February 29, 2016: Oscars Edition: Host Chris Rock Deftly Skewers Hollywood’s Race Problem, Oscars Still Can’t Control Running Time, How Oscars Security Prepped for Vice President Joe Biden

1. HOST CHRIS ROCK DEFTLY SKEWERS HOLLYWOOD’S RACE PROBLEM: Producers of the Academy Awards chose Chris Rock to host before the all-white slate of acting nominees was announced and the #OscarsSoWhite backlash. But as a comedian who had long addressed race, the choice provided a compelling reason to watch the broadcast. And Rock delivered. Yahoo TV: “Taking the stage to the heroic strains of Public Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power,’ host Chris Rock had the daunting task of acknowledging the legitimate grievances and making the assembled Hollywood audience laugh. He felt obliged to keep up the pressure throughout the show, inserting jokes and taped bits addressing both the lighter and heavier sides of a situation he summed up at the start of the show as: ‘You’re damn right Hollywood’s racist.’ The opening monologue was uneven, as it almost had to be. Referring to the presentation as ‘the White People’s Choice Awards’ was an easy joke; ‘This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies’ — that was a good, hard joke. A running joke about selling Girl Scout cookies for his children? Not so hilarious. His intro, ‘Please welcome nominee Rachel McAdams and a shoulda-been nominee, Michael B. Jordan’? Grimly hilarious.” http://yhoo.it/1XUhDy0

2. OSCARS STILL CAN’T CONTROL RUNNING TIME: Even with a compelling host and built-in suspense because of the lack of a frontrunner film, ABC's telecast of the Oscars managed to feel bloated, stuffed with some gags that fell flat that the audience could have done without. The New York Times: “The problem with the Oscarcast is simple and constant: It’s too long. The show ran over three and a half hours. This year’s longest best picture nominee, The Revenant, clocks in at 2 hours and 36 minutes. Why should the academy ask its audience to sit longer than that? The broadcast did, at least, try a new gimmick to shave time, pairing acceptance speeches with screen crawls of people the winners would like to thank (some of which were long enough to serve as useful baby-name lists).” http://nyti.ms/1oSupl5

3. HOW OSCARS SECURITY PREPPED FOR VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Joe Biden became the first vice president to appear at the Academy Awards since 1931 when he introduced a Lady Gaga’s performance of the best song nominee “Til It Happens to You” and advocate for the sexual assault survivors initiative ItsOnUs.org. His appearance meant that an already security-heavy event needed to amp up its strategy. The Hollywood Reporter: “The timing of the Biden announcement was itself part of the security strategy, with the Secret Service working closely with other federal and local law enforcement personnel to gather protective intelligence far in advance of the event. … Like other high-profile events, the Academy Awards already deploys the best practice of concentric rings of protection, in which security becomes more and more restrictive the closer one gets to the principal. … The Secret Service has probably already staked out the Dolby Theatre and adjacent Hollywood and Highland Center and identified where to take Biden in the event of any trouble. Such locations could include subterranean rooms or a nearby 'safe house,' such as a firehouse.” http://bit.ly/21Dihly


* INDUSTRY NEWS *

The Green Meeting Industry Council will merge with the Convention Industry Council, with specific charter and mandate to advocate and educate about sustainability in the meetings, incentives, conferences, and event industry.

* LOCAL NEWS *

ATLANTA:  The Candler building downtown is slated to open as Candler Hotel Atlanta, Curio Collection by Hilton in late 2017. The hotel will have 265 guest rooms, meeting and event space, and a rooftop terrace.

BOSTON:  The Boston Police Foundation Gala will take place Saturday at the Westin Waterfront. Mark Wahlberg is expected to attend.

The Boston Flower & Garden Show is March 16-20 at the Seaport World Trade Center.

CHICAGO:  The Women on Point executive leadership summit will take place March 23-25 at Hyatt Regency Chicago. Geared toward top-performing female professionals, the event is sponsored by Hyatt Hotels Corporation and BNY Mellon.

Chicago Artists Coalition will host its “Starving Artist” benefit on April 14 at Venue One. The evening will feature chef tastings and a silent auction hosted online by Paddle 8.

LAS VEGAS:  Kenyans Connect and Watu & Company will host a welcoming reception for the Kenya Rugby Sevens team Thursday at Beer Park Las Vegas at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. The event is aimed toward fans attending the USA Sevens International Rugby Tournament, which runs Friday-Sunday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Caesars Entertainment has named Stacey Purcell assistant director of sales.

LOS ANGELES:  Hyatt Regency Century Plaza will close Tuesday and drop its affiliation with Hyatt Hotels in advance of a massive redevelopment. Curbed Los Angeles: “The project will remodel the 1966 hotel, designed by Minoru Yamasaki, pare its rooms down to 394 from 726 and add 63 new residences. But that's just the start: developer Next Century associates will also add two 46-story residential towers behind the hotel, an open-air lobby, public plazas and fountains, and a massive outdoor garden that extends more than two acres. The garden will be flanked by 100,000 square feet of restaurants and retail.” http://bit.ly/21CCgAX

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Communities in Schools of Miami will host its 27th annual gala on April 9 at the Chopin Ballroom at the Intercontinental Miami and have chosen a theme of “Reach for the Moon." Last year’s gala raised $115,000.

The annual Tri-Rail’s “Senior Stars” singing competition for people 65 years and older will take place May 22 at Parker Playhouse. Contestants will have auditions before a panel of judges on April 5 at the playhouse. A portion of show ticket sales will benefit Broward Meals on Wheels.

NEW YORK:  The third annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition will take place June 15-17 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Along with educational programs and workshops, the expo will have an evening fund-raiser, Fashion and Food on High, at Copacabana in Times Square on June 16.

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  The Orlando Home & Garden Show will take place Friday-Sunday at the Orange County Convention Center.

PHILADELPHIA:  P.J. Clarke's is slated to open its first Philadelphia location at the Curtis on Walnut Street. Expected to open in late summer, the 11,000-square-foot restaurant and bar will have outdoor dining space and seat 200. Philadelphia Business Journal: http://bit.ly/1Upm1VN

SAN FRANCISCO:  Napa Valley burger restaurant Gott's Roadside will open a new location in a 5,500-square-foot space in downtown Walnut Creek. San Francisco Business Times: http://bit.ly/1S790j2

Pagan Idol, a tiki bar from the owners of Bourbon & Branch, is now open in the financial district.

TORONTO:  The Art Gallery of Ontario has partnered with Paris’s Musee D’Orsay on an exhibition dubbed “Mystical Landscapes.” Running in Toronto from October 22-January 29, 2017, the exhibit features works from Gauguin and Van Gogh among others.

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Hargrove announced it has won a four-year contract with the Transportation Research Board for its annual meetings, beginning with its January event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Hargrove provided show management elements such as registration counters, entrance units and signage, a stage set for the general sessions, and elements for a poster session area.

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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.

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

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