NEW YORK, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Excel
Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: EXCC) - Benedetto Arts, LLC announced today the
appointment of Excel Corporation, a publicly traded licensing and
branding corporation, as the exclusive licensing agent on behalf of
iconic personality, Tony Bennett.
Benedetto Arts, LLC, owns the name
and likeness rights for the singer Tony
Bennett.
"Tony Bennett embodies integrity,
quality and longevity in a way that is completely unique in any
industry. He is an iconic entertainer and an acclaimed visual
artist so we are honored to have this exceptional opportunity,"
said Robert Stone, VP Licensing, of
Excel Corporation. "Our goal will be to capture the true essence of
this multi talented individual to include three components of
Tony's life: fashion, art and classic authentic food."
Excel will be pursuing a variety of licensing opportunities that
relate to Bennett's entertainment career as well as his artistic
endeavors as a painter who signs his work with his family name,
"Benedetto." Among areas of interest are fashion apparel and
accessories, textiles for the home and kitchenware and food
specialties. Bennett is in his seventh decade as a
performer and has maintained a level of success and relevancy in
the entertainment industry that is unmatched by any other
performer. His most recent CD released in celebration of
his 85th birthday, DUETS II, made music history when it
debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album charts, making Tony the oldest
artist to achieve the top slot. His multi-generational
appeal is exhibited by his sold out concert performances around the
globe attended by fans of every age. Bennett's DUETS CDs
showcased musical collaborations with today's most successful
artists representing the spectrum of musical genres, including Lady
Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Faith
Hill, and Andrea Bocelli, and
have continued to introduce the songs he made famous throughout his
career to an ever widening domestic and international audience,
becoming his most successful recordings to date. A
visual artist all his life, Tony studied art in public schools in
New York City and has exhibited
his extensive collection of original artwork in museums and
galleries around the world. Three of his paintings are
part of the permanent collection in the esteemed Smithsonian
Institution in Washington,
D.C.
About Tony Bennett:
Tony Bennett is as a recording
artist with over 100 albums and 17 Grammy Awards, including
the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and several Emmy Awards to
his credit, and has earned his legendary status many times over.
He remains the Columbia Records artist with the greatest
longevity at the label. His recent DUETS CDs, released in 2006 and
2011 on the occasion of his 80th and 85th birthdays
respectively, have showcased Bennett's greatest hits performed with
today's greatest stars. A host of artists joined Bennett
in the studio for the projects including Lady Gaga, Bono, Barbra
Streisand, Carrie Underwood,
Elton John and the late Amy
Winehouse among many others. This year a documentary on
the singer, created and conceived by Tony's son and manager
Danny Bennett, entitled "The Zen of
Bennett" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2012 to much
acclaim. His 2007 prime-time special, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," won
seven Emmy Awards and was directed by Academy Award winner
Rob Marshall. He has
performed for 10 US Presidents, from Presidents Eisenhower,
Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr. and
Obama. He also worked with and marched alongside Martin
Luther King in his 1965 civil rights march and was honored with the
Martin Luther King's Salute to Greatness Award. In addition to
performing, he is a visual artist as well, with three of his
original paintings featured in the permanent collection at the
Smithsonian, including his portraits of Ella Fitzgerald and Duke
Ellington. His humanitarian efforts are renowned and
the United Nations honored him with their Humanitarian Award in
2007. He has published three books – his autobiography, "The
Good Life," and two books of his paintings, "Tony Bennett: What My Heart Has Seen," and
"Tony Bennett In the Studio: A Life
of Art and Music." Bennett founded, in association with the
Department of Education in New York
City, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts – a public arts
high school in his hometown of Astoria, Queens. With his wife Susan, he established
Exploring the Arts, a charitable organization which supports arts
education in NYC public high schools. Exploring the Arts
supports 14 public high schools throughout New York
City. For more information please
visit www.tonybennett.com, exploringthearts.org and www.zenofbennett.com
About Excel:
Excel is a publicly traded licensing, merchandising, and
distribution company, headed by Ruben
Azrak, Chairman focused on brining national and
international brands to the retail marketplace through licensing
opportunities including the representation of brands, trademarks,
designers, events, personalities and sports of high standing in the
industry. Excel's key executives have over 30 years of licensing
experience and have established programs at retail which have
generated sales of over one billion cumulative.
Note: This news release contains "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of the federal securities laws and is intended
to qualify for the Safe Harbor from liability established by the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including
statements regarding Excel Corporation's current and intended
operations and restructuring plans. These plans and statements are
based on management's estimates and assumptions with respect to
future events and are believed to be reasonable, though are
inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual results could
differ materially from those projected as a result of certain
factors. Excel Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly
update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
SOURCE Excel Corporation