November 27, 2018: Melania Trump Unveils White House Christmas Decorations, Emmys Will Return to Sunday in 2019, Washington Bar Loses Case Against Trump and Hotel

1. MELANIA TRUMP UNVEILS WHITE HOUSE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS: First Lady Melania Trump unveiled the White House Christmas decorations on Monday, which were highlighted by spooky crimson trees. The first lady didn't attend the press preview for the decorations, and instead tweeted a video of herself walking through various rooms. Washington Post: "Members of the media were invited on a brisk 30-minute self-guided tour through the holiday wonderland of more than 20,000 feet of lights and 12,000 bows, put up over the past few days with the help of 225 volunteers. Official theme: American Treasures. The color red was big, appearing in a dramatic forest of 40 towering crimson topiary trees in the East Colonnade and on 14,000 ornaments in the Grand Foyer and Cross Hall. The first lady’s office described the red motif: 'The choice of red is an extension of the pales, or stripes found in the presidential seal designed by our Founding Fathers. It is a symbol of valor and bravery.' However, the unconventional grove of red trees evoked an immediate reaction online. They were described as scary and referred to as the 'hallway of Yuletide murders,' 'the avenue of blood red trees,' and ominous. Green Room decorations celebrate the country’s harvest and include fruits, grains, and vegetables, including aptly colored artichokes and tomatoes, which were artfully arranged on mantels and antique tabletops. The East Room featured mantel pieces trimmed with silhouetted skylines of New York, St. Louis, Chicago, and San Francisco. The China Room presented table settings of three state dinners, including the Trump administration’s sole such soiree for the president of France." https://wapo.st/2PZmnby

2. EMMYS WILL RETURN TO SUNDAY IN 2019: Fox will move the Emmys back to its traditional Sunday night airing next year. The 71st annual ceremony will take place September 22, 2019, the Sunday before Premiere Week. NBC aired the ceremony on a Monday this year to avoid conflict with Sunday Night Football. Deadline: "Fox will air the 2019 show live coast to coast starting at 5 p.m. PT from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Its producers and a host or hosts will be named later. The 2019 Emmys will be the first covered by a new 'wheel rotation' contract with the Big 4 broadcast networks that runs through 2026. ABC, CBS, and NBC to follow after Fox airs the ceremony next year. The new wheel deal was announced in August, but a document drafted early in the process acknowledged the broadcasters’ desire to see the number of categories given out in the live TV show trimmed. The issue is very political, with previous attempts to take writing and directing categories out of the main telecast failing after the WGA and DGA threatened to charge the TV Academy steep fees for the right to use show clips at the Emmys that they otherwise grant for free." https://bit.ly/2Qp903U

3. WASHINGTON BAR LOSES CASE AGAINST TRUMP AND HOTEL: President Donald Trump defeated a lawsuit by Cork Wine Bar in Washington, which alleged that the opening of Trump International Hotel in 2016 hurt the bar's business by drawing away lobbyists, foreigners, and fund-raising events. Bloomberg: "Cork Wine Bar alleged that it lost customers because they felt compelled to drink, eat, and hold events at the president’s hotel, which is located about 1 1/2 miles away. Trump had argued that he can’t be sued while serving as president and is protected by the U.S. Constitution from claims under the District of Columbia’s unfair-competition law. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon in Washington threw out the case on Monday, saying the bar didn’t show how Trump interfered with or hindered its business. The judge said that while Cork may claim that Trump and the hotel were trying to take advantage of competitive benefits of the president’s 'heightened notoriety,' that is not a 'legally redressable wrong.' ... Trump’s hotel in Washington has been a magnet for influence-peddlers and favor-seekers wishing to ingratiate themselves with a president who often dines at his namesake hotel. For example, earlier this year T-Mobile U.S. Inc. chief executive officer John Legere stayed at the hotel when in town on a mission to persuade Trump’s administration to approve his company’s pending purchase of Sprint Corp. Republican campaigns have spent millions at Trump properties since he took office in January 2017, and the hotel lobby’s bar has become a see-and-be-seen place among Washington’s right-leaning strivers. Cork is owned by political activist Khalid Pitts and former civil-rights lawyer Diane Gross. The bar claimed any benefits flowing from the hotel to Trump places the president in violation of the federal General Services Administration lease for the premises, constructed within the city’s historic old post office. Leon also rejected that argument." https://bloom.bg/2KAYrFz

* LOCAL NEWS *

DALLAS/FORT WORTH:  Radisson Red hotel will open in Plano in 2020. The hotel will have 100 guest rooms and an onsite restaurant called OuiBar and Ktchn. 

LAS VEGAS:  Opportunity Village, a nonprofit that benefits people with disabilities, will host the Las Vegas Great Santa Run and fund-raiser on December 1 downtown. 

LOS ANGELES:  The West Coast edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve will be headlined by Kelsea Ballerini, Dua Lipa, the Chainsmokers, and Charlie Puth. 

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

MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA:  Art Miami will honor Dennis and Debra Scholl with the Art Miami 2018 Lifetime Visionary Award at a ticketed dinner on December 6 at Boulud Sud Miami. A portion of proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Perry J. Cohen Foundation. 

Design Miami has appointed Aric Chen curatorial director for 2019. 

NEW YORK:  The Roosevelt Hotel will host its annual tree lighting and holiday kickoff celebration tonight. The event will have live swing music by Lady and the Vamps. 

Resorts World Catskills will open lifestyle hotel the Alder in December. The hotel will have 101 guest rooms, 100,000 square feet of gaming space, and 10 dining concepts. 

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

ORLANDO/CENTRAL FLORIDA:  Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate has appointed Ramesh Kaduru executive chef. 

TORONTO:  Blockchain Revolution Global, a partnership between M.C.I. Group and Blockchain Research Institute, will host its first global congress at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre April 24-25. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.:  The second annual Light Up The Season, a family-friendly, holiday community fund-raiser benefiting Children’s National Health System, will be held December 16 at Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. 

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

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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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