Queen, David Bowie And Microsoft Raise Funds To Fight Aids Benefit To Begin On World Aids Day, Dec. 1, 1999

REDMOND, Wash. - A three-way collaboration between Queen, David Bowie and Microsoft Corp. will mark World AIDS day, Dec. 1, 1999, with a global Internet-based AIDS fund-raising event.

Through WindowsMedia.com, the MSN? online guide to multimedia on the Internet, Microsoft will host a free* video download featuring Queen and David Bowie and will provide people with an opportunity to donate money to fight AIDS. The download will be available for two weeks at http://windowsmedia.microsoft.com/preview/queen, beginning Dec. 1, exclusively in Microsoft® Windows Media? format, providing industry-leading sound and video quality.

The WindowsMedia.com site will help educate visitors about the worldwide AIDS epidemic and give people the opportunity to contribute online to Queen's Mercury Phoenix Trust charity, which raises funds to fight AIDS. Microsoft will also make a contribution to the trust.The free video download will feature the recent groundbreaking video of Queen and David Bowie together performing their classic collaboration, "Under Pressure." Although Freddie Mercury and David Bowie never actually appeared on stage together, breakthrough video technology has brought these two great performers together for the first time using unique footage. The audio track to the video is a new 1999 "Rah mix" version that features fresh recording work by Queen; the track was remixed for the new album, "Queen + Greatest Hits III." Already receiving major radio airplay, the track will be released as a single on Dec. 6 along with Queen's song of the millennium, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the perennial "Thank God It's Christmas."

The Queen and Bowie World AIDS Day video download reunites the two music giants in the cause of AIDS fund raising. Bowie was among the legendary musicians who joined Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992, an event that lead to the founding of the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

The members of Queen are among the few music artists to have established their own official AIDS charity, which continues to work unrelentingly to provide both education and funds to AIDS projects worldwide and is one of only a handful of registered AIDS charities that gives globally.

AIDS Continues to Spread Around the World, Largely UncheckedDespite recent developments in drug treatments and regimens, the global rate of HIV infection continues to grow. Recent reports show that in 1998 the total number of adults and children living with HIV and AIDS exceeded 34 million worldwide. The most severely affected areas are Southeast Asia, where the infection has spread swiftly since 1992, and the southern countries of Africa. In Botswana, the proportion of the adult population living with HIV has doubled over the past five years, with 43 percent of pregnant women testing positive in 1997.Eastern Europe has also seen a dramatic rise in the number of people affected by HIV or AIDS. The most notable example is the Ukraine, where the rate of incidence has shot up more than 30-fold in the past three years, a pattern being repeated in the Russian Federation.In North America and Western Europe, more than 1.3 million people are living with HIV or AIDS.The Mercury Phoenix Trust has supported AIDS projects in many of these countries and to date has donated more than £6 million ($9.7 million) to combat the spread of AIDS and HIV infection.

About WindowsMedia.com
WindowsMedia.com (http://windowsmedia.com/), part of the MSN network of Internet services, is among the fastest-growing major audio and video guides on the Internet. WindowsMedia.com provides access to localized audio and video content worldwide, including major music and video events from more than 1,000 radio stations and more than 1,000 content providers.

About Windows Media Technologies
Windows Media Technologies is the leading digital media platform that provides consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations with unmatched audio and video quality. Windows Media Technologies 4, which includes Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services, Windows Media Tools and the Windows Media SDK, is available for free* download at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/. More than 50 million copies of the free* Windows Media Player have been downloaded to date - growing by more than one every second.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.

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*Connect-time charges may apply.

Microsoft, MSN and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information, press only:

Ryan James
Waggener Edstrom
(503) 443-7000
ryanj@wagged.com

Rapid Response Team
Waggener Edstrom
(503) 443-7000
rrt@wagged.com

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information pages.

Appendix

The Mercury Phoenix Trust

-Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS-related causes on Nov. 24, 1991.

-The Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded in 1992 to distribute the money raised by the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, which took place at Wembley Stadium, London, on April 20, 1992.

-Since 1992, the Mercury Phoenix Trust has been responsible for donating more than £6 million ($9.7 million) in the fight against the AIDS crisis to more than 100 different charities in countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and America.

Facts: AIDS Worldwide

-During 1998, more than 8,500 children and young people became infected with HIV every day - six every minute.

-By the end of 1997, 8.2 million children had lost their mothers to AIDS before they turned 15.

-In 1998, approximately one-third of the 33 million people living with HIV were young people between the ages of 15 and 24.

-AIDS is increasingly hitting young, healthy people of both sexes.

Bowie Tribute Band To Play London

He's outrageous, he screams and he bawls...

David Bowie tribute artist John Mainwairing (pictured above) and his band Jean Genie play the Venue in London, this Friday 26th November. Somewhat bizarrely, and more by chance than design I suspect, the band are booked to play the capital just four days before the Bowie show at The Astoria! Bad timing, or what?

