360.  Timed to the simulcast, the entire show will also premiere on demand at mtvU.com � giving viewers the power to experience every moment in whatever order they wish, "remix" it, save it to their setlist and e-mail it to their friends.  In addition, for the first time, a special half-hour version of the "Woodies" will also air on MTV and MTV2, with the MTV premiere set for November 4th at 10pm ET, and an encore performance on MTV2 scheduled for November 5th at 11pm ET. 

College students have helped establish the "mtvU Woodie Awards" as a crystal ball for the music about to break big, propelling their favorite artists to mainstream success including record sales, sold out tours and accolades at other award shows.  Some of the most notable success stories from the past two years include Fall Out Boy, the Killers, Matisyahu and the Afters � all of which saw their careers skyrocket after the "Woodies."  More than one million student votes were cast for last year's "mtvU Woodie Awards," as the college audience declared Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Motion City Soundtrack and My Chemical Romance as the enduring stars of tomorrow.   

Powered by college students nationwide, the third-annual "mtvU Woodie Awards" will feature students in front of the camera and behind the scenes, as they present, introduce and honor their favorite music and artists.  All college students are encouraged to log on to mtvU.com, make their voices heard, and vote for their favorites � either online or via any of mtvU's Mobile partners � before the deadline of October 20th. 

mtvU will host a conference call with "Woodie"-nominated artists, mtvU VJ Kim Stolz and mtvU General Manager Stephen Friedman on Thursday, September 14th at 3pm ET / noon PT.  All interested journalists are invited to dial the toll-free call in number 866.534.6618 five minutes prior to the scheduled start time and reference conference ID 6441463.

Nominees for the 2006 "mtvU Woodie Awards" are:

Woodie of the Year � (Artist of the Year)
The artists who made the biggest splash on mtvU and the college music scene this past year.
Nominees:
Angels & Airwaves (Geffen Records)
Atmosphere (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Gym Class Heroes (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)
Panic! at the Disco (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)
The Academy Is (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)

The Breaking Woodie � (Best Emerging Artist)
mtvU is where new developing artists are test driven for the first time by the toughest critics around: college students.  One of this year's newest artists will win the coveted Breaking Woodie.
Nominees:
Arctic Monkeys  (Domino Records)  
Chamillionaire (Chamillitary / Universal Motown Records)
Imogen Heap (RCA Victor Records)
Lupe Fiasco (1st & 15th / Atlantic Records)
Plain White T's (Hollywood Records)

Left Field Woodie � (Most Original Artist)
They're genre-busters.  They came out of left field and surprised us so much, we'd still have no idea what section of the record store to look for them in.  They resist all classification. 
Nominees:
Gnarls Barkley (Downtown / Atlantic Records)
Gogol Bordello (Side One Dummy Records)
Imogen Heap (RCA Victor Records)
Lady Sovereign (Def Jam Records)
Wolfmother (Interscope Records)

Best Video Woodie � Live Action  � (Best Live Action Video) 
The music video that�s so incredible, we'd watch it even without the music.
Nominees:
30 Seconds to Mars - The Kill (Virgin Records America)
Feist - Mushaboom (Cherry Tree / Interscope Records)
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rise up With Fists (Team Love)
Jurassic 5 -Work It Out (Interscope Records)  
The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes (V2 � Artemis) 

Best Video Woodie � Animated  � (Best Animated Video)
The music video that makes all of your favorite Sunday cartoons look foolish.
Nominees:
Against Me - From Her Lips to God's Ears (Fat Wreck Chords)
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy (Downtown / Atlantic Records)
Gorillaz - El Manana (Virgin Records)
Mark Ronson - Just (!K7 / Rapster Records)
Psapp � Hi (Domino Records)  

The Good Woodie � (Greatest Social Impact)
The award for the artists whose commitment to a social cause has effected the greatest change this year. 
Nominees:
Juvenile - Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts (Atlantic Records)
Ludacris - Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts (Disturbing Tha Peace Records)
Pearl Jam - Environmental Protection (J Records)
Rise Against - Political Awareness and Activism (Geffen Records)
Serj Tankian (System of a Down) - Armenian Genocide (Columbia Records)

