Canadian Music Week, Festival de Cannes, Casual Connect Asia, PALM Expo, are highlights in May's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

In Century City, the Music Business Association, formerly NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers),  opens Music Biz 2014 for a three day run. Along with its hub for digital initiatives, digitalmusic.org, the summit agenda is to advance and promote music commerce. The summit runs through May 8. As a non-profit membership organization that advances and promotes music commerce, particularly through the Music Business Association’s flagship annual event, Music Biz 2014, the Music Business Association is a community committed to the full spectrum of monetization models in the industry.

Day one gets started with the Music Biz Academy, a program that travels across the country educating music startups and app developers on how to get through barriers of entry to the music industry. A networking breakfast follows that early session and then there will be a formal welcome and introduction as Music Biz President James Donio gives an industry overview including some of the newest stats on sales and consumer behaviors. The talk will review the resources the Music Business Association has available to help artists, managers, students, and startups navigate the music industry. Up for exploration is an entire range of delivery models: physical, digital, mobile, and otherwise.

Some of the other Music Biz topics that will be reviewed during the summit, most of which are handled in 30, 45 and 60 minute time limits: Keep Social Sexy: Using Your Profiles To Build Your Brand, Navigating The Music Industry Online, Alternative Revenue Streams: Making It In Today’s Music Biz, The Music Industry Infrastructure Of The Future, Grow Your Audience On YouTube, Metadata Summit: Information And Technology In The Music Business, Managing The Complexity Of An Artist’s Digital Experience, Country Music Meetup, Licensing and Royalty Payments From An Artists Perspective. The summit ends with a closing reception.

In Toronto, Canadian Music Week 2014 will have music industry business, learning and discovery sessions blueprinting how to guide projects to the next level. Planned film screenings offer a mix of music-oriented films, special screenings, documentaries and movie premieres along with special appearances and Q&As with some of the films’ acting talent, directors and crew in appearances. Added to the convention's agenda since 2012, the Canadian International Comedy Fest features stand-up, with performances from some of Canada's emerging comedy talent as well as headline talent from comedy venues worldwide. The festival's Indie Awards is the principal closing event for Canadian Music Week.

The CMW Synch Summit is suited to music supervisors looking to place music in upcoming advertisements, films and TV productions and gives presenting submitters an opportunity to pitch music to them face to face. The International Festival Network, an exclusive networking and matchmaking session for companies to meet with representatives from various international festivals, booking agencies and promoters from around the world will be open. An international marketplace and Export Buyers' Program featuring a Spotlight on Germany and a Focus on Austria and Switzerland with market overviews, presentations and incoming delegations is planned. The Digital Media Summit at CMW brings together media and brand specialists that focus on the task of outlining an integrated Digital Media strategy.

Now in its 17th year, the New York City Streaming Media East event is a showcase for all forms of online video business models and technology. It is focused on the "business" of streaming media in the Media and Entertainment, Enterprise, Education and Broadcast sectors. Convention events feature extensive multi-day panel sessions producing an executive forum on current topics from industry technology leaders to executives from companies utilizing streaming today. Essentially the two-day convention running till May 14 brings together digital media experts and professionals in order to exchange ideas, strategies and success stories.

The Streaming Media East Exhibit Hall will be the showplace for anyone selling streaming products, services, or content for use in corporate communications, digital media entertainment and technology, marketing, or the streaming industry itself. The shows provide an interactive exhibit floor enabling vendors to exhibit their products and solutions to businesses and organizations looking to incorporate streaming media enterprise solutions into their infrastructure. The Keynote address will be delivered by Matthew Szatmary, senior video encoding engineer at Twitch where he develops next generation encoding services and playback technologies to serve live video. Day one activities close with an evening reception.

Pre-conference seminars will actually be held before Streaming Media's official open, on  May 12. Among the topics, "Setting up Live Streaming Workflows On-Premises and In The Cloud," with Chris Knowlton, VP, Product Management, Wowza Media Systems; "Producing A Webcast From Soup To Nuts: Part One," with Jan Ozer, Principal, Doceo Publishing; "Building A Better Web Video Player," with Robert Reinhardt, Founder, videoRx (dot) com; "Producing A Webcast From Soup To Nuts: Part Two," with Jan Ozer, Principal, Doceo Publishing. Other areas to be explored after the start of the regular conference, include: "Online Distribution and Monetization Strategies for the TV Industry," "The Future of Digital Entertainment in a Multiscreen World," "Making the Move to Multiscreen 2.0," "New Opportunities for Monetizing Premium Video" among other topics.

Festival de Cannes, the anticipated film festival started in 1946 and held in Cannes, previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world. Concurrent to the festival, France also hosts its national film awards, the César Awards - generally considered to be the French equivalent of the American Academy Awards - at the same time. Admission to the festival which stretches May 14-25 is by invite only. Festival organizers have already announced that "Party Girl," from the trio of directors Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, will open up the Un Certain Regard sidebar, a category originally created to showcase the most experimental, left-of-field and smaller-scale films that didn’t make the Competition cut. Film director Sofia Coppola, actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Willem Dafoe will join Jane Campion on the Cannes film festival jury for 2014.

