November 3, 2016: Oscars Producers Won't Return for 2017 Ceremony, the Game Awards Skip TV Broadcast for Live Streams and VR, Critics Choice Awards Members Resign After 'Entertainment Weekly' Partnership

1. OSCARS PRODUCERS WON'T RETURN FOR 2017 CEREMONY: David Hill and Reginald Hudlin, the producers of the 88th Academy Awards in February 2016, will not return to produce the 89th annual ceremony slated for February 26, 2017. The Hollywood Reporter: "The Academy appears to be casting a wide net in its search for their replacements. Jeff Margolis, another producer experienced in producing live awards shows, also was called in to meet with the organization, but he too has not heard back. Margolis directed a series of Oscar shows between 1989 and 1994 and more recently produced and directed several installments of the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the last of which was in 2014. The fact that the Academy has not yet named either a producer or a host for the 89th Oscars by Nov. 1 is believed to be unprecedented. (Typically, the Academy chooses a producer or producing team, who then in turn select the host.) 'It’s insane,' says someone who has been a part of the selection process in the past. 'That means they’ve been turned down by dozens of people. The only reason I can think of for that is that no one wants the grief of #OscarSoWhite, although that didn’t fall on the producers of the last show anyway.' The Academy declined to comment. The partnership of Hill, a TV sportcasting vet, and Hudlin, an Oscar-nominated producer, was an arranged marriage of sorts championed by Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. The resulting telecast, which came in the midst of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, attracted a slight increase in viewers between the ages of 18 and 49, but had the lowest total viewership in eight years. ABC, which was skeptical about the selection of Hill and Hudlin to begin with, was less than pleased with those results." http://bit.ly/2fwm46m

2. THE GAME AWARDS SKIP TV BROADCAST FOR LIVE STREAMS AND VR: The Game Awards, an annual ceremony that honors video game industry creators, influencers, and eSports champions, will be live streamed on Twitter and Facebook Live for the first time on December 1. In addition, the third annual awards ceremony—which takes place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles—will be live streamed in virtual reality through a partnership with NextVR. Yahoo: “‘What’s exciting to me is that it’s a show that is free and clear to be distributed worldwide,’ Geoff Keighley, creator, executive producer and host of the Game Awards. Keighley said TV networks approached him to discuss exclusive U.S. distribution of the Game Awards, including Turner’s TBS, which airs broadcasts of its own eSports league, E-League, formed in partnership with WME-IMG. But Keighley turned down the offers to get the maximum distribution globally on digital platforms. ‘TV is not where our audience is,’ he said. ‘We’re 80% millennial, and making it no-friction distribution was important.’ Moreover, he pointed out, TV ratings for awards shows are declining. The 2016 Emmy Awards hit an all-time low, and MTV’s VMAs television audience this year was down 34%. In addition to Twitter and Facebook, the Game Awards will again be available on Sony’s PlayStation Network, Steam, Twitch, Microsoft’s Xbox Live and YouTube. Snapchat will feature highlights from the show in a Live Story. The Game Awards does not charge distributors a license fee to carry the feed. Instead, the production sells sponsorships to game publishers that run throughout the show. There’s also ‘The Game Awards Sale,’ which will let viewers on PlayStation Network, Steam and Xbox Live purchase select nominated games at discounted prices.” https://yhoo.it/2ffiPfM

3. CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS MEMBERS RESIGN AFTER 'ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY' PARTNERSHIP: Numerous members of the Broadcast Television Journalists Association have resigned after it was announced that A&E will partner with Entertainment Weekly on a multi-platform content and promo deal for the Critics' Choice Awards next month. The governing body issued a memo on Wednesday to reassure members—who were able to begin the nomination process on Tuesday—that the new partnership won't affect the awards. The Wrap: "'EW will have the same role as A&E in determining the Critics’ Choice Awards that we vote on — NONE,' the memo emphatically stated. 'EW is a promotional partner, like others we have had before. This is not the ‘EW Awards’ and it never will be,' the note continued. But there is indeed an Entertainment Weekly sponsored award, that was announced along with the partnership on Tuesday. Leadership for the groups that choose nominees and winners, the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Televison Journalists Association, had an answer for that was well. … Both the BFCA and the BTJA represent around 400 journalists, they estimate, from hundreds of publications. The notion that EW would be privy to exclusives like nomination announcement soured a handful of the members from publications like Buzzfeed and those owned by Penske media." http://bit.ly/2fFsM9i

