March 17, 2016: Academy Apologizes for Oscar Joke Targeting Asians, Why Vans Is Celebrating a Major Anniversary With 10 Parties, See the Unusual Amenities Planned for a Football Stadium

1. ACADEMY APOLOGIZES FOR OSCAR JOKE TARGETING ASIANS: A tone-deaf joke about Asians at the Academy Awards in which host Chris Rock introduced three Asian children as the accountants from PriceWaterhouseCoopers has finally drawn an apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It came after a letter from an Oscar-winning director and after more than two dozen other academy members of Asian descent complained about the bit. Vanity Fair: “The response was swift and unhappy, but unlike the #OscarsSoWhite backlash—which began on Twitter minutes after the year’s nominees were announced and prompted a response from Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs just a few days later—this controversy had to wait much longer for a response. The Academy, like most people, was probably eager to leave this year’s awards and their attendant controversies behind. But thanks to powerful voices like Lee speaking up, one more ugly part of this long Oscar season has been properly reckoned with.” http://bit.ly/1pvX8wg

2. WHY VANS IS CELEBRATING A MAJOR ANNIVERSARY WITH 10 PARTIES: The sneaker brand Vans is inviting its fans to a series of 10 pop-up parties across the world to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The House of Vans pop-ups will host concerts from the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and Erykah Badu, classes in screen-printing so fans can customize their sneakers, and other interactive exhibits that started this week and in some cases will last throughout 2016. Adweek: “[Vice president of global marketing Fara] Howard added that the benefit to Vans exceeds the obvious brand exposure. Hands-on programming on this scale is expected to fill the venues with young consumers who are Vans' prime targets. For the company, watching their behavior in the workshops and how they express their cultural preferences in general constitutes a kind of real-time field research." http://bit.ly/1QXAnvf

3. SEE THE UNUSUAL AMENITIES PLANNED FOR A FOOTBALL STADIUM: A new stadium for the Washington Redskins football team could include fanciful amenities, according to conceptual drawings from architect Bjarke Ingels Group released this week. Quartz: “Reminiscent of the rollicking amusement parks in which team owner Dan Snyder once invested, BIG’s new stadium plans include a moat lined by a white sand beach. The wave-filled ditch around the stadium could also become a skating surface during the winter, BIG’s drawings suggest. Renderings also show that façade of the Redskins’s ‘sculptural’ new stadium could serve as a climbing wall or a dramatic stage backdrop for outdoor concerts.” http://bit.ly/1UCcYQZ

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Renae Connolly, pastry chef at Cafe ArtScience, will host "La Dolce Via" April 11-12. The dessert-tasting event will showcase Japanese-inspired sweets, including orange-blossom brioche with housemate yuzu marmalade.

CHICAGO:  Il Porcellino, a casual trattoria from Lettuce Entertain You, opens tonight in River North. The Italian restaurant serves homemade pastas, pizzas, and a signature pork dish.

LAS VEGAS:  The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau has launched a virtual reality companion app called Vegas VR for trade show delegates and prospective visitors. The app features 12 virtual reality tourism experiences that can be viewed on a smartphone or virtual reality viewer.

The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts will unveil a new experience featuring the performer's vehicles, Liberace Garage, inside the Hollywood Cars Museum on April 7.

LOS ANGELES:  The Daily Front Row's second annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards will take place Sunday at the Sunset Tower Hotel. The magazine has announced additional honorees including Karl Lagerfield as Fashion Icon and Brandon Maxwell for Best Designer Debut, as well as presenters Jennifer Lopez, Keanu Reeves, and Jeremy Scott.

The DeLorean DMC-12 time machine from Back to the Future will be on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum starting April 22. Museum members and media will be invited to an April 20 unveiling, which will feature a panel discussion with the film's writer and co-creator, Bob Gale, and Universal Studios Hollywood creative director John Murdy.

Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Miami voters have approved of plans to build Riverside Wharf, a 58,000-square-foot nightlife and restaurant complex, along the Miami River. The project—which developers expect to break ground on by the end of the year—will feature four restaurants and a fish market. Miami Herald: http://hrld.us/1Lrdy2L

NEW YORK:  Foundation Fighting Blindness will host its World Gala on April 12 at Cipriani 25 Broadway.

Housing Works will host its fourth annual Groundbreaker Awards Dinner on April 20 at Metropolitan Pavilion, honoring interior designer Jamie Drake and activist Mary Fisher. The organization will then host its 12th annual Design on a Dime benefit and sale from April 21-23 at the same venue.

The second annual (Red) Supper kickoff event will take place June 2. The event is part of the third annual Eat (Red) Save Lives campaign, which unites chefs, restaurants, bars, and food trucks in raising funds and awareness for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.

Local event listings from the new Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

SAN FRANCISCO:  The Crystal Jade Wedding Showcase will take place April 19 at Four Embarcadero Center. The cocktail mixer for wedding-industry pros and enthusiasts will showcase snacks from Crystal Jade, a food and beverage brand from Singapore.

TORONTO:  The Toronto Storytelling Festival will take place at Harbourfront Centre April 9-10. Highlights include a Storytelling Concert Gala and a Storytelling Picnic for kids.

The Invictus Games, a sports competition for wounded troops founded by Britain’s Prince Harry, will come to Toronto in 2017. The Globe and Mail: bit.ly/1R3taq4

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Questex Travel Group has announced it will launch a revitalized program for the annual Meet National event, which will take place September 7-8 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

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

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

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