West Coast Welcomes Back xm sATELLITE rADIO’S Hot ImPort nights for First L.A. Show of THE Season

Nation’s largest lifestyle custom car show comes to the L.A. Convention Center August 19 for more music, cars, models and fashion than ever before

IRVINE, CA – August 14, 2006 – XM Satellite Radio’s Hot Import Nights (HIN) arrives in Los Angeles for the first of two L.A. stops in this year’s tour.  HIN, the nation’s largest lifestyle custom car show, will pack the Los Angeles Convention Center on Saturday, August 19 from 5 p.m. to midnight with a special performance from Ak’Sent, an exclusive L.A. fashion show, a custom car challenge, hundreds of the nation’s hottest cars and more.

Making her first performance on the Mazda Main Stage is Capital Record’s newest talent, Ak’Sent. She will perform songs from her debut album, International, that features collaborations with Reggae icon Beenie Mac and DJ Quik.

The L.A. show will feature a special fashion show produced by one of Russia’s top models, Polina Raygordskaya, with designs from ISYL Clothing and Kami Shade. Shade’s designs have been seen on many red carpet events, including the Grammy’s and BET Awards and have been featured in L.A. Splash Magazine, Truly Hollywood and LA.com. Hair and make-up for the show will be done by one of L.A.’s top company’s, Make Up Life Style and by Carly Ryan, who is the fashion director for an all female-run entertainment company, Marc’d Entertainment. Models from all over the world will be on hand to walk the HIN runway. Many of the models have been featured in international magazines like Vogue, FHM and Cosmopolitan. Photos for the show will be taken by local L.A. fashion and glamour photographers Steven Cain, Jay Carreon and Rory Peter.

On the automotive front, Formula D and D1 drivers will unite to display top drifting cars, and top tuners from across the country will meet in a battle to prove who is the best-of-the-best in the East Meets West car competition.  In addition, Shell Oil Products has teamed up with top import tuner Paul Ireson to complete his latest project, a customized Mini Truck that will make its debut appearance at the Los Angeles event.  This custom Mini has a power-to-weight ratio comparable to a Formula One car, weighing a mere 1,800 lbs and boasting more than 1,100 HP.  Also new for the Los Angeles show is the Street Performance Expo which features top performance industry exhibits.

Returning sponsor Valvoline will present Super Street Cars on Tour with the one-of-a-kind Charge Speed STI straight from Japan, the full carbon fiber chassis CWest S2000 and the chameleon color-changing HKS-powered IS300.  Show visitors can get up-close and personal with the hottest, trendiest cars in the customized world, straight from the pages of the top tuner magazines. In addition, motocross champion Travis Pastrana will feature his Subaru rally car.

On the XM Satellite Radio Stage, local club DJs and b-boy groups will compete for top accolades. On the Mazda stage, HIN’s Glo-Go dancers will show off their go-go skills against Los Angeles’s best dancers in the new Rockstar Energy Drink National Glo-Go Dancer Competition, a city-to-city dance rivalry.

Additionally, the search for Miss HIN 2007 will continue with the Queen of the Scene competition and the selection of Miss HIN LA, hosted by HIN International Spokesmodel Ursula Mayes.  Ursula, Miss HIN 2005, can be seen elsewhere this year as one of Maxim’s “Sexiest 100” and on the new NBC program, “Deal or No Deal.”

A special moment in the evening will allow show attendees to recognize guests from the U.S. Military—Soldiers who recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan. HIN and its sponsors will welcome Soldiers participating in Operation Tribute to Freedom, a U.S. Military outreach program designed to honor those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The program is an opportunity for Americans to better understand and connect with their Soldiers, one story at a time. Soldiers will be recognized and honored on stage for their service.

XM Satellite Radio’s Hot Import Nights is presented by returning sponsor Valvoline, in addition to returning sponsors Dunlop Tires; Meguiar’s; Mazda; Circuit City; Chevrolet; Subaru; NGK Sparkplugs; Hanes; BF Goodrich;BombshellPoker.com; and media sponsors Modified Magazine;

Modified Luxury & Exotics, Super Street; Import Tuner; Sport Compact Car; Rides; MPH; Performance Auto & Sound Magazine; Road and Track; C-16; XXL; KING; and Car and Driver magazine. New 2006 sponsors include Rockstar Energy Drink; Shell V-Power; Atomic Loud Speakers; and the National Guard. More information on HIN can be found at www.hotimportnights.com.

About Action Media and Vision Entertainment

Action Media, parent company of Vision Entertainment, is the leading media and event company targeting the Gen X-Y audience, integrating lifestyle events including cars, music, video games and fashion. Producing more than 20 annual events in the top North American markets, Action Media and Vision Entertainment are now one of the leading communities for every positive aspect of youth culture. The current portfolio of Vision Entertainment events includes Hot Import Nights, VIP Auto Fashion Show, Nightshift, the RC Expo (RCX), Fresh Tracks Snow and Skate Expo and Holiday Havoc. Action Media’s online assets now include Online Showoff and Model Showoff as well as a partnership with IGN.com. 

2006 Hot Import Nights/Night Shift and VIP Schedule

NS                   Las Vegas                    Sam Boyd Stadium                                Sept 9

NS                   San Francisco               SBC Park                                             Sept 23

HIN                 Seattle                          Qwest Field                                          Sept 30

HIN                 Dallas                           Dallas Convention Center                      October 7

NS                   Phoenix                        Firebird Intl. Raceway                          October 14

VIP                  Los Angeles                  LA Convention Center                           Nov 18

HIN                 Honolulu                       Blaisdell Convention Center                   Dec 2

HIN                 Miami                           Miami Beach Convention Center            Dec 16

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$5 discount on your ticket!