Robin Williams, Lewis Black, Kid Rock, Lance Armstrong, Rachel Smith and Ronan Tynan Among Admiral Mullen's Guests to Tour Multiple Regions and Entertain Service Members

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen of the U.S. Navy, will soon embark on an eight-day, seven-country USO holiday tour. While touring various regions, Admiral Mullen will talk to service members, meet with senior officials and lead a star-studded USO entertainment tour for armed forces on the ground. Joining Admiral Mullen as his special guests are Academy Award-winning actor Robin Williams, Grammy Award-winning comedian Lewis Black, multi-platinum recording artist Kid Rock, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Miss USA 2007 Rachel Smith and Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan.

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"This trip represents a great way for us to honor and thank the brave men and women serving our nation in harm's way over the holidays," said Admiral Mullen. "It's just another example of not only how much the USO and these fine entertainers care, but also a testament to how much America cares about the troops. I'm honored to be associated with it."

During the trip, Admiral Mullen will preside over all stops and events, taking time out to express his gratitude to service members for their dedication, sacrifice and heroism. He will also introduce U.S. troops to the lineup of famous faces. As a part of their salute to men and women in uniform, the A-list celebrities will sign autographs, pose for pictures, offer up hugs, distribute giveaways, elicit laughs and provide a much deserved break for service men and women.

"There's nothing I enjoy more than traveling with the USO and giving back to our troops in whatever way I can," said Williams. "They work hard, sacrifice a lot and deserve to be treated like the heroes they are. The very least I can do is bring a smile to their faces."

In commemoration of their efforts, Electronic Arts, Inc. ERTS, the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, donated and shipped more than 2,000 video games to service members throughout the Persian Gulf region. The games, consisting of troop favorites like Skate, The Simpsons Game(TM) and NBA LIVE 08 that run on the PlayStation(R)2 and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment systems, the Wii(TM), and the Xbox 360(TM) videogame and entertainment system, will touch down just in time for troops to enjoy during the holidays. Fellow gamer, Williams, was the force behind the idea to distribute games, having recognized the need when he toured the region with former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Meyers in 2004.

"The greatest entertainers on stage, the greatest videogames in the recreation centers, all for the greatest troops on earth. What could be better?" asked Bing Gordon, Chief Creative Officer, Executive Vice President and a founder of Electronic Arts. "After being inspired by Lance, astonished by Robin, and rocking with the Kid and others, we hope our great men and women in Iraq will find relaxation with some old-fashioned holiday gaming together. Just like Robin, our troops in Iraq can be 'In the Game.'"

In addition to Electronic Arts, Inc., many other companies and organizations demonstrated their generosity in support of U.S. troops this holiday season. The National Football League gave the USO hundreds of free footballs to distribute during the Chairman's USO holiday tour, while the Lance Armstrong Foundation donated thousands of LIVESTRONG(TM) t-shirts and wristbands. Additionally, thousands of popular DVDs and CDs were also donated to service members serving abroad by HBO, Comedy Central, Universal, Pixar, Warner Bros. and Shangri-La Entertainment. Guaranteed to be a hit this holiday, all items will be distributed to military personnel at the estimated 15 tour stops.

Robin Williams is regarded as one of the world's funniest performers. As an actor, he first captured the attention of the world as "Mork from Ork" on the hit series "Mork & Mindy." Born in Chicago and raised in Michigan and California, he trained at New York's Juilliard School under John Houseman before making his cinematic debut as the title character in Robert Altman's "Popeye." He won an Academy Award for his performance in "Good Will Hunting" and earned multiple Oscar nominations for his roles in "The Fisher King," "Dead Poets Society" and "Good Morning Vietnam." Recent credits include "RV," "Night at the Museum" and the animated film, "Happy Feet," and Williams continues to add to his repertoire of indelible characters. Offstage, Williams takes great joy in supporting numerous causes, including "Comic Relief," which was founded in 1986 as a non-profit organization to help America's homeless. This marks Williams' fourth USO tour.

A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Lewis Black received a Grammy Award in 2007 for his CD, "The Carnegie Hall Performance." A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he has written more than 40 plays and co-starred in such films as "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams and "Farce of the Penguins" opposite Samuel Jackson. He has also written "Nothing's Sacred," an autobiography which debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List, and appeared on such shows as "Larry King Live," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Late Show with David Letterman." In March, Black will host his first television series, "Root of All Evil," debuting on Comedy Central.

Kid Rock grew up in Romeo, MI, a small rural town north of the Detroit metro area. In 1997, he signed a contract with Atlantic Records and went on to release such hits as "I Am The Bulldog," "Bawitdaba," "Picture," "Cowboy," and his newest single "Amen," amongst many others. In October of this year Kid Rock released "Rock N' Roll Jesus," which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Albums chart, while concurrently appearing on the cover of "Rolling Stone," the second time he had achieved the honor. To date, Kid Rock has sold more than 20 million albums.

A four-time winner of the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive years. A native Texan, Armstrong is the only cyclist to have led an American team to victory in the Tour de France. Recognized for his accomplishments and athletic endurance, he is also known for being diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer in 1996 and beating the disease. Inspired by his experience, in 1997 he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering people affected by cancer. Since then, the Foundation has raised more than $250 million to support cancer survivors and make the fight against cancer a national priority.

Born in a U.S. Army hospital in Panama, 21-year-old Rachel Smith was crowned Miss USA on March 23, 2007. The daughter of a retired Sergeant and a nurse practitioner at Fort Campbell, KY, Smith is an avid supporter of the U.S. armed forces. Having won her first major pageant title as Miss Tennessee Teen USA in 2002, she was also crowned Miss Tennessee in 2007. An alum of Belmont University, she interned with Harpo Productions, Inc. and volunteered at Oprah Winfrey's "Leadership Academy for Girls" in South Africa. An aspiring journalist, Smith's ultimate dream is to create a philanthropic organization.

A founding member of the Irish Tenors, Ronan Tynan departed that trio in 2004 to pursue a successful career as a solo singer and motivational speaker. The unforgettable voice behind "God Bless America" performances belted out during the seventh-inning stretch at New York Yankee Stadium, Tynan has performed for countless dignitaries including former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former President George H.W. Bush. Blessed with the ability to console and inspire, he was also invited to sing at the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan in 2004 by former first lady Nancy Reagan. Tynan's new CD, "I'll Be Home For Christmas," was released in early December and is now available in stores worldwide.

For more than 66 years, the USO's mission has remained the same: to support U.S. troops and their families wherever they serve -- until every one comes home. Carrying on this tradition, the USO produced 346 entertainment events in 2006, both stateside and overseas, to boost troop morale by bringing them a little piece of home wherever they serve.

AT&T, Inc. is the official telecommunications sponsor of USO entertainment tours. For a list of recent and upcoming USO tours, visit http://www.uso.org/whatwedo/entertainment. To learn more about the USO and to find out how to support the troops, visit http://www.uso.org.

About the USO

For more than 66 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has been providing morale, welfare and recreational services to U.S. military personnel and their families. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable organization, relying on the generosity of the American people to support its programs and services. The USO is supported by Worldwide Strategic Partners AT&T Inc., BAE Systems North America, Clear Channel Communications, The Coca-Cola Company, DRS Technologies, Inc., S & K Sales Co. and TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Other corporate donors, including the United Way and Combined Federal Campaign (CFC-11381), have joined thousands of individual donors to support the USO. For more information on the USO, please visit our Web site at http://www.uso.org.

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Source: USO