| EVENT REPORT 10.20.09 2:33 PM |
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Simpsons Halloween-Carnival Party Shows Episode on 60-Foot Screen
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Now a two-decade-old brand, The Simpsons has had plenty of time to establish itself as a playful, even slightly subversive, household name. Apropos of the show's reputation, the party for The Simpsons 20th anniversary and "Treehouse of Horrors" Halloween episode took on the look and feel of a cartoonish carnival. Fox Broadcasting Company special events producer Bob Stillo oversaw the production of the event—all done with family-friendly touches and Halloween overtones—with production and design by Angel City Designs.
The October 18 event for about 1,200 guests filled Barker Hangar with games like Twister played on a huge inflatable board, and bowling with a willing human strapped into a giant ball. Simpsons toys served as prizes for game winners. Guests could scoop up custom T-shirt designs from a silk-screening station by Hit & Run or pose for a photo op in front of a Simpsons step-and-repeat complete with a prop and accessory station.
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The Simpsons, Fox, Patron |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.10.09 12:46 PM |
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Fox's Glee Premiere Is Kitschy Schoolyard Party, Bake Sale and Lunch Lady Included
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 | A mock glee club car wash at Fox's Glee party
Photo: Kimberly Sue, Fox Broadcasting Company |
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Fox's new series Glee concerns the ins and outs of daily life at a high school—so a themey screening and party at the Willows Community School in Culver City was in order to kick off the show's first season, which the network has aggressively marketed all summer long in anticipation of the premiere. Fox vice president of special events Tomiko Iwata oversaw the event, tapping Sequoia Productions to produce it.
The screening of an episode of Glee—which had the audience roaring with laughter at times—took place in the school's gym, where pom-poms sat on chairs and hand-painted posters with messages like "Fight, fight, fight" lined the walls. A squad of cheerleaders in outfits with Glee logos kicked off the screening with chants about the network and the show.
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Fox, Glee, Chevy |
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| EVENT REPORT 08.19.09 11:30 AM |
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Rolling Stone Party Takes Over Andaz—Formerly a Rowdy Rock Hangout
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More than 300 guests turned out for a summer cocktail party hosted by Rolling Stone at the Andaz West Hollywood's rooftop Panorama Room and pool on August 13. In its former incarnation, the Andaz property was a Hyatt well known for television-hurling antics from visiting rock stars—a legacy fit for the iconic rock magazine's party. The mag's senior integrated marketing manager, Shelly Johnson, tapped Caravents to produce the party, an event that promoted the magazine and its sponsors with an edge appropriate to the Rolling Stone brand.
At the fete, which began around sundown, guests picked up tray-passed signature cocktails, chilled Sobieski vodka shots served from an ice sculpture, or beers from sponsor Fat Tire. Other sponsor involvement included an art exhibit presented by Ciba Vision Air Optix Aqua contact lenses, a display dubbed "Suprise Your Eyes" that offered a glimpse back to the bygone trend of Magic Eye posters. Black crocodile pedestals positioned at various heights offered framed Magic Eye prints for guests to squint at, and coffee table books decked lounge vignettes.
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Rolling Stone, OP, Fox, Ben & Jerry's, Fat Fire, Elizabeth & The Catapult, Ciba Vision, Sobieski |
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| EVENT REPORT 08.07.09 4:03 PM |
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T.C.A. Press Tour Brings Croquet, Ice Bars, and Iron Chef to Town
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 | Fox's T.C.A. event
Photo: Courtesy of Dan Scott |
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The Television Critics Association, which represents more than 220 journalists in the U.S. and Canada, brought its twice yearly press tour to town, a chance for the group to have face-to-face contact with network execs, producers, and talent. The exhaustive presentations and programming officially began at the Langham hotel in Pasadena on July 28 with related events at nearby venues; the tour wraps on August 8.
Among the programming was a July 30 event for the Food Network at a private residence in Pasadena. Kristi Foley and Joey Forster of Bounce produced the event celebrating the announcement of the network’s new shows, What Would Brian Boitano Make? and the upcoming season of The Next Iron Chef. Food Network senior vice president of programming and production Bob Tuschman introduced Boitano, and Alton Brown presented the 10 finalists of this season's Next Iron Chef.
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Television Critics Association, Fox, CBS, Food Network, The CW, Showtime |
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| NEWS 04.30.09 3:14 PM |
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Upfront Update: Who's Doing What During the TV Networks' Big Sales Week
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 | The 2008 Fox upfront party
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash |
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FROM NEW YORK
Cable upfront presentations have been under way since mid-March, but May heralds the arrival of the network presentations, with their heavy delegations of out-of-town media buyers and—when it suits them—some fairly elaborate parties. Upfront Week itself is little more than two weeks off, starting with Fox on Monday, May 18, and concluding Thursday, May 21, with the CW. Although events look to be subdued once again, they’re looking up from 2008.
