February 5, 2018: Eagles Defeat Patriots to Win First Super Bowl, Super Bowl Ads Favor Humor Over Politics, Guillermo del Toro and Jordan Peele Win Top Honors at Director's Guild of America Awards

1. EAGLES DEFEAT PATRIOTS TO WIN FIRST SUPER BOWL: The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the new England Patriots 41-33 on Sunday to win Super Bowl LII. Associated Press: "In a record-setting shootout between Philadelphia's Nick Foles and the New England Patriots' Tom Brady, the Eagles' backup quarterback led a pressure-packed 75-yard drive for the winning touchdown, an 11-yard strike to Zach Etrz with 2:21 to go. Then a defense that had been shredded throughout the second half made two final stands to win Super Bowl LII by the score of 41-33. Brandon Graham strip-sacked Brady and Derek Barnett recovered, setting up rookie Jake Elliot's 46-yard field goal for an eight-point lead. Brady then got his team to midfield before his final desperation pass fell to the ground in the end zone. It was the first Super Bowl win for Philadelphia (16-3), which went from 7-9 last season to its first title crown since 1960. Foles orchestrated the go-ahead drive with the kind of series Brady, this year's NFL MVP and a five-time champion, is known for. It covered 75 yards on 14 plays, and had to survive a video replay because Ertz had the ball pop into the air as he crossed the goal line. The touchdown stood—and so did thousands of green-clad Eagles fans who weren't going to mind the frigid conditions outside U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis once they headed out to celebrate." http://bit.ly/2sbSSrI

2. SUPER BOWL ADS FAVOR HUMOR OVER POLITICS: Many advertisers chose to opt for humorous, rather than political, commercials during Super Bowl LII on Sunday. But certain ads drew criticism, including one for Dodge Ram that used a voice-over from one of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermons. The New York Times: "While some ads focused on philanthropy, the tone seemed to have shifted from last year, when Airbnb and 84 Lumber ran spots that were viewed as responses to President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and Audi broadcast a commercial advocating equal pay for women. Some industry experts had expected at least one major ad focused on women this year, perhaps tied to the #MeToo movement. 'I’m a little bit surprised,' Charles R. Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova University School of Business, said. 'Some of the best ads over the last 10 years have focused on female empowerment, like the Audi daughter ad.' Women are generally much less visible in Super Bowl ads than men, even as Nielsen data shows that women were 47 percent of the audience for last year’s game. Mr. Taylor, who recently studied Super Bowl ads from 2008 to 2017, found that 76 percent of the commercials showed a man as a principal character, while 43 percent featured a woman as a principal character. Susan Credle, the global chief creative officer at the agency FCB, said Super Bowl advertisers may be 'concerned about looking opportunistic versus supportive.' And humor, she noted, was particularly appealing given the social and political climate." http://nyti.ms/2Ekgrne

3. GUILLERMO DEL TORO AND JORDAN PEELE WIN TOP HONORS AT DIRECTOR'S GUILD OF AMERICA AWARDS: The Shape of Water director Guillermo del Toro took the top honor at the Director's Guild of America awards on Saturday, which also honored Get Out's Jordan Peele. As with many award shows this season, the event focused on inclusion and discrimination through acceptance speeches and a monologue by host Judd Apatow. Los Angeles Times: "Del Toro's win—which comes on the heels of victories for 'The Shape of Water' at the Golden Globes and the Producers Guild Awards—may bode well for his chances to take the directing prize at the Academy Awards, where the film leads the pack with 13 nominations. Thirteen of the past 14 DGA Award winners have gone on to earn the Oscar for directing, including last year's winner, 'La La Land' director Damien Chazelle. Peele picked up the prize for best first-time director, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd in recognition of his work on the provocative, button-pushing horror film 'Get Out,' one of the year's most critically acclaimed films and biggest box office smashes. ... In an opening monologue that sharply skewered those sexual misconduct scandals that have roiled Hollywood in recent months, host Judd Apatow highlighted the intractable gender disparities behind the camera. 'Did you know that only 5% of movies were directed by women in the last 10 years?' Apatow said. 'Isn't that the worst, most embarrassing statistic? And what happens when women direct movies? You get 'Lady Bird.' You get 'Mudbound.' You get 'Wonder Woman.' When you give a guy a movie, you get 'The Emoji Movie.' ' Amy Schumer, one of the evening's presenters and a nominee in the variety, talk, news and sports category, emphatically echoed that sentiment. 'We need to promote women to the very top positions of power—and we need to do it yesterday,' she said flatly." http://lat.ms/2nICnOv


* INDUSTRY NEWS *

ReedPop has appointed Kuo-Yu Liang global director of business development. Liang was formerly the vice president of international sales and business development at Diamond Book Distributors. Publishers Weekly: http://bit.ly/2E8tE2a

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  C2E2: Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo will take place April 6-8 at McCormick Place. 

LOS ANGELES:  Viceroy Santa Monica will host its Cupid Shuffle Silent Disco Party February 16. The event will have music from Prince, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, and David Bowie

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The 30th anniversary of AIDS Walk Miami will take place April 22 at Soundscape Park in Miami Beach. Jorge Bernal, host of Telemundo’s Suelta La Sopa, will serve as the event’s grand marshal. 

NEW YORK:  U.S.A. Sumo’s Sumo and Sushi, an interactive culinary experience that will have live sumo wrestling and dishes from local sushi chefs, will take place March 3-4 at Playstation Theater. 

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

TORONTO:  The third annual Toronto Winter Brewfest will take place March 2-4 at the Enercare Centre. The event will provide tastings of more than 150 beers. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Capital Pride will take place June 7-10, with the Pride Parade presented by Marriott taking place June 9. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Elements of Us,” and new and expanded initiatives will include Capital Pride’s expanded Volunteer With Pride Program—which will now support other L.B.G.T.Q. partner organizations in the region—and the Capital Pride Legacy Fund, which will be launched to raise funds supporting new grants offered by the Capital Pride Alliance. 

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With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

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