There will be several featured event stops set up throughout the Festival complex. The Directors' Fortnight (La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) is a parallel section independent of the Festival de Cannes, organised by the French Directors Society (Société des Réalisateurs de Films). Critics Week, La Semaine de la Critique is a parallel section independent of the Festival de Cannes, organised by the French Film Critics Syndicate (SC). The ACID Programme in Cannes will be a parallel selection independent of the Festival de Cannes organized by the Association for Independant Cinema and its Distribution (ACID). Cannes Cinéphiles is an event organised by Cannes Cinéma and the Festival de Cannes to provide public screenings from the Official Selection, as well as films from the parallel sections. Cannes Cinema will be adding to this program with two international selections: Ecrans Juniors and Cinéma des Antipodes.

TV Festival de Cannes, co-produced by CANAL+, Orange and the Festival de Cannes, will cover the red carpet, the press conferences, the photo calls and interviews for films in Competition, as well as a number of event highlights. TV Festival de Cannes will be broadcast in French and English throughout the Palais complex and in most hotels along the Croisette. It will also be available on "Web TV", YouTube (Canal+/English) and DailyMotion (Orange/French). The Official Selection is revealed through the awarding of the Palme d’Or to the best film entry during the Closing Ceremony. Un Certain Regard selection, "Party Girl," which depicts the life of a 60 year-old night club hostess who still loves men and enjoys partying, was shot with the lead role is played by the real-life Angélique.

WINSTON | BAKER will be hosting the 5th Annual International Film Finance Forum in association with Variety magazine in Cannes during the 67th Festival de Cannes. The Film Finance Forum® Series was created by the Winston Baker team to educate equity and debt financiers on the latest trends and strategies for film investing while reducing risks, provide producers with effective approaches to fundraising, and demonstrating ways to create great content and generate revenue through various distribution platforms. This particular forum will be a half-day program focused on international issues such as what it takes to make films today, worldwide sales and distribution strategies, emerging film finance resources, applying risk mitigation across borders, co-production opportunities and strategies, subsidies and incentive updates. There will be a featured keynote on the globalization of entertainment.

World Arts Film Festival in Jacksonville seeks to highlight voices of young artists and filmmakers, giving individuals with special needs such as autism and their peers the opportunity to learn side by side. Individuals of all ages and abilities have been encouraged to participate in World Arts’ events and programs to gain success in the creative industries and beyond. World Arts Education + Film Festival is run by a team of dedicated volunteers who serve in their free time to promote and support quality film programs. Special panels and presentations during the festival will include: a Meet the Filmmakers Q&A, Film Creativity + Education panel, on May 15, the Festival's start; Farm to Film Social panel discussion and panel, Dream It, Learn It, Live It, Love It, on May 16; Girl Directors, Young Directors and Animation Stories are the focus for panels on May 17, Festival closing date, among other topics. There is also the Kaleidoscope Awards presentations in all categories followed by closing ceremony and storytelling performance with David Gonzalez on the final day.

As part of WAE’s global educational outreach, the festival will bring diverse groups of filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds, including those with special needs, to meet and mentor each other and their audiences through this new venue. Created by individuals in New York, Los Angeles and Jacksonville, and supported by a growing network of advisors around the world, the organization is dedicated to a global message of inclusion through the arts and education. An Improv Acting Workshop with Guest Artists Hester Wagner and Sabra Shelley will be conducted. Hester Wagner of Inclusion Films and Futures Explored and co-director Sabra Shelly, who is a New York based actress, Autism specialist and teaching artist, will lead the three-day festival workshop on the 5th Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. All day interactive workshops for all ages, Drawing-On-Film, will be conducted with Guest Artist Lois Siegel, instructor of Video Production at the University of Ottawa, Department of Communication.

At the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival, the opening night gala will be, 'Jimi: All Is By My Side' with Outkast's André Benjamin in the lead role of this biopic about rock legend Jimi Hendrix. 'Jimi: All Is By My Side' looks at the early, momentous years in London in the life of the legendary guitarist after his beginning as an unknown backup guitarist in New York. The Director, John Ridley (Academy Award®-winning screenwriter of '12 Years a Slave') is scheduled to attend. Tickets include a walk on the Red Carpet, a private reception, reserved seats for the film, an exclusive after-party in the Red Carpet Lounge. The Seattle International Film Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for short films. SIFF presents the annual Seattle International Film Festival and year-round programming at our SIFF Cinema venues the Uptown (Queen Anne) and the SIFF Film Center (Seattle Center). The Closing Night Gala will have one last night of mingling with Festival guests and friends while enjoying live music, food, and cocktails.

Global gaming convention, Casual Connect is the place to learn more about the video game industry, which entertains 300 million people each month. This gaming convention which has a trail through many international cities will be held in Singapore, May 20-22 as Casual Connect Asia 2014. Along with the conference sessions, over 80 indie developers will be presenting their games at the Indie Prize Showcase. Also making its debut is the International Design, Entertain, and Amaze (IDEA) Showcase, where established developers are looking for international partners for publishing, user acquisition, game performance monitoring and logistical support, will be presenting their recent projects. The International Design, Entertain and Amaze (IDEA) Showcase, Hosted four times a year in conjunction with Casual Connect, acts on behalf of established developers looking for international partners for publishing, user aquisition, game performance monitoring and logistical support.

