August 11, 2016: Adele Rumored to Headline Next Year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, Yelp Partners With App to Help Users Skip Restaurant Lines, NBCUniversal Banks on Social Media to Boost Olympics Ratings

1. ADELE RUMORED TO HEADLINE NEXT YEAR’S SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW: Rumor has it that British singer-songwriter Adele is in talks to perform at the 2017 Super Bowl Halftime Show, according to a British tabloid. Billboard: “A source from the National Football League allegedly told The Sun, ‘There is nobody bigger in the world than Adele right now and organizers are doing absolutely everything they can to try to persuade her to sign up. She’s sold out every date on her tour, everyone wants a piece of her and they know they can bank on her bringing in the viewers.’ The insider added, "It’s Adele’s nerves that are the issue—it hasn’t been an easy sell.’ If Super Bowl rumors are true, Adele would join an elite list of music VIPs who have graced the halftime stage including Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Prince and Madonna, among others. Performing at one of the most-watched annual sporting events in the world would also one-up her Glastonbury set, which she described on-stage in June as the ‘best moment of my life.’ A rep for Adele offered no comment while reps for the NFL did not immediately respond to Billboard's requests for comment.” http://bit.ly/2aU9pDI

2. YELP PARTNERS WITH APP TO HELP USERS SKIP RESTAURANT LINES: Restaurant review site Yelp has partnered with the app Nowait to give Yelp users the opportunity to check restaurant wait times, check in, and wait on line remotely. TechCrunch: “Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Nowait is a mobile platform that has a network of more than 4,000 casual-dining restaurants across the country, including national chains such as Chili’s and First Watch. By using the Nowait guest app, users can see how long they would have to wait at a restaurant that does not accept reservations, as well as put their names on the waitlist without being physically present at a restaurant. When their table is ready, users get a text message. Customers can also text back to say they’re running late, and restaurants can decide whether or not to hold the table for them. Nowait charges restaurants a monthly fee. The company, which received its first round of funding in August 2012, has now raised a total of $23.5 million. Nowait’s services will be integrated into the Yelp app ‘in the coming months,’ said Ware Sykes, Nowait CEO, in an interview with TechCrunch. ‘We don’t have a specific deadline.’ ‘This partnership has multiple benefits,’ said Sykes. ‘It helps us by enabling us to drive more traffic to our restaurants and it allows us to bring the Nowait experience to as many consumers as possible.’” http://tcrn.ch/2b79EOM

3. NBCUNIVERSAL BANKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO BOOST OLYMPICS RATINGS: Ratings for the Olympics have been much lower than those of the London Games in 2012, but NBCUniversal hopes its partnerships with social platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat will attract a younger group of viewers—and in turn, boost ratings. Adweek: "In order to create what NBC Olympics CMO John Miller called 'the most social games ever,' NBCUniversal is presenting round-the-clock coverage on those platforms. That includes behind-the-scenes access, Facebook Live interviews, social media takeovers by athletes, real-time score updates, tune-in streaming info, social polls, articles, videos and photo galleries from NBCOlympics.com. NBC Olympics and Facebook launched a 'social comment center' in Rio, which is capturing Facebook Live content and includes interviews with NBC Olympics commentators and athletes. NBC Olympics is also publishing short-form videos every day on Facebook and Instagram in the U.S. with highlights and interviews. NBC is producing a two-minute recap video each day for Facebook users in the U.S. It is also creating slow-motion video of a particularly inspiring moment each day on Instagram and highlighting Olympics commentators and athletes on its own Instagram account. … 'To me, this is going to be first serious look at the impact of social,' said Alan Wurtzel, NBCUniversal's president of research and media development. 'We're going to learn a lot about how social media is used in the Olympics, but I also think it will give us some sense about the future of what social media can do. In the past, social media was an interesting sideshow … and there's been this notion of: Does it drive ratings? I've never really seen social media drive ratings; it's ratings that drive social media. But our hope is that it will fuel the conversation, particularly among younger consumers.'" http://bit.ly/2aRYwEW

* LOCAL NEWS *

AUSTIN:  The 26th annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival will take place August 21 at Fiesta Gardens. The event benefits the Central Texas Food Bank and will feature food from Amy's Ice Creams, Garbo's Lobster Truck, Kesos Taco House, and more.

