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Hard Rock and John Legend ‘Come Together for Good’ at Special Performance for Unity by Hard Rock™ Members

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Hard Rock International presents Legend with $100,000 donation for his The Show Me Campaign

Two lucky Unity members won a trip to Legend’s performance at Hard Rock Cafe London complete with a stay in the inaugural ‘Hard Rock House’ – a local home adorned with the iconic, music-inspired décor of Hard Rock Hotels

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Sept. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Last night, Hard Rock International hosted a private “Unity by Hard Rock Come Together for Good” performance with EGOT-winning critically acclaimed, multi-platinum artist and producer John Legend at the original Hard Rock Cafe London in continued celebration of the Unity by Hard Rock™ global loyalty program launch. To show their gratitude for Legend’s partnership and support for his philanthropic endeavors, Hard Rock presented a $100,000 check to his organization The Show Me Campaign, which is committed to ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to pursue their dreams through access to inspiring education, not just by chance, but by transforming the systems that shape our children’s futures. Show Me Campaign is a fiscally sponsored program of the Social Impact Fund.

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Keith Sheldon presents The Show Me Campaign check to John Legend on behalf of Hard Rock Heals Foundation – Credit Will Bailey (PRNewsfoto/Hard Rock International)

Legend at the Hard Rock

Legend performed favorite songs “Ordinary People,” “Tonight” and “All of Me” for an intimate audience of Unity members and other guests. Two lucky Unity members from Yukon, Oklahoma were flown in and sat feet away from Legend after winning the Come Together Experiences sweepstakes. They received exclusive swag, signed merchandise, a $200 Rock Shop gift card and overnight stay in the inaugural ‘Hard Rock House’ – a local home adorned with the iconic, music-inspired décor of Hard Rock Hotels. 

Legend has a long-standing relationship with Hard Rock, having performed at various Hard Rock Live music venues and helped open the Hard Rock Hotel New York. Most recently, he was part of the star-studded Unity global loyalty program launch ‘Come Together’ campaign which also featured Lionel Messi, Shakira and Noah Kahan who did a cover of The Beatles’ iconic song.

Unity by Hard Rock merges the best of casino, hotel, restaurant, retail and entertainment loyalty programs under one umbrella around the world and online. It offers an array of services for members to earn Unity Points and redeem them for free hotel nights, dining experiences and merchandise, while gaining access to offers, promotions and rewards.

“I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to perform again at a Hard Rock venue, this time for Unity members and fans in the place where it all started, the ‘original cafe’ in London,” said Legend. The night was special and made even more so with Hard Rock’s generous donation to The Show Me Campaign. Growing up, music was my passion, but it was my teachers who truly unlocked my potential. They taught me to write with creativity, passion, and clarity, which paved my way to becoming a successful musician. I recognize that my journey was not just about talent, but also the fortune of having teachers who believed in me. Thank you to Hard Rock for supporting The Show Me Campaign’s work to pay it forward and ensure opportunity and access to quality education for the next generation.”

“We are proud to support The Show Me Campaign and are thankful to John for sharing his talents and powerful music with our Unity members and special guests at another incredible performance curated by Hard Rock,” said Keith Sheldon, President of Entertainment & Brand Management at Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming. “We’re thrilled with the continued growth of Unity by Hard Rock membership since its global launch and supporting the ‘Come Together’ campaign that began this spring. Members have been discovering how they can earn points for doing what they love across Hard Rock’s amazing venues including hotels, casinos, restaurants, shops and more.”

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Photos from last night’s Unity performance can be downloaded here.

To learn more about Unity member and sign up, visit unity.hardrock.com.

About Hard Rock®
Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies with venues in over 70 countries spanning 309 locations that include owned/licensed or managed Hotels, Casinos, Rock Shops®, Live Performance Venues and Cafes. Its Unity by Hard Rock™ global loyalty program rewards members for doing the things they love across participating properties around the world. HRI also launched a joint venture named Hard Rock Digital in 2020, an online sportsbook, retail sportsbook and internet gaming platform. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world’s largest and most valuable collection of authentic music memorabilia at more than 88,000 pieces, which are displayed at its locations around the globe. HRI became the first privately-owned gaming company designated a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal in 2021 and has since been honored fourfold. Hard Rock was also honored by Forbes among the World’s Best Employers, as well as Best Employers for Women, Diversity and New Grads and a Top Large Employer in the Travel & Leisure, Gaming and Entertainment Industry. In the 2022 Global Gaming Awards, Hard Rock was named Land-Based Operator of the Year for the second time in four years. Hard Rock International currently holds investment grades from primary investment-grade rating agencies: S&P Global Ratings (BBB-) and Fitch Ratings (BBB). For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com or shop.hardrock.com.

