February 8, 2018: Oscar Producers Face Formidable Task, Not Everyone Agrees With Trump's Military Parade Plans, New York Fashion Week Is Giving in to Technology

1. OSCAR PRODUCERS FACE FORMIDABLE TASK: With the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements now prevalent in Hollywood, the producers of the Oscars telecast face a more challenging task than usual. Vanity Fair: “The situation also highlights just how hard it will be to put on the first Oscars of Hollywood’s new epoch. Even in a year without scandal, managing the annual Academy Awards telecast is a thankless job. Its stewards are charged with putting on a program that honors films that much of the American public has not seen, for an in-theater audience made up increasingly, as the show proceeds, of people who have lost. The show’s producers are not in control of roughly 75 percent of the programming—that’s taken up by dull speeches—but are blamed if viewers tune out or attendees are turned off. ‘I call it a pincushion job,’ said Bill Mechanic, an Academy board member and former Academy Awards producer. ‘You’re in there to be abused by everybody in the world.’ Marry those complications to this harrowing cultural moment, which can claim Hollywood as its ground zero, and it’s safe to assume returning producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd haven’t been getting much sleep in the months leading up to the show. … If all that weren’t enough, the show must reconcile what had been the most shocking moment in the telecast’s history: the La La Land–Moonlight mishap that saw Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway handing the latter’s best-picture Oscar to the producer of the former. The screwup has already made it into early promo materials for the ceremony (with Beat­ty’s participation), indicating the Academy doesn’t plan to ignore it. Accounting firm Price­water­house­Cooper worked with the Academy to come up with new protocols, including having presenters confirm that they have the right envelope and having company executives attend rehearsals, to ensure that kind of flub doesn’t happen again.” http://bit.ly/2FVvsJ8

2. NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH TRUMP'S MILITARY PARADE PLANS: President Trump wants the Pentagon to plan a military parade in Washington later this year. But many lawmakers are rejecting the idea of the event. The New York Times: "The Pentagon is in the planning stages for an event that was last held in Washington in the summer of 1991, after the end of the 41-day gulf war was celebrated with a $12 million dollar victory parade. But on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis avoided the word 'parade' when tersely responding to reporters at the White House who asked about the possible show of force. With the Pentagon plagued with readiness and budget issues, a massive display of military spectacle won’t come cheap or easily. It also very likely runs contrary to Mr. Mattis’s priorities. Mr. Trump and his advisers first floated the idea of a parade of military convoys through Washington soon after he was elected. The committee planning his inaugural ceremony reportedly explored, but rejected, the idea of highlighting military equipment in the traditional parade, from the Capitol to the White House, after Mr. Trump was sworn in. The full potential and grandeur of a military a parade was on full display for Mr. Trump last July, when he watched—and by all accounts, thoroughly enjoyed—a Bastille Day celebration in Paris. Once he returned home, Mr. Trump said he told President Emmanuel Macron of France that he was considering the idea of a similar spectacle in the United States. ... On Wednesday, few lawmakers—if any—said they loved the idea of Mr. Trump’s parade. Some shrugged it off. Others called it undemocratic. Many lamented the use of the military’s time and money. Representative Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, noted that past military parades in the United States marked 'major national events such as the gulf war or the end of World War II, as achievements by the American people who fought in and supported those efforts.' 'A military parade like this—one that is unduly focused on a single person—is what authoritarian regimes do, not democracies,' Mr. Smith said in a statement." http://nyti.ms/2EtY92L

3. NEW YORK FASHION WEEK IS GIVING IN TO TECHNOLOGY: Numerous high-profile fashion designers have dropped out of New York Fashion Week—many of them are opting to showcase new collections on social media—which has posed the question of whether or not it can last as a physical event. Paper: “This New York Fashion Week, Alexander Wang surprised the fashion industry by choosing to leave this season's showings. According to Vogue, Proenza Shouler, Rodarte, Altuzarra, and Thom Browne are all choosing not to show in NYC, as well. Designer Lela Rose also made the decision to do an Instagram show with 10 influencers and bloggers to model her Fall 2018 collection. Rebecca Taylor is also creating a VR experience with Tilt Brush (Google) in lieu of an in-person collection. With showcasing collections becoming an outdated approach, and retailers/investors/industry insiders realizing the potential of social media to reach broader audiences, it begs the question: Is 2018 the final year of in-person fashion shows? Fashion has always been a slow industry in adopting new technological advancements. J.Crew famously said last May that they were regretfully late in adopting e-commerce due to elitist attitudes. Some luxury retailers like Chanel and Céline still don't permit their customers from purchasing goods from their websites, which primarily function more so as lookbooks that direct their consumers to brick-and-mortar stores. … But to the biggest concern of NYFW was the birth of the Instagram live fashion shows. Eva Chen, fashion icon and head of fashion partnerships at Instagram, reported last year that ‘What the audience wants isn't super produced,’ she said. ‘We find that people like that raw, ‘I am sitting right there' feeling. I think Instagram Live will be really huge this season.’ See-now-buy-now also made its debut, allowing consumers to buy pieces immediately from the runway, ditching the middle man of specialty boutiques and department stores.” http://bit.ly/2C3EuRU

* LOCAL NEWS *

AUSTIN:  The 10th edition of independent music festival Levitation will take place April 26-29 in the Red River District at venues including Stubb’s, Barracuda, Empire Control Room, and Emo’s. 

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  Visit Dallas and Southfork Ranch will host a 40th anniversary celebration of the debut of the TV series Dallas March 30-31. The celebration will include Southfork Fan Day March 30 with appearances by cast members Linda Gray, Patrick Duffy, Charlene Tilton, and Steve Kanaly; and the Dallas Fan Party March 31 at the Longhorn Ballroom, the filming location of many of the show’s bar scenes. 

LOS ANGELES:  SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills will launch Somni, an immersive culinary experience from ThinkFoodGroup culinary director Aitor Zabala and chef José Andrés, inside the Bazaar by José Andrés in March. Somni, which translates to “dream” in Catalan, will feature a meal of more than 20 courses at a 10-seat counter. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  The seventh edition of Art Wynwood will take place February 15-19 at Herald Plaza. 

NEW YORK:  Event catering company Abigail Kirsch has launched a new venue partnership with Kirby Hill Farm, located in Pawling. 

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

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  Washington Business Journal: “The United States Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic Section announced Wednesday it will move the group's headquarters from Reston to Prince William County, with plans to open a $15 million facility by 2023 that will include new offices and a state-of-the-art complex to host tournaments and special events year-round.” http://bit.ly/2FVfW01

The Frederick Douglass Honor Society will host its Bicentennial Wreath Laying Ceremony February 14 at the Talbot County Courthouse in Easton, Maryland. Decendants of Frederick Douglass and Lyndra Pratt Marshall will lay a wreath on the statue of Douglass. 

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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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