"NASHVILLE STAR" TO SHINE OVER CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL

"NASHVILLE STAR" TO SHINE OVER CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 2006 NASHVILLE STAR Tour Kicks Off on July 7

NASHVILLE, TENN. � June 2, 2006 � USA Network's NASHVILLE STAR will be featured at the Country Music Association Music Festival during the four-day event, which starts Thursday, June 8. The annual country music fan appreciation event is attended by close to 100,000 country music fans from all around the world.

This season's NASHVILLE STAR winner, Sony BMG Nashville recording artist Chris Young, along with eight other finalists from this season, including Casey Rivers, Nicole Jamrose, Matt Mason, Jared Ashley, Kristen McNamara, Melanie Torres, Shy Blakeman & Jewels Hanson, will be featured at the NASHVILLE STAR booth in the Nashville Convention Center. Also, joining this year's finalists are season three finalists Jody Evans and Jason Meadows. Fans who visit will get an opportunity to get autographs and pictures with their favorite NASHVILLE STAR finalists, check out exclusive NASHVILLE STAR merchandise as well as find out up to date information on how to become the next NASHVILLE STAR! Executive Producer Jeff Boggs will also be on hand to provide information and answer all of your questions about the hit show.

There will be performances by NASHVILLE STAR finalists past and present throughout the event including season four co-host's Cowboy Troy and Wynonna who will be performing on The Coliseum stage Friday, June 9. Also, former NASHVILLE STAR winners Buddy Jewel, Brad Cotter and Erika Jo are scheduled participate at the Music Fest, as will season one finalist Miranda Lambert who will also be performing on The Coliseum stage on Saturday, June 10.

In one of the events at the Music Fest, NASHVILLE STAR winner Chris Young continues to compete as he will face off against such notable athletes as NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, Super Bowl winner Jim McMahon, PGA golfer John Daly, Tennessee Titan Drew Bennett & many more in the Steve Azar Celebrity Sports Challenge in the Sports Zone. Young is in the studio working on his debut album, expected to be released in the fall.

Another exciting event for NASHVILLE STAR fans will take place on Saturday, June 10 as a reunion concert with performances from finalists of all four seasons will take place at the Mystic Nightclub in Nashville.

NASHVILLE STAR is also hitting the road this summer to perform a series of concerts across the country. Featured on the 2006 NASHVILLE STAR Tour will be this season's final four contestants - Nicole Jamrose, Matt Mason, Casey Rivers and Chris Young - along with John Bohlinger and the NASHVILLE STAR Band. The show will open with the first of the four contestants to be voted off the show performing their own set of music, including original and cover material, and then each of the four final "Nashville Stars" will have their own block of time on stage. The show progresses through each of the finalists in the order they were eliminated, until we reach the NASHVILLE STAR winner! This year's tour kicks off on July 7 at Cowboy's in Dothan, AL. Check out the rest of this year's stops at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/nashvillestar/ticketing/nashvillestartour.html.

For more information on NASHVILLE STAR, log on to the official interactive website at http://www.usanetwork.com/series/nashvillestar/. For photos of NASHVILLE STAR, please log on to the NBC Universal Media Village at http://www.nbcumv.com/.

NASHVILLE STAR is created by Reveille and executive produced by Ben Silverman ("The Biggest Loser," "The Office") and H.T. Owens ("The Restaurant," "30 Days"). Jeff Boggs (Late Show with David Letterman, Tom Green Show) will executive produce in association with Reveille again for the second year. The show is produced by Jon Small ("Garth Brooks Live From Central Park," "Billy Joel Live at Yankee Stadium") and his production company, Picture Vision, alongside co-executive producer Mark Koops ("The Restaurant," "Blow Out").

USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 basic cable network across the board in 1Q06, USA Network is seen in 90 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com Characters Welcome. USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.