Music, NASCAR's Stars online for celebrity auction for Aids cure

People across the nation will have the opportunity to obtain memorabilia from some of music's hottest stars, as First Auction announced today the newest StarBid '99 -- the All American Celebrity Auction, with bidding opening on Friday, June 4th and continuing through Sunday, June 20. Items available on StarBid '99 include objects from contemporary Christian, gospel, rock and pop music stars, as well as signed equipment and photos from NASCAR race drivers and other notable athletes. Additionally, there will be a booth located at Fan Fair, country music's biggest fan appreciation event, where fans can place bids and meet artists in person (Building D, Booth 403).

The All American Celebrity Auction will raise funds for the T.J. Martell Foundation who funds and promotes lifesaving research to find better treatments and cures for leukemia, cancer and AIDS. Gibson Musical Instruments and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz have long been supporters and of the T.J. Martell Foundation.

Since the announcement of the partnership between First Auction and the T.J. Martell Foundation in March, 1999, hundreds of one-of-a-kind celebrity memorabilia have already been auctioned off, with all proceeds benefiting the T.J. Martell Foundation. In addition to the chance of winning a piece of music history, participants in StarBid '99. Leveraging the broad popularity of music today, we are pleased with the enormous celebrity support that has benefited such a worthy cause, said Alan Citron, president, USA Networks Interactive. With thousands of consumers, including some of today's top celebrities, converging for our next live StarBid '99 auction at Fan Fair, we anticipate even greater returns for T.J. Martell.

Our partnership with First Auction has broadened our fundraising efforts through the power of the Internet and its enormous reach, said Tony Martell, chairman of the T.J. Martell Foundation. We look forward to this StarBid event that will help continue the lifesaving research of the foundation.

For detailed descriptions of the items and bidding instructions for StarBid '99, participants should log on to www.firstauction.com.

Some of the items up for bid include:

Autographed Amy Grant certified platinum sales award for Behind The Eyes
Epiphone Guitar signed by Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Neil Diamond and Sawyer Brown
Wynonna autographed platinum award plaque and certificate of authenticity for Wynonna Collection
George Strait autographed hat, photo and single CD Carrying Your Love With Me
Three autographed pairs of pants worn by the Dixie Chicks in the video Wide Open Spaces, along with a copy of the video
Charlie Daniels Myrtle Beach Golf Weekend, August 14-16, 1999, includes two round-trip airfare, one hotel room for two, a round of golf with Charlie, reserved tickets and two backstage passes for Charlie's show at The Palace, August 15th in Myrtle Beach, SC
Plane ride with pilot Ricky Van Shelton
Gibson electric guitar signed by Hanson, with a Gibson USA lockable hard case
Epiphone guitar signed by all 3 Wilkinsons
Jeff Gordon-signed Simpson racing helmet
Busch Series Racing Dale Earnhardt Jr. #8 autographed cap
Andre Agassi-autographed white shirt and photograph

Internet Shopping Network (www.isn.com), a division of USA Networks Interactive, launched the world's first online store in 1994. ISN continues its online commerce innovation with First Auction (www.firstauction.com), the first real-time online auction, featuring a diverse selection of home and leisure products, jewelry, apparel, consumers electronics and computers. ISN plans to launch new commerce sites in 1999 including a jewelry store and an online outlet shopping center. Internet Shopping Network is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA.

The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research (www.TJMartellFoundation.org) was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues after the death of Tony's son, T.J., a victim of leukemia. The music and entertainment industry charity has raised more than $120 million for cutting edge research and maintains an overhead of less than 7 percent. The Foundation funds lifesaving research at the T.J. Martell Memorial Laboratories at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City, the Neil Bogart Memorial Laboratories at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles, and the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt/Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville.