Alameda Writers Group, CES Digital Hollywood, Golden Globe Awards, MacWorld Conference, Sundance Film Festival, NAMM Show, 14th Annual SAG Awards, MIDEM '08, are Selected Highlights For January's Media and Entertainment Industry Career Networking Events

Flickerfest, an Academy® accredited international short film festival, this year will highlight award winning iconic television commercials, when it runs this year through January 13 at Bondi Beach. At an upcoming Alameda Writers Group panel in Glendale, Jim Cirile, founder of the professional coverage service, Coverage Ink; Derek Dressler and Eva Kilgore, both readers for the agency, ICM; Nick Randall, script reader for Gold Circle, discuss what they as readers are looking for in scripts. To start the new year, One Mic Nite finds a new venue in the East Village (switching from the West Village), but the format remains the same making it one of the more inclusive open mic talent showcases that opens with musical performance by Maritri Garrett and then opens up to all performing artists. Out of several slated keynotes slated for the International CES Digital Hollywood and Game Power, starting with a pre-show on January 6 in Las Vegas, studio digital media executives focus on how technology advances impact the strategic decisions made by studios. The Eighth Annual IAJE Gala, held within the larger International Association of Jazz Education Conference, running January 9-12, will be hosted by Nancy Wilson this year with proceeds to benefit the IAJE Campaign For Jazz.

Istanbul Museum of Modern Art is presenting a retrospective of experimental cinema curated by TIE Director, Christopher, January 10-13, and will include works from Albert Sackl, Peter Kubelka, Stan Brakhage just to name a few. The Chicago-based Central City Productions, Inc. (CCP) produces the Stellar Gospel Music Awards that recognizes and honors African American Gospel artists, and holds a presentation this year on January 12 in Nashville. The 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards, administered by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize achievements in motion pictures and television, takes place in Los Angeles January 13 with a live telecast airing on NBC at 8 pm (EST). The MacWorld Conference and Expo kicks on on January 14 for a five day run, and aside from the Steve Jobs keynote provides participants with Hands-on computer training on key applications and tools. Slamdance Film Festival, a festival "by filmmakers for filmmakers" that showcases undistributed films by emerging filmmakers, opens January 17-25 in Park City. The Sundance Film Festival, originated in 1981 by actor Robert Redford from out of a discussion to discover new ways to enhance the artistic vitality of the American film, is set to run this year from January 17-27 in Park City. The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show opens its show in Anaheim, January 17-20, bringing together all facets of the music products industry to reveal new musical instruments/products and ideas to help music products retailers and manufacturers become more successful.

The Second Annual Future TV Show North America, a platform for broadcasters and network operators to meet production companies and channels and discuss the exciting world of media convergence, opens January 22 for a two day run in New York. For its award ceremony on January 26 in Hollywood, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has dedicated the 2008 Heritage Award competition for film school seniors and recent graduates in the United States to the memory of Laszlo Kovacs, ASC who died on July 22. The 14th Annual SAG Awards happening January 27 in Los Angeles, will have live coverage on TNT and TBS networks at 8 pm ET/PT, 7 pm CT and 6 pm MT. Music industry extravaganza, MIDEM '08, will be at its customary venue in Cannes and this year features a China-focused Opening Night Party and regular favourite, the British at MIDEM night. This years gathering of Blues acts in Memphis from January 31 to February 2 represents an international search by The Blues Foundation and its Affiliated Organizations for the Blues Band and Solo/Duo Blues Act ready to take their act to the international stage as competing musicians from around the world perform in 18 venues along Beale Street. Florida ART Film Fest is now accepting submissions for approaching film festival. Contact them for more info on submissions (floridaartfilmfest@yahoo.com - www.acrosstown.org/filmfestival.htm).

The above events are only a sampling of what is listed. Most of the reported events above have a submission process for indie and/or performing artists to take part in. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Bit Torrent, as well as on The Actor's Checklist at http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog/ a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. This month on video you will see trailers and video clips of Singapore based film Director Alka C. Mehta (http://tw.youtube.com/alkaCM) making a return to the news summary with "Never Been Touched," a film making several stops on the international festival circuit, coming on the heels of her debut at last year's Cannes with God's Own Devil; underlabstudios' (www.underlabstudios.com) production of a Florida music video production: RENDA WRITER - Shooting Star, with lyrics/vocals by Renda Writer (www.rendathepoet.com) and edgy music video "Slow Down" from Pilot Rai (www.myspace.com/pilotraimusic) Featuring The 7th Direction; "Girl Robot," a made for the web musical directed by Ricky Marson, and in the process of being written with a new song released every month (www.youtube.com/GirlRobotTV). The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis, at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/resources/itunes.php