SOURCE Hard Rock International

Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks. Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks.

Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks. Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks. Join us at [insert website URL] and let your entertainment journey begin! https://stmdailynews.com/category/entertainment/

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Setting the Record Straight: No, Disneyland Is NOT Moving to Nevada

Disneyland is not moving to Nevada—only Disney’s film studios may expand there. The Anaheim park is staying and set to grow.

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Disneyland Is NOT Moving to Nevada

The internet loves a good rumor, but here’s what’s really happening with Disney’s future plans

If you’ve been scrolling through social media lately, you might have stumbled across some eye-catching headlines claiming Disneyland is packing up and heading to Nevada. Before you start panicking about your next family vacation plans, let’s break down what’s actually happening – and what’s pure internet fiction.

The Latest Rumor Mill

Recent weeks have seen a fresh wave of claims that Disneyland is relocating to Las Vegas, with some sources even suggesting specific timelines like “starting at the end of October.” These stories have been spreading like wildfire across TikTok and other social platforms, racking up millions of views and causing genuine confusion among Disney fans.

But here’s the truth: Disneyland is absolutely not moving anywhere.

@stmblog

Disneyland is not moving to Nevada—only Disney’s film studios may expand there. The Anaheim park is staying and set to grow. ♬ original sound – STMDailyNews

Where These Rumors Come From

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this type of misinformation. Back in 2020, a satirical website called “Uncle Walt’s Insider” published a completely fictional story claiming Disneyland would move to Texas. That piece was pure satire – meant to be humorous, not factual – but it fooled enough people that major fact-checking organizations like Snopes had to step in to debunk it.

The current Nevada rumors follow a similar pattern, often originating from satirical or entertainment-focused social media accounts that blur the line between comedy and news reporting.

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The Real Story: Disney Production vs. Theme Parks

Here’s where things get interesting – and where some legitimate confusion might arise. While Disneyland the theme park isn’t going anywhere, Disney has been exploring opportunities to expand their film and television production operations in Nevada.

The Silver State has been actively courting entertainment companies with attractive tax incentives, and there have been discussions about Disney potentially establishing production studios or filming operations there. But that’s a completely different conversation from relocating Disneyland itself.

As one Reddit user perfectly summarized: “For those that didn’t read the article, they are talking about filming… Sony and Disney are looking to open production studios in Southern Nevada.”

What’s Actually Happening at Disneyland

Instead of moving, Disneyland is doing the exact opposite – it’s expanding right where it is. The DisneylandForward project, which received unanimous approval from Anaheim city officials, represents a massive multi-decade expansion plan that will bring:

New attractions and experiences

Additional hotels and dining options

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Enhanced shopping areas

Improved parking infrastructure

More entertainment venues

This isn’t a company preparing to relocate – it’s a company doubling down on its Anaheim home with billions of dollars in long-term investments.

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How to Spot These Rumors

When you see headlines about major theme park relocations, here are some red flags to watch for:

Check the source: Satirical websites and entertainment accounts often create fictional content for engagement

Look for official statements: Major business decisions like this would involve official Disney announcements, not just social media buzz

Consider the logistics: Moving an entire theme park would be one of the largest business relocations in history – it wouldn’t happen quietly

Follow the money: Disney’s recent investments in Anaheim expansion show their commitment to staying put

The Bottom Line: Disneyland is not moving to Nevada

Your Disneyland vacation plans are safe. The Happiest Place on Earth isn’t going anywhere – it’s just getting bigger and better right where Walt Disney originally envisioned it in sunny Southern California.

While Disney may explore new production opportunities in Nevada or other states, that’s about making movies and TV shows, not about relocating the iconic theme park that millions visit each year.

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So the next time you see one of these relocation rumors pop up in your social media feed, you’ll know exactly what to think: it’s just another case of internet fiction masquerading as fact.

Have you seen other Disney rumors circulating online that you’d like us to fact-check? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll help separate the magic from the misinformation.

