October 24, 2017: Protests Erupt After E.P.A. Pulls Climate Change Talks From Conference, New York Comic Con Organizer to Expand to the U.K., N.F.L. Announces New StubHub Partnership With Ticketmaster Integration

1. PROTESTS ERUPT AFTER E.P.A. PULLS CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS FROM CONFERENCE: The Environmental Protection Agency's decision to cancel climate change-focused presentations from three of the agency's scientists at a Rhode Island conference on Monday led to angry protests at the event, with academics and lawmakers condemning the Trump administration's decision. Washington Post: "'This type of political interference, or scientific censorship — whatever you want to call it — is ill-advised and does a real disservice to the American public and public health,' Sen. Jack Reed (D), Rhode Island’s senior senator, said at an opening news conference for the State of Narragansett Bay and Its Watershed event in Providence. 'We can debate the issues. We can have different viewpoints. But we should all be able to objectively examine the data and look at the evidence.' Reed was joined Monday by the rest of the state’s congressional delegation, all of them Democrats, who took turns chastising the Environmental Protection Agency for instructing two of its scientists and one contractor not to speak at the conference Monday. ... Outside, a small group of protesters gathered, wearing tape over their mouths and holding handmade signs. 'Denial is not a policy,' read one. 'Un-gag science,' read another. The EPA has offered little explanation for the decision to prevent the scientists from participating, other than to say in a statement that they were allowed to attend the event but not present because 'it is not an EPA conference.' Monday’s conference marked the culmination of a three-year report on the status of Narragansett Bay, New England’s largest estuary, and the challenges it faces. Climate change features as a significant factor in the 500-page report, which evaluates 24 aspects of the bay and its larger watershed. But organizers said the broader point of Monday’s official release of the report was to highlight the improved water quality of the bay in recent decades — a success story they say is due in large part to the state’s partnership with the EPA and its scientists." http://wapo.st/2i22ddh

2. NEW YORK COMIC CON ORGANIZER TO EXPAND TO THE U.K.: ReedPop, the organizer of conventions including New York Comic Con and the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, will expand to the U.K. by acquiring British MCM Comic Con events. The Hollywood Reporter: “The acquisition of the MCM shows—which bring in around 300,000 attendees annually with events across the U.K.—takes effect immediately, with ReedPOP's presence to be felt across the already scheduled 2018 events and beyond. In a statement released by ReedPOP, global head Lance Fensterman said, ‘For nearly a decade I’ve watched with great admiration as the MCM brand grew in size, scale and quality, as well as in the hearts and minds of U.K. fans. I could not be more proud and humbled to team up with the MCM team to bring two world-class pop culture event companies together.’ MCM Comic Con was founded in 2002, with the first London Expo (the "MCM" name originated in 2004, standing for ‘Movies, Comics, Media’); in subsequent years, organizers have added events in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Belfast. The MCM events join an international group of shows outside the U.S. for ReedPOP, alongside PAX Australia, Oz Comic Con, Comic Con India, Comic Con Paris and Comic Con Seoul.” http://bit.ly/2iuW1i3

3. N.F.L. ANNOUNCES NEW STUBHUB PARTNERSHIP WITH TICKETMASTER INTEGRATION: The N.F.L. has made a new deal with StubHub as its first authorized resale marketplace. The partnership also will integrate the ticketing company with Ticketmaster. Billboard: “Starting next season, StubHub users will be able to easily buy and sell tickets for all 32 NFL teams on the eBay-owned platform, tapping into Ticketmaster’s API to transfer digital tickets, manage inventory and create a more seamless customer experience. While it’s not the first time the two rivals worked together -- Ticketmaster and StubHub have a similar Major League Baseball integration -- the agreement brings a shift to the competitive landscape that started in 2008 when the NFL and Ticketmaster entered into an exclusive partnership to lock up the secondary market for Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange. The $200 million deal—renewed for another five years in 2012—helped Ticketmaster quickly grow its market share of secondary tickets but never led to full exclusivity; StubHub continued to sell NFL ticketing inventory and had more flexibility on pricing, often listing tickets below face value for slow-selling games. Last week, Ticketmaster announced it had renewed its 10-year-old agreement with the NFL and would launch a next-generation ticketing system that would see the two organizations move away from paper tickets and bar codes. Replacing them would be digital tickets that sat on a user’s phone inside the Ticketmaster app, or inside a RFID-enabled card readable through Ticketmaster’s venue software Presence. As part of the agreement, Ticketmaster would enable its open API to allow the sale and validation of tickets on third-party marketplaces. The first to be announced was StubHub.” http://bit.ly/2gyhBhq

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center is bringing back its “Timeless” New Year’s Eve celebration for a second year. The two-day event will include a Beatles tribute performance by American English and a performance from Las Vegas-based show, “The Rat Pack is Back.”

LOS ANGELES:  Boutique hotel Mama Shelter is hosting a haunted house Halloween party on October 28. Movie production designer Dimitri Kornakov is transforming the lobby, DJ booth area, and bar into a haunted house using props from Saw, Annabel, and other horror films. The event is free, but guests can book tables at the downstairs restaurant. 

On November 2, IndieWire will host its inaugural IndieWire Honors, which will celebrate Mary J. Blige, Sterling K. Brown, James Franco, Diane Kruger, Kumail Nanjiani, and Issa Rae. 

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

NEW YORK:  The Emery Awards, a benefit for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, will take place November 6 at Cipriani Wall Street. Hosted by Sandra Bernhard and Bevy Smith, the event will honor Kevyn Aucoin, Verizon company Oath, and Melissa Mark-Viverito. The event will be produced by Josh Wood Productions. 

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

TORONTO:  The annual European Union Film Festival, which showcases films from all 28 E.U. member countries, will take place November 9-23 at the Royal Cinema. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Virgin Hotels will open its first Washington property in 2019. TravelPulse: http://bit.ly/2xjPoBp

Nat Geo is launching its latest mini-series, The Long Road Home, with a premiere on October 25. Focused on an ambush during the Iraq war that came to be known as “Black Sunday,” the eight-episode program’s debut will be held in the National Geographic Grosvenor Auditorium. Notables slated to be on hand include members of the cast, ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz—who wrote the book on which the series is based—and two veterans of the ambush.

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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.

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