CHICAGO:  Junior Ninja Warriors Chicago is slated to open September 15 in Ravenswood Manor. The 15,000-square-foot children's activities venue can hold 100 for receptions and has a 1,000-square-foot private room that seats 50.

LAS VEGAS:  N.B.A. Commissioner Emeritus David J. Stern will be a featured speaker at the American Gaming Assocation's Global Gaming Expo, which takes place September 26-29 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

LOS ANGELES:  Patina Catering will return as the official caterer of the Emmy Awards Governors Ball in September. The team has worked with local farmers to create a dinner for more than 7,000 guests, inspired by the event's theme "Nature's Elegance."

The seafood restaurant Gladstones—a fixture in Malibu for 44 years—will not renew its lease when it expires in October 2017. It has not yet been announced what venue will take over the lease and if Gladstones will reopen elsewhere. 

French bistro and wine bar Belle Vie has opened in the West Los Angeles space formerly occupied by DaVita's.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Runway Resorts has launched Passport 305, an annual membership program that will give local residents and visitors to the South Florida area access to amenities at some of the region’s leading hotels and resorts. Passport 305's participating venues include Casa Morada, Newport Beachside, Nautilus, and Hotel Astor.

Golf star Jack Nicklaus has opened Golden Bear Grill in the Fort Lauderdale airport. The American restaurant's menu has recipes from his wife, Barbara. 

NASHVILLE:  The Academy of Country Music's 10th annual ACM Honors will take place August 30 at Ryman Auditorium. Lady Antebellum will host the ceremony, which will be televised for the first time this year by CBS on September 9.

NEW YORK:  This September, Quality Branded will open a nightclub called Squares at the Park Avenue space formerly occupied by Riff Raff's. Reunion Goods & Services is spearheading the design of the 1,750-square-foot nightclub, whose style is described in a press announcement as "merging Quality Branded's cheeky irreverence with the classic New York society club."

The 2017 reopening of the Four Seasons restaurant on Park Avenue might be delayed due to a lawsuit filed Monday by retail designer Kenneth Walker and investor Lawrence Graev, who say they were unfairly excluded from the deal. Walker and Graev claim that they have a licensing and royalty agreement with Four Seasons restaurateurs Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini. Page Six: http://pge.sx/2aULdmv

The fourth annual Event Planner Expo will take place October 5 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The event will have more than 130 exhibitor booths and more than 2,500 event planning professionals in attendance.

Lexin Capital and Real Hospitality Group have named Ashley M. Mahon general manager of the Hyatt House New York/Chelsea, which opens this fall.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Sleuths Mystery Dinner Shows has launched Game On!, a lower-cost, family-style, interactive experience where guests become game show stars.

Walt Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon will open a new raft ride called Miss Fortune Falls next spring.

Chef Norman Van Aken opens his newest restaurant on August 9 in a historic building in Mount Dora. 1921 by Norman Van Aken is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday and seats about 160 people.

SAN FRANCISCO:  The Glaad Gala San Francisco will take place September 8 at City View at Metreon. The event, which honors local innovators who advance L.G.B.T. acceptance through technology, will be hosted by actress and comedian Aisha Tyler.

Black Cat, a jazz nightclub and restaurant, has opened in the Tenderloin District. The two-level venue has modern American cuisine. 

TAMPA:  Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has opened the new Rising Tide Conservation exhibit, a 270-gallon aquarium housing aquaculture fish, live coral, and snails.

TORONTO:  PortsToronto's sixth annual Sail-In Cinema will take place August 18-20 at Sugar Beach. Sponsored by Christie, the outdoor movie event will screen family-friendly films including The Princess Bride and Hook on a four-story, two-sided screen on a barge in Lake Ontario.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  ABC2, a nonprofit organization for brain-cancer research, is hosting Over the Edge for Brain Cancer on September 18 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City. This fund-raising event will include the opportunity for guests to rappel 25 stories down the side of the hotel.

DC Central Kitchen's Capital Food Fight, which has renowned chefs in cooking competitions, will take place November 10 at the Ronald Reagan Building. José Andrés, who founded the annual fund-raising event, will continue to serve as host. Participating chefs in this year's event are to be announced.

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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.

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