Many lectures and talks are scheduled at Casual Connect Asia. On May 20, Robin Sagacious NG, head of International Business, Asiasoft Online Pte Ltd, leads a session that will provide an overview of the South East Asia online and mobile gaming markets and its projected trends. Later that same day Stephen Lee, head of publishing at 6waves, where he leads all business development and publishing-related matters, will share perspective from a publisher's perspective and highlight key issues developers should be mindful of when getting ready to launch and grow their games globally. On May 21, Si Shen, a co-founder and CEO of PapayaMobile, will discuss the trends, obstacles, and strategies that Asian game developers must know in 2014 for Asian game studios to climb to the top of app store charts in Western app markets. On May 22, Bob Meese, Global Head, Games Business Development, Google Play, conducts a workshop on "Growing Your Business with Google Play."

Networking and reception events begin with the Badge Pickup and Pre-Funk Party the day before the official convention start on May 19. On opening day, there will be the Official Casual Connect with servings of beer, wine and light snacks. Three receptions for May 21 will include a Womens Lunch at noon, an Official Casual Connect Party with beer, wine and cocktails and the Indie Prize Awards. The final convention day on May 22 is a simple "Mingle" with beer and light snacks. The Indie Prize Showcase is part exclusive gaming arcade and part scholarship program for up and coming indie development teams who show promise to be future leaders in the games industry besides being able to display games to a lot of publishers and industry gurus.

Founded in 2005, the Casual Games Association is a professional international trade organization providing educational resources and community support for those involved in creating games for the mass market consumer. Developed for the general public and families, casual games are video games that are fun and easy to learn and play. The games are platform agnostic, so they can be played via the Internet, PC and Macintosh computers, Facebook, Xbox, PlayStation, iPhone, Nintendo DS, Wii, Android and even mobile phones. They’re nonviolent, arcade-style games that involve puzzles, words, board and card games, game show and trivia. Popular games are Mahjong, Tetris, Solitaire, Bejeweled, Mystery Case Files, and Farmville.

PALM™ Expo in Mumbai serves the Indian pro audio, sound and lighting market by showcasing the

The 2014 PALM Expo has several feature areas to explore and take part in while it is in session, May 29-31. The HARMAN PALM Live Arena is a secluded space for stage, sound, light and music to come together, provides visitors with an equipped stage to identify, evaluate and analyse how to enhance audio requirements and deliver the best sound quality. New this year, PALM Expo introduces the demo hall facility enabling audio companies to demonstrate their products and latest features in a private cube structure that is specially tailored for this purpose.

Innovator of Indian Slap Bass and Bass Guitarist for The Khayal Groove band, Jayen Varma (www.jayenvarma.net), is appearing at Palm Expo, May 30-31, doing performances for ROCKIN' 24/7 on behalf of GRUV GEAR Wraps. He is known for developing Tabla and Mridangam style finger technique on bass guitar to play slap bass, a style developed by him and termed Indian slap bass, and in 2008 and 2011 respectively, the Registry of Official World Records (Record Holders Republic), USA&UK and The Record Setter Book of World Records USA, declared him the Fastest Bass Guitar Player. Jayen Varma plays with his band, The Khayal Groove made up of Aparna Panshikar on north Indian classical Vocals and Jayen Varma on Bass Guitar in collaboration with the French Drummer, Jean Davoisne and various artists and bands across the globe. Since the release of the band's first album, 'Reflections of a Purple Moon,' it has since been working on its second album.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's photo placement highlights the 67th Festival de Cannes and Bass Guitarist Jayen Varma at PALM Expo in Mumbai. If the photo does not appear in this post please visit the blog

page to view it. Looking ahead into the next month be aware that: the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held in New York City, CineGear LA comes to Hollywood, BANFF World Media Festival opens in Alberta, annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival comes to Manchester, Barcelona Film Festival opens in Barcelona.

NAB 2014 Show, French Quarter Festival, Supanova Pop Culture Expo, Tribeca Film Festival, are highlights in April's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

In 2003 Palm Beach International Film Festival became a "Competitive" Festival joining the ranks of other film events such as: Sundance, Cannes, Toronto and Venice. PBIFF screens features, documentaries and short films from the U.S. and around the world and will play host to filmmakers, producers, and actors to represent and discuss their films. Opening Night begins with 'Belle,' directed by Amma Asante, followed by a party at Bogart's Bar and Grille in Palm Beach Gardens. The film stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Emily Watson, Tom Felton, Sam Reid and Tom Wilkinson, and is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Mbatha-Raw).

Other film highlights during the festival include the acclaimed and festival favorites 'Ethel' (with Ethel Kennedy herself in attendance), 'Robot & Frank', 'Love Free Or Die' and the first of iconic author Judy Blume's novels to be brought to the big screen. The Palm Beach International Film Festival will continue to partner with independent theater owners, their bookers and distribution outlets from across the U.S. will be invited as  guests to screen films and meet filmmakers. The PBIFF is looking forward to fostering these relationships and helping our independent filmmakers get their projects seen by larger audiences.

The PBIFF has dedicated itself to making a difference in the lives of young people by helping to fulfill their dreams in the world of film. Proceeds generated each year go to the Palm Beach County Schools to provide new technologies for optimal learning in the form of grants and scholarships. On April 5 the festival will host, "Toast of the Town - A Tribute to Classic Hollywood at the Eau Palm Beach", a VIP level affair where guests will be sipping on the champagne featured in A Year in Champagne and enjoy special Tito’s Vodka Martinis while partying the night away with filmmakers and special guests. The festival ends its run April 10.

