Star-Studded Lineup for Mohegan Sun s Grand Opening [Bill Clinton as Casino Shill!]

Mohegan Sun Casino, The Sun ^ | 6/25/02

[NativeNewYorker]

Performances by Rosie O'Donnell, Cher, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and more guaranteed to bring the house down

UNCASVILLE, CT – May 30, 2002 – Some of the music industry’s greatest legends will be under one roof June 21st-23rd to help Mohegan Sun, the East Coast’s extraordinary entertainment and gaming destination, celebrate the grand opening of its luxury Mohegan Sun hotel and Elemis Spa at Mohegan Sun. Performances by Rosie O'Donnell, Cher, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and The Blues Brothers are all part of the weekend festivities expected to attract celebrities, VIPs and high rollers alike.

“We’re excited to play host to what will be one of the most remarkable events in entertainment history,” said Mitchell Etess, Mohegan Sun’s Executive Vice President of Marketing. “We have built a destination second to none, especially in the Northeast, and we can’t wait to officially unveil it.”

The star-studded weekend begins Friday night, June 21st, in the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena with a sold-out concert by pop music icon Cher [opening act is Cyndi Lauper] followed by a 90-minute performance by The Blues Brothers [Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi] in the 350-seat Wolf Den, the centerpiece venue within Mohegan Sun’s Casino of the Earth. On Saturday night, June 22nd, Rosie O’Donnell will make a special appearance, her first stand-up performance since retiring her hugely popular, Emmy Award-winning television show. She will perform in Mohegan Sun’s 40,000-square-foot Uncas Ballroom, the largest in the Northeast. Following Rosie’s performance will be the pairing of two American music legends, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, who will share a stage together for the first time in more than 20 years.

The audience can expect additional surprise appearances by well-known musicians and celebrities. All performances, with the exception of Cher and The Blues Brothers, are private, invitation-only affairs.

Mohegan Sun is a multi-dimensional destination featuring a 1,200-room hotel [including 180 suites], a 20,000-square-foot, world-class spa, fitness center, premier meeting and convention space and gourmet restaurants by celebrity restaurateurs such as Todd English, Jasper White and Michael Jordan. To create this 5.5-million-square-foot destination that brings Mohegan culture, traditions of hospitality and history to life, the Mohegan Tribe relied upon a unique collaborative effort by several of the world’s most renowned architectural and design firms.

New York City-based Kohn Pedersen Fox [KPF] Associates designed Mohegan Sun’s dramatic three-winged hotel tower, drawing inspiration from the dazzling quartz crystal used by the Mohegans to fashion arrowheads and ceremonial objects honoring the good spirits. Interiors for the elegantly appointed guest rooms, suites, corridors and elevator lobbies were created by Atlanta-based interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates. Steiner hired Stephen John Design to design the spa and beauty salon. The New York City-based Rockwell Group returned to Mohegan Sun to extend their original tribal-inspired designs for Mohegan Sun’s Casino of the Earth and Casino of the Sky to the 30,000-square-foot hotel lobby. David Rockwell and his team used a collage of materials to create multi-colored canopies of towering impressionist red cedar trees and gleaming glass and birch-lined walls.

Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Places. What began with the Casino of the Earth in 1996 has evolved into a legendary destination that now includes: the Casino of the Sky and over 300,000 square feet of total gaming space; The Shops at Mohegan Sun, featuring more than 40 retail shops and dining venues ranging from food court-style to gourmet; the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena for world-class sporting events and concerts, and an intimate Cabaret; and a 34-story luxury hotel, featuring 1,200 guest rooms and suites, premier meeting and convention space and a world-class spa. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting www.mohegansun.com.

Mohegan Sun National/New York
Saverio Mancini Middleton & Gendron, Inc.
860.862.7830 Michelle Chernoff
smancini@mohegansun.com 212.980.9060
mchernoff@mandg.com

New England Media Boston Media
Janette Baxter Regan Communications
Mintz & Hoke Lauren Fish
860.679.9846 617.488.2898
janetteb@mintz-hoke.com lfish@regancomm.com

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[NativeNewYorker]

This press release doesn't mention that DIRT ex-POTUS himself was there, as part of the "celebration". That tidbit is only found on page 7 of today's print-only edition of the New York Sun.

[Jimmy Valentine]

I knew that he would wind up as a casino greeter, but I never thought he would get there this quickly.

Look for him to start wearing sequined tuxedos and opening for Siegfried and Roy.

Regards,

[NativeNewYorker]

Now that you mention it, DIRT ex-POTUS would make a great Elvis impersonator.

[willyboyishere]

I sent a cartoon idea to a cartoonist friend of mine which
depicted two Indian (from India) guys wearing Western suits
and sunglasses standing outside a tacky looking casino in the turnaround driveway, near the oversized front doors.
The sign above them on the building front reads:
"Two Guys from Bombay GENUINE Indian Casino"