1. COMEDIAN MICHELLE WOLF WILL HEADLINE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' DINNER: Comedian Michelle Wolf will headline this year's White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner April 28. Washington Post: “‘This is true news,’ Wolf tweeted in response to social media posts about her newest gig. Though relatively new to the comedy scene—she became a full time stand up in 2013—Wolf has been busy. A contributor to the ‘The Daily Show with Trevor Noah’ since 2016, Wolf released an HBO stand-up special, ‘Nice Lady,’ in December and just earlier this month signed on to host a late-night show on streaming giant Netflix. She also helped write jokes for Chris Rock’s 2016 Oscars gig, and performed on HBO’s ‘Night of Too Many Stars’ last year. Critics have heralded her first special as one of 2017’s best. In it, she doesn’t take direct aim at President Trump, and instead jokes about feminism, the sound of her voice and broader societal expectations of women, a through-line she connects directly to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. … Headlining the dinner has always been a challenge for comics, who have to muscle through a monologue in front of a notoriously tough crowd, but it may be even more so with Trump in the White House. The proliferation of late-night comedy shows and the dizzying pace of the news cycle means comics doing topical humor have to be able to quickly write timely material, as well as jokes that stand out in a crowded field of professional joke-tellers on TV and amateurs on social media. Wolf will be the fifth woman to step up to the lectern at the black-tie dinner. The last woman to host and roast the media and the president was ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ Cecily Strong in 2015, who was preceded by Wanda Sykes in 2009, Elayne Boosler in 1993 and Paula Poundstone in 1992.” http://wapo.st/2ELVSgn
2. OSCARS WON'T MAKE #METOO PRIMARY FOCUS: The 90th Academy Awards may not address #MeToo and the Time’s Up movement as directly as other awards shows have this season. According to Oscar producers, the ceremony’s main focus will be the nominated films. The New York Times: “‘We want to make it as entertaining as possible—reverential and respectful but also fun and emotional,’ said Jennifer Todd, one of the lead producers of the Academy Awards, which will be hosted for the second year in a row by Jimmy Kimmel. ‘The Oscars should be a spectacle. Fun and funny and great performances.’ ‘It should also be a giant commercial for the movie business, which we all need to keep going,’ Ms. Todd said, noting that the show would emphasize the 90th anniversary milestone. … The tone of the Oscars telecast has been the subject of Hollywood speculation for months, ever since The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed decades of sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein, sparking the #MeToo conversation. Some envisioned an Oscars stage draped in black to honor victims and atone as an industry for turning a blind eye to men like Mr. Weinstein. Others argued that the academy did its part—ousting Mr. Weinstein, implementing a code of conduct for members—and should hold its party as usual. ABC has left little mystery about what kind of show it would like to see. One promo emphasizes blockbusters like ‘Wonder Woman’—the opposite of the current best picture contenders, which are mostly art films—and plays up stage extravaganzas mounted at Oscars past. The word ‘sizzle’ takes over the screen at one point. Efforts to tilt the telecast away from politics and causes may prove futile, of course.” http://nyti.ms/2opKMqh
3. AIRBNB TO LAUNCH ITS OWN HOTELS: Home-sharing company Airbnb will venture into its competition by debuting its own hotels. Bloomberg: "At a company event on Thursday, Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s co-founder and chief executive officer, outlined a roadmap designed to make his service more mainstream. The efforts include highlighting hotels on the website, a loyalty program, and the ability to match guests with accommodations that fit their budgets and tastes. Chesky also showed off a new type of hotel-like accommodations called Airbnb Plus. The higher-end homes will be visited by an inspector, who will determine if the homes meet requirements ranging from fresh, matching towels and working appliances to a commitment to stock the home’s kitchen with a selection of teas and coffee, similar to hotel offerings. Chesky also teased a new luxury brand called Beyond by Airbnb. The tier of mega-homes, mansions and penthouses will be available to users in the spring. Although Airbnb has let hotels and bed-and-breakfasts quietly list on its website for years, Chesky gave the clearest indication that hotels are an essential piece of his strategy to create a full-service travel company. The move is intended to attract business from online travel agencies Expedia Inc. and Booking Holdings Inc., formerly known as Priceline Group. Because Airbnb is charging much lower commission fees, it could be very effective." https://bloom.bg/2sPkOlq
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: Blantyre resort has appointed Natalie Ward general manager and Jeremy Berlin executive chef.
HONOLULU: The Queen Kapi’olani Hotel, Waikiki Beach will reopen this summer following a $35 million renovation. The 315-room hotel has 5,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
LOS ANGELES: Actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish will host the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards on June 18 in Los Angeles.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: The third annual Art Boca Raton international art fair will take place March 14-18 at the International Pavilion of the Palm Beaches at Florida Atlantic University.
Nucleas, a new invite-only music industry conference during Miami Music Week, will take place March 22-24 at 1 Hotel South Beach.
NEW YORK: Margarita Rumble, a margarita-making competition among local restaurants and bars, will take place April 28 at the Dobbin St event venue in Williamsburg. The event is presented by Don Julio tequila.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
TORONTO: The 17th edition of the Wedding Co., a wedding show featuring more than 70 exhibitors, will take place Sunday at Artscape Wychwood Barns.
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Meatball Shop will open its first Washington location—and first-ever location outside of New York—in late spring.
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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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