1. PAULA DEEN ADMITS RACIAL SLURS, SLAVE-THEME EVENT CONCEPT: Food Network chef Paula Deen admitted to using a racial slur and had wanted her brother to have a Southern plantation-themed wedding with servers pretending to be slaves in a deposition uncovered Wednesday. MSNBC: "[Plaintiff Lisa] Jackson subsequently asked Deen what type of uniforms she preferred the servers to wear. 'Well what I would really like is a bunch of little n—–s to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts, and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around.' Paula Deen laughed and said, 'Now that would be a true Southern wedding, wouldn’t it? But we can’t do that because the media would be on me about that.'" Deen recalled the encounter differently, but agreed she wanted a waitstaff of black men wearing white jackets and black bow ties. http://goo.gl/IKrDt
2. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL FORMS EVENT PARTNERSHIP: Montreal ad agency Sid Lee—whose C.E.O. Jean-Francois Bouchard recently was named a 2013 BizBash innovator—plans to announce an entertainment event company with Cirque du Soleil at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. Globe and Mail: "Sid Lee Entertainment has been a year and a half in the making, and is an attempt to address a fundamental shift in advertising: away from pushing messages to consumers, and toward creating engaging content." http://goo.gl/EzF56
3. HOW TO BECOME A MASTER SOMMELIER: What does it take to be a master sommelier? The new film Somm takes a look, focusing in part on Dustin Wilson, wine director at Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, as he prepares for a certification exam. New York Times: "To prepare, Wilson and three study buddies—Brian McClintic of Caveau Wine Bar in Denver and Vallin winery in Santa Barbara, DLynn Proctor of Penfolds winery in Australia, and Ian Cauble, the United States brand ambassador for Krug Champagne—gather around a kitchen table for mock tastings, giving the impression of the sommelier as a hybrid scholar, showman, athlete, and poet." http://goo.gl/yBZrf
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: The Newport Mansions Food & Wine Festival is September 20-22. Three Newport mansions—the Elms, Marble House, and Rosecliff—will host more than 100 culinary pros and vitners, and the weekend kicks off with the Wine & Rosecliff Gala.
CHICAGO: The Spirits of Mexico Festival returns June 26. Held at Zocalo Restaurant and Tequila Bar, the event will offer spirit tastings, seminars, and traditional Mexican fare.
LAS VEGAS: A new award show for electronic dance music will debut in Las Vegas next year during the during Electric Daisy Carnival, partners Insomniac and Dick Clark Productions announced from EDMbiz conference at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Carmine's is readying for its July opening at the Forum Shops at Caesars. The 27,000-square-foot space will seat 800 people and feature the same family-style Italian menu as at the other six Carmine's locations. Eater: http://bit.ly/10ygHpC
Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort will host the inaugural Rock the Canyon Rally July 13-14. Presented by Black Patch Motorcycle Club, the family-friendly, two-day festival features live music, a vendor expo, motorcycle rally, camping, and outdoor activities.
LOS ANGELES: Reggie Dominique is the new hotel manager for the Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles.
Station Hollywood at the W Hollywood will launch its weekly summer outdoor concert series—Station Unplugged—Tuesday and will feature primarily indie performers.
The Sunset Strip Market has added an outdoor movie series and kids' activities to its weekly programming.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: Huahua’s Taqueria, from Haven Hospitality Concepts, has opened on Lincoln Road in South Beach. The casual spot offers several varieties of tacos and enchiladas, along with traditional Mexican desserts and a margarita machine. The small space—with most of its seating on the patio since it only has three seats inside—is available for buyout.
NEW YORK: The Westin New York Grand Central has renovated its Madison Ballroom, a 2,800-square-foot space that can hold as many as 300 people. Designed by Wilson Associates, the ballroom has 18-foot ceilings, access to an outdoor terrace, and design elements such as color-changing LED lighting, floor-to-ceiling windows, and rosewood paneling.
BMF Media and La Roche-Posay are hosting the Parasols of Protection event in Madison Square Park Friday and Saturday. The activation will offer free skin checks from certified dermatologists with a colorful umbrella art installation attracting passers-by.
GoldBar has reopened after a period of renovations. In addition to a new cocktail program, the lounge is now open for cocktails and small bites weekdays starting at 6 p.m. and at 8 p.m. on Saturdays.
Thrillist is encouraging city dwellers to call in sick on Friday to celebrate the longest day of the year with its first Best Day of Your Life program. The crawlable itineraries, curated by Thrillist editors in 17 cities across the U.S., are stocked with the best things to eat, drink, and do from sunrise to sunset. The V.I.P. itinerary for the New York crawl starts at 8 a.m. with coffee at La Colombe, a dim sum lunch, a soccer game, meatball subs, happy hour at the Standard Biergarten, and wraps up with sunset massages and cocktails at the Frying Pan.
Heidi Klum, photographer Nigel Barker, and chef Cat Cora hosted Shutterfly By Design, a one-day-only home decor experience in a Manhattan townhouse in which they each decorated a room.
Local event listings from Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO: The Central Florida Zoo will celebrate its 37th birthday and the Fourth of July with a "Red, White, and Zoo" event June 29-30. The celebration will include zoo animal encounters, children's activities, live music, and food.
SAN DIEGO: NTC at Liberty Station will host the ArtWalk @NTC August 24-25 along the San Diego Big Bay. The weekend will feature more than 150 artists, live music performances, food vendors, and art activities for children.
TORONTO: The "Midsummer's Eve Haunted Scavenger Hunt" is Friday from Urban Capers Scavenger Hunts. Teams will seek answers to trivia questions while finding their way through places like the mass graveyard at Yorkville and the insane asylum.
WASHINGTON: Worldwide Speakers Group has acquired the Richmond, Virginia-based Arnett & Associates, adding Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and former World Bank president Robert B. Zoellick to its speaker roster.
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With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Haley Holton, Beth Kormanik, Lauren Matthews, and Anna Sekula in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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