Now in its 23rd year, the Florida Film Festival in Maitland is an Oscar®-qualifying festival, premiering current, independent, and international cinema. Through ten days of presenting 170 films and various events, film lovers mingle with filmmakers and celebrities over hand-crafted cocktails and a locally-sourced menu. Opening Night Film, "The Trip to Italy", preceded by “Oh Sheep!” is followed by the Opening Night Party. Participating restaurants, bars, and brands include Cask and Larder, Coppola Fine Wines, The Courtesy, Etho’s Vegan Kitchen, Enzian and Eden Bar, Hyatt Grand Regency, K Restaurant, The Matador, Olea Grill, Sushi Pop, Smiling Bison, Tito’s Vodka, Troy and Sons, Whole Foods, and more.

Other Florida Film Festival parties and/or receptions include: April 5 on the lawn at Eden Bar for a farmers market, April 6 Sunday Brunch complete with buffet and a mimosa, free Tasting Reception during April 7 Italian Cinema Night with Italian treats presented between flicks, Whole Foods Market tasting reception of organic appetizers on April 8, April 9 Wednesday Night Pitcher Show on the lawn at Eden Bar serving cocktails and treats, an invite only Filmmaker Welcome Party hosted by Full Sail University serving complimentary bites and cocktails on April 10, April 11 Industry Party with complimentary beer and live music all night, Awards Bash with live DJ, cash bar, Celluloid Circus on April 12, Sunday Brunch with mimosas at Festival close on April 13.

For an April 10 Florida Film Festival panel, female visionaries share their personal experiences and what it means to be a successful woman working in movies today. Panelists include Meira Blaustein, filmmaker/Executive Director of the Woodstock Film Festival; Kim Kalyka, Director of Exhibitor Relations at IFC Films; Debra McClutchy, VP of Home Entertainment Production and Creative at Oscilloscope Pictures; and producer Andrea Roa (Drinking Buddies), a 2014 Independent Spirit "Producer of the Year" award nominee. Anne Russell, Program Director of Film at Full Sail University, will moderate.

The Florida Film Festival hosts A Filmmaker Forum with new independent filmmakers every year and always sets aside one day (April 11 for this session) to form a Q&A with them. This exchange of ideas and know-how defines the festival's intellectual intentions. Rollins College Professor Denise Cummings, Chair of the Department of Critical Media and Cultural Studies, will moderate the exchange. Giancarlo Esposito will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A after the screening of a new digital restoration of Spike Lee's 'Do The Right Thing' in celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary. Mr. Esposito will take part in a post-film Q&A. Brooklyn-born actor and singer Paul Sorvino will be in attendance at the screening of Last I Heard on April 11, at 16:15 at Enzian.

Since 1992, Enzian has been the proud host of the Florida Film Festival. As part of its mission to entertain, inspire, educate, and connect the community through film, Enzian, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, community-supported arts organization, presents innovative and original cinematic programming not just during the Festival, but all year long.

The annual Las Vegas NAB Show is essentially an exposition serving the digital media and entertainment industries by focusing on video, audio and broadcast practices and technology. It is structured as a resource for next-generation tools to develop, manage and deliver content across all platforms and allows visitors to take part in an international community of content professionals. NAB President and CEO Gordon H. Smith will open the show with the State of the Broadcast Industry Address on April 7. Several hours later a Television Luncheon honors "Everybody Loves Raymond" as the Television inductee to the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Among several NAB conferences planned, the "Creative Master Series - Storytelling for All Screens", happening April 7-9, features award-winning directors, show runners, creative crew, and studio and network production executives for an insiders' perspective on the craftsmanship of content. Key topics for this conference focus on advances in animation, game storytelling, advancing story through sound, web series best practices and more. The "Disruptive Media Conference - Profiting in Entertainment's New Landscape", held April 9-10, gathers broader-casters to discuss how new media as well as more traditional OTT technologies that are impacting business models for distribution and consumer engagement. Roy Sekoff, Huffington Post Media Group, will deliver the opening keynote for this conference.

Some of the workshops scheduled for this year's NAB include: 2nd Screen Sunday, an event showcasing the latest business opportunities, creative case studies and technology innovations related to the creation of supplementary, synchronized and social TV content. Digital Strategies Exchange for Radio (DSX4r) as a one-day program that focuses on the many new technologies affecting radio broadcasting today, and provides recommendations for non-technical managers on how to best leverage them to local radio's advantage. Introduction to Professional Wireless Communications, presented by the IEEE Communications Society, is a 6-hour course for professionals who seek to stay competitive in today's job market with up-to-date knowledge of technologies, products and services in the mobile telecommunications industry.

Special pavilions and gathering areas at the 2014 NAB start with the Futures Park, a showcase of advanced projects presented by NAB Labs. It has demonstrations of high-tech media developments in progress, prototypes, and products not yet available for sale from academic, government, and/or commercial research laboratories in the United States or even the international market. The StudioXperience™ is where anyone can see the latest technologies being showcased and utilized as part of a live broadcast studio. Connected Media World focuses on the connected consumer experience including IPTV, mobile, social and cloud technologies, devices and content. Arx@des locations include Central Hall, North Hall, South Lower Hall and South Upper Hall outfitted with relaxation dens outfitted with gaming tables, audio headsets, fun with paints, other activities plus prizes and other surprises.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) advocates on behalf of America's free, local radio and television stations and broadcast networks before Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the courts. Working on behalf of its radio and television membership, NAB provides members with advocacy efforts, legal expertise and timely communications and opportunities for career growth, professional development and networking with other broadcasters.

