November 13, 2018: California Wildfires Are State's Deadliest In History, Lorde Accuses Kanye West and Kid Cudi of Stealing Stage Design, MTV Grows Live Events Business With New Year's Eve Music Festival

1. CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES ARE STATE'S DEADLIEST IN HISTORY: Three wildfires raging in Northern and Southern California have killed 42 people, making them the deadliest in the state's history. The New York Times: "The Butte County sheriff, Kory L. Honea, has said more than 200 people remain missing in and around the town, which sits in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and was popular with retirees. 'My sincere hope is that I don’t have to come here each night and report a higher and higher number,' Sheriff Honea said at a news conference Monday night. The fire, which continues to rage in the hills and ravines east of the city of Chico, is also the most destructive fire in California history, with more than 7,100 structures destroyed, most of them homes. Fires whipped by strong winds were raging through thousands of acres of forests and chaparral in both Northern and Southern California on Monday, having already wiped out a town in the Sierra Nevada and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents west of Los Angeles. The inferno that incinerated the northern town of Paradise has razed a staggering 6,453 homes. As of Sunday night, more than 200 people were unaccounted for in Paradise, and officials are bracing for the possibility that the death toll could continue to rise significantly. ... President Trump on Monday evening said on Twitter that he had approved a request to declare the fires in California a major disaster, making people affected eligible for various types of federal government support. The Camp Fire, which decimated Paradise, has already burned about 117,000 acres and is only about 30 percent contained." https://nyti.ms/2B1yPic

2. LORDE ACCUSES KANYE WEST AND KID CUDI OF STEALING STAGE DESIGN: For the debut of Kids See Ghosts, a collaborative project from Kanye West and Kid Cudi, the rappers performed in a glass box suspended in the air at the Camp Flog Gnaw music festival on Sunday. The act, however, isn't original, according to Lorde. On Instagram, the New Zealand pop star accused the rappers of stealing her stage design. Pitchfork: "The singer posted pictures on her Instagram story of the suspended stage from her 2017 Coachella performance, as well as pictures of West and Cudi’s similar levitating platform at their Kids See Ghosts performance at Camp Flog Gnaw in Los Angeles on Sunday. Lorde pointed out that West copied the floating stage that had become an artistic staple in her recent live performances. 'I’m proud of the work I do and it’s flattering when other artists feel inspired by it, to the extent that they choose to try it on themselves,' Lorde captioned one of the images. 'But don’t steal—not from women or from anyone else—not in 2018 or ever.' Lorde has previously referred to West as her 'idol,' and the two even collaborated on a remix of her song 'Yellow Flicker Beat' together in 2014. More recently, Lorde covered West’s 'Love Lockdown' and 'Runaway' while on her Melodrama Tour in his hometown of Chicago in March, telling the audience, 'It must be nice to come from the same place as Kanye West.'" https://bit.ly/2Q27zbL

3. MTV GROWS LIVE EVENTS BUSINESS WITH NEW YEAR'S EVE MUSIC FESTIVAL: MTV has acquired SnowGlobe Music Festival, an outdoor event in California that takes place on New Year’s Eve. The acquisition marks an expansion for the company’s live events business. The Hollywood Reporter: “The annual, three-day event—which takes place December 29-31 in South Lake Tahoe, California—is attended by more than 20,000 fans each day who come to see a mix of musical performances, live-action sports, and interactive art exhibitions. Artists from Kendrick Lamar to Post Malone to Zedd and many more have performed at SnowGlobe, which features a countdown party at midnight on New Year's Eve. The 2018 lineup of the event, now in its eighth year, includes Above & Beyond, Diplo, Eric Prydz, Rezz, and RL Grime headlining among more than 40 artists performing across three stages. SnowGlobe will also feature all-new art installations and the festival's signature ‘Big Air’ activation showcasing extreme winter sports demonstrations. In collaboration with the SnowGlobe team, MTV plans to expand SnowGlobe to additional dates and locations worldwide and leverage its team to launch other new events as well. SnowGlobe will also be a platform for MTV to 'reinvent its New Year's Eve coverage, serving as the centerpiece for multiplatform programming and connecting live with the action at MTV's iconic Times Square studio,' the network said. The move is part of MTV's effort to diversify beyond cable TV and signifies an expansion into live global events. SnowGlobe joins a portfolio of international events that includes the MTV EMAs, which are held in a new city each year; the MIAWs in Mexico and Brazil, and Isle of MTV in Malta.” https://bit.ly/2DifwTi

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTA:  Reverb by Hard Rock, Hard Rock International’s new hotel concept catering to music lovers, will open adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in February 2020. The property will have 200 rooms, a rooftop bar, and a co-working space. 

LOS ANGELES:  DesignerCon will take place November 16-18 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The annual art and design convention will have more than 700 vendors. 

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The National YoungArts Foundation’s 2019 Backyard Ball will take place January 12. The event will honor choreographer Camille A. Brown and the Haas Brothers. 

NASHVILLE:  Marriott’s 470-room tri-brand hotel—consisting of SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, and AC Hotels—will open downtown in January. The property will have more than 9,000 square feet of meeting and event space.  

NEW YORK:  Erica Boeke, the former head of Condé Nast’s in-house experiential agency, has launched Liberty & Company. Described as an "editorially led, mission-based experiential agency," the company's first project will be Impact Atlanta: A Social Impact Summit to be held the Friday before the Super Bowl.

This year’s Equus Film Festival, which screens equestrian-focused films, will take place November 29-December 2 at Wythe Hotel Cinema. 

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

PHOENIX/SCOTTSDALE:  Wellness resort Civana Carefree, which is slated to open in December, has appointed Sharon Otaguro wellness director and Dr. Fabio Almeida M.D. physician in residence. 

TORONTO:  The Toronto International Boat Show will take place January 18-27, 2019, at the Enercare Centre. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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