This blog post addresses the rumor head-on while providing your readers with the context they need to understand both the false claims and the real Disney developments happening in Nevada. The tone matches your community-focused approach while maintaining that authoritative voice your readers trust for accurate information.

Related links

https://www.8newsnow.com/news/politics/nevada-legislature/disney-interested-in-las-vegas-as-sb496-gains-momentum-wahlberg-talks-jobs-opportunities/

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/disneyland-moving-california-texas/

Looking for an entertainment experience that transcends the ordinary? Look no further than STM Daily News Blog’s vibrant Entertainment section. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of indie films, streaming and podcasts, movie reviews, music, expos, venues, and theme and amusement parks. Discover hidden cinematic gems, binge-worthy series and addictive podcasts, gain insights into the latest releases with our movie reviews, explore the latest trends in music, dive into the vibrant atmosphere of expos, and embark on thrilling adventures in breathtaking venues and theme parks. Join us at STM Entertainment and let your entertainment journey begin! https://stmdailynews.com/category/entertainment/

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North Carolina Education Lottery Partners with Cineplex Digital Media for New Digital Signage Program at 1500+ Retail Locations

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TORONTO /PRNewswire/ – (TSX: CGX) – Cineplex Digital Media (CDM), a division of Cineplex, announced it has signed a ten-year agreement with the North Carolina Education Lottery to provide a digital signage network solution at retailers across North Carolina. Following a comprehensive process, CDM was chosen given its unique strategic and ecosystem-based approach to digital signage solutions, extensive retail experience and ability to provide industry leading design, content strategy and data expertise. CDM’s solution includes digital menu boards inside more than 1,500 select lottery retail partner locations and claim centers across North Carolina, with an opportunity to expand locations throughout its long-term partnership.
Cineplex North Carolina Education Lottery Partners with Cineplex

North Carolina Education Lottery Partners with Cineplex Digital Media (CNW Group/Cineplex)

With flexible marketing and messaging options, this new program will enhance the player experience and the North Carolina Education Lottery’s commitment to supporting retail partner success. CDM’s unique approach and end-to-end solution will ensure the lottery can tailor messages to playing audiences while measuring and optimizing its impact and return for education in North Carolina. “We constantly look for innovative ways to connect with our players,” said Terri Rose, Chief Brand Officer, North Carolina Education Lottery. “The agreement with Cineplex Digital Media provides us with a digital platform to reach that audience with messaging tailored specifically to them. That is a major investment in our retail partners that should help us raise more money for the good cause we serve”. “We are honoured to be chosen as the North Carolina Education Lottery’s exclusive digital signage partner and look forward to working with them to provide solutions to support its education fundraising and elevate player experience,” said Fab Stanghieri, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, CDM. “With our experience in the lottery market and our strategic partnership network, we are excited to work together to deploy a specialized and data optimized retail digital solution to keep retailer and player experience top-of-mind”. As a one-stop digital signage solution provider, Cineplex Digital Media offers end-to-end services that drive results. As a leader in Digital Out-of-Home, Retail, Financial, Grocery and Quick Service Restaurant industries, CDM provides innovative, data-led digital signage solutions for clients, including the North Carolina Education Lottery. CDM is known for its creative and experience design expertise, data and analytics services, operational excellence and media sales. For more information on Cineplex Digital Media, visit CDMExperiences.com. About Cineplex Cineplex (TSX:CGX) is a top-tier Canadian brand that operates in the Film Entertainment and Content, Amusement and Leisure, and Media sectors. Cineplex offers a unique escape from the everyday to millions of guests through its circuit of 172 movie theatres and location-based entertainment venues. In addition to being Canada’s largest and most innovative film exhibitor, the company operates Canada’s favourite destination for ‘Eats & Entertainment’ (The Rec Room), complexes specially designed for teens and families (Playdium), and an entertainment concept that brings movies, amusement gaming, dining, and live performances together under one roof (Cineplex Junxion). It also operates successful businesses in cinema media (Cineplex Media), digital place-based media (Cineplex Digital Media or CDM), alternative programming (Cineplex Events) and motion picture distribution (Cineplex Pictures). Providing even more value for its guests, Cineplex is a partner in Scene+, Canada’s largest entertainment and lifestyle loyalty program. Proudly recognized as having one of the country’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures, Cineplex employs over 10,000 people in its offices and venues across Canada. To learn more, visit Cineplex.com. About North Carolina Education Lottery The North Carolina Education Lottery raises more than $1 billion a year for public education programs in N.C. In fiscal year 2024, the lottery recorded more than $5.3 billion in sales. Tickets are sold at more than 7,100 retail locations in North Carolina. SOURCE Cineplex

