NEW YORK, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Spike TV announced today that multi- platinum recording artists, Foo Fighters, will take the stage at Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards.” Fresh off the release of their highly anticipated new album, “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” the Foo Fighters are set to rock out in front of some of Hollywood’s hottest talent and the video game world’s top creators and designers. Hailed by The Independent (UK) as “the last great American rock band,” Foo Fighters are featured in Rock Band; which will be one of the biggest games of the year. This performance will be a monster. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the “Video Game Awards” tapes at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Friday, December 7 and premieres on Spike TV Sunday, December 9 (9:00-11:00PM, ET/PT).

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To kick off the party, celebrities will have their music abilities tested, as Spike TV will feature the all-new platform designed for music fans and gamers, MTV Games’ Rock Band on the red carpet. The red carpet will never be the same as celebrities will show off their video game prowess in front of their loyal fans. While, inside the walls of the Mandalay Bay Events Center, a who’s who of the video game industry will gather to witness mind-blowing, never-before-seen world premieres of some of the most anticipated releases to date. Borderlands (2K), Gran Turismo(TM) 5 Prologue (Sony Computer Entertainment America), Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (Ubisoft) and TNA iMPACT! (Midway) will all be unveiled. Also, viewers will have a first look at the new DLC Halo 3 Maps from Microsoft Game Studios.

Talent includes some of the industry’s hottest celebrities, sports stars, comedians and the hottest women in gaming. The night will feature award presentations and appearances by actress Rachel Bilson, actor Hayden Christensen, “Heroes” Kristen Bell, legendary boxing promoter Don King, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, rock star Kid Rock, “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, magician Criss Angel, “TNA” wrestling stars Kurt and Karen Angle, actress Tia Carrere, artist Chingy, “Rob & Big’s” Rob Dyrdek and Big Boykin, “Chuck” stars Joshua Gomez and Zachary Levi, former NFL star Rocket Ismail, UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Ultimate Fighter 1” champ Forrest Griffin, “Mad TV” star Bobby Lee, MTV reality couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, NFL quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart, rock star Dave Navarro, “Jackass” Steve-O, comedian Patton Oswalt, comedian and Comedy Central star Brian Posehn, MTV’s Tila Tequila and professional skateboarder Danny Way and many more to be announced shortly. In addition, the world’s leading video game concert series, Video Games Live, will make their national television debut. Comedian Ralphie May was just added to perform.

The Official sponsors of Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” are Burger King(R), GameStop(TM), Mountain Dew, Stride(R) Gum, Tag(TM), U.S. Air Force and Verizon Wireless.

Spike TV will launch a “Video Game Awards” mobile channel cross carrier on December 3rd. The mobile “VGA” winners will be announced on the red carpet at the event and will air on Spike mobile beginning December 10th and run all week.

Nominees for Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” were determined by the VGA Advisory Council, made up of a group of the most well-respected experts in the industry who, for the first time in history, will also determine the show’s winners. Games released between November 16, 2006 and December 1, 2007 were eligible for nomination. Fan voting, however, will not be left out as the winner in the Most Addictive Gamecategory will be solely determined by the fans. To vote for this award, go to www.vga.spiketv.com — through Saturday, December 8.

Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards” pays tribute to the outstanding achievements of games, designers, animation, breakthrough technology, music and performances of the past year in the industry. The awards also provide a glimpse at the future of gaming, including exclusive sneak peeks and world premiere footage of some of the most anticipated games of 2007 and beyond.

Albie Hecht, Oscar(R)-nominated producer and co-creator of the “Kids’ Choice” and “Video Game Awards,” and Casey Patterson, senior vice president, event production & talent development for Spike TV will serve as executive producers of Spike TV’s 2007 “Video Game Awards.” Greg Sills is supervising producer, Alicia Portugal is producer and Scott Fishman is executive in charge of production.

Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom , MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

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