November 20, 2014: Cecily Strong to Headline White House Correspondentsโ€™ Dinner, Venue Sues Fashion Rocks Producers, Tips for Hosting an Elegant Holiday Party


1. CECILY STRONG TO HEADLINE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTSโ€™ DINNER: Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong will be the featured entertainment at next yearโ€™s White House Correspondentsโ€™ Association dinner next spring, organizers announced Wednesday, noting she will be the fourth woman to serve as the featured entertainer in the eventโ€™s 82-year history. Entertainment Weekly: โ€œStrong will probably have a leg up on cracking wise on journalists: According to the White House Correspondentsโ€™ Association press release, Strongโ€™s father, Bill Strong, served as Associated Press Bureau chief in the Illinois Statehouse.โ€ http://bit.ly/1vsjG1j

2. VENUE SUES FASHION ROCKS PRODUCERS: The producers of the Fashion Rocks TV special are facing another lawsuit, this time from the Barclays Center arena, which hosted the fashion and music special in September. The $1.3 million lawsuit comes after CBS sued Three Lions Entertainment for not paying its debts. Hollywood Reporter: โ€œItโ€™s likely Three Lions is in the process of being liquidated. The Barclays Centerโ€™s complaint claims that the same day the news of the broadcaster's lawsuit was reported, the arenaโ€™s management received an email from a purported โ€˜Liquidating Trusteeโ€™ for Three Lions confirming that the company owed $1.3 million but does not have the funds. CBS, which aired the event to poor ratings, claims Beckman said in a phone conversation that the company is โ€˜insolvent.โ€™โ€ http://bit.ly/11FB6uU

3. TIPS FOR HOSTING AN ELEGANT HOLIDAY PARTY: Baltimore-based event planner Brandon Casey shares tips for elegant holiday entertaining with the Baltimore Sun. His ideas for corporate holidays and social events, including one charming idea for the entrance: โ€œAt one Christmas wedding, Casey and the Michele Damon Events team organized a barbershop quartet to serenade guests as they arrived at the venue, as waiters passed glasses of champagne alongside mugs of hot cider and cocoa.โ€ http://bsun.md/1x3Irwo

* LOCAL NEWS *

BOSTON:  VDA Productions has added a new position to its design and production agency: senior manager of event technology. Dennis Grabowksi has been appointed to the role.

CHICAGO:  Marriott Residence Inn plans open its biggest hotel yet in downtown Chicago this summer. In a former lumber warehouse, the hotel will have 375 rooms. Itโ€™s geared toward travelers staying in the city for more than five nights.

LAS VEGAS:  The comedy magician Mac King has extended โ€œThe Mac King Comedy Magic Showโ€ for four more years at Harrahโ€™s Las Vegas. Kingโ€™s contract extends through 2019, which will give him 19 years at the hotel.

LOS ANGELES:  GenerationOn and Disney Friends for Change are hosting the 24th annual Family Volunteer Day on Saturday at Travel Town Museum.

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Logo TV will host its New Now Next Awards show on December 2 during Art Basel.

NEW YORK:  The Rock โ€˜nโ€™ Roll Marathon Series will hold its first half-marathon in Brooklyn next October. The headliner will be announced later, and organizers said they expect 20,000 people to participate.

Musicians On Call, which brings live and recorded music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities, raised a record $700,000 at its 15th Anniversary Celebration Tuesday, held at Espace.

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

ORLANDO:  The Tranquilo Golf Club is now open at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. The 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course includes a clubhouse, restaurant, and golf shop.

TORONTO:  Casa Loma will celebrate its 100 years in Toronto with a โ€œ100 Years of Christmasโ€ exhibit on Wednesday. The event will kick off a month of holiday installations featuring Christmas trees decorated by Canadian designers.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Stephen Colbert will host the Kennedy Center Honors next month, CBS announced. Colbert will take over as the host of the networkโ€™s Late Show next year.

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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, and Anna Sekula in New York.

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

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