March 14, 2016: Why Fashion Is Focused on SXSW Interactive, Film Academy Governors to Discuss Oscar Ratings and Race, Punkin Chunkin Festival to Return

1. WHY FASHION IS FOCUSED ON SXSW INTERACTIVE: The obvious choice for fashion brands and media to make a mark at SXSW would be during the film or music programs, but more are getting involved in the tech-focused aspect of the festival, which ends on Tuesday. Festival organizers including Kelly Krause and fashion experts like Marie Claire editor in chief Anne Fulenwider discuss how events including panels hosted by magazines, parties thrown by Refinery29 and Neiman Marcus, and last year’s addition of the SXstyle program show how SXSW Interactive allows the fashion and tech industries to converge. Racked: “‘SXstyle broadens the conversation overall at the event,’ Kelly Krause, SXSW's head of Interactive press, explains of the festival's interest in backing the three-day series … Events like InStyle's Kerry Washington chat and Marie Claire's conversation with the Broad City girls are easy bait for 'grams, Snaps, and live tweets that will reach an audience far beyond those in the room who shelled out $1,295 for an Interactive badge … ‘SXstyle sparks conversation and energy,’ Krause says, ‘and people can truly network — not just rub elbows.’ Fulenwider agrees, emphasizing that ‘the importance of live events and the in-person exchange of ideas has only grown as the world grows more and more digital.’” http://bit.ly/1QMNa3x

2. FILM ACADEMY GOVERNORS TO DISCUSS OSCAR RATINGS AND RACE: The governing board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is slated to assess this year’s almost record low Oscar ratings and the organization’s racial politics in a rare morning session on Tuesday. The New York Times: “In an unusual step, the academy has asked ABC to begin negotiating a renewal of the network’s 10-year agreement to air the Oscars, which does not expire until 2020 … But ABC, frustrated by the academy’s bureaucracy and concerned about declining ratings, has asked for more control of the show … Some governors are now expected to propose a softening of the so-called activity requirement, perhaps by granting lifetime voting privileges to those who have worked in each of three decades, starting from their first film credit, rather than from the date of their academy admission, as currently planned. While that change seems minute, it might allow hundreds of members to sidestep the planned purge. But it might also make it harder for academy officials to meet their goal of doubling the number of female and nonwhite members in five years.” http://nyti.ms/1XpGKYo

3. PUNKIN CHUNKIN FESTIVAL TO RETURN: After a two-year absence, pumpkin flinging festival Punkin Chunkin is slated to return to Sussex County in Delaware in November, according to festival organizers. The event, which airs on the Discovery Channel, will be held at the same farm where it had taken place for years before the landowner was hit with a personal injury lawsuit in 2013. The News Journal: “Now, said World Championship Punkin Chunkin president Frank Payton, a more comprehensive insurance policy is in place to protect the landowner … To satisfy the insurer, Payton said, onlookers who come to the event for a day will no longer be allowed to bring alcohol with them through the gate. He said organizers expect to keep a camping option available, and to have vendors selling beer on-site” http://delonline.us/1TEtVLW

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  The Hangover Pub, a bacon-theme gastropub, will open in Worcester on St. Patrick’s Day. Eater: bit.ly/1U4aVpT

CHICAGO:  World Sport Chicago will host its third annual Spin to Break the Cycle charity spin event on April 9 at the House of Blues.

The Square Roots Craft Brew & Music Festival will return to Lincoln Square July 8-10. The event will feature more than 40 craft beers, international fare from local restaurants, and 70 entertainment acts.

LAS VEGAS:  Chef Shawn McClain's Libertine Social is slated to open at Mandalay Bay this summer. The gastropub will serve fare inspired by American bar food and feature a lounge near the entrance with mixed-use seating, a patio, and a secondary bar for private events.

LOS ANGELES:  Get Lit's fifth annual Classic Slam teen poetry festival and competition will take place April 30 at Orpheum Theater. Judges include The Walking Dead's Danai Gurira and The Birth of a Nation's Nate Parker.

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

NEW YORK:  The 2016 New York Guitar Festival will take place May 8-15, with concerts at Brookfield Place Winter Garden and the Cloisters and workshops at the New School's Wollman Hall.

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

SAN FRANCISCO:  Luxury activewear retailer the Sweatbar will launch its first San Francisco pop-up store in Marina with an opening party on Tuesday. The pop-up will be open through April 15.

Apple will host its next event on March 21 at the Town Hall auditorium at 1 Infinite Loop. The brand is expected to introduce new iPads, updates to the Apple Watch, and new software for iOS and OS X. Wired: http://bit.ly/1RSXC8u

TORONTO:  Rock bands the Cure and Tame Impala will headline Bestival, which is slated for June 11-12 at Woodbine Park.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The Wharf, which is slated to open along the Southwest waterfront in 2017, has unveiled eight locally based concepts that will open in the first phase of the project. Bars and restaurants will include Del Mar, an 11,5000-square-foot Spanish restaurant, and a rum and distillery bar called Potomac Distilling Company. Washington Business Journal: http://bit.ly/1REtH1c

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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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