Harrah's Entertainment and MTV Games Announce MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway to Host the Regional and Atlantic City Competitions for The Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band(R) Competition

Harrah's Entertainment and MTV Games Announce MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway to Host the Regional and Atlantic City Competitions for The Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band(R) Competition

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Hip-Hop icon and MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway has been tapped to host the four regional competitions and the Atlantic City competition for Harrah's Operating Company's, a subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., and MTV Games' landmark Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition. A pivotal part of the MTV News team for more than a decade, Sway has long been a staple of the music news and hosting arena. From giving Eminem and Notorious B.I.G. their very first radio airplay on his local show in the mid-'90s to moderating MTV specials on hate crimes, drugs, and Hurricane Katrina and covering the MTV Video Music Awards, the Grammy Awards, and even the presidential race, Sway has been there for some of Pop Culture's biggest moments.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090406/NY94888 )

"I can't wait to watch people live out their rock 'n roll fantasies on-stage at Total Rewards casinos and crown a winner," said MTV News correspondent Sway. "I'm a really big fan of Rock Band. It's the ultimate party game that puts the spotlight back on people loving, enjoying and playing great music, and THAT ROCKS!"

The Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition is seeing unprecedented participation. Close to 500 bands have registered to take the stage to compete across the country, and nearly 43,000 people have visited the competition's web site, http://www.harrahs.com/rockband.

For aspiring rockers, there is still time to take a crack at attaining rock immortality. During the remaining special Rock Band Nights at each of the eighteen Total Rock, Total Rewards resorts*, gamers can sign up and make history by going head to head on the world's first official and permanent, fully-equipped Rock Band entertainment stages. The winning band from each of these locations will soon have the chance to enter to hit the big time as Sway hosts the celebrity-judged regional competitions in Las Vegas (April 16), Chicago Area (April 24), New Orleans (April 30), and Atlantic City (May 7). The four regional competitions will offer customers the chance to win more than $50,000 in prizes.

The four winning bands, one from each regional competition, will then get to meet up with Sway once more in Atlantic City on May 8th to enter to compete for the championship title. The ultimate winning band will be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to open for the legendary B-52's at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on May 9th and will win $10,000 in prize money, making this the richest Rock Band competition in history.

For more information and official rules on the competition, please visit http://www.harrahs.com/rockband.

The eighteen participating Total Rock, Total Rewards resorts* and the remaining local competition dates and times include: Eastern Region:

Bally's Atlantic City - Thursdays, 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m., Mountain Bar: April 9, 16; Resort Final: April 23

Harrah's Atlantic City - Wednesdays, 8:00 p.m. (Registration from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.) Eden Lounge: April 8, 15; Resort Final: April 22

Showboat Atlantic City - Fridays, 8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m., House of Blues Lounge: April 10, 17; Resort Final: April 24

Harrah's Chester (Philadelphia) - Fridays, 7:30 - 10:30 p.m., EndZone: April 10, 17, 24 Resort Final: May 1

Southern Region:

Harrah's New Orleans - Fridays, 7 - 10 p.m., Masquerade: April 10, 17; Resort Final: April 24

Horseshoe Bossier City (Shreveport) - Mondays, 7:00 - 10:30 p.m. (Registration: 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.), Crossroads Bar: Local competition completed. Resort Final: April 6

Harrah's Tunica (Memphis) - Competition and Resort Final Completed

Harrah's Metropolis (Nashville) - Fridays, 8:00 - 11:00 p.m., Rivercrest & River Room: April 10; Resort Final: April 17

Horseshoe Southern Indiana (Louisville) - Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., The Pavilion: April 9; Resort Final: April 16

   Central Region:    Harrah's Joliet (Chicago) - Competition and Resort Final Completed   

Harrah's St. Louis - Fridays, VooDoo Lounge, 9 p.m. - 12 a.m.: April 10; Resort Final: April 17

Harrah's North Kansas City - Tuesdays, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m., Toby Keith's: April 7

Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago) - Fridays, 9:00 p.m., The Venue: April 10; Resort Final: April 17

Harrah's Council Bluffs (Omaha) - Fridays, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., The Whiskey Roadhouse: Competition Completed; Resort Final: April 10

Caesars Windsor (Windsor, Ontario, Canada/Detroit, MI) - Wednesdays, Cosmos Lounge, 7 - 10 p.m.: Competition Completed; Resort Final: April 8

   Western Region:    Harrah's Rincon (San Diego) - Competition and Resort Final Completed   

Harrah's Las Vegas - Tuesday - Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., Carnival Court: April 14, 15

Harrah's Lake Tahoe - Fridays, 8:00 - 11:00 p.m., Harrah's Center Stage: April 10, 17

   (* Subject to regulatory approval)     About Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.:  

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's(R), Caesars(R) and Horseshoe(R) brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and the World Series of Poker(R). Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence, and technology leadership. For more information, please visit www.harrahs.com.

About MTV Games:

MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About MTV Networks:

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090406/NY94888
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN 12
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.

CONTACT: Harrah's Entertainment, Jacqueline Peterson, +1-702-494-4829,
japeterson@harrahs.com, or Sam Glazer, +1-212-593-6403,
glazers@plannedtvarts.com; MTV Games, Mariana Agathoklis, +1-212-846-5755,
Mariana.Agathoklis@mtvstaff.com

Web Site: http://www.harrahs.com/rockband
http://www.harrahs.com/

---

Profile: International Entertainment