Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton, and Edward James Olmos, Legendary pop superstar Phil Collins, musical chart-toppers Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias, and award-winning songstress and Broadway star Toni Braxton will join more than 125 drummers and percussionists, a full symphony orchestra, larger-than-life puppets, aerial dancers, a multi-generational choir and, last but not least: one stadium full of Disney magic for the "E*TRADE Super Bowl XXXIV Halftime Show."
An estimated 130 million viewers in the United States and millions more worldwide will be a part of an unprecedented millennium celebration on Jan. 30, 2000, at the Georgia Dome as Walt Disney Attractions LLC produces the Super Bowl spectacle celebrating the dawn of the new millennium........thefreelibrary.
Director, producer and Academy Award nominee Edward James Olmos will be the featured narrator for the halftime performance that will be televised by ABC-TV.
This will be the sixth time Disney has created the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
"Marking the milestone of the year 2000 in a special way is the mission for this Super Bowl halftime show," said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "We're pleased to have Disney with us again to continue the tradition of magical halftime entertainment for our fans."
The show, titled "Tapestry of Nations," is inspired by the year-long Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration. Elements of the festivities are intertwined throughout the 10-minute spectacle, including larger-than-life puppets, an original orchestral score and advanced pyrotechnics. Created by award-winning designer Michael Curry, the puppets are modeled after those that are featured as part of the year-long Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration in Florida.
"As the first e-commerce company to sponsor a Super Bowl halftime show, we at E*TRADE are thrilled to help bring this classic American show to life," said Michael Sievert, vice president of marketing at E*TRADE. "This is the ultimate game that celebrates the triumph of the independent spirit, the power of teamwork and the will to succeed. E*TRADE is delighted to be the major supporter of this special event."
"At the Walt Disney World Resort we are marking the milestone of the millennium in a big way with a year-long celebration," said Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Co. "With this special performance during Super Bowl XXXIV, we hope to give people around the world a taste of our celebration and welcome the year 2000 in grand fashion."
The show, sponsored by E*TRADE, will feature a full symphony orchestra led by accomplished, Atlanta-area conductor Steven Byess. The 80-member orchestra on the field will be a Super Bowl Halftime Show first. Reflecting the multi-generational celebration, members of the orchestra and accompanying choir range in age from 10 to 60.
Theatrical lighting -- the most expansive in Super Bowl history
-- illuminates the darkened Georgia Dome as fully synchronized pyrotechnics provide an eye- and-ear-filling backdrop to the superstar musical performances. The lighting will create a magical atmosphere for the spiritual celebration.
Super Bowl XXXIV, the NFL championship game, will be held Sunday, Jan. 30, 2000, and will air live on ABC beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
About Phil Collins
Phil Collins, world-renowned drummer, singer, actor and composer, has been called one of today's most successful pop and adult-contemporary singers.
The London native began his solo career 18 years ago with "Face Value" ('81), followed by "Hello, I Must Be Going" ('82), "No Jacket Required" ('85), "...But Seriously" ('89), "Serious Hits...Live!" ('90) and "Both Sides" ('93). He has won six Grammy Awards, while his solo sales sold more than 70 million copies. Between 1984 and 1990, Collins had a string of 13 straight U.S. Top-10 hits.
Before launching his solo career, Collins was known as a singer/drummer for the legendary rock band Genesis and the jazz ensemble Brand X.
Collins composed songs for the soundtrack from Disney's "Tarzan," the hit animated feature film, including the song "You'll Be in My Heart." The soundtrack and song were both recently nominated for Grammy awards. Collins also has received a Golden Globe nomination for the song "You'll Be in My Heart."
About Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera's sensational self-titled debut album turned the 19-year-old former mouseketeer into one of the most popular new singers of recent years. Her breakthrough No. 1 single "Genie In A Bottle" rocketed her debut album to No. 1 in its first week of release. Since then, the album has gone on to sell more than 5 million copies, and her newest single, "What A Girl Wants," has officially become the first No. 1 single of the new century.
Making it all even sweeter, Christina was just nominated for two Grammy awards, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal, Female for "Genie in a Bottle." The singer recently performed the Mel Torme classic "The Christmas Song" for President Clinton on TNT's "Christmas at the White House" special.
Finally, along with stars like Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon and Aretha Franklin, Christina was named one of the most fascinating women of 1999 on the recent Ladies Home Journal CBS TV special.
About Enrique Iglesias
At the age of 24, Enrique Iglesias has sold more Spanish-language albums over the last four years than any other artist in the world (more than 14 million). In that short time span, Enrique has produced an astounding 13 consecutive No. 1 Latin singles, as well as winning a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, a World Music Award, three Billboard Awards and numerous other accolades including two ASCAP Awards.
