Bloomingdale's Sings "Oh What Fun" This Holiday Season

Bloomingdale's Sings "Oh What Fun" This Holiday Season
Tony Bennett Headlines the Celebration with Holiday CD Exclusive


November 2008, New York, NY... Bloomingdale's pulls out all the stops for holiday 2008, a season that includes spectacular gifts, exciting partnerships, and high-end fashion. The Sony Music collaboration that began this fall continues through the holiday season with numerous appearances and creative contributions by legendary recording artists. And, for the second year in a row, Infiniti will sponsor the spectacular unveiling of Bloomingdale's fantasy holiday windows at the flagship 59th Street store.

On November 20, Grammy award winning artist Tony Bennett will unveil Bloomingdale's holiday windows on Lexington Avenue. He will perform a selection of holiday classics, as featured on his new album, TONY BENNETT: A SWINGIN' CHRISTMAS Featuring the Count Basie Big Band. The performance choir from the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, the NYC public arts high school that Tony founded with his wife Susan, will perform some holiday favorites prior to Tony Bennett taking the stage.

Bennett, a gifted visual artist, created an original watercolor of the famed Lexington Avenue Bloomingdale's marquee whose image will be reproduced on the store's holiday shopping bag and a special electronic gift card. Each Tony Bennett-designed gift card will feature a code that gives recipients access to download an exclusive "Jingle Bells" track - which he recorded just for Bloomingdale's - via iTunes. Bloomingdale's will also carry a special version of his album's CD in stores and online, featuring the special "Jingle Bells" track.

"There's no better way for us to usher in the holiday season than to have Tony Bennett unveil the Bloomingdale's windows and perform Christmas classics on Lexington Avenue," said Jack Hruska, executive vice president, creative services for Bloomingdale's. "With our amazing assortment of gift ideas and fashions, the continuation of our exciting music campaign, and Infiniti's sponsorship and exclusive new offering to our customers, Bloomingdale's is the destination for holiday shopping and entertainment."

The Bloomingdale's holiday catalog will also feature Tony Bennett prominently. A selection of top customers will receive an audio greeting card bound into their catalog featuring the legendary artists unmistakable voice sharing warm holiday greetings.

In addition to their sponsorship of the holiday windows, Infiniti slowly reveals its new G Convertible over eight pages in the Bloomingdale's holiday catalog. Infiniti will make 199 Premier Edition G Convertibles available to Bloomingdales' customers through the catalog - a full six months before the vehicle is available to the public. The custom Bloomingdale's G Convertibles will have special features, including an exclusively unique Monaco red leather interior, hand-crafted Maple Wood Trim (red), Midnight Black Grille and 19" Accessory Wheels as well as an upgraded Bose (r) Open Air Sound System and Adaptive Climate Control System. A first for both brands, neither Infiniti nor Bloomingdale's have offered a vehicle through this medium before. A first-come, first-serve reservation process will allow these 199 lucky consumers to be the exclusive owners of the Premier Edition. Dedicated phone lines will go live on November 10, 2008 at noon CST. The all-new 2009 Infiniti G Convertible is set to make its world debut at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19. In addition, the spectacular vehicles will be on display in four Bloomingdale's locations from December 10, 2008 through January 10, 2009. Locations include Tysons Corner, South Coast Plaza, Lenox and Orlando.

Little Brown Book, Bloomingdale's custom publication, will celebrate music in its November issue. Gwen Stefani talks about her glamorous life in the issue, for which she also designed the cover. Tony Bennett talks music, style and art. Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala, creators of the William Rast fashion line, contribute a style scrapbook featuring their holiday secrets. And, each of the magazine's "Insiders Only" offers relate to music - whether it's tickets to The Grammy Awards or the opportunity to purchase a print of a signed, numbered album from The Beatles.

Six amazing experiences will be up for auction in Bloomingdale's holiday catalog - from a cruise with John Mayer to a painting lesson with Tony Bennett. All six include airfare and a perfectly appointed suite at one of the Leading Hotels of the World. Experiences with Yo-Yo Ma, Celine Dion, iCarly's Miranda Cosgrove and Lang Lang round out the six once-in-a-lifetime events. The auction will be live from December 1 through December 11, and all proceeds go to Bloomingdale's holiday charity partner, Musicians On Call (MOC), a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities.

The 7th annual Little Brown Bear by Gund will be available exclusively at Bloomingdale's. Wearing a piano keyboard scarf and sweater, the Little Brown Bear will retail for $16, and all net proceeds will benefit Musicians On Call.

Lastly, Bloomingdale's will help Musicians On Call bring the healing power of music to the bedsides of patients in 40 healthcare facilities across the country by providing CD Pharmacies at each location. At no fee, MOC provides hospitals with complete CD libraries and players for patient use. A CD Pharmacy consists of at least 200 CDs handpicked to reflect the demographics of each hospital. In partnership with Bloomingdale's, these CD Pharmacies will be sent to a hospital in every city where Bloomingdale's stores are located.

Bloomingdale's is America's only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store; and a division of Macy's, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 40 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and California. For more information, or to shop any time, visit www.bloomingdales.com.

Tony Bennett has sold over 50 million records world wide in his six-decade career and has received fifteen Grammy Awards and two Emmy Awards. His career in the music industry is unmatched and he continues to perform for sold out audiences around the globe. His 2006 DUETS CD, released in honor of his 80th birthday, earned platinum status and is his best selling recording to date. A gifted visual artist, Bennett, who paints under his family name Benedetto, has exhibited his art in galleries and museums internationally, and his painting of "Central Park," is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum. A humanitarian who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Bennett has donated his talents and time to worthy causes throughout his career. With his wife Susan, he established Exploring the Arts, which supports and funds arts education in public schools. Bennett founded the NYC public arts high school, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, which is located in his hometown of Astoria, Queens. For more information on Tony Bennett, please visit: www.tonybennett.net;
www.benedettoarts.com; www.exploringthearts.org.

About Infiniti
Infiniti offers a full-line of luxury performance automobiles, including the G sports coupe and sedan, the M luxury performance sedan, EX personal luxury and FX luxury performance crossovers, and the QX full-size luxury SUV. More information about Infiniti and its Inspired PerformanceTM and Total Ownership Experience (r) can be found at Infiniti.com.

About Musicians on Call (MOC)
Musicians On Call (MOC) was founded in 1999 with the mission of bringing live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. To date, volunteers have played for over 120,000 people. Musicians On Call continues its mission through room-to-room hospital performances by both local and national celebrities, and its CD Pharmacy and Project Playback programs. www.musiciansoncall.org