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‘I were but little happy, if I could say how much’: Shakespeare’s insights on happiness have held up for more than 400 years

The World Happiness Report indicates the U.S. ranks 24th in global happiness, emphasizing that joy arises from societal relationships and care. Shakespeare’s works explore happiness’ duality—both fortune and contentment—highlighting cultural influences that affect individuals’ experiences. Understanding happiness requires recognizing social inequalities, community support, and shared cultural beliefs.

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Joanna Vanderham as Desdemona and Hugh Quarshie as the title character in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of ‘Othello.’
Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty Images

Cora Fox, Arizona State University

What is “happiness” – and who gets to be happy?

Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has measured and compared data from 167 countries. The United States currently ranks 24th, between the U.K. and Belize – its lowest position since the report was first issued. But the 2025 edition – released on March 20, the United Nations’ annual “International Day of Happiness” – starts off not with numbers, but with Shakespeare.

“In this year’s issue, we focus on the impact of caring and sharing on people’s happiness,” the authors explain. “Like ‘mercy’ in Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice,’ caring is ‘twice-blessed’ – it blesses those who give and those who receive.”

Shakespeare’s plays offer many reflections on happiness itself. They are a record of how people in early modern England experienced and thought about joy and satisfaction, and they offer a complex look at just how happiness, like mercy, lives in relationships and the caring exchanges between people.

Contrary to how we might think about happiness in our everyday lives, it is more than the surge of positive feelings after a great meal, or a workout, or even a great date. The experience of emotions is grounded in both the body and the mind, influenced by human physiology and culture in ways that change depending on time and place. What makes a person happy, therefore, depends on who that person is, as well as where and when they belong – or don’t belong.

Happiness has a history. I study emotions and early modern literature, so I spend a lot of my time thinking about what Shakespeare has to say about what makes people happy, in his own time and in our own. And also, of course, what makes people unhappy.

From fortune to joy

A timber home with lush gardens.
Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
Tony Hisgett/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

“Happiness” derives from the Old Norse word “hap,” which meant “fortune” or “luck,” as historians Phil Withington and Darrin McMahon explain. This earlier sense is found throughout Shakespeare’s works. Today, it survives in the modern word “happenstance” and the expression that something is a “happy accident.”

But in modern English usage, “happy” as “fortunate” has been almost entirely replaced by a notion of happiness as “joy,” or the more long-term sense of life satisfaction called “well-being.” The term “well-being,” in fact, was introduced into English from the Italian “benessere” around the time of Shakespeare’s birth.

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The word and the concept of happiness were transforming during Shakespeare’s lifetime, and his use of the word in his plays mingles both senses: “fortunate” and “joyful.” That transitional ambiguity emphasizes happiness’ origins in ideas about luck and fate, and it reminds readers and playgoers that happiness is a contingent, fragile thing – something not just individuals, but societies need to carefully cultivate and support.

For instance, early in “Othello,” the Venetian senator Brabantio describes his daughter Desdemona as “tender, fair, and happy / So opposite to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy, curled darlings of our nation.” Before she elopes with Othello she is “happy” in the sense of “fortunate,” due to her privileged position on the marriage market.

Later in the same play, though, Othello reunites with his new wife in Cyprus and describes his feelings of joy using this same term:

…If it were now to die,
‘Twere now to be most happy, for I fear
My soul hath her content so absolute
That not another comfort like to this
Succeeds in unknown fate.

Desdemona responds,

The heavens forbid
But that our loves and comforts should increase
Even as our days do grow!

They both understand “happy” to mean not just lucky, but “content” and “comfortable,” a more modern understanding. But they also recognize that their comforts depend on “the heavens,” and that happiness is enabled by being fortunate.

“Othello” is a tragedy, so in the end, the couple will not prove “happy” in either sense. The foreign general is tricked into believing his young wife has been unfaithful. He murders her, then takes his own life.