Having said that, if you do get a chance to see them, then check them out. Stalwarts of UK Bowie conventions, Jean Genie have built a solid reputation as a most convincing tribute to the sound and vision of David Bowie.

John Mainwaring himself has had a healthy amount of exposure via the UK media. With appearances on MTV and numerous press/radio interviews. John is a well-known face on the UK Bowie scene, and he is currently touring as Ziggy Stardust in the rock 'n' roll theatre show, 'Freak Out'.

Songs performed by Jean Genie include; Starman, Rebel Rebel, Life On Mars? Jean Genie, Modern Love, Young Americans, Let's Dance and many more classics. News of their popularity has even reached David Bowie himself....it says here ;-)

Admission to the show at The Venue is £5.00, or £3.00 before 9.30pm with the advertisement in the current NME (issue dated: 20 November 1999, page 45). The Venue is situated at 2A Clifton Rise, New Cross, London SE14. For more information call: 0181 692 4077. (Travel to: New Cross/New Cross Gate Tube and BR).

From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam

Musique Plus

Yesterday, Bowie was guest artist of the month on French Canadian music station Musique Plus.

Bowie was interviewed and played a ten song set (see below). David talked about the popular new game OMIKRON:The Nomad Soul, The Art exhibition SENSATION, Ziggy 2002, and John Lennon among other things.

In an show lasting over 2 hours (originally scheduled for 90 minutes) Bowie and crew had a blast performing the following tracks:

Survive
Ashes To Ashes
Seven
Thursday's Child
Stay
Always Crashing In The Same Car
Something In The Air
The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell
Cracked Actor
I'm Afraid Of Americans

Queen, David Bowie And Microsoft Raise Funds To Fight Aids

A three-way collaboration between Queen, David Bowie and Microsoft Corp. will mark World AIDS day, Dec. 1, 1999, with a global Internet-based AIDS fund-raising event.

Microsoft will host a free video download featuring Queen and David Bowie and will provide people with an opportunity to donate money to fight AIDS. The download will be available for two weeks at http://windowsmedia.microsoft.com/preview/queen, beginning Dec. 1, exclusively in Microsoft® Windows Media? format, providing industry-leading sound and video quality.

The WindowsMedia.com site will help educate visitors about the worldwide AIDS epidemic and give people the opportunity to contribute online to Queen's Mercury Phoenix Trust charity, which raises funds to fight AIDS.

Microsoft will also make a contribution to the trust.

The free video download will feature the recent video of Queen and David Bowie together performing their classic collaboration, "Under Pressure." Although Freddie Mercury and David Bowie never actually appeared on stage together, breakthrough video technology has brought these two great performers together for the first time using unique footage. The audio track to the video is a new 1999 "Rah mix" version that features fresh recording work by Queen; the track was remixed for the new album, "Queen + Greatest Hits III." Already receiving major radio airplay, the track will be released as a single on Dec. 6 along with Queen's song of the millennium, "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the perennial "Thank God It's Christmas."

Jools

David Bowie is confirmed for a forthcoming episode of the "Later With Jools Holland" programme. David will be on the BBC2 show on December 4th.

go here for more information

European Ticket Insanity

"Don't lean on me man, cause you can't afford the ticket"Why the Cheshire Cat grin...were you one of the lucky ones? Tickets sales for the European leg of 'one-offs' continue to break box-office records. The December 2nd London Astoria show went on sale at ten o'clock this morning and was sold out quicker than a really fast thing, 15 minutes flat to be more precise!If you think that's impressive, the December 7th show in Copenhagen was sold in 1 minute and 55 seconds!! This particular event has had national TV-news coverage in Denmark, with frozen fans ready to sell their souls, grandmothers and other members of their immediate family for a glimpse of Earth's favourite rock god in action. One chap is apparently willing to exchange a week in Mallorca for a ticket. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, (enough with the mad, mad already...anti-repetition Ed) World!From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam

Musique Plus Webcam

David Bowie will be featured on the French-Canadian music television station, Musique Plus. He will apear on their program this evening (11/22) at 6 p.m. ET.

If you can't get Musique Plus, you can still check in on the goings-on during the live performance via an Internet webcam trained on the stage.

This shot was taken earlier this morning, showing the stage set up (the cameras appear to be turned off until the show later tonight).

The show will be re-broadcast tonight at 10:30pm EST, and tomorrow, the 23rd at 10am EST.

