1. EMMYS OFFER NIGHT OF POLITICAL COMMENTARY AND DIVERSE WINS: The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday were highlighted by no-holds-barred political commentary—most of which took aim at President Trump—and a slew of historic, diverse wins from creators, actors, and streaming series. Los Angeles Times: "By tapping Colbert as host, the television academy all but guaranteed that the first Emmy broadcast of the Trump presidency would send a clear message — Colbert’s late-night career was resuscitated by his return to political satire. But it really wasn’t necessary. Sheriff quip aside, Colbert was barely joking. The winner in the drama category was “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a Hulu series based on Margaret Atwood’s dystopian tale in which America becomes an theocracy in which dissidents are executed and all women become property. 'The Handmaid’s Tale,; which made history when it became the first streaming series to win top drama, swept all the big categories in which it was nominated — writer, director, supporting actress and actress. ... Lena Waithe won for writing in a comedy series for her work on Netflix’s 'Master of None,' specifically for an episode about a black woman coming out as lesbian. She became the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing. The prize in the male category went to Sterling K. Brown for 'This Is Us,' NBC’s touching drama about a modern family that is not the same 'Modern Family' we’ve seen win Emmys over the last decade. 'You are the best white TV family that a brother has ever had,' Brown said to those castmates who play his adoptive family. It wasn’t Brown’s first Emmy — he won last year for his portrayal of Christopher Darden in 'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story' — but it was a big night for people of color. Riz Ahmed and Aziz Ansari, both Muslim and South Asian, also won in top categories." http://lat.ms/2xb1qOA
2. WHY THIS YEAR'S TIFF SEEMED SMALLER: Despite its usual swanky after-parties, high-profile celebrity red carpet appearances, and its 255 screenings, the Toronto International Film Festival felt like a much smaller affair this year—mainly because many buyers didn't feel there were a lot of films worth spending money on. Variety: "This has become a recurring trend in the last three or four years at Toronto (does anybody remember the sad fate of the Michael Moore documentary 'Where to Invade Next'?), but the situation is growing more dire. In general, independent film is a tough business that grows tougher by the day, as box office receipts shrink and prestige sizzle migrates to television. In this market, there’s been purse tightening by the traditional players such as The Weinstein Company, Focus Features, and Fox Searchlight. But there was something about this year’s Toronto that wasn’t just dreary. It seemed like the end of an era. Or, at least a dramatic illustration of how fundamentally the business of independent movies has been upended. Part of the shift in the industry is the result of the arrival of deep-pocked players like Netflix and Amazon Studios. After dominating Sundance, neither of the streaming giants made a wallet-busting deal at Toronto, but their presence could be felt like Jaws, casting a shadow over the rest of the (smaller) fish in the sea. ... Competition for product means that many of the best-reviewed titles had come here with distribution. Yet the biggest revelations — such as Greta Gerwig’s 'Lady Bird' — had already premiered in Telluride, which has sucked the wind out of Toronto’s sails. A festival built on discoveries is now playing host to the already discovered. Four years ago, Telluride still wasn’t as much of a draw for journalists and Oscar bloggers, which is why Toronto was able to act as the launching pad for “12 Years a Slave” (despite the film screening at Telluride first). Now Toronto has lost its hold as the No. 1 spot on the long and winding awards trail. It’s more like the Nevada caucus, instead of a New Hampshire king-making primary." http://bit.ly/2fc6FZA
3. HOW PARIS SCORED ITS 2024 OLYMPIC BID: In the past 25 years, Paris made three failed bids to host the Summer Olympics. The city finally made a successful bid to host the 2024 Games, and it did so by learning from past failures. The New York Times: "After the failed 2012 Paris bid was deemed too political, the word went out that French athletes should take the lead for the 2024 campaign. 'The main conclusion was that you had to put sports much more at the center of the bid,' said Mike Lee, the president of Vero Communications, who helped shape the message and international communications of the 2024 Paris bid. Athletes have monopolized the message since Paris kicked off its new bid in 2015. Tony Estanguet, a three-time Olympic canoeing champion and co-president of the 2024 bid; and the Olympic and Paralympic champions Teddy Riner (judo) and Marie-Amélie Le Fur (track and field) were prominent. ... Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, co-president of Paris’s 2024 bid, has repeatedly branded the project as greener and cheaper than previous Olympic Games. Since her election in 2014, the mayor has worked to make the city more ecologically friendly, mostly by reducing car traffic, encouraging the use of bikes and starting a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. Bid leaders argued that their Games would be ecologically responsible, and that 95 percent of the sports venues were either already built or would be temporary. Paris’s current Olympic budget stands at 6.8 billion euros, or about $8.1 billion, with €3.8 billion for the organization of the sporting competitions and €3 billion for development and infrastructure projects." http://nyti.ms/2hca7k2
* LOCAL NEWS *
AUSTIN: This year’s Austin Film Festival will take place October 26-November 2 at the Paramount Theatre and various venues in the city.
CHICAGO: Ritz-Carlton Chicago has completed its latest renovation, which was helmed by interior design firm BAMO.
LOS ANGELES: The fourth annual Fashion Tech Forum will take place on October 6 in Culver City. The exclusive conference—co-hosted by Kate Dimmock, fashion director at Amazon Fashion—will include speeches from Angela Ahrendts, John Hoke, Will.I.Am, Virgil Abloh, and more industry leaders.
The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will host the 34th annual West Hollywood Creative Business Awards on November 16 at the Jeremy West Hollywood. The event will honor Alan Johnson and William Karpiak of Ramada Plaza West Hollywood with lifetime achievement awards.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
NEW YORK: Naomi Campbell will be honored at Fashion 4 Development’s seventh annual First Ladies Luncheon, taking place September 19.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
SAN FRANCISCO: Fleet Week San Francisco will take place October 2-9 at Aquatic Park and Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf.
TORONTO: This year’s Soupalicious Toronto—an annual soup festival offering dishes from local restaurants and caterers—will take place September 24 at Artscape Wychwood Barns.
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, Rayna Katz, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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