Born in 1975 in Madrid, Spain, and raised in Miami since the age of 7, Enrique began his music career in 1995 with the release of the self-titled "Enrique Iglesias." That record, which went on to sell 6 million copies worldwide and more than 1 million in the United States, took both the music industry and Enrique's family by surprise -- he had been working on the project since age 16, writing and arranging his songs in secret.
With the 1999 release of his debut English album, "Enrique," (Interscope/UMG) Iglesias' star continues to rise on the success of his No. 1 hit single, "Bailamos" and new single, "Rhythm Divine." In addition, the album features a heartfelt duet with Whitney Houston ("Could I Have This Kiss Forever") and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Sad Eyes." In its first five weeks of release, the album sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
About Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton is one the most successful female singers of our time. In just two albums, the songstress has reached sales of nearly 20 million worldwide and has entertained millions around the world and on the Broadway stage. Braxton's unique vocal style and flair for fashion have captivated fans and won her a place as one of the most exciting performers of the decade.
Braxton's 1991 self-titled debut on LaFace Records, which featured hit singles such as "You Mean The World To Me" and "Breathe Again," earned her three Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards and two Soul Train Music Awards. Her second release, "Secrets," won her two additional Grammy Awards including Best Pop Single for "Unbreak My Heart," two Billboard Awards in 1996, Best Female R&B Single for "You're Making Me High" and Adult Contemporary Single of the Year for "Unbreak My Heart." In 1999 she was nominated by Billboard for "Artist of the Decade."
Braxton recently took to Broadway stage, starring in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast," making history as the first African-American to star in the role. With all that Braxton has accomplished, LaFace Records is extremely proud and excited to present the March 2000 release of her third record, "The Heat." Braxton wrote or co-wrote the majority of the new album and served as executive producer on the project.
About Edward James Olmos
Actor, producer, director and community activist, Edward James Olmos is a highly acclaimed star of stage, screen and television. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Olmos spent many years in theatrical roles before being nominated for a Tony Award for the 1978 drama/musical "Zoot Suit."
Through the years he has received the LA Drama Circle Award, an Emmy, two Golden Globe Awards and in 1988, an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante, the dedicated math teacher in "Stand and Deliver," which he also produced. Most recently, he was awarded the PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for producing the anti-domestic violence documentary "It Ain't Love." In addition to his work with the documentary, Olmos serves as executive director of It Ain't Love, an organization committed to fight the problem of domestic violence.
Olmos' current endeavors include "Americanos," published by Little, Brown and the "Americanos" exhibit produced in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution; The Latino Public Broadcasting Project; the 1999 Los Angeles Latino Book and Family Festival, which he produced; and the 1999 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, also produced by Olmos.
About E*TRADE
E*TRADE, a global leader in electronic personal financial services, is the world's most-visited online investing site according to Media Metrix (9/99), offering value-added investing and research features, premium customer service and a redundant, proprietary Stateless Architecture infrastructure.
In addition to the United States, E*TRADE presently serves customers through branded Web sites in Japan, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. E*TRADE has been ranked the number one online brokerage by Gomez Advisors (for four out of the last five quarters), Lafferty Information and Research Group, PC Magazine and Smart Computing magazine.
E*TRADE Securities Inc. (Member NASD/SIPC), and its parent company, E*TRADE Group Inc., have offices in Northern California and in other major business centers in the United States and worldwide.
About the Year-Long Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration
Through Jan. 1, 2001, Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will celebrate the millennium with exciting new attractions, thrilling entertainment, breakthrough technologies and sights, sounds and tastes from around the globe. In fact, more than a dozen new attractions have opened at Walt Disney World over the past 18 months in preparation for the non-stop celebration.
At Epcot, guests are treated to a new procession throughout World Showcase called "Tapestry of Nations." Featuring larger-than-life puppets (similar to those featured in the "E*TRADE Super Bowl XXXIV Halftime Show") and an original musical score, the procession sets the stage for "IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth" -- the nightly spectacle presented on (and above) World Showcase Lagoon that features dancing flames, cascading fountains and eye-popping fireworks synchronized to a dramatic musical score.
Also featured at Epcot during the millennium celebration are Millennium Village, a brand new pavilion that celebrates cultures from around the globe; Leave a Legacy, where guests may mark their millennium milestone; and pin trading, where guests may trade specially created millennium pins with each other and Walt Disney World employees.
