September 20, 2018: Maroon 5 to Headline 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show, L.A. Film Festival Seeks to Make a New Impression With Fall Opening, Investigation Finds Ticketmaster Has Partnered With Ticket Scalpers to Rip People Off

1. MAROON 5 TO HEADLINE 2019 SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW: Maroon 5 will be the Super Bowl LIII halftime show performer next year. Billboard: “While special guest appearances for the performance have not yet been finalized, Cardi B and Travis Scott are on the short list, Billboard has also learned. A rep for the band declined to comment. In a statement, the N.F.L. said, ‘It's a Super Bowl tradition to speculate about the performers for the Pepsi Halftime Show. We are continuing to work with Pepsi on our plans but do not have any announcements to make on what will be another epic show.’ Maroon 5's recent single ‘Girls Like You’ featuring Cardi B is currently No. 2 on the Hot 100. For Maroon 5, performing during the Super Bowl has been a longtime dream. During a 2015 interview with Howard Stern, Adam Levine admitted that the band ‘very actively wants to play the Super Bowl.’ The 2019 Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 3 at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.” https://bit.ly/2NTi6VA

2. L.A. FILM FESTIVAL SEEKS TO MAKE A NEW IMPRESSION WITH FALL OPENING: The 24th annual Los Angeles Film Festival, which kicks off tonight, will have a much different feel than it has in years past. The festival no longer takes place downtown after organizer Film Independent moved the location to Arclight venues; less big-name studio films are being screened; and for the first time, the festival is taking place during the start of award season, instead of its usual summer dates. Variety: "It’s not easy for large-scale, general interest film festivals to make an impact in such a sprawling city, where many people are too busy making movies to watch movies. And some filmgoers focus their attention on the dozens of local niche festivals catering to every interest from horror to French films, with LGBT-focused Outfest claiming to draw the highest paid attendance of any Los Angeles festival. The LA Film Festival is hoping to regain its place among top local events with more than 200 features, shorts, and music videos screening, representing more than 40 countries. It is also continuing to place a heavy emphasis on diversity in its competition film slate, with 42 percent of the films directed by women and 39 percent helmed by filmmakers of color. New venues have been added at the WGA Theatre and the Wallis Annenberg in Beverly Hills. ... The LA Film Festival has been moving away from major studio fare in recent years since premiering Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys in 2014. Last year’s festival opened with The Book of Henry and closed with Ingrid Goes West. 'We put a lot of thought into changing from June to September,' notes Josh Welsh, the longtime president of Film Independent. 'Summer was becoming increasingly difficult for us from a programming standpoint. Box office so far on this year’s event is doing great. And tentpoles aren’t really what the LA Film Festival is all about.'" https://bit.ly/2NZkeeq

3. INVESTIGATION FINDS TICKETMASTER HAS PARTNERED WITH TICKET SCALPERS TO RIP PEOPLE OFF: Ticketmaster has partnered with ticket scalpers to expand its resale business and get more money from customers, according to undercover investigations from The Toronto Star and CBC News, which were published Wednesday. The reporters attended the Ticket Summit 2018 convention in Las Vegas in July. The Toronto Star: "As gatekeeper to the entertainment industry’s most coveted events, Ticketmaster implements strict purchasing limits designed to prevent scalpers from using bots to buy tickets on a mass scale. In the past, company officials have publicly disparaged the resale ticket market, calling scalpers 'pirates' and a threat to fans—even urging governments to criminalize the activity. But in one corner of the Las Vegas convention floor sat a conspicuous Ticketmaster booth welcoming scalpers with a solemn reassurance: Ticketmaster wants to share in the profits of the resale market by facilitating the mass scalping of its tickets—in direct violation of its own terms of use. Reporters from the Star and CBC, posing as small-time scalpers from Canada, listened as sales staff pitched a proprietary Ticketmaster software program designed to help bulk buyers resell thousands of tickets. 'I have brokers that have literally a couple of hundred Ticketmaster accounts,' said a sales executive with Ticketmaster Resale speaking to the undercover reporters. The web-based tool—called Trade Desk—allows scalpers to seamlessly sync their Ticketmaster accounts (where they buy their tickets) with their online resale operation, quickly posting each seat to ticket reselling websites including StubHub, Vivid Seats, and ticketmaster.com. It also gives Ticketmaster a new revenue source: a second commission on every 'verified resale' ticket sold on Ticketmaster.com (on top of the commission it collects on the original purchase of each ticket)." https://bit.ly/2pjXxUf

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Backyard Betty's has partnered with New York-based startup Kabaq to integrate 3-D augmented-reality features into its menu. Using a QR code on the menu, guests can project the 3-D image of a food item onto their smartphone screen via Snapchat.   

Lower Mills Tavern has named Cara Nance its new executive chef.

LOS ANGELES:  Orange County-based exhibit design and marketing agency F.G.P.G. has named Nick Peery its new general manager. 

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

NEW YORK:  Eater: “La Sirena is officially closing. The sprawling Chelsea Italian restaurant from Mario Batali and restaurateur Joe Bastianich will stay open in the Maritime Hotel until the end of the year—making it the first of Batali’s New York City restaurants to close since he was accused of sexual misconduct last December.” https://bit.ly/2D9fXRg

Assemblage, a photo exhibition created by Lenny Kravitz in partnership with Don Pérignon, will be on display at the Skylight Modern from September 29-October 6. 

Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research will hold its Angel Ball October 22 at Cipriani Wall Street. 

Arts organization GlassRoots will host its 17th annual gala, this year titled “Glowing and Growing,” October 18 at the Priory at St. Joseph’s Plaza in Newark. 

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

SAN FRANCISCO:  The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay has appointed Jakob Esko executive chef. Esko was previously executive chef at W Barcelona. 

The Muir Beach Holiday Arts Fair will take place December 1-2 at the Muir Beach Community Center. The event will feature work from more than 40 local artists. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  M.C.R. has opened Courtyard by Marriott Dulles Airport Herndon. Located five miles from Washington Dulles International Airport, the hotel has 187 guest rooms and a 910-square-foot meeting space that can hold as many as 90 people for receptions. 

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

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

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