August 6, 2015: Huge Viewership Expected for First Republican Presidential Debate, MTV Asks Fans to Help Create V.M.A. Ads, Virtual Reality Film Festival Will Tour North America

1. HUGE VIEWERSHIP EXPECTED FOR FIRST REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: Preparing for tonight’s Republican presidential primary debate in Cleveland has been challenging for Fox News from the start: From selecting just 10 candidates from the crowded field to participate to strategizing how to handle the unpredictable yet popular Donald Trump. moderators Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace have been preparing for weeks in what is expected to be a highly-watched debate. Politico: “The task — moderating the first Republican presidential primary debate — is more difficult than it seems. On the one hand, the three moderators want to ask hard-hitting questions that push candidates beyond their talking points. … At the same time, they know this isn’t about them, and that the biggest mistake a moderator can make is to scrap with the candidates so aggressively that they themselves become part of the story.” http://politi.co/1Ik2GhG

2. MTV ASKS FANS TO HELP CREATE V.M.A. ADS: To promote MTV’s Video Music Awards, the network is asking fans to help create ads using green screens it has placed on billboards, social media, and television. Mashable: “Artists can go to this landing page to download green-screen templates, billboards, backgrounds and stickers — as well as artist photos and videos of Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar. MTV will sift through the entrants and choose winners, who'll see their social avatar and/or handle plastered on the finished products before the VMAs on Aug. 30.” http://on.mash.to/1IrSGkx

3. VIRTUAL REALITY FILM FESTIVAL WILL TOUR NORTH AMERICA: The inaugural Kaleidoscope VR Film Festival, which kicks of August 22, will have an unusual format: Instead of having one fixed location, it will tour 10 cities in the United States and Canada. The programming will include several independent films that use the emerging technology in their movies. The New York Times: “Virtual reality has steadily become a part of the offerings at traditional film festivals, with programs at Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca and elsewhere. And Hollywood films like Interstellar and Jurassic World are now marketed with virtual reality components. Virtual reality companies like Oculus, known for the head-mount display hardware often used to experience this work, has gotten into the business of making short films. Now this festival, from Kaleidoscope, which promotes the work of visual reality artists, aims to call attention to a greater diversity of such projects.” http://nyti.ms/1eTdGb8

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  Hojoko, a Japanese restaurant, opens at the Verb Hotel this week. Menu items include sushi rolls with spicy toppings and a seaweed salad.

CHICAGO:  Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago will host its “Summer of Love” event at Studio Manarchy on August 12. The after-party will be at Kaiser Tiger.

LAS VEGAS:  The Habit Burger Grill, a California-based chain, will open its first Las Vegas location near Howard Hughes Center on August 12. The restaurant will seat 86 guests and have a patio.

LOS ANGELES:  Ben Chang has joined the Los Angeles Times as vice president and events editor. He will oversee the new California Conversation series and expand the company’s leadership in events, including the paper's Festival of Books, the nation’s largest book festival.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The third annual South Beach Bike Week will take place September 4-7 and will include motorcycle shows and contests, live music, and more.

NEW YORK:  Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, in partnership with Lincoln Center, will host Silent Disco, Your Outdoor Dance Party, on August 28. The event will include an hour of professional dance instruction.

#NeverForever, a benefit for Safe Horizon, will take place Friday at the Terrace Club. The evening will feature cocktails, snacks, a nail bar, and the premiere of the singer Kelly Levesque’s video for "Never Forever.”

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

PHOENIX:  Omni Scottsdale Resort will host the first "Desert to Dish” weekend with the James Beard Foundation October 22-25 at the resort. Chefs from across the country will participate in the consumer event that celebrates Arizona agriculture.

TORONTO:  The Canadian National Exhibition will be held August 21-September 7. The event will include free concerts, a craft beer festival, and a lumberjack show.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The set of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart will become part of the collection of the Newseum following Stewart's final appearance as host of the late-night television program tonight. Press release: http://bit.ly/1Dr59YY

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

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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.

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