MUSEXPO happpens April 6-9, but it will be co-located with these other industry events: WorldWide Radio Sumit, Global Rock Summit. In Hollywood, MUSEXPO 2014 will be held following the 4th Annual Worldwide Radio Summit (April 2-4) and 1st Annual Global Rock Summit (April 4-5). This year’s MUSEXPO will also host the 5th Annual Global Synch and Consumer Brands Summit (April 9) which will bring together over 80 influential music supervisors from film, TV, games, advertising, retail and brands to meet with participating content creators and owners attending MUSEXPO from across the U.S. and global markets. In addition, the official Pepsi “Int’l Music Industry Awards” happens at the event on April 9. Songwriter Diane Warren, Founder and President at Realsongs, will be honored as MUSEXPO’s “International Music Person of the Year” with Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO, Universal Music Group presenting Warren with the coveted annual music industry award.

At MUSEXPO, CNN icon Larry King moderates the Global Keynote: The State of the Sonic Union, with panelists: Ian Rogers, CEO, Beats Music; Hartwig Masuch, CEO, BMG Rights Management; Frank Cooper III, Global Chief Marketing Officer Consumer Engagement, PepsiCo, Inc.; George Ergatoudis, Head of Music, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Steve Schnur, Worldwide Head of Music, EA Games and Michael Chugg, Founder and Chairman, Chugg Entertainment. And in other activity Tracy McKnight, Tracy McKnight Entertainment, moderates a panel on Motion Picture Music: The Soundtracks & Trailers paneled by Howard Pear, Music Supervisor; Kaylin Frank, Walt Disney Studios, Lindsay Fellows, Theengine360.com; Rachel Levy, Universal Pictures; Richard Glasser, The Weinstein Co. and there will be a live performance by Ingrid Olava.

The origins of MUSEXPO stem from the roots of the intimate A&R Network (the predecessor to A&R Worldwide) networking dinners in Los Angeles, which first occurred back in 2001 and have since traveled to New York, Berlin and London. These exclusive dinners were organized by A&R Network and A&R Worldwide architect Sat Bisla with the purpose of bringing together friends and like-minded relationships from the global radio, A&R, film/TV music supervision, publishing, new media and artist management communities to engage in creative dialogue and establish fresh business relationships.

The 31st Annual French Quarter Festival will highlight New Orleans’ signature music, food, and culture in the historic neighborhood -- the French Quarter. From the 21 stages throughout the French Quarter, the festival celebrates local music and represents every indigenous genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to R&B, New Orleans funk, brass bands, Folk, Gospel, Latin, Zydeco, Classical, Cabaret, and international. Running April 10-14, French Quarter Festival will have many events and activities for the public to take part in -- and mostly all free.

Naturally a great deal of the festival is about music. But some very special and highlighted music events will include: the French Quarter Festival Second-Line Kickoff Parade led by The Original Pin Stripe Brass Band down Bourbon Street to Jackson Square on April 11, "Opera at Dusk" operatic performances with musical accompaniment on April 13, a Battle of the Bands with traditional jazz bands competing in a playoff on April 13, "Dancing at Dusk" with The Tomcats performing the sounds of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie and other favorites from the 30s, 40s, and 50s on April 13. 'Shout, Sister, Shout!' The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans -- an exhibition presented by The Historic New Orleans Collection, will trace one of the city’s most celebrated musical exports through memorabilia, photographs, radio scripts, notes from fans and peers, and listening stations. The exhibition continues past the festival run through October 26.

Jazz and New Orleans go together -- but so does food. And the French Quarter festival highlights this in its own unique way. The festival has scheduled the Rouses World Championship Crawfish Eating Contest for April 12, hosted by Rouses and the IFEA (International Federation of Eating) at Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint. The action (or eating) starts at noon. Throughout the festival, New Orleans' restaurants are invited to take part in and create the food and beverage offerings what is called “The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch” in Jackson Square, the Louisiana State Museum’s Old U.S. Mint and Woldenberg Riverfront Park during festival weekend. Satchmo SummerFest (an upcoming event) hosts New Orleans restaurants, known as “Red Bean Alley”, with Louis Armstrong-inspired dishes and local cuisine.

The French Market Traditional Jazz Stage and the Chevron Cajun-Zydeco Showcase will feature dancing and classes in  Traditional Jazz, 1920s Charleston, Swing Dance, Cajun Jitterbug, and Zydeco. Classes are taught by professional dancers from NOLA Jitterbugs, DancingMan504, and Dance Quarter. The sessions will be held April 11-14 and are free and open to the public. Children and families are not left out of this festival, and some of their activities will include: Little Red School House 5K Race and Family Fest on April 12, Chevron Children’s Headquarters on the Riverfront Plaza at Audubon Plaza with face painting, nature activities on April 12, Children’s Museum Activities and Fun at the Hermann-Grima House on April 12, Little Red School House Family Fest on April 14. French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI), a 501©3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the Vieux Carré and the City of New Orleans through special events and activities that showcase the culture and heritage of New Orleans, annually produces three festivals: French Quarter Festival, Satchmo SummerFest, and Christmas New Orleans Style.

