Celine Dion and Franco Dragone Announce First On-Sale Dates for Tickets to Spectacular Theatrical Presentation to Open at Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March 2003.

Business & Entertainment Editors

NOTE TO MEDIA: Photo is available in a Smart News Release(TM) on

Business Wire's Home Page at www.businesswire.com and at

www.newstream.com

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2002

Chart-topping Sony Music recording artist Celine Dion and acclaimed theatrical innovator Franco Dragone today for the first time toured the new home of their unique stage spectacular, speaking with members of the international media, guests and partners on the stage of the rapidly rising Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

During the inspection tour of the 4,000-seat entertainment and event venue located at the heart of the famed Las Vegas Strip, officials of Concerts West announced that tickets for the much anticipated Dion-Dragone theatrical presentation will go on sale to the public this Thursday, May 23.

Opening in March 2003, Ms. Dion will star in a live, stage spectacular that will introduce a new form of entertainment to Las Vegas. Accompanied by a cast of 70 dancers, musicians, characters and artists, Ms. Dion will headline a performance that fuses song, performance art, theatrical innovation and state-of-the-art technology. Under the direction of Dragone - the creative spirit behind the critically acclaimed Cirque du Soleil(TM) productions - a team of highly skilled designers and artists have united to develop an entertainment experience unlike anything ever seen.

Designed to resemble its ancient namesake, the Colosseum will be the home for this unique production, starring Ms. Dion, directed by Franco Dragone and presented by Concerts West, an AEG Company. The engagement is scheduled to run for a minimum of three years with 200 performances per year in the venue that is being constructed specifically for the show. Caesars Palace is a Park Place Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:PPE) resort.

Tickets Go On-Sale Thursday, May 23

Tickets for the first three months of performances (60 shows) will be available to the public for the first time beginning tomorrow, Thursday, May 23, at 1:00 PM EDT, 10:00 AM PDT via Ticketmaster's charge-by-phone network (702-474-4000), online at www.ticketmaster.com and at the Caesars Palace box office. In order to allow the greatest number of Celine Dion fans the opportunity to attend performances during the first three months of the engagement, a limit of eight (8) tickets per purchaser will be enforced for the first day of sale. Tickets will be priced from $87.50, $127.50, $150.00 with a limited number of special VIP packages available.

Rehearsals to Begin

The creative process already has begun. Rehearsals with the cast start on June 24 in La Louviere, Belgium (where the DRAGONE company is based). Franco Dragone has begun to gather a who's-who of internationally renowned multi-disciplined artists to develop the essence of the show. Over the coming months, he will discover their individual talents and bring them together to create new forms of expression. The artistic team, chosen for their unique qualities, not their physical profile or experience, are the true definers of this work in progress.

Creative `Dream Team'

An unprecedented alliance of creative partners has come together to create an incomparable stage experience. They include Dion, her husband Rene Angelil and their company, CDA Productions Inc., which will produce the show in association with Franco Dragone's company, DRAGONE. The show will be presented by Concerts West at Caesars Palace. Dragone continues to assemble an all-star production team that includes lighting designer Yves Aucoin, associate director Pavel V. Brun, set designer Michel Crete, projection content designer Dirk Decloedt, musical director Claude (Mego) Lemay and costume designer Dominique Lemieux.

"When I met Celine and Rene in Florida nearly two years ago, I felt a certain magic. A new alchemy was formed that inspired us to develop a partnership to create a show for Celine," Dragone commented. "Since then, we have been joined by a number of superb partners and together we are pooling our creativity and talents to bring this fabulous project to life."

The deal truly began to take shape when AEG President Timothy J. Leiweke was approached by Angelil and Ms. Dion to discuss the creation of the show.

"It was not only our great admiration for Celine as a performer but our tremendous respect for her and Rene as the people they are that led us to this partnership," said Leiweke. "Under the leadership of Concerts West, this `one-of-a-kind' production will show how the synergies of the AEG affiliated companies create tremendous opportunities for our organizations and those we do business with."

