1. IRANIAN FILMMAKER TO SKIP OSCARS OVER TRAVEL BAN: Oscar-nominated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has announced he won’t attend this year’s Academy Awards because of uncertainty surrounding a travel ban on seven Muslim countries. Associated Press: “Asghar Farhadi, an acclaimed director whose film, ‘The Salesman,’ was nominated for best foreign language film, said the uncertainty surrounding his ability to travel to the United States was ‘in no way acceptable,’ and that he would not attend next month's ceremony even if an exception to the ban were possible. An executive order issued last week temporarily bans the entry of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. The administration says it is necessary to keep out potential terrorists while stricter vetting procedures are put in place. … In a statement released Saturday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expressed concern that Farhadi and his cast and crew may not be permitted to attend the Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles, calling it ‘extremely troubling.’ On Thursday, Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, star of the ‘The Salesman,’ tweeted she would boycott the Oscars—whether allowed to attend or not—in protest of Trump's immigration policies, which she called ‘racist.’ The ban is affecting other Oscar nominees as well. On Sunday, a statement was issued by the producers of the Oscar-nominated documentary short ‘The White Helmets’ saying that the film's subjects, Syrian humanitarian workers, would not be able to attend the ceremony.” http://apne.ws/2k6Zz6V
2. PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS GIVE HOLLYWOOD AN ANTI-TRUMP PLATFORM: The Producers Guild of America Awards ceremony, which took place Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, was highlighted by La La Land taking the top film award and Hollywood figures speaking out against President Donald Trump. Los Angeles Times: “In another possible precursor to the 89th Academy Awards, prominent Hollywood figures used the platform to voice shock and outrage against President Trump—a warm-up to the most visible televised awards show of the year. The guild’s leadership set the tone in the opening address to the ballroom filled with film producers, studio executives and stars. … ‘La La Land’ co-star John Legend, going off-script as a presenter, brought the protest against President Trump’s travel ban most pointedly to an audience that included Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Amy Pascal, Sony’s Tom Rothman, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Directors Guild President Paris Barclay, and Oscar nominees Casey Affleck, Mahershala Ali, Barry Jenkins, Nicole Kidman and Denzel Washington. The nontelevised awards dinner is one of the glitzier affairs in the lead-up to Oscars night. But although the big prize went to Damien Chazelle’s ‘La La Land,’ an ode to Tinseltown’s dreamers, the dreamers and power players in the room could not ignore the reality of the outside world.” http://lat.ms/2kI8IWq
3. NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: MEN’S SEEKS TO BRING DESIGNERS BACK TO U.S.: With the menswear industry booming, the fourth season of New York Fashion Week’s men’s edition is hoping to put a spotlight on American designers that have brought their styles overseas. Glossy: “And as fashion shows turn to be more consumer-facing, New York Fashion Week: Men’s is hoping to build a global showcase for American menswear at the right time. The fourth season of men’s week started on Sunday and runs through Wednesday, and will feature collections from 69 brands, up three from the last event in July. The event will include up-and-coming brands, core designers like John Varvatos and Zachary Prell, and established anchors Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss and Raf Simons, who will each bring their namesake menswear labels to New York this season. … In fashion, an every-man-for-himself approach has swept through the calendar as New York designers flee for other cities like L.A. and Paris, close collections to everyone but press and buyers only, or ditch formal runway shows for party-presentations. For many brands who carry both men’s and women’s collections, a calendar reassessment led to singular runway shows that included both. The state of the fashion calendar has been, thus far, haphazard and hard to keep track of, but one pattern has emerged: Designers aren’t wanting to take on the effort of pulling off more fashion shows than they need to. The CFDA is hoping that a concentrated effort on putting menswear on a pedestal in the U.S. will give designers a reason to do the same.” http://bit.ly/2kiV3Eu
* LOCAL NEWS *
BOSTON: Marcou Transportation Group—the parent company of Dav El/BostonCoach—has acquired GroundLink, a tech-enabled provider of black car service in major cities, and Limo Anywhere, a software provider to the limousine industry.
LAS VEGAS: The fifth annual A.C.M. Party for a Cause will take place March 30-April 2, with events occurring at various venues including the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The events will be held in conjunction with the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will air live on CBS from the T-Mobile Arena on April 2.
Distill Centennial Hills, the latest venture from R.E.D. Taverns, opens Friday.
LOS ANGELES: This year's Cupid's Undie Run will take place February 11 at the Victorian in Santa Monica. The Valentine's Day-theme run raises money for the Children's Tumor Foundation.
For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles
MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA: The second annual Design on a Dime Miami will take place Saturday and Sunday at the Moore Building. The event will showcase more than 25 interior designers creating unique room vignettes from donated merchandise. The donated merchandise will then be sold during a two-day sale to benefit Housing Works' effort to end AIDS in the U.S. by 2025.
NEW YORK: JMH Development and Mettle Property Group have signed a franchise agreement with Hilton to develop a 187-room Hampton Inn keys and 102-room Homewood Suites in Long Island City. The project will include meeting space as well as a rooftop deck.
For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork
ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA: The Makeup Show kicks off its 2017 series of shows in Orlando March 18-19 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.
TORONTO: The owners of music venue Rebel have plans to open a 15,000-person nightclub, which would be the largest in the world. CBC News: http://bit.ly/2iS0YiC
YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected].
JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com
With contributions from Jenny Berg in Chicago, Alesandra Dubin and Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles, Mitra Sorrells in Orlando, and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Jill Menze, and Ian Zelaya in New York.
BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.
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