Supanova Pop Culture Expo is a fan convention focusing on the world's most popular science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. One can think of Supanova as Comic-con, Australian style. Supanova Pop Culture Expo is where the public can come to meet the players and the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds of anime, comic-books, manga, sci-fi, tv shows, movies, gaming and cosplay (cos-tume role-play).

A sample of Supanova guest appearances include Lucy Lawless, also known as Universal’s combat worthy Warrior Princess, Xena, who is scheduled for Q&A, photo-op, autograph and VIP Party (April 12 only), from April 11-12. Keir Dullea, perhaps best known for the lead role in Stanley Kubrick’s epic science-fiction film, 2001: “A Space Odyssey” (1968), as the astronaut Dr. David Bowman, and who reprised the role for the sequel in “2010: The Year We Make Contact” (1984), will be available to meet fans for photo and autograph sessions each Saturday and Sunday during the festival run.

There are many other featured activities and events that make up the Expo's "Supa-Activities and Competitions" activities to participate in. Supanova Guest panels appear on stage at scheduled times over the weekend to talk directly to fans. Anime and cartoon screenings will be shown in the Anime Theatre. An anime themed game show, a fast-paced quiz show where two teams captained by "experts" will be conducted at various times and locations on Sunday of every Supanova. Newly devised Imagineer's Playground is an interactive demonstrations and ‘how to’ workshop on subjects ranging from Introduction to Airbrushing through to applying creature effect make-up and more. Anime Trivia has been brought back into the format with three rounds of questions ranging from Azumanga Daioh to Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei, from shoujo to shounen, from magic girls to mecha and more.

Supanova will have a Wacom Fan Art Competition giving visitors a chance to compete against other artists in the community, be crowned for the best artwork of the show and win a Wacom drawing tablet. The Australian Pinball League and Amusement Machine Distributors are teaming up with the Supanova Pop Culture Expo and Timezone Australia to offer the Timezone Supanova Pinball competition. There will also be Epic Gaming, the next level in authentic shooter gaming. Participants will be able to choose their teams and type of tagger as they battle it out over a custom made Inflatable battle field designed especially for the Supanova and slated this year only for Melbourne. Other SupaNova events in different parts of Australia will be happening besides Melbourne. Gold Coast 2014 is April 4-6, Sydney 2014 is June 13-15, Perth 2014 is June 20-22, Adelaide 2014 is November 21-23, Brisbane 2014 is November 28-30.

Founded in 2002 in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the resulting economic fallout in the Tribeca neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, the Tribeca Film Festival® celebrates New York City as a major filmmaking center. The Festival's program line-up includes a variety of independent films including documentaries, narrative features and shorts, as well as a program of family-friendly films. The Festival also features panel discussions with personalities in the entertainment world and a music lounge produced with ASCAP to showcase artists. At the Festival's Artists Awards program emerging and renowned artists celebrate filmmakers by providing original works of art that are given to the filmmakers' competition winners.

One of the most enduring movie musicals of all-time, 'Mary Poppins', starring Julie Andrews as the nanny with a magical touch and Dick Van Dyke in the role of handyman Bert, will be given a free screening at the Tribeca Drive-In Brookfield Place, April 17. Tribeca Film Institute® (TFI) will host the third annual TFI Interactive Day. The day-long meeting of the minds takes place on April 26 during Tribeca Innovation Week at the Tribeca Film Festival® (TFF) and is devoted to exploring the future of storytelling in an evolving digital landscape. TFI Interactive (TFIi) draws in content creators and innovators from multiple media for an all-day forum and “Interactive Playground,” a new addition that will connect participants with selections from their projects. Insights will be shared and there will be challenging assessments to contemporary storytelling paradigms during the interactive panels and presentations.

Additionally, TFI Interactive (TFIi) is part of the new Tribeca Innovation Week, which includes a series of panels, discussions, and events featuring creative and tech verticals sharing their insights. The week will expand on Tribeca’s tradition of connecting the creative and tech communities. Projects from several Tribeca Innovation Week events will be showcased at TFIi, including Storyscapes, a showcase of transmedia projects, as well as Tribeca Hacks , a two-day hackathon. presented with AT&T, that will focus on wearable technology.

The Tribeca Talks series is always an integral part of the festival. Topics up for discussion in this year's Tribeca Talks series include: Shooting The Film - An Exploration of Cinematography, Pen To Paper: Repercussions of Truth, Dolby Institute - The Art of Sound Design and Music, Directors Series: Lee Daniels, Pen To Paper: Adaptation and Creation, Directors Series: Ron Howard With Brian Williams, The Growth of Short Content. Another conference mainstay, the Tribeca Family Festival, will feature the annual Street Fair on April 26, from 10:00 to 18:00, on Greenwich Street from Chambers Street to Hubert Street, and at venues throughout the Tribeca neighborhood. Aside from the annual event, Tribeca is more than just the Tribeca Film Festival. With a distribution business -- Tribeca Film -- that releases more than 25 movies per year both in theaters and on nationwide VOD.

Education Expo TV (EET CRS) an Indian research and branding company was founded in the year 2010 with its main focus area in education. The company provides services of ratings, ranking, research and branding solution. The company also hosts a number of awards to recognize the best talent/companies working across India and operates India’s first online edutainment channel which connects school, colleges, universities, corporate and policy makers for sharing and understanding of knowledge. The Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival is a not-for-profit, independent film festival, established in 2011 in Noida (Delhi NCR) with a mission to celebrate the cinema and work of aspiring, young, independent and professional filmmakers.

