LeAnn Rimes Announces As Host Of 25th Annual Colgate Country Showdown National Final

COLGATE COUNTRY SHOWDOWN NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, December 6, 2006

Contact:

Jeff Walker – AristoMedia – 615.269.7071/ext. 123 – jwalker@aristomedia.com

Liz McComb – AristoMedia – 615.269.7071/ext. 132 – lizmc@aristomedia.com

Erin Burr – Colgate Country Showdown/SPI, Inc. – 615.321.5130 – erin@countryshowdown.com


(Nashville, Tennessee – Monday, December 6, 2006) – Curb Records recording artist LeAnn Rimes has been slated to host the 25th Annual Colgate Country Showdown National Final on January 25, 2007 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The announcement was made today by Dean Unkefer, President of Special Promotions, Inc. and producer of the Colgate Country Showdown. The Showdown is the Nation's biggest and longest-running country music talent search.

Unkefer commented, "We are honored to have LeAnn Rimes host our 25th Annual Colgate Country Showdown. She joins other great stars – such as, Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson and Sara Evans – in recognizing hundreds of radio stations and talented aspiring artists throughout the United States that make this program possible.”

In addition to hosting the event, Rimes will perform two songs from her latest CD, This Woman, which includes the #1 single "Nothin' Bout Love Makes Sense" as well as "Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way," "Something's Gotta Give" and "Some People” which all reached the Top 5.

Having sold more than 37 million records worldwide and with two Grammy Awards under her belt, LeAnn Rimes has become a household name. Her 1996 debut Blue catapulted her to superstardom at just 13 years old and went on to sell more than 8 million copies. At just 23 years old, Rimes has already released eight CD's including a Greatest Hits album. For more information about LeAnn Rimes visit www.leannrimesworld.com or www.curb.com.

Five finalists from the Colgate Country Showdown will compete for the grand prize of $100,000 at the National Final hosted by Rimes. The televised one-hour special is syndicated nationwide and will also air on the GAC (Great American Country) Network.

About the Showdown:

Each year, more than 50,000 artists compete in the Colgate-sponsored local competitions throughout the U.S. and over $300,000 in cash prizes are awarded throughout the competition. All participants are consistently judged on five core criteria: marketability in Country Music, vocal/instrumental ability, originality of performance, stage presence/charisma and talent. The competition boasts a "who's who" in the Country Music industry with past local and regional winners including Brad Paisley, Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Billy Ray Cyrus, Sara Evans and Montgomery Gentry.

About Colgate:

Colgate-Palmolive is the national sponsor and leading global consumer-products company tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Household Surface Care, Fabric Care and Pet Nutrition. In the U.S., Colgate sells its quality products under such nationally recognized brands as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Ajax, Irish Spring, Softsoap, Murphy Oil Soap, Ultra Brite and Fab.

For more information about the 25th Annual Colgate Country Showdown, visit www.colgatecountryshowdown.com