The seeds of jealousy are planted and expertly exploited by Othello’s subordinate, Iago, who catalyzes the racial prejudice and misogyny underlying Venetian values to enact his sinister and cruel revenge.

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A man and woman hold hands, looking upset, as they sit on a cushion on stage.
James Earl Jones playing the title role and Jill Clayburgh as Desdemona in a 1971 production of ‘Othello.’
Kathleen Ballard/Los Angeles Times/UCLA Library via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Happy insiders and outsiders

“Othello” sheds light on happiness’s history – but also on its politics.

While happiness is often upheld as a common good, it is also dependent on cultural forces that make it harder for some individuals to experience. Shared cultural fantasies about happiness tend to create what theorist Sara Ahmed calls “affect aliens”: individuals who, by nature of who they are and how they are treated, experience a disconnect between what their culture conditions them to think should make them happy and their disappointment or exclusion from those positive feelings. Othello, for example, rightly worries that he is somehow foreign to the domestic happiness Desdemona describes, excluded from the joy of Venetian marriage. It turns out he is right.

Because Othello is foreign and Black and Desdemona is Venetian and white, their marriage does not conform to their society’s expectations for happiness, and that makes them vulnerable to Iago’s deceit.

Similarly, “The Merchant of Venice” examines the potential for happiness to include or exclude, to build or break communities. Take the quote about mercy that opens the World Happiness Report.

The phrase appears in a famous courtroom scene, as Portia attempts to persuade a Jewish lender, Shylock, to take pity on Antonio, a Christian man who cannot pay his debts. In their contract, Shylock has stipulated that if Antonio defaults on the loan, the fee will be a “pound of flesh.”

“The quality of mercy is not strained,” Portia lectures him; it is “twice-blessed,” benefiting both giver and receiver.

It’s a powerful attempt to save Antonio’s life. But it is also hypocritical: Those cultural norms of caring and mercy seem to apply only to other Christians in the play, and not the Jewish people living alongside them in Venice. In that same scene, Shylock reminds his audience that Antonio and the other Venetians in the room have spit on him and called him a dog. He famously asks why Jewish Venetians are not treated as equal human beings: “If you prick us, do we not bleed?”

A sepia-toned photograph of a man with a beard, curly hair and cap staring intently at the camera.
Actor Henry Irving as Shylock in a late 19th-century performance of ‘The Merchant of Venice.’
Lock & Whitfield/Folger Shakespeare Library via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Shakespeare’s plays repeatedly make the point that the unjust distribution of rights and care among various social groups – Christians and Jews, men and women, citizens and foreigners – challenges the happy effects of benevolence.

Those social factors are sometimes overlooked in cultures like the U.S., where contemporary notions of happiness are marketed by wellness gurus, influencers and cosmetic companies. Shakespeare’s plays reveal both how happiness is built through communities of care and how it can be weaponized to destroy individuals and the fabric of the community.

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There are obvious victims of prejudice and abuse in Shakespeare’s plays, but he does not just emphasize their individual tragedies. Instead, the plays record how certain values that promote inequality poison relationships that could otherwise support happy networks of family and friends.

Systems of support

Pretty much all objective research points to the fact that long-term happiness depends on community, connections and social support: having systems in place to weather what life throws at us.

And according to both the World Happiness Report and Shakespeare, contentment isn’t just about the actual support you receive but your expectations about people’s willingness to help you. Societies with high levels of trust, like Finland and the Netherlands, tend to be happier – and to have more evenly distributed levels of happiness in their populations.

Shakespeare’s plays offer blueprints for trust in happy communities. They also offer warnings about the costs of cultural fantasies about happiness that make it more possible for some, but not for all.The Conversation

Cora Fox, Associate Professor of English and Health Humanities, Arizona State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Bridge is a section of the STM Daily News Blog meant for diversity, offering real news stories about bona fide community efforts to perpetuate a greater good. The purpose of The Bridge is to connect the divides that separate us, fostering understanding and empathy among different groups. By highlighting positive initiatives and inspirational actions, The Bridge aims to create a sense of unity and shared purpose. This section brings to light stories of individuals and organizations working tirelessly to promote inclusivity, equality, and mutual respect. Through these narratives, readers are encouraged to appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives and to participate actively in building stronger, more cohesive communities.

https://stmdailynews.com/the-bridge

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