ABC SPORTS TO PRESENT "NFL OPENING KICKOFF," FEATURING PERFORMANCES BY MARY J. BLIGE, DESTINY'S CHILD, ELTON JOHN, TOBY KEITH, LENNY KRAVITZ AND JESSICA SIMPSON, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 (8:00 p.m., ET)

Special Musical Hour Will Be Followed by the Opening Game of the NFL Season, Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (9:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network

An hour-long special on ABC, "NFL Opening Kickoff," will salute the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and feature a star-studded musical lineup, with performances from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, and Jacksonville, Florida, site of Super Bowl XXXIX. The special will air from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET, on ABC and lead into the season opener between the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium (9:00 p.m., ET on ABC) - a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game. It will air following the game in the Rocky Mountain and West Coast time zones.

The show will pay tribute to the 2003 Super Bowl champions and include performances from Gillette Stadium by MARY J. BLIGE, DESTINY'S CHILD, ELTON JOHN, TOBY KEITH and LENNY KRAVITZ. JESSICA SIMPSON will perform from Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, where the next Super Bowl champion will be crowned.

NFL SEASON PREMIERE:

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
"Monday Night Football," the most successful and longest-running primetime sports series in television history, begins its 35th anniversary with the opening NFL game of the season, as the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots host the Indianapolis Colts on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 (9:00 p.m., ET) in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game. The Patriots, led by two-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, defeated the Carolina Panthers to win their second Super Bowl in three years. They also added a top-flight RB to their offensive attack when they traded with Cincinnati for Corey Dillon. The Colts came within one game of the Super Bowl last season when they lost to the Patriots 24-14 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. NFL Co-MVP Peyton Manning teams with WR Marvin Harrison to form one of the most prolific QB/WR tandems in NFL history.

MNF IN HDTV:
The entire schedule of "Monday Night Football," beginning with the Hall of Fame Game tonight (Washington vs. Denver), August 9 (8:00 p.m., ET), will be available in HDTV.

"MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SEASON":
The 2003 schedule continues on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, as the NFC champion Carolina Panthers host Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers.

The following is the 2004 ABC NFL "Monday Night Football" schedule (all games air on Mondays at 9:00 p.m., ET., except where noted):

SEPTEMBER 9 Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (Thurs. night)
SEPTEMBER 13 Green Bay Packers vs. Carolina Panthers
SEPTEMBER 20 Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles
SEPTEMBER 27 Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
OCTOBER 4 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens
OCTOBER 11 Tennessee Titans vs. Green Bay Packers
OCTOBER 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. St. Louis Rams
OCTOBER 25 Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals
NOVEMBER 1 Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets
NOVEMBER 8 Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts
NOVEMBER 15 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
NOVEMBER 22 New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs
NOVEMBER 29 St. Louis Rams vs. Green Bay Packers
DECEMBER 6 Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks
DECEMBER 13 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans
DECEMBER 20 New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins
DECEMBER 27 Philadelphia Eagles vs. St. Louis Rams

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 2005 NFL Playoff Doubleheader (4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., ET)

During last football season "Monday Night Football" finished in the Top-10 (3rd) among all primetime shows on network television for the 14th consecutive season, and finished first in the key male demographics.