Dada Saheb Phalke is important to the Indian film industry as it is launched each year on April 30 to mark the birthday of late Shri Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, who is regarded as a founding father of Indian Cinema and fondly remembered as Dada Saheb Phalke by the film fraternity in India and throughout the international community. The festival, managed by Miniboxoffice, has sections for feature films, short films, documentaries, animations, music videos and advertising films. Aside from the screening of films, the festival will feature a "Talent Meet" for the purpose of Producers interested in meeting Directors with potential feature film projects, Producers interested in meeting Writers with potential feature film screenplay, Directors interested in meeting Producers with my new film project, Actors interested in meeting Directors and Producers, Investors interested in meeting Producers/Distributors and any other accommodating connections and arrangements to facilitate film production.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. The events blog also shows links to pages that are translated into ten of the most widely used international languages read over the Internet other than English. This month's photo placement highlights the North American opening of Captain America, starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson,Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson. If the photo does not appear in this post please visit the blog page to view it. Looking ahead into the next month be aware that: the the American Movie Awards will be held in Las Vegas, Streaming Media East will be held in New York City, the 5th Annual International Film Finance Forum in association with Variety opens in Cannes, the Amsterdam Film Festival is set for the Netherlands, the Drama Desk Awards will be given in New York City, the Cannes Film Festival launches in Cannes.

NAB 2011, Coachella, Tribeca Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, London Sci-Fi & Fatastic Film, are some Highlights in April's Global Media and Entertainment Industry

A one of a kind arts festival is underway at the New School for Social Research in New York City through April 8. The theme of the festival is "Noir", a cinematic style of shadowy expressiveness that had its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s, and how its influence has penetrated areas ranging from fashion design to fine art, graphic art to fiction. An exploration of the genre and its present day adaptations is done through a presentation of iconic films, hard-boiled storytelling, graphic art, and illustration.

Celebrating its 10th Anniversary April 6-9, the 2011 Florida Music Festival & Conference showcases live music, film and visual arts within the cultural community of downtown Orlando, The keynote interview for this year's conference features Melvin Benn of Festival Republic on creating a successful live music event or festival. In an April 9 panel, Aaron Ford, Grooveshark, Alex Ewen, Media/Label, David McKenna, Bonded Records/Film, Jeffrey Hanson, Silent Majority Group, and David Beame, Beame & Mencher, LLP, discuss "The Business of Music." All conference speakers will be available to all performing artists and registered music companies or aspiring music industry students to network with, post conference and throughout the weekend.

Now in its 28th year, the 2011 French Quarter Festival highlights New Orleans’ signature music, food, and culture within the historic neighborhood. French Quarter Festival was first produced in 1984 as a way to bring residents back to the Quarter. Today, 18 stages throughout the festival celebrate local music and represent every genre from traditional and contemporary jazz to R & B, New Orleans funk, brass bands, folk, gospel, latin, zydeco, classical and international. In other festival attractions, New Orleans' restaurants, create the “World’s Largest Jazz Brunch” in Jackson Square, the Old U.S. Mint and Woldenberg Riverfront Park during festival weekend; Satchmo SummerFest hosts ‘Red Bean Alley’ with Satchmo inspired dishes and local cuisine. Only local restaurants are invited to participate in these festivals. French Quarter Festival runs April 7-10.

Palm Beach Women's International Film Festival, April 7-10, premieres as a new women’s film event in Florida, attracting women filmmakers and visitors from around the world. A festival highlight includes the US Premiere of "Finding Kind", a documentary about the “mean girl” phenomenon, which has been covered extensively in national media lately. The film will screen on Sunday, April 10 at Muvico in Cityplace, followed by a panel on school bullying from leading area experts including the School District of Palm Beach County and the Girl Scouts of Southeast Florida.

Hollywood based FirstGlance Film Fest accepts all genres and screens feature length, feature documentaries, short narratives, shorts too (under 10 minutes), mini-docs, student shorts, graduate student shorts, music videos, animation and webisode pilots. Filmmakers of both short and feature films taking part in the festival are offered theatrical distribution through the festival's new relationship with a Las Vegas theatre chain and distributor offering PPV and VOD after the theatrical run. During the festival's run of April 8-10, After Parties will allow filmmakers to mix and mingle and hold informal Q & A with fellow filmmakers and audience members.

Over 85 years ago, Thomas Meighan was a famous hollywood silent movie star of the twenties. In 1919, he hit stardom in one of his best known films at the time, "The Miracle Man", but unfortunately due to film deterioration it has disintegrated into small fragments over time. Thomas Meighan dreamed of making New Port Richey the Hollywood of the South. The Thomas Meighan Project will premiere the first film festival in the New Port Richey area, April 9-17, by showcasing film, video and animation shorts as a tribute to Meighan’s vision. Today, Meighan’s most recognizable role is in the film, "Male and Female", directed by one of Hollywood’s legendary directors, Cecile B. Demille. The Thomas Meighan Project in association with the Richey Suncoast Theater will present the return of the "2011 Black Maria Film Festival."

The Delray Beach Film Festival has become the Downtown Boca Film Festival (DBFF) based in Boca Raton, yet remains a non-profit 501 (c-3) organization dedicated to providing the local community and international visitors with a diverse presentation of films from around the world. This year festival screenings are from April 9-17 and include a program of student shorts and Xtreme sports video. In addition to offering films that might not otherwise be released theatrically in the USA, DBFF provides a unique cultural experience with events like Casino Night in Old Hollywood, benefitting Planet Hope, set for opening night, the Reel to Runway fashion show on April 11, as well as educational programs and forums for exploring the future of cinema.

