BRING PEACE NOT PAIN ANNOUNCES FAMOUS PANEL OF JUDGES FOR THE PEACE SONG CHALLENGE

[Suzibpnp]

Legendary producer Bob Ezrin, musician Yusuf, Oscar nominee Thavi
Phrasavath, Entertainment Industry executive Anastasia Brown and Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Terry Stewart make up
prestigious judges panel for international song challenge

New York, New York…May 4, 2009…Bring Peace Not Pain, an organization
formed to further the message of peace through the efforts of
individuals and various partnerships and entertainment programs,
announced a prestigious judges panel made of some of the best known
talents in the music and film industry today. The judges will play a
pivotal role in choosing the winning entry for the Peace Song
Challenge. Open to anyone who aspires to bring their message of peace
through music, the Peace Song Challenge will award one grand prize
winning entrant an exclusive Gibson Guitar and the opportunity to
spread the word of Peace t hrough their very own words on an
international platform of publicity and promotion. The winner will
also have the opportunity to present their music to a forum of
legendary producers and music industry elite who form the panel of
judges of this year’s contest. All entries for the Peace Song
Challenge are due by July 25, 2009. The top entries will be judged and
a winner announced on or before November 25 2009. Several adaptations
to the official rules have been made and interested parties should
check the Bring Peace Not Pain website for details and applications.

The offici al judging panel for the Peace Song Challenge includes
legendary music producer Bob Ezrin, international recording
artistYusuf (Cat Stevens), Oscar nominee Thavi Phrasavath, music
industry hitmaker Anastasia Brown and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
President Terry Stewart.

Bob Ezrin’s career has spanned 38 years working with some of the
world’s leading artists including Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS, Lou
Reed, Roberta Flack, Peter Gabriel, Dr. John, Rod Stewart, Jane’s
Addiction, Nils Lofgren and many more. He is co-founder of Music
Rising with U2’s the Edge and produced the live extravaganza in 2006
featuring U2 and Green Day which reopened the Louisiana Superdome
after Hurricane Katrina devastated it the year before. Currently in
production with Peter Gabriel, Ezrin will also direct the upcoming
90th Birthday Celebration in NYC of the legendary Pete Seeger.

Singer/songwriter Yusuf, best known for his former stage name Cat
Stevens is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator and
philanthropist. He has sold over 60 million albums and has been on the
top of the Billboard and Hot 100 charts numerous times. In the late
70s Stevens converted to Islam at the height of his fame and adopted
the name Yusuf Islam. He left his musical career to devote his time to
philanthropy and education. He has been given several awards for his
work in promoting peace in the world including 2003’s World Award, the
2004 Man for Peace Award and the 2007 Mediterranean Prize for Peace.
In 2006 he returned to pop music with his first album of new songs in
28 years entitled An Other Cup and just recently released his current
cd ‘roadsinger’. As the creator of the song Peace Train and his strong
awareness for Peace related issues and programs, he is a perfect
candidate to join such other distinguished judges.

Award winning filmmaker Thavi Phrasavath who’s most recent film “The
Betrayal” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2009 is a true agent
of peace. “The Betrayal” is an exquisitely crafted tale about a
country, a family, and a young man who discovers the power and
resilience of the human spirit and spans 24 years of his true life
experience from war torn Laos to the streets of New York. Phrasavath
also has a very strong background in community service working with
the NYC Police Department as an interpreter and liaison to the Laotian
Community in youth and family crisis intervention. He has also won
numerous awards for his paintings and illustrations.
Anastasia Brown’s career has been about breaking the industry mold. In
just 4 short years since becoming President of 821 Entertainment
Group, Brown has created a Nashville-headquartered medi a company that
is financing and producing 16 Heartland feature films over the next
six years in partnership with some of Hollywood’s top producers and
studios. Brown, who began in Nashville as Miles Copeland’s partner
where they managed such megastars as Sting, Peter Frampton and Junior
Brown, discovered and developed Keith Urban before transitioning out
of management and into film and television. Her credits include music
supervisor of AUGUST RUSH, which earned both Oscar and Grammy
nominations for music, and BILLY: THE EARLY YEARS, for which she
earned a Dove Award nomination. Over the years, Brown’s accolades have
included “25 Most Beautiful,” “Top 40 Most Powerful Under 40,” “Women
of Influence,” one of 4 women featured in Fitness & Muscle’s “Women of
Strength” (September 2007) and Variety featured her among their
Multitaskers (November 20, 2006). Brown recently penned “Make Me A
Star” and is often interviewed as an industry expert. She also served
as celebrity judge for three seasons of “Nashville Star.”
Terry Stewart has been President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum for more than a decade. As CEO, he has led the
Museum's efforts to expand its reach nationally and internationally
with traveling exhibits, technology, collaborations and satellite
facilities, while at the same time building its home base in Cleveland
via exhibits, programming and the development of a world-class Library
and Archives research center. With the Museum’s increased focus on
bringing music into the classroom, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's
educational offerings have now become one of the most celebrated and
award-winning activities of its kind emanating from a fine arts museum
in the U.S. Prior to entering the nonprofit music world, Stewart
served in chief executive positions at Marvel Entertainment Group and
was also named the CNBC Marketing Executive of the Year. Terry is well
known as an avid co llector of pop culture memorabilia. His extensive
collection includes a world-class record collection, concert and movie
posters, autographs and jukeboxes.
Bring Peace Not Pain is a multi-faceted grassroots initiative, which
began as a solitary vision by Suzi Conklin Nance of New England and
has spread through all points of the globe. Through its efforts both
on the ground and virtually, Bring Peace Not Pa in brings together a
global following from all walks of life with one common thread – that
of which holds true the fact that together we can bring around a
peaceful world. The organization was recently featured at this year’s
Sundance Film Festival where VIPs, actors and film industry executives
enjoyed learning more about the organization at the Gibson Lodge
located on Main Street. For more information or details on the
campaign’s film series, speaker programs, blogs and interactive
website or upcoming events and contests please go to www.bringpeacenotpain.com
<http://www.bringpeacenotpain.com/> .

The contest is open to professional and amateur musicians who want to
share their feelings, hopes and dreams about peace through an original
song, soundtrack or music score. The winning entry may also become the
official song of the organization and be used for all domestic and
international campaigns. Some of the entries will be posted on the
website and later may be used for publicity and other promotional
efforts. Rules and regulations along with an entry application is
available on the website.
The Grand Prize winner will receive an exclusive Gibson Guitar from
the world’s premier musical i nstrument manufacturer, an official
“Agent of Peace” fleece jacket, inclusion in a major publicity
announcement and posting of their song on the Bring Peace Not Pain’s
website and YouTube. The winner will also be featured in an
international news story and may have the opportunity to perform his/
her song at several upcoming events and be given the opportunity to
promote his/her music as the official song of the campaign. Five
runner-up entrants will receive an official “Agent of Peace” fleece
jacket and mention on the website.

Submissions for the contest are due by July 25, 2009 and must be
submitted with a signed Official Entry form, copy of the Rules and
Regulations, a CD of the song and written lyrics. All must be signed
and dated by the original composer and be accompanied by a letter
stating that they are original works. (this is handled in the Rules
and Regulations) Each entry will not be returned. Winners will be
announced on or before November 25, 2009 For an official entry form
and Artist Release along with a complete list of rules and
regulations, interested individuals can email
PeaceSong...@bringpeacenotpain.com