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Harrah's Entertainment and MTV Games' The Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band(R) Competition Crowns Phoenix Band FA/KE as the First Regional Winners

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 April 2009, 17:57 CDT

SAN DIEGO, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix band FA/KE was recently crowned the first regional winner in Harrah's Operating Company's and MTV Games' landmark Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition. Having competed during a Rock Band Night at Harrah's Rincon in San Diego, the native Arizona band won the chance to battle it out with other victorious, local gamers at the Western Regional competition hosted by Hip-Hop icon and MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway on April 16th at Harrah's Las Vegas where they nabbed the top slot.

Avid Rock Band fans since the game first debuted, FA/KE is made up of singer (and financial planner) Shawn Alan Murphy, 31, guitarist (and investment advisor) Luke Rosenberg, 29, bassist (and bartender) J-T Hallett, 30, and drummer (and engineer) Perry Thomas, 25. The band explains their winning strategy, "We analyzed what songs would score a lot of points and would make us look and sound cool playing. Then we practiced in theatres, bars, hotel rooms and homes so we would be comfortable in any space." Of their Western Regional victory, FA/KE says, "It was an experience that we will never forget."

FA/KE will join three other winning bands, one from each of the upcoming regional competitions across the country, 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.

The Total Rock, Total Rewards Rock Band Competition is seeing unprecedented participation. Nearly 600 bands have registered to take the stage to compete across the country, and 54,000 people have visited the competition's web site, http://www.harrahs.com/rockband.

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

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, 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.

SOURCE Harrah's Entertainment, Inc.; MTV Games

Source: PR Newswire

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