NAB 2011, the annual digital media industry event held in Las Vegas, this year from April 9-14, is typically attended by media, entertainment and communications professionals focused on the next generation of video and audio content across multiple platforms — television, radios and computers to phones, the big screen. In sessions planned for April 12, Gordon H. Smith, President and CEO, National Association of Broadcasters, presents the "State of the Broadcast Industry Address", and Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of CBS, sits down with Gordon Smith to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing broadcasters and the broadcast medium today. The NAB Education Foundation in partnership with the Broadcast Education Association and Pinkslipmixers.com hosts its annual spring Career Day during the NAB Show. Academy Award-Winning film director James Cameron will keynote the NAB Show.

The London Independent Film Festival will be held this year from April 14-25. It is committed to the independent filmmaker by giving special attention to films by first and second time directors, film produced with budgets under £100,000, and quality films that, for whatever reason, are unlikely to receive distribution through other channels.

Coachella, the anticipated annual music festival, April 15-17, set in the California Desert features many genres of music including alternative rock, indie, and electronic music. The event has several stages/tents set-up throughout the (camping) grounds, each playing live music continuously. From April 16–18 of the 2010 festival, Coachella drew a reported over 75,000 spectators each day. The festival also features interesting installation art and sculptures. Most of the pieces are interactive, and provide entertainment and eye candy for attendees walking throughout the Polo grounds. 2011 will introduce a new high security wristband that must always be worn and will be scanned at various checkpoints and upon entry to camping and festival grounds.

The Tribeca Film Festival in New York happens April 20 through May 1. As in past years, the Festival incorporates into its format the ESPN Sports Film Festival. Also in years past, the 2011 Family Festival Street Fair repeats again, this year on April 30 from 10 am to 6 pm. "The Union," Cameron Crowe's new documentary, chronicling the musical collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell, opens the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. And in the Tribeca Talks series, "After the Movie" post-screening dialogue with filmmakers, will be mixed with free events like "Industry", that reviews issues that matter to today's filmmakers such as the future of film distribution, stretching a production budget, how visual style affects genre, the challenges of documentary, and more. Established in 2003 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, Tribeca Enterprises currently operates a network of branded entertainment businesses including the Tribeca Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival International, Tribeca Cinemas and Tribeca Film, a distribution initiative.

The 54th San Francisco International Film Festival opens at the Castro Theatre April 21 for a screening of "Beginners", and then shifts to the after party to enjoy culinary delights from local restaurants, sophisticated cocktails as well as dancing. The Festival’s Midnight Awards on April 23 have been created to honor a dynamic young American actor and actress entering the prime of their careers — the ceremony is crafted as a late night awards ceremony and cocktail reception featuring food and drinks, DJ entertainment, film clips and remarks by special guests. The April 28 Film Society Awards Night is an anticipated black-tie gala event benefitting SFFS Youth Education fund. The evening honors this year’s directing, acting and screenwriting award recipients with peer tributes and career highlights, and features a special tribute to George Gund III. The "Centerpiece" of this year’s Festival is an event that features an edgy new film by an emerging director, followed by a chic lounge party at the CLIFT’s Velvet Room, featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and the latest beats. On closing night, May 5, mix and mingle with a movie-loving crowd at The Factory. Dance to music inspired by the Closing Night film and feast on hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

At London's ninth International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film, there is the regular film programming of shorts, features, documentaries and world premieres, then there will be a featured series of talks, such as special-effects masterclasses, and debates on genre literature, film and TV. The festival, running April 23 - May 2, will also expand their ‘Science Fact’ stream with demonstrations, lectures and debate - under the banner SCI-FI-LONDON: LAB. A regular fixture at the Festival, the all-nighters offer three very different programmes of movies that run from around midnight until sunrise: an anime programme taking releases right to the big screen rather than DVD; the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 program; a themed programme of either sci-fi or horror classics. All attendees are given goody bags, ice-cream, a ample supply of caffeine (Red Bull, coffee and tea) throughout the night and breakfast at daybreak.

At ASCAP's "I Create Music" Expo, there will be panels for all three days and live musical events each evening. To kick things off, there will be a pre-EXPO Networking event on Wednesday night, April 27. Lindsey Buckingham will be presented with the ASCAP Golden Note Award. Immediately following the presentation, Buckingham will be interviewed by Sara Bareilles focusing on his career as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, member of Fleetwood Mac and a solo artist. Marco Beltrami and Wes Craven, Scream 4, will discuss their collaboration in influencing the modern horror genre experience. And new this year, panelists in the film and TV industry lead a "Film & TV Scoring Feedback" session in which pre-submitted attendees' composition and/or scores are played and analyzed constructively.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the "Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events" page at http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html which now has a language translation button to convert page contents into most widely used languages. A look ahead into April event dates will help you prepare for: the Florida Music Festival and Conference, in Orlando, Tribeca Film Festival, in New York; National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2011, in Las Vegas, London Independent Film Festival, in London, the San Francisco International Film Festival, in San Francisco, to list only a few upcoming events in advance. Past videos from the monthly video news summary are archived on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video.