October 30, 2017: Southwest Partners with Warner Music Nashville to Launch Live Concerts on Planes, Janet Jackson May Return to Super Bowl Halftime Show, Motion Picture Academy to Grant Its First Oscar to VR Installation

1. SOUTHWEST PARTNERS WITH WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE TO LAUNCH LIVE CONCERTS ON PLANES: Warner Music Nashville and Southwest Airlines have formed a new partnership that will bring live pop-up concerts to the skies. Billboard: "With this new partnership, Southwest will continue their history of pop-up shows on board flights featuring WMN artists, with the label also agreeing to continue their tradition of traveling with the airline. Perhaps the most popular aspect of the agreement is the continuation of the Live at 35 in-air concert series, as well as the Opry at the Southwest Porch at Bryant Park series of summer concerts. Launched as a curiosity in 2011, the Live at 35 series has only grown in popularity over the past six years, as Southwest passengers hope that their flight will be one of the lucky ones to feature a sure-to-go-viral performance. To celebrate the announcement, Atlantic Records/WMN artist Devin Dawson performed to a capacity crowd aboard a Southwest flight leaving Nashville for Philadelphia one Sunday afternoon as the latest member of the Live at 35 family of musicians. ... After the concert in the clouds wrapped, the young singer walked the aisles, handing out souvenir guitar picks and compact discs to his audience; among those in attendance aboard the flight were country artists Kip Moore and Delta Rae, all scheduled to share a stage with Dawson at the Fillmore in Philadelphia later that day." http://bit.ly/2gOcVYf

2. JANET JACKSON MAY RETURN TO SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW: According to music insiders, Janet Jackson may make a surprise return to the Super Bowl halftime show, which is being headlined by Justin Timberlake. The rumor has been sparked by the fact that Jackson collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are curating the 10-day "Super Bowl Live" music festival in Minneapolis leading up to the event. Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Every night, blue, purple and green lights will dance in the dark evening skies of Nicollet Mall, evoking the Aurora Borealis. A walk-in football-shaped snow globe will be constructed along with ice sculptures encasing NFL jerseys; nearby booths and activities will be sponsored by still-unnamed corporate partners. While organizers expect the free event to draw 1 million visitors for the food and fun, the main attraction will be free concerts every day on the 'Verizon Up Stage at Ice Mountain' on the corner of 8th Street S. and Nicollet Mall. Jan. 29 (a Monday night) will serve as a full-fledged Prince tribute. Other purply moments will likely be sprinkled throughout the week. ... Reuniting with artist Janet Jackson for a Super Bowl-related event would be significant for football and music fans. The two producers worked with Jackson on the hits that turned her into a superstar solo artist. With Justin Timberlake as the official half-time performer at the game, the question becomes: Whither Jackson? She and Timberlake had finished the halftime show in 2004 when he pulled down part of her costume, revealing a bare breast to a worldwide audience. The excuse-explanation for the incident introduced the expression 'wardrobe malfunction' into the global lexicon. Jam and Lewis said Jackson has not been invited to take part in the halftime show this year, but an invitation has definitely been extended by them to be a part of the Super Bowl Live festivities." http://strib.mn/2z2jsoP

3. MOTION PICTURE ACADEMY TO GRANT ITS FIRST OSCAR TO VR INSTALLATION: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced it will grant a special Oscar to Alejandro G. Inarritu’s virtual-reality installation “Carne y Arena (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible)” this year. Variety: "The award will be presented at the 9th annual Governors Awards on Nov. 11. Inarritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki have 'opened for us new doors of cinematic perception,' AMPAS president John Bailey said. 'Inarritu’s multimedia art and cinema experience is a deeply emotional and physically immersive venture into the world of migrants crossing the desert of the American southwest in early dawn light. More than even a creative breakthrough in the still emerging form of virtual reality, it viscerally connects us to the hot-button political and social realities of the U.S.-Mexico border.' Inarritu won back-to-back best director Oscars for 'Birdman' in 2015 and 'The Revenant' in 2016. Lubezki received cinematography Oscars for each, as well as for 'Gravity' in 2014, making him the only cinematographer to win three Oscars in a row. The Academy rarely extends special awards. The last time any such accolade was presented was in 1996, when Pixar’s 'Toy Story' received a special achievement award from the organization. Only 17 of those have been presented over the years, and there continue to be calls for similar recognition for Andy Serkis and the visual effects artists who have led the way on performance-capture technology." http://bit.ly/2yWPEub

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTA:  The ninth annual Chastain Park Arts Festival will take place November 4-5. The event is organized by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces and volunteer artists. 

LOS ANGELES:  DesignerCon will take place November 11-12 at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event will showcase toys, art, and collectibles from more than 450 vendors. 

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

NEW YORK:  Grand Central will host “Trick or Treat the Terminal” on Halloween. The event will invite kids to trick or treat around Grand Central’s restaurant and shops and will offer prizes for kids and parents, including 20-minute facials for the first 50 attendees at Aveda, free temporary tattoos from Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, and cookies and milk for the first 300 visitors at Great Northern Food Hall. 

Footwear News’s 31st annual FN Achievement Awards will take place November 28 at I.A.C. headquarters. The event will honor Air Jordan 1 and Virgil Abloh with the Shoe of the Year award. Additional honorees include Hailey Baldwin, Alexa Chung, and Stan Smith. 

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Emeril's Tchoup Chop in the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando will close December 31. Scott Joseph's Orlando Restaurant Guide: http://bit.ly/2yYDVv1

TORONTO:  The Sheraton Centre Hotel has been purchased by Brookfield Asset Management. BNN: http://bit.ly/2iFiVTK

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.

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