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTA:  The Atlanta Hot and Spicy Festival, presented by Samuel Adams, will take place Saturday at Brookhaven Park. The spicy food event will feature live music, games at the Atlanta Sport and Social Club adult game zone, and a beer garden.

CHICAGO:  MileNorth Hotel in Chicago has rebranded as Cambria Chicago Magnificent Mile. The 29-story, 215-room hotel in the Streeterville neighborhood has 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The property is one of two Cambria hotels that will open in the city; Cambria Chicago City Center, which is slated to open in late 2017, will be located above the historic Ford Center for the Performing Arts Oriental Theatre.

John Boehner, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, will be the keynote speaker at Turnaround Management Association Chicago/Midwest Chapter's 2016 Executive Speaker Forum, which will be held November 21 at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel.

LOS ANGELES:  The inaugural Taste Talks Los Angeles, curated by musician and certified chef Kelis, will take place Friday through Sunday. The event will include an opening party at Hotel Normandie, a brunch and conference at the Line Hotel, and the All-Star BBQ at Mack Sennett Studios.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The nonprofit Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth will host its 11th annual Fun Run on January 7 at Hollywood North Beach Park. The event will be co-hosted by Lite 101.5 FM's Julie Guy and Evelyn Curry and will include a performance by the Miami Heat dancers.

Courtyard Boca Raton has unveiled renovations that include a newly designed lobby and guest rooms. The Bistro, the hotel's restaurant, also has a new table arrangement, new seating, and more natural light.

NEW YORK:  Tommy Hilfiger is the official sponsor of Dreamality Inc.'s Dream Out Loud annual benefit concert, slated for November 9 at B.B. King's. The event will benefit music education programs in underprivileged communities.

Cotton Incorporated will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program with a pop-up art gallery from November 18-19 at 170 Mercer Street.

Keegan-Michael Key will host the 2016 IFP Gotham Awards, which will take place November 28 at Cipriani Wall Street.

Mundo, a bi-level restaurant and bar at Paper Factory Hotel in Long Island City, has relaunched its American menu under newly appointed chef Leo Bustamante. New menu selections will include vegetable brodo, butternut squash steak, and dark rum French toast.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Buzz Aldrin, James Lovell, and Thomas Stafford will be among the 25 NASA astronauts who will be at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex November 11 to commemorate the grand opening of the 20,000-square-foot Heroes & Legends experience.

The Westshore Grand, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Tampa, is now open in the Westshore District. Newly reimagined by Forchielli Glynn, the 323-room hotel was formerly the InterContinental Hotel Tampa.

SAN DIEGO:  The ninth annual San Diego Union Tribune Gaslamp Holiday Pet Parade & Expo, presented by Vca Animal Hospital, will take place December 11.

SAN FRANCISCO:  The second annual iHeart80s Party, hosted by Martha Quinn, will take place at SAP Center in San Jose on January 28, 2017. Artists who will perform at the event include New Kids on the Block, UB40, and Rick Astley.

TORONTO:  Hudson's Bay and Saks Fifth Avenue at CF Toronto Eaton Centre will host a holiday window unveiling tonight with a performance by Mariah Carey.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders, a nonprofit organization for L.G.B.T. youth, will hold its annual Fall Brunch fund-raiser on November 13 at the Mandarin Oriental. The event's keynote speaker is Schuyler Bailar, a Harvard student and an openly trans Division 1 N.C.A.A. swimmer.

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

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

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

Feed the Sheet: [email protected]

Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily

Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]