Road Woodie � (Best Tour) 
For those artists who take to the road and never let up, always giving that memorable live performance. 
Nominees:
Cartel (Epic Records)
Hellogoodbye (Drive Thru Records)   
Nightmare of You (East West Records)
Taking Back Sunday (Warner Bros. Records)  
The Fray (Epic Records)

International Woodie � (Favorite International Artist Award)
mtvU embraces musicians from all over the world and honors this year's crop of international up-and-comers, including artists from Jamaica to Australia to the UK.
Nominees:
Arctic monkeys (Domino Records) 
Cham (Madhouse / Atlantic Records)
Corrine Bailey Rae (Capitol Records)   
SIA (Astralwerks)   
The Subways (Warner Bros. Records)     

Alumni Woodie � (a.k.a. The You�re Still OK in our Book Award)
For the artists who�ve graduated into the wide world of mega-stardom, but who haven�t forgotten where they came from.  And we're proud to say, "We knew them when�"
Nominees:
AFI (Interscope Records)      
Fiona Apple (Epic Records)
Ghostface Killah (Def Jam Records)
MUSE (Warner Bros. Records)  
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Warner Bros. Records)      

Streaming Woodie � (Most Downloaded)
For four weeks, top acts on the college scene go toe-to-toe on mtvU.com, with college students streaming their favorites into the finals. The four artists left standing at the end will battle it out for the Streaming Woodie.
Nominees:
Week 1
Atmosphere "Say Hey There (Gotta Go to Mexico)" (Rhymesayers Entertainment)
Gym Class Heroes "Cupid's Chokehold" (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)
Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah" (East West Records)
The Academy Is "Checkmarks" (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)
The Fray "Over My Head (Cable Car)" (Epic Records)

Week 2
All-American Rejects "Move Along" (Interscope / A&M Records)
Matisyahu "Youth" (Epic Records)
Motion City Soundtrack "Hold Me Down" (Epitaph Records)
OAR "Lay Down" (Atlantic Records)
Taking Back Sunday "Makedamnsure" (Warner Bros. Records)      

Week 3
Armor for Sleep "The Truth About Heaven" (Equal Vision)
Death Cab for Cutie "Crooked Teeth" (Atlantic Records)
Hellogoodbye "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" (Drive Thru Records)
Imogen Heap "Hide and Seek" (RCA Victor Records)
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California" (Warner Bros. Records)      

Week 4
Arctic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor" (Domino Records)
Cage "Shoot Frank" (Definitive Jux Records)
Nightmare of You "I Want to Be Buried In Your Backyard" (East West Records)
Panic! At the Disco "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)
The Academy Is "Slow Down" (Fueled by Ramen / Atlantic Records)

Starting today, and every week until the premiere of this year�s show, mtvU will debut new original programming featuring "Woodie"-nominated artists and college students petitioning for their favorite acts to win.  In addition, mtvU will also be showcasing student-produced TV and radio programs from across the country with college students debating who should win this year's "Woodies." For more on "Woodie"-related programming, online games, ways to win a trip to this year's show, exclusive interviews with nominated artists and music videos from all of this year�s nominees, please visit mtvU.com.  A full line-up of performers, presenters and more will be announced in the coming weeks. 

The third-annual "mtvU Woodie Awards" is sponsored by Citicards, Ford College Student Purchase Program, Taco Bell, Garnier Fructis and T-Mobile.

About mtvU
Broadcasting to 750 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over seven million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students.  24 hours a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S.  mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach � on-air, online and on campus.  mtvU focuses on content including music videos from emerging artists which can�t be seen anywhere else, news, student life features, events and pro-social initiatives.  mtvU is always on campus, with more than 300 events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more.  For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.

mtvU �ber makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original series and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere. 

mtvU also owns and operates Y2M, parent company of College Publisher � the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the US.  The network comprises over 450 campus publications that serve institutions including Brown University, the University of Illinois, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Duke University, with a combined enrollment of nearly five million students and a subscriber base of 2.1 million.  

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world�s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  MTV Networks, with more than 120 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services � MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks.  MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 100 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

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CONTACT:
Jason Rzepka
mtvU
212-654-7198
[email protected]         

or

David French
MTV/MTV2/mtvU
310-752-8110
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