RENT: Filmed Live On Broadway To Be Released On DVD 2/3

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will release RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway on Blu-ray Disc^TM and DVD on February 3, 2009. The ground breaking Pulitzer and Tony® Award-winning musical thrived for an impressive 12 years on Broadway, and on Sunday, September 7, 2008, Sony Pictures Releasing's new alternative programming division THE HOT TICKET was there to capture the final Broadway performance. Both the Blu-ray Disc^TM and DVD are loaded with special features including numerous original featurettes, and will be available for the suggested retail price of $38.96 (Blu-ray Disc^TM) and $24.95 (DVD). This special release is timed to the launch of the National Theater Tour of RENT, which begins January 2009 starring original Broadway cast members Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, and others.

Filmed by Radical Media utilizing the latest in high-definition video and digital audio technology, director Michael Warren takes us on an enhanced journey through the music, lyrics, and images of this historic piece of live entertainment. RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway allows viewers to experience the show like never before, not only from the best seats in New York's famed Nederlander Theatre, but from the stage and wings, where cameras capture the raw emotion of the cast's performance.

Jonathan Larson's revolutionary rock musical RENT provides a modern interpretation of the iconic opera La Bohème and tells the story of a group of friends struggling to live and pay rent against the gritty background of New York's East Village while holding fast to their bohemian ideals and pursuits. Confronting poverty, addiction, illness and the AIDS epidemic, these young artists strive to get ahead, find acceptance, and above all, establish a connection to their world and each other.

RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway features Will Chase as Roger, Adam Kantor as Mark, Michael McElroy as Collins, Tracie Thoms as Joanne, Justin Johnston as Angel, Reneé Elise Goldsberry as Mimi, Eden Espinosa as Maureen and original cast members Rodney Hicks, who steps into the role of Benny, and Gwen Stewart as the "Seasons of Love" soloist. RENT was directed for the stage by Michael Greif.

DVD and Blu-Ray Special Features Include:
· "RENT: The Final Days on Broadway" - A Retrospective documentary featuring cast and crew
· "The Final Curtain Call" - Past/present cast members sing "Seasons of Love" on stage one last time
· "The Wall" - A rare look at the famous backstage wall
· "The Final Lottery" - Hundreds of fans turn out hoping to be one of the lucky few fans chosen to sit in the front 2 rows for the very last show
· National Marfan Foundation PSA

Special Features Exclusive to Blu-ray Include:
· "Home" - A Behind-the-Scenes look at the theater that was transformed into the home for RENT
· "Casting" - Bernard Telsey talks about casting the show for the past 12 years
· Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation PSA
· BD-Live^TM functionality

The Blu-ray Disc^TM version of RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway is BD-Live^TM enabled, allowing users to get connected and go beyond the disc via an Internet-connected Blu-ray player. Download exclusive content, register for rewards, give feedback through our survey and more!

Get rewarded for registering your Sony Blu-ray discs! The Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club rewards consumers in the U.S. for purchasing and registering BD-Live enabled Sony Blu-ray movies. Members can redeem accumulated points for cool Sony products, plus enter to win cash and prizes in daily sweepstakes and more. For details visit www.sonyrewards.com/bluray.

RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway
Rated: Not Rated
DVD Catalog #: 29791
DVD UPC Code: 0-43396-29791-3
DVD SLP: $24.95
Blu-ray Catalog #: 29795
Blu-ray UPC Code: 0-43396-29795-1
Blu-ray SLP: $38.96
Running Time: 152 minutes
Order Date: 1/1/09

Artwork is available at www.sphepublicity.com
Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 100 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com. For more info on Blu-ray Disc^TM, visit hollywoodinhighdef.com.