If you have any questions for David Bowie, send them to:

bowie@musiqueplus.com

go to the Internet webcam

go to Musique Plus

The News Of The World

Diary of an internet fiendThe News Of The World piece was an advertorial pull-out in association with Time computers, that concentrated on David's internet involvement. Underneath a picture of David and Ronan Keating (taken at the BowieNet Chat event with the two stars) is a caption that describes this very site as "internet-addict David's world-famous website Bowienet".The three-page article is basically an advert for music via the internet, explaining the recent increase in available downloadable technologies such as MP3. A technology that David has wholeheartedly endorsed with few reservations: "I'd like to suggest that the social camaraderie and the pure buzz of going through the racks at a shop will guarantee the life of the stores. What will happen is the internet will weed out the bad and indifferent places - where no one is willing to help you, or the CD you want is never in stock".The interview continues to describe the internet-addicts day-to-day involvement with BowieNet and outlines his general role as innovator concerning these technologies, citing the internet-only release of 'Telling Lies' and the pre-release availability of 'hours...' as examples. What a clever bloke! * I'm sure if any of you wish to see the full transcripts of both these interviews, Paul Kinder will provide you with a photo-copy of them, if you ask very nicely of course.From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam

Db In The Sun

Ciggy Stardust and The Sun (Machine)A two-page interview with David conducted by Dominic Mohan for The Sun was published on Saturday, under the headline: "IT'S CIGGY STARDUST"! The Sun, (Britain's biggest selling tabloid newspaper) recently voted David Bowie the most important artist of the century in a reader's poll.The interview made a big deal of Bowie's apparent rude health, which we all know he struggles to maintain via his intake of "40 fags a day, junk food and coffee by the gallon". This and the fact that David "rarely goes to the gym" all helped towards the big question, how does David Bowie look so good at 52?The piece also touched on lifestyle changes, public transport, John Lennon, the pros and cons of fame, the internet and the fact that DB has helped alter "the way that music sounds and looks".This is what our man had to say about certain young pretenders who have had to fork out for copying his riffs: "There have been quite a few, shall we say, unofficial cover versions over the past few years. I've come to friendly arrangements with bands who've nicked bits and pieces and we're all happy".And the next time that you see a familiar face under a hat belonging to a gentleman wearing glasses and holding a Greek newspaper, just remember this: "Anyone who has a car in New York is potty - it's chaos. It's a lot easier to get the subway and I do it all the time. I get the tube in London sometimes too but it can be quite strange. The recognition factor on the tube here is a lot higher than it is in the U.S."From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam

Help!

Vinyl fetishist needs to find like-minded people for possible online communication, with common aim of satisfying bizarre craving. Do you, like me, long for the touch and smell of delicious smooth black vinyl......

Yes of course I am referring to the fact that 'hours...' is the first David Bowie studio album (apart from 'The Buddha Of Suburbia') not to be released on the shiny black stuff. Yeah I know that I should 'get with the programme' and forget all that old stuff, but I can't help myself. I have the two versions of the CD, and the mini-disc, (which has slightly different artwork for all you spotters) how much more modern can one be?

So, what I am saying here is that if you love the feel of a big 12" in your hands, (sorry, it's the Benny Hill in me!) and a bigger Bowie picture for your money, then join in with this campaign to get a vinyl release for 'hours...'

Those smart enough to have snapped up one of the very limited copies of 'Earthling' on vinyl will understand completely what a work of art, and a sensible investment to boot these releases are. But such a limited run is not a particularly viable financial exercise for a record company to undertake, so let's unite to give them a little nudge in the right direction.....

It's simple ~ All you have to do is e-mail me at: MrTotalBlamBlam@aol.com with 'Bowie Vinyl' in the subject field, I will then forward the petition to the relevant record company blokes, easy eh? The bigger the response we get the more likely this is to happen, so e-mail your friends and feel free to put this request up on your very own site, if you have one. People have the power!

From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam

Bowie Kickin In Nyc

Last night David Bowie and crew (Mike Garson, Mark Plati, Page Hamilton, Sterling Campbell, Emm Gryner, Holly Palmer, and the birthday girl herself Gail Ann Dorsey) played a killer 17 song set Live from New York City.

To celebrate Gail's birthday, David popped some champagne, poured for the band, and then passed to bottle (and cups) to the fans in the crowd for a special toast in Gail's honor.

The entire show was recorded and will be re-broadcasted as both a radio show and Internet cybercast.

Here is the set list:
Life On Mars?
Thursday's Child
Something In The Air
China Girl
Can't Help Thinking About Me
Always Crashing In The Same Car
Survive
Drive In Saturday
Stay
Seven
Changes
Cracked Actor
Ashes To Ashes
Repetition
The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell
Rebel Rebel
I'm Afraid Of Americans

BowieNet will be posting your journals and photos soon, so if ya got em, send em in!

