'Tony Bennett: An American Classic' Now Available on DVD Featuring Bonus Footage

The ground-breaking television special, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," is now available in stores nationwide as a DVD with bonus features including exclusive behind-the-scenes "making of" footage.

"Tony Bennett: An American Classic," presented by Target, premiered on NBC-TV on Tuesday, November 21 (8-9 p.m. ET). Directed by Academy Award winner Rob Marshall ("Chicago" and "Memoirs of A Geisha"), the production received widespread critical acclaim with The Hollywood Reporter calling it "a masterpiece" and Associated Press touting it as a "grand slam."

Musical performances include "The Shadow of Your Smile" with Juanes; "Rags to Riches" with Elton John; "The Best Is Yet to Come" with Diana Krall; "For Once In My Life" with Stevie Wonder; "Because of You" with k.d. lang and trumpeter Chris Botti; "Just In Time" with Michael Buble; "Sing You Sinners" with John Legend; "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with Christina Aguilera; and "Smile" with Barbra Streisand.

"Tony Bennett: An American Classic" takes viewers on a spectacular journey through the renowned singer's life. Set amongst the backdrops of different eras from Bennett's career, performances include duets of his most memorable songs as well as spectacular dance numbers. Each musical performance is shot as its own short movie. Bruce Willis, Robert DeNiro, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal narrate the special and introduce milestones in Bennett's life. The DVD includes a trailer created for the special, behind- the-scenes footage with Tony Bennett and many of the guest stars as well as rehearsal footage of the dance numbers, production, staging layouts and design presentations.

"Tony Bennett: An American Classic" is produced and directed by Academy Award winner Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha") and his Oscar- winning production team, including production designer John Myrhe, costume designer Colleen Atwood, cinematographer Dion Beebe and choreographer John DeLuca.

"Working with Tony Bennett on this extraordinary and historic event has not only been thrilling for me, but also a singular honor," said Rob Marshall. "Mr. Bennett is an authentic and legendary icon who has helped shape the landscape of American music. Paying tribute to him in this way, with such an illustrious group of artists and creative talent, has been a once-in-a- lifetime experience."

Referred to as "the best singer in the business" by Frank Sinatra, Bennett has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, with over 100 recordings to his credit, and has garnered 13 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rob Marshall ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha"), John DeLuca ("Terminal," "Chicago") and Danny Bennett ("Tony Bennett Live by Request: An All-Star Tribute") serve as executive producers with Marshall directing. "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" is produced by RPM TV Productions, Inc and was produced by Jodi Hurwitz.

  http://www.tonybennett.net/
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  http://www.columbiarecords.com/

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: RPM/Columbia Records

CONTACT: Sylvia Weiner of RPM TV Productions, Inc., +1-908-301-1779, or
sweiner@rpm-productions.com; or Fran Curtis of Rogers & Cowan,
+1-212-445-8423, or fcurtis@rogersandcowan.com

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
http://www.tonybennett.net/
http://www.benedettoarts.com/