"Concerts West is dedicated to creating this type of `one-of-a-kind' production for audiences worldwide," said John Meglen, Co-CEO of Concerts West. "We are excited to team with Caesars Palace, which has a long history of hosting internationally renowned entertainment and events. We are so privileged to be associated with Celine Dion, Rene Angelil and Franco Dragone; three individuals we consider not only to be among the most talented in their fields but the most honorable partners any organization could have."

"The opening of the Colosseum next March will begin an exciting new chapter in the legendary story of Caesars Palace, the best known casino resort brand in the world," said Park Place President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas E. Gallagher. "The Palace has a rich history of hosting the world's most exciting talent. For that reason, it will be the perfect home to what is truly a `Dream Team' of the performing arts. We're very pleased that we're able to accelerate the launch of ticket sales to accommodate all the requests that we've been receiving."

Everyone involved with the project participated in the planning and design stages for the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Ultimately, theatre/entertainment design firm Sceno Plus, Inc. of Montreal was chosen to create the new structure with Perini Building Company of Las Vegas selected as the project's general contractor.

"Our mandate from Celine was to bring her as close as possible to her fans," said Colosseum designer Patrick Berge, president of Sceno Plus. "Our mandate from Franco was to create a vast performance space. Intimacy and immensity in a single venue. The round building was the perfect solution, with the farthest seat only 120 feet from the stage. This distance compares to showrooms that have one-third or one-fourth of the Colosseum's seating capacity. And the shape also enhances the acoustics, which will be amazing," Berge added.

About the Partners

For nearly fifteen years, Franco Dragone directed the critically acclaimed shows produced by Cirque du Soleil. His reputation was built through the worldwide success of a range of shows that include: "O", "Mystere," "La Nouba," "Quidam" and "Saltimbanco." In early 2000, Franco Dragone decided to explore other opportunities to showcase his talent and inspired to handle all production aspects of his artistic works. This led to the creation of DRAGONE, an independent company designed to autonomously manage and create all aspects of a production. He chose to base the company in La Louviere, the small industrial town in Belgium he has called home since the age of seven.

Park Place Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:PPE) is the world's largest gaming company. Park Place Entertainment owns, manages or has an interest in 28 gaming properties around the world that operate under the Bally's, Caesars, Flamingo, Grand Casinos, Hilton and Paris brands with a total of two million square feet of gaming space, more than 28,000 hotel rooms and 55,000 employees.

Based in Los Angeles, Concerts West, Ltd. is one of the world's largest producers and promoters of live music events and tours. Run by veteran tour promoters John Meglen and Paul Gongaware, the company's primary focus is indoor arenas, which allows for an extension of artists' tours and increased revenue by eliminating seasonality. Concerts West is an AEG Company.

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, the London Arena, The Forum (as exclusive booking agent for sports and entertainment programming), HealthSouth Training Center and the Kodak Theater (as operator); sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Redding Royals (ECHL), Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, New York/New Jersey Metrostars and DC United (MLS) and six hockey franchises operated in Europe; management of shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) owned by Philip Anschutz; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming rights and consulting company; Spring Communications, devoted to creation and marketing of live events for pay-per-view and other electronic media; AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency; Creative Battery, producers of live entertainment for a variety of media and venues; Concerts West and Golden Voice, live entertainment promotion and touring companies.

AEG is currently overseeing the development of L.A. Live, a proposed 4 million square foot development featuring a 7000-seat state-of-the-art live theatre, a 1,200-room convention "headquarters" hotel along with entertainment, restaurant, residential and office space all adjacent to STAPLES Center. In addition, AEG is spearheading the creation of a $120 million national training academy that will include major facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, basketball and other sports in southern California. The company was recently selected to fully develop the 28-acre Millennium Dome and adjacent property located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River and will create new arenas in both within the Millennium Dome and on a 50-acre site in the heart of Berlin.

Press kit and downloadable photos available at caesarspalacepr.com/celinedion.

Note: A Photo is available at URL: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.052202/bb7