Last year NBC sent the already W.G.A. strike-addled upfront schedule into a tizzy by abandoning its long-established Monday presentation and opting for a series of meetings in early April. Sort of sticking to its guns, the network is still meeting with buyers early, but not as early as last year. After a small pitch at this year’s Super Bowl, NBC’s big sell takes place next week in its 30 Rockefeller headquarters, with a series of meetings and conference calls on May 4.
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Upfronts, Upfront Week, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, ESPN, Turner Entertianment, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim |
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| EVENT REPORT 01.15.09 3:20 PM |
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Fox Navigates Street Closures for Convivial Critics Party at MyHouse
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 | Fox's Television Critics Association party
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Fox |
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With the Television Critics Association in town for its twice-annual media tour at the Universal City Hilton, organizers at Fox jumped through some logistical hoops to entertain guests for the network's party on Tuesday night. "We had about 70 feet of carpet, and we had lane closures on La Brea and Hollywood Boulevard," said Fox's Tomiko Iwata, who oversaw the event. "The sidewalks are challenging to close because you have to have another option for the public to walk down the street." And with construction going on across the street as well, that was not an easy task.
Iwata beefed up security and wrangled the necessary permits in order to welcome guests to the network's party at MyHouse, David Judaken's not-yet-fully-open-to-the-public nightclub set up to look like a luxury home.
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Fox, Television Critics Association |
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| NEWS 12.01.08 4:28 PM |
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Fox Scales Back Holiday Party and Adds Charitable Angle
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Right on trend for corporate holiday parties this season, Fox is among the companies scaling back its employee celebration, and adding a charitable component.
A folksy email circulated to the staff from Fox Entertainment Group chairman and C.O.O. Peter Chernin reads: "A lot of people have recently said to me that we should cancel this year's holiday party on the lot. They think the last thing we should do is throw a lavish party at a time when we're asking people to make real sacrifices and contain costs. I gave this a lot of thought and, ultimately, decided we should move forward with the party, which will be held on December 17. Yes, the gathering will be scaled down significantly from years past—but there will be plenty of beer, wine, food and fun."
It continues, "This year, the celebration will culminate a Week of Giving which will give you and our talent the opportunity to visit local communities to give back by handing out toys and reading books, as well as to host holiday movie premiere screenings for hundreds of disadvantaged kids. This year's holiday party will raise awareness for a variety of worthy charities, and for those of you who enjoy the Casino, your luck will actually translate into donations for these deserving groups... We also encourage you to bring much needed jackets, sweaters and shoes, which will be distributed to organizations the following day... As we approach this holiday season, I'm thrilled that we're working together to make a real difference in people's lives. We have so much to be grateful for … and if there was ever a time to give back—it's now." —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Corporate Holiday Parties, Budgets, Fox |
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| NEWS 11.04.08 1:33 PM |
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Networks Bank on Big Election Night With Outdoor Broadcasts
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FROM NEW YORK
Over the past two decades, election coverage on the major television networks has gradually moved from the newsroom to street-side studios and open-air stages. This year proves to be a culmination of sorts, with ABC, Fox News, and NBC all making a big push to incorporate the streets and people of New York into their national broadcasts.
ABC News takes over Good Morning America’s Times Square headquarters this evening, with reporters stationed outside, interacting with the public. In addition to using its own marquee screen above the studio, the network rented electronic signs from Reuters, Nasdaq, and the Hard Rock Cafe to broadcast live feeds of its coverage.
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Election '08, Barack Obama, John McCain, ABC, ABC News, NBC, CBS, CBS News, Fox, Fox News |
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| NEWS 04.30.08 4:05 PM |
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Scaled-Back TV Upfronts Go On With Fewer Stars, Programming Details
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 | The Ugly Betty cast at last year's ABC upfront
Photo: ABC/Donna Svennevik |
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FROM NEW YORK
The WGA strike put a kink in the TV networks’ plans for a traditional Upfront Week, but all five of the major players are going ahead with some sort of event during the week of May 12. Variety reported yesterday that this year’s festivities will be largely symbolic, with many executives and talent staying behind in Los Angeles to work on the pilots that haven’t yet been produced.
Variety cited industry insiders who think this year’s efforts are “smaller,” “slim pickings,” and “a shame.” This is all a far cry from the upfronts of yore, or even last year, when the cast of Ugly Betty opened the ABC presentation with a musical number.
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Upfronts, Upfront Week, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, NBC Universal |
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| NEWS 03.18.08 1:14 PM |
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Billboard Music Awards Profanity Case Headed to Supreme Court
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In a decision that surprised many, the U.S. Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will hear arguments in the F.C.C.'s "fleeting expletive" case against Fox Broadcasting Company. The decision marks the first time the Supreme Court will hear a broadcast indecency case since 1978.
According to Variety, fleeting expletives are "single instances of certain profanities, uttered usually in live settings." Back in March 2006, the F.C.C. ruled that Fox had violated the organization's decency rules twice in recent years, including a comment by Cher during the 2002 Billboard Music Awards and a comment by Nicole Ritchie during the 2003 awards.
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F.C.C., Supreme Court, Fox, Billboard, Billboard Music Awards |
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