'A Very Special Christmas - 20th Anniversary Music Collection' DVD in Stores Today

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    WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Sheryl Crow, U2, John
 Mellencamp, Jon Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder are among the
 superstars featured on the first-ever DVD collection from the "A Very
 Special Christmas" series of holiday music, sales of which benefit Special
 Olympics. "A Very Special Christmas - 20th Anniversary Music Video
 Collection" will be released today through Hipp-O/Universal Music, and
 features rarely seen Christmas videos from No Doubt, U2, Bon Jovi, John
 Mellencamp, Sting, Vanessa Williams and Run DMC, and live performances from
 Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, Wyclef Jean and Tracy Chapman
 from the 1998 and 2000 "Christmas at the White House" specials.
     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040302/LNTU017LOGO )
     To view footage, please visit
 http://hitsquadllc.tv/client/olympics/sampleclips.htm (username: hsclient,
 password: avid).
     "A Very Special Christmas is a fitting way to spread holiday cheer,"
 said Timothy Shriver, Special Olympics Chairman, "but, more importantly,
 this gift will help bring the joy of Special Olympics to many more children
 and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing them the chance of a
 new life - a life of participation, pride, friendship and joy."
     "I am full of admiration for the many artists who have helped us. It's
 a great tribute that these men and women say to themselves, 'I'll use my
 talent to help others,'" said Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
     This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inaugural release of the A
 Very Special Christmas series of holiday albums. The project was launched
 in 1987 when record executive/producer Jimmy Iovine decided that a
 Christmas album would be a beautiful memorial to his father. His wife,
 Vicki, suggested that the album benefit Special Olympics, for which she was
 working as a volunteer. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss (the "A" and "M" of A&M
 Records) helped make the first A Very Special Christmas album possible with
 an advance and a commitment to handle the record without taking any
 royalties, and Bobby Shriver (son of Special Olympics Founder Eunice
 Kennedy Shriver) signed on as a producer. Keith Haring, one of the great
 artists of the 20th century, created the Madonna and child artwork that has
 appeared on the cover of every CD in the series.
     Special Olympics is a year-round sports organization that changes lives
 by promoting understanding, acceptance and inclusion between people with
 and without intellectual disabilities. Numbering more than 190 million
 worldwide, people with intellectual disabilities make up the largest
 disability population in the world. Currently, Special Olympics is over 2.5
 million athletes strong in more than 165 nations around the world. Sales of
 the A Very Special Christmas series have raised more than US$100 million,
 which is disbursed through grants to Special Olympics programs around the
 world.
     Special Olympics recently held the 2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai,
 the largest Special Olympics World Games ever, in which 7,500 athletes from
 164 nations around the world competed in 25 different Olympic-type and
 demonstration sports. The Opening Ceremony, produced for television by Don
 Mischer, was the most watched television program in the history of Special
 Olympics, reaching over 1 billion people in 80 countries.
     "A Very Special Christmas - 20th Anniversary Music Video Collection"
 will be available at Best Buy, Walmart, K-Mart, Buy.com, Overstock.com and
 Amazon.com. The series of albums released over the years includes "A Very
 Special Christmas," "A Very Special Christmas 2," "A Very Special Christmas
 3," "A Very Special Christmas Live," "A Very Special Christmas 5," "Jazz to
 the World," "World Christmas," "A Very Special Acoustic Christmas" and "Una
 Noche de Paz Muy Especial." Some of the most important recording artists in
 the world have donated songs to the A Very Special Christmas albums
 including Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Smashing
 Pumpkins, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Enrique Iglesias,
 Cesaria Evora, Gipsy Kings, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and Aretha
 Franklin. "Una Noche de Paz Muy Especial - A Very Special Latin Christmas"
 features top Latin talent such as Enrique Iglesias, Don Omar, Jose
 Feliciano and Los Tucanes de Tijuana.
     "A Very Special Christmas - 20th Anniversary Music Video Collection"
 Video Listing:
     Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis
     U2- Christmas (Baby Please Come Here)
     No Doubt - Oi To The World
     John Mellencamp - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
     Sting - Gabriel's Message
     Jon Bon Jovi - Please Come Home For Christmas
     Vanessa Williams - What Child Is This
     Eric Clapton -Christmas Tears
     Tracy Chapman -Oh Holy Night
     Sheryl Crow - Run Rudolph Run
     Wyclef Jean - Little Drummer Boy / Hot Hot Hot
     Stevie Wonder (with Wyclef Jean) - Merry Christmas Baby
 
 

SOURCE Special Olympics