Greek Interview

Anyone with knowledge of the Greek language should check out this interview with David Bowie. To those who do NOT know Greek, go anyway, the 'Hours...' motif is quite appealing.

go to the interview

Omikron News + A Review

Eidos has released a collectors edition of the recently released TheNomad Soul to French stores such as FNAC, Virgin and Micromania. Limited to 5,500 copies, the package includes:

a box

the game itself (3 CDs)

a technical booklet

a 192 page guide with a colour cover full of wonderful drawings fromthe game

a collector CD-ROM

a white T-shirt

4 numbered colour original lithographs

The price is 499 French francs, although finding it online may be animpossible task.

---

"I saved the sound for last. I did this for several reasons. First off, I haven't heard anything better in a long time. This game is a visual and auditory treat. The soundtrack always sets the mood for the game, and ambient sounds come in at the right time."

"The title track of the game rings in my head just about every morning now. That's how good it is. I played this game with the Xitel force feedback headphones (look for my review on them soon), and I felt like I was in Omikron. The audio helps create that feeling."

go to PC Game World

Kit Kat Klub Tonight

Tonight is the night of the long-awaited Kit Kat Klub show. David's last show of the Millenium in the United States. This looks to be an epic show with highlights from practically every Bowie-era.

If you are going tonight :

doors open at 8:00pm
the show begins at 9:00pm

For those of you who cannot be in the audience tonight, fear not! The Kit Kat Klub show will be recorded, and then re-broadcasted as both a radio show and Internet cybercast.

Go to the Kit Kat Klub website

Iman Postcards

Gorgeous Iman now has two new free postcards on her sexy site.

Send one today

Signing Session In London

"I asked for an autograph, He wanted to stay home...."

.....aah but he doesn't want to stay home you see..... David Bowie wants to sign something just for you. If you are lucky enough to be going to see David and the rather splendid David Bowie Band, on his 'Limited Engagements Tour 1999' at the Astoria in London's Charing Cross Road, then why not stroll over to the Virgin MegaStore on Oxford Street and get the man himself to sign your plaster cast, or whatever else you can think of?

The session takes place for one hour only, between 4:00pm and 5:00pm on December the 2nd, the day of the Astoria show. But, an ingenious and fair queuing system has been devised, (that's standing in line for the benefit of our US cousins). Queuing will commence long before the start of the actual signing, as there will be a number given to correspond with your place in the queue. This is a refreshingly simple way to stop the likes of Paul Kinder from employing their infamous queue-jumping techniques!

There will be ample opportunity to purchase Bowie product while in the MegaStore, so don't worry about carting something all the way there with you to get signed, just buy something when you get to the MegaStore! It is also a known fact that Rock Gods always do neater signatures on new stuff.

This could be your last chance to get a David Bowie autograph this millennium, so even if you aren't going to the show, get along to the Virgin MegaStore on the 2nd of December, and earn yourself a 'Bo 99'!

From our European Correspondent ~ Total Blam Blam

Astoria Tix Info

Yippee! Your chance to see the London Boy live in London!

The tickets for the December 2nd show at the Astoria in London go on sale Monday the 22nd 10am GMT priced £20.

Venue box office Phone Number
0171 434 0403.

Bowie Official credit card Phone Number
0990 321 321.

Credit Card Bookings also available on
0181 242 9595

and through

First Call 0171 420 1000
Ticket Master 0171 344 4444
Stargreen 0171 734 8032

German Bowie Special Poll

The Bowie-Special on German-TV:On Sunday, Novemver 28th the German music channel VIVA will air an hourlong feature on David. Called "Jam" it will feature a new interview done in Vienna on the 18th of October and clips from old interviews form the archives (one of them even dating back to 1980). It will also show David performing in the Elephant Man on Broadway and have a special behind the scenes look at the making of the video for "Thursday's Child".Air times (all CET):Sunday, 28th November: 5 pm and 11 pmWednesday, 1. December: 11. pm

Little Richard

Little Richard (who Bowie has oft-cited as one of his idols when he was growing up) was on VH-1's The List program last night and nominated Bowie as one of his three "Greatest Male Rock Performers of All Time", saying that Bowie took the most important element of "having an image" to its extreme.from strange divine

Omikron

Adding to the ever-growing stockpile of top-knotch reviews, here are some highlites from Game Revolution's recent review.

Can you hear me, Major Tom? I'm stuck in Omikron!

"...the best single player gaming experience of the year."

"Aside from generally excellent sound effects and voice acting, theentire game is backed by an atmospheric musical score composed by David Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Itperfectly captures and defines the bizarre and mysterious ambience of Omikron.

Even better are the eight songscomposed by David Bowie that appear in the game both in the opening and closing credits. There are even a series ofin-game concerts you can go to, complete with 3D modeled David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels on stage."

Revolution Report Card

A

+ The most fully-realized game world ever + Versatile, pragmatic play system + Beautiful graphics + David Bowie! + Engaging story + Might make you buy every Bowie album

go to the Game Revolution