New York -- An opera performance and yet another
combat-sports entry highlight several niche pay-per-view events scheduled for August.
Opera star Luciano Pavarotti will headline Pavarotti:
The Verdi Requiem, featuring the world-renowned tenor performing one of his favorite
selections, Verdi's "Requiem Mass," sources close to the situation said.
Pavarotti will be accompanied by the Orchestra and Chorus
of the San Carlo Theater of Naples, Italy. Pavarotti last appeared on PPV in July 1996, as
part of the TVKO-distributed "The Three Tenors" concert.
Meanwhile, Sony Computer Entertainment and the Mirage Hotel
in Las Vegas will distribute a martial-arts tournament via PPV Aug. 7. The
Japanese-originated event, K-1, is a gloved-fighting sport that allows competitors from
different disciplines to compete against each other.
Unlike Semaphore Entertainment Group's controversial Ultimate
Fighting Championship, K-1 has been sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission. All competitors will wear 10-ounce gloves and compete in an eight-man,
single-elimination, all-heavyweight tournament.
In addition, the event, which will retail at a suggested
price of $19.95, will feature a "superbout," pitting a world champion against an
American challenger.
Finally, Sport Compact and Popular Hot Rodding will
distribute another event with an international flavor -- an auto drag-racing event between
American-made cars and Japanese import vehicles.
The show, Street Legal: Detroit vs. the Imports,
will debut Aug. 2 at a suggested price of $14.95, the companies said.
