ACTRESS/MUSIC ARTIST EVE TO MENTOR FIRST ROUND OF "MTV'S TOP POP GROUP" THIS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 AT 10:00 P.M. ET/PT

Voting To Begin Thursday Night at TopPop.MTV.com as America Decides Who Will Ultimately Be the Top Pop Group

Santa Monica, CA (September 10, 2008) � As "MTV's Top Pop Group" challenges the nine competitors, they will have one person on their side who has been there, knows what it takes to succeed and is willing to offer advice on how to face the week's task. All-star rapper and actress Eve will be the first to mentor the groups for their debut on MTV this Thursday, September 11 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The premiere episode's challenge is for each group to define their unique sound and style � and to convince the judges, Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child), Taboo (Black Eyed Peas) and choreographer Brian Friedman, that they should not be eliminated. Voting begins immediately after the broadcast at http://toppop.mtv.com for fans to show their support for their favorite group.

Eve is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award winning artist, actress and clothing designer. Her contributions to R&B and rap have greatly impacted the charts and gained the attention of high-profile artists who collaborated with Eve on her debut album. Eve has continued to generate smash hit albums and earned a Grammy for her duet with Gwen Stefani called "Let Me Blow Ya Mind." After conquering the music community, Eve decided to pursue a movie career, making her box-office debut in the Vin Diesel action-adventure "XXX." Since then, she has had the opportunity to star in numerous film and television productions, including the female lead in the blockbuster comedies "Barbershop 1 & 2." UPN Network quickly tapped Eve to produce and star in a self-titled sitcom about a fashion designer. She also starred in the critically-acclaimed film "The Woodsman" with Kevin Bacon and Benjamin Bratt and recently wrapped "Whip It" opposite Drew Barrymore. Now, Eve has launched a clothing line called Fetish. In 2009, she will debut her highly-anticipated album, "Here I Am," a more mature and adventurous album.

MTV welcomes nine of the greatest undiscovered music groups to the stage for a chance to win $100,000 in "MTV's Top Pop Group." Each week, a new celebrity coach will come in to mentor the groups on everything from choreography and harmony to style and stage presence. With dreams of stardom on the line, the groups will not only need to impress the mentors and expert panel of judges in the studio, but more importantly, the viewers at home, as they decide who makes it to the next round by voting via text messaging, phone and online. The two weakest groups as determined by voting will give what may be their final performance in a fight to stay another week. At the end of each show, one group will be eliminated, until the last group standing can claim the title of "MTV's Top Pop Group."

"MTV's Top Pop Group" is produced by BBC Worldwide America. The show is executive produced by Allison Wallach of BBC Worldwide America, Richard Hopkins of Fever Media, and co-executive produced by Adam Paul. Liz Gateley, Maira Suro, Lauren Dolgen and Maitee Cueva are the executives overseeing the project for MTV.

About BBC Worldwide America

BBC Worldwide America (BBCWA) is part of BBC Worldwide - the main commercial arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). BBCWA has headquarters in New York and Los Angeles and brings together all of BBC Worldwide's businesses in the U.S. � including cable channel BBC America and a bi-coastal production division responsible for the smash hit "Dancing with the Stars."

About MTV

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 26 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries�giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV has been the number one rated 24 hour ad-supported cable network P12-24 for 16 straight years. Online, MTV.com scored double-digit growth in 2007 and MTV launched 15 dynamic online communities and eight new virtual worlds. On the go, MTV Mobile is the #1 music brand in the wireless space � delivering 90% more streams than in 2006. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.