September 2, 2015: Oscars Choose New Producers, L.A. Officially Will Bid for 2024 Summer Olympics, Duggar Family Member Sparks Backlash as Convention Speaker

1. OSCARS CHOOSE NEW PRODUCERS: Oscar-nominated producer Reginald Hudlin and former Fox Sports executive David Hill will produce the 88th Academy Awards, facing a mandate to boost ratings by reinventing the awards just enough to create a more engaging show for audiences. The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg expects Hudlin to go after comedian Kevin Hart as host and Hill to implement changes that liven up the familiar format. “One other bold move that I could see Hill championing would be to try to promote interest in the show earlier than usual by turning the Oscar nomination announcement into a primetime special that wouldn't involve just a reading of names by [Academy president Cheryl Boone] Isaacs and some celeb, but rather revealing the nominees through dramatic, American Idol-esque prepackaged promos. … Finally, I expect that a Hill-produced show will incorporate an unprecedented degree of social media engagement — maybe giving each of the nominees and presenters a smartphone and encouraging them to take photos that would post directly to the Academy's Twitter feed throughout the ceremony (Ellen's selfie on steroids!)” http://bit.ly/1FjssiW

2. L.A. OFFICIALLY WILL BID FOR 2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS: Los Angeles will bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics after the U.S. Olympic Committee and city officials hammered out an agreement on Tuesday. The city replaces Boston, the original selection, after its residents balked at the cost of hosting the international sporting event. Los Angeles Times: “Los Angeles now begins working to overcome a ‘second-choice’ label, hoping to join London as the only city to host three Summer Games. Paris, Rome and Hamburg highlight a field of heavyweight contenders in what promises to be a difficult, expensive bidding process that culminates with an International Olympic Committee vote in the summer of 2017. Over the next two years, L.A. bid leaders must convince the City Council that hosting the Games at a potential overall cost of $6 billion would make financial sense.” http://lat.ms/1UkWbUI

3. DUGGAR FAMILY MEMBER SPARKS BACKLASH AS CONVENTION SPEAKER: The Southern Women’s Show in Alabama is dealing with backlash from its announcement of Jessa Duggar Seewald as a speaker at the October 10 show. Seewald starred on the TLC program 19 Kids and Counting, which was canceled after revelations this spring that her older brother Josh had molested young girls, including Seewald. Now attendees are taking to social media to express their disappointment in having the 22-year-old Seewald speak at the convention. People: “[A] spokesperson says Seewald's appearance was scheduled back in March, prior to the controversy, and her appearance will not be canceled as the event is no stranger to divisive guests like Kate Gosselin and Duck Dynasty cast members. ‘We recognize that the scheduled engagement has sparked a heated conversation,’ the spokesperson told PEOPLE. ‘The challenge, as a consumer show dedicated to women of all ages, ethnicities and lifestyles is to provide diversity, balance, current interests and variety.’” http://bit.ly/1JLL6W2

* LOCAL NEWS *

AUSTIN:  The 2015 Texas Craft Brewers Festival will take place September 19 at Fiesta Gardens.

BOSTON:  UnMask Cancer will be held October 24 at District Hall. A benefit for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, the evening will offer live music from a DJ, food stations, food carts, and signature cocktails.

CHICAGO:  Common Threads will host its Cook-Off at Revel Downtown October 1. The event will feature chefs from local restaurants competing to create the best dishes in categories such as “the garden” and “the seed.” Participating restaurants include Bar Siena and Jimmy at the James Chicago.

LAS VEGAS:  Heather Allen Concepts, the company behind some of the most well-known window displays and retail store designs in Las Vegas and nationwide, has recently launched an expansion to more than double its space.

LOS ANGELES:  The fifth annual United Way HomeWalk 5K walk-run is November 21 at Exposition Park.

Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Shots Miami is hosting a new event, Barnival, on Sunday. The country-theme event will include live music and barbecue from the food truck Tuto’s Street Cuisine.

NEW YORK:  Pope Francis will travel through part of Central Park before his Mass at Madison Square Garden September 25. The free, but ticketed, procession was announced by the New York City Mayor's Office, and event marketing platform Splash will handle the ticket giveaway, the R.S.V.P. site for lottery winners, and check-in.

The British Ambassador Theatre Group is acquiring ACE Theatrical Group, which owns five venues in New York, New Orleans, and San Antonio including the historic 3,000-seat Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, which reopened this spring after a $95 million restoration. New York Post: http://bit.ly/1L1PUTB

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden's 16th annual Autumn Moon Festival will take place September 16 at the 83-acre Snug Harbor campus. With the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden as a backdrop, the festival will celebrate Asian culture through music and dance, calligraphy lessons, tai chi demonstrations, and Asian-inspired cuisine.

Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show will take place October 6-8 at the Orange County Convention Center. More than 450 leading food service and restaurant industry suppliers are slated to offer new food products, equipment, educational programs, and more.

PHILADELPHIA:  According to a report, Philadelphia has bid to host Wrestlemania 34 in 2018 at Lincoln Financial Field, with RAW and NXT events at the Wells Fargo Center and a FanFest at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Philadelphia Magazine: http://bit.ly/1Q6iffW

SAN FRANCISCO:  Pop-Up magazine has planned two events for October 7-8 at Nourse Theater and Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, respectively. The events will offer a mix of film, art, radio, photography, and live music. SFGate: http://bit.ly/1Jwt3iN

TORONTO:  The Canadian Arts Foundation’s 20th anniversary gala will be held at the Carlu September 17.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Washington Humane Society will host its annual DC Walk for the Animals & Pet-A-Palooza fund-raiser on September 26 at the Kingsbury Center. A twist to this year is that pet adopters have the opportunity to become the walk’s grand marshal.

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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Anna Sekula, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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