Peter Morton, Tommy Hilfiger and John Sykes to Co-Chair All Star Music-Themed Weekend Dubbed 'Rock to Erase MS'

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LOS ANGELES, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter Morton's Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will host the sixth annual RACE to Erase MS on May 21 & 22nd, a weekend of events created by Nancy Davis to raise monies for research dedicated to finding the cause and ultimate cure of the disease of multiple sclerosis.  With the influence of music prevalent throughout the weekend, this year's benefit has been deemed the ROCK to Erase MS.

"I am  honored to again be chairing a very special RACE to Erase MS with my supportive co-chairs Tommy Hilfiger and John Sykes, who share my commitment to this cause that affects each of us in a personal way," said Nancy Davis.

"We are thrilled to join forces with our newest co-chair, Peter Morton, who will be generously hosting this weekend.  This collaboration is a unique and exciting way to celebrate the grand expansion of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino while raising funds and increasing awareness for the disease of MS."

For the first year, the RACE to Erase MS leaves Los Angeles for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in conjunction with the hotel's $100 million dollar expansion.

"The RACE to Erase MS is a very special organization and we are thrilled to host this year's ROCK to Erase MS weekend," said Peter Morton.
"It is an ideal way for us to showcase the changes we made during the expansion of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino while helping raise money for a worthwhile cause."

The all-star weekend kicks-off Friday night with an exciting Tommy Hilfiger fashion show at the hotel's newly expanded Pool and Beach Club. Top models and celebrities will strut the runway in the designers Spring 1999 collections for men and women.  Multi-platinum recording artists the Goo Goo
Dolls will perform during and after the show.  Other evening festivities include a dazzling live end silent auction, a gaming tournament and dinner buffet feast of fine cuisine from the hotel's restaurants Nobu, A.J.'s Steakhouse, The Pink Taco, Mortoni's and Mr. Lucky's.

"The RACE to Erase MS is a cause that is very important to me," said Tommy Hilfiger.  "A universal passion for music and a devotion to finding a cure for this debilitating disease brought us together to create this incredible weekend in Las Vegas.  I am looking forward to what promises to be the most
successful RACE to date."

Saturday morning begins with a 5K run/walk hosted by Tommy Hilfiger model and "Sports Illustrated" covergirl Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and rap superstar LL Cool J.  The weekend finale that evening includes a live concert featuring prominent bands at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's famous venue 'The Joint' as well as a performance by actor/comedian David Spade and a special tribute to Phil Hartman presented by Jon Lovitz.  VH1 will film the weekend's activities for a one hour special to air following the event.
 
This year, the RACE to Erase MS hopes to surpass last year's fundraising efforts, which exceeded $2.5 million.  Proceeds raised from this all-star
weekend will go directly to The Center Without Walls, a unique collaboration of eminent physicians, scientists and clinicians from USCF, UCLA, Harvard University, Yale University and Oregon Health Sciences University.  In research supported by The Center Without Walls, truly revolutionary breakthroughs are creating more effective treatments and giving promise for a cure for MS in the very near future.

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system in which the insulating, protective covering (myelin sheath) surrounding the nerves is destroyed or damaged, resulting in interference with the brain's signals to various parts of the body.  Multiple sclerosis usually affects young adults between the ages of 20-50, and twice as many women as men develop the disease.  In the past five years, the advancement in MS research
has fostered cutting edge discoveries empowering brilliant scientists to develop new therapeutic approaches that will ultimately lead to a cure. This
research brings renewed hope and inspiration to all those afflicted with this disease.

Currently in the midst of a $100 million expansion, Peter Morton is turning his Hard Rock Hotel & Casino into a true destination resort property.
Set to be completed in May 1999, the hotel will see the addition of a new guest tower which will expand the hotel's 688 rooms with 57 suites and deluxe
suites.  There will be the addition of two acres of a new Pool and Beach Club with swim-up gaming; a state-of-the-art Spa and Health Club; four new restaurants including the famed Nobu, A.J.'s Steakhouse and The Pink Taco, a mexican style restaurant.  Additionally, there will be an underground nightclub created by Sean MacPherson.  The first phase of the expansion is now complete, which includes a new retail and sundries store, the Sports Deluxe bar, the Cuba Libra cigar bar, and the Peacock Lounge, a new high stakes gaming area.  Hotel reservations can be made by calling  1-800-HRD-ROCK on the

Internet at http://www.hardrockhotel.com.

Tommy Hilfiger Corporation through its subsidiaries, designs sources and markets men's and women's sportswear, jeanswear and childrenswear under the Tommy Hilfiger trademarks.  Through a range of strategic licensing agreements, the Company is expanding its product lines to offer a broader array of apparel, accessories, footwear, fragrance and home furnishings.  The Company's products can be found in leading department stores and specialty stores throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and other countries in the Far East.

For more information please contact:
Jennifer Allen/Tracy Mosh, 323-954-4000, or Jill Fritzo, 212-582-1111, all of PMK Public Relations;
Jeff Wagner, 310-854-3366, or Tanya Huisenfeldt, 702-693-5000, both of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino;
Bretta Nock/Maureen Grauman of RACE to Erase MS, 310-440-4842;
Shannon Meehan, Public Relations for Nancy Davis, 310-271-9904; Lee Solters,
Public Relations for Nancy Davis, 323-651-9300;
Carrie Bartlett, Meredith Lieberman, Courtney Moss, all of Tommy Hilfiger Public Relations, 212-840-8888.
 

SOURCE Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Web Site: http://www.hardrockhotel.com