Where to be & what to watch…
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/13/2008 8:00:00 PM
Monday, April 14
The NAB holds its annual shindig at the Las Vegas Convention Center. “Where Content Comes to Life” is the tagline: Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins offers the opening keynote, and CBS News Sunday Morning anchor Charles Osgood gets the Distinguished Service Award. Speaking of glittering prizes, B&C gives out its Technology Leadership Awards at the Vegas Hilton. Sinclair Broadcast Group's Mark Aitken and ION's Brandon Burgess are among the honorees. Held in conjunction with NAB, the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) throws its wingding, too; AR&D senior VP Steve Safran moderates “Leading Change in a Digital Newsroom.” Back in New York, Lifetime holds its upfront presentation at Le Bernardin, while Regis Philbin, Martin Short and Charles Grodin share the Studio 54 stage to benefit war veterans.
Tuesday, April 15
Bravo serves up its “Upfront & Personal” press breakfast at Craft in Manhattan. Craft owner/Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio dispatches the grub, and Bravo president Lauren Zalaznick presents the programs. Across the country, the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers sit for formal contract negotiations at AMPTP headquarters in Encino, Calif. And back in Vegas, B&C sister Variety chats with Lost creative team Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof.
Wednesday, April 16
The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) holds its West Coast Creative Summit at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. “Content 3.0: The Future Is Here” is the theme, and the Vision Awards are given out by red-carpet doyenne Shaun Robinson. Elsewhere in Southern Cal, MTV offers up The Real World: Hollywood, the 20th edition of the reality godfather, at 10 p.m. ET. Back at NAB, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar headlines “TV 2.0: Video When, Where and How You Want It,” while in Gotham, Don Imus' spouse Deirdre reads from Growing Up Green: Baby and Child Care at Barnes & Noble in Tribeca.
Thursday, April 17
CTAM hosts Rules of Engagement, focused on consumer engagement, at the East Side Marriott in Manhattan. Fox Cable Ad Sales executive VP Bruce Lefkowitz and National Geographic Channel DigitalVP Brad Dancer offer their insights. Speaking of insights, what the heck do Sam Zell and the rest of those crazy radio guys have planned for Tribune? They're sure to shed a little light when chairman/CEO Zell conducts a conference call at 1 p.m. Chicago time to discuss “progress at the company since going private last year.” Finally, BET conducts its upfront—themed “Connection you can feel!”—at Manhattan Center Studios.
Friday, April 18
Keep an eye on your personal belongings as those charlatans Dahlia and Wayne Malloy turn up at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. Yes, Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard talk about their slippery alter-egos as the Paley hosts a night dedicated to FX sleeper hit The Riches. The creators will be there, too. Finally, on the big screen, How I Met Your Mother star Jason Segel stars in the Judd Apatow-produced/Segel-penned flick Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which premieres tonight. Weird coincidence of the day: Segel plays a “Marshall” on Mother, and falls in love with a “Marshall” in the movie. Pretty spooky, huh?
