An annual event in Santa Monica, the American Film Market is a film industry event of networking activity, production and distribution deals, running till November 11, where The AFM transforms The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and the Le Merigot Beach Hotel into a center for activity with 23 screens on the Santa Monica Promenade and the surrounding community put into play for festival activity. Held within the time period of the American Film Market, the city of Santa Monica also hosts the Santa Monica International Film Festival, through November 7, a competition independent film festival that showcases the work of independent feature, documentary and short films filmmakers from around the world. Waterford Film Festival in Greyfriars Waterford, will showcase a wide range of films from feature films, documentaries, animation, short films, experimental and student work. Academy Award nominee Feature Documentary 'No End In Sight', directed by Charles Ferguson, will have its Irish premier at the Festival. Distribution strategist Peter Broderick and journalist and author Scott Kirsner join forces to present a crash course on the new rules of marketing and distribution, especially tailored to the needs of independent filmmakers and artists, at a workshop in Los Angeles, November 7. BMI's 57th Annual Country Awards honors the songwriters and publishers of the top BMI country songs from the past year. At the ceremony, BMI will honor Kris Kristofferson as a BMI Icon in Nashville, November 10. The 43rd Annual CMA Awards takes place at the Sommet Center in Nashville, airing live on the ABC Television Network. The CMA Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for Country Music artists, musicians, producers, publishers, songwriters, video directors and industry executives.

Hosted by the Nielsen Company and Dow Jones, and guided by the combined editorial teams of The Wall Street Journal, Private Equity Analyst, Barron’s, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Editor & Publisher, the Media and Money conference, coming up on November 12 & 13, reveals new strategies for profitability through dynamic panel discussions and high profile keynote interviews. GameSoundCon features two concentrated days of seminars and panel sessions by the industry’s experts on the unique creative and technical challenges of creating audio for games, November 13-14, in San Francisco. The October 16 Video Production for Real People workshop, will go through a typical video production kit (complete with lights), cover camera basics, visualizing your idea (pre-production), shot selection, and ways to shoot so that you won’t have to "fix it in post." Nokia Mobifest Toronto Symposium and Awards is an independent leaning, made for mobile film festival, started by Nokia to distribute mobile films under revenue sharing agreements, and to take a role as well to produce and commission made-for-mobile films. BMI is a sponsor of The Copyright Alliance's Third Annual EXPO taking place on in Washington, DC. This November 17 event will showcase new products and economic benefits of America’s copyright industries that provides a platform for artists, trade associations and companies to exhibit creative work and discuss the future of copyright and its impact on local economies.

Folded into the established Streaming Media West, the new Online Video Platform Summit is a two-day event designed to help organizations of all types — not just those for whom video is their core business — debuting in San Jose, November 17-19. An online expo, produced by Sony, seeks to educate its participants through firsthand online interaction, on new and existing HD solutions based on your budget, through an Interactive Exhibit Hall, product demos, presentations, how-to videos, real-world success stories, group chats, networking, happening November 19, as a web only event at: pro.sony.com/bbsccms/ext/vtsnewecohd/index.shtml?
XID=E:VTS09_register:vtsnewecohdpage. CTN Animation Expo, November 20-22 in Burbank, is hosted by Creative Talent Network® to provide highly focused conference programming, workshops, recruiting, presentations and networking opportunities designed to connect animation artists, studio executives and industry leaders both locally and internationally. The Music In Media Interactive Conference, happening in Hollywood, November 20-22, is designed to inform, educate, entertain and create opportunities for conference attendees, and is specifically focused on conveying what (and who) you need to know to get your music in film, TV, video games, movie trailers, commercials and other forms of contemporary media. Imaginaria Film Festival, in Conversano, November 25-29, is attempting a new experience and new connection between international and independent cinema of a digital nature, through innovativeness fused through technology and creativity in an array of works including, feature film, short film, film and digital, music video, web video and video art installations.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film, music and documentary. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor's Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload  head shots or other suitable pictures of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates.

An annual event in Santa Monica, the American Film Market is a film industry event of networking activity, production and distribution deals, running till November 11, where The AFM transforms The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and the Le Merigot Beach Hotel into a center for activity with 23 screens on the Santa Monica Promenade and the surrounding community put into play for festival activity. Held within the time period of the American Film Market, the city of Santa Monica also hosts the Santa Monica International Film Festival, through November 7, a competition independent film festival that showcases the work of independent feature, documentary and short films filmmakers from around the world. Waterford Film Festival in Greyfriars Waterford, will showcase a wide range of films from feature films, documentaries, animation, short films, experimental and student work. Academy Award nominee Feature Documentary 'No End In Sight', directed by Charles Ferguson, will have its Irish premier at the Festival. Distribution strategist Peter Broderick and journalist and author Scott Kirsner join forces to present a crash course on the new rules of marketing and distribution, especially tailored to the needs of independent filmmakers and artists, at a workshop in Los Angeles, November 7. BMI's 57th Annual Country Awards honors the songwriters and publishers of the top BMI country songs from the past year. At the ceremony, BMI will honor Kris Kristofferson as a BMI Icon in Nashville, November 10. The 43rd Annual CMA Awards takes place at the Sommet Center in Nashville, airing live on the ABC Television Network. The CMA Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for Country Music artists, musicians, producers, publishers, songwriters, video directors and industry executives.

Hosted by the Nielsen Company and Dow Jones, and guided by the combined editorial teams of The Wall Street Journal, Private Equity Analyst, Barron’s, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Editor & Publisher, the Media and Money conference, coming up on November 12 & 13, reveals new strategies for profitability through dynamic panel discussions and high profile keynote interviews. GameSoundCon features two concentrated days of seminars and panel sessions by the industry’s experts on the unique creative and technical challenges of creating audio for games, November 13-14, in San Francisco. The October 16 Video Production for Real People workshop, will go through a typical video production kit (complete with lights), cover camera basics, visualizing your idea (pre-production), shot selection, and ways to shoot so that you won’t have to "fix it in post." Nokia Mobifest Toronto Symposium and Awards is an independent leaning, made for mobile film festival, started by Nokia to distribute mobile films under revenue sharing agreements, and to take a role as well to produce and commission made-for-mobile films. BMI is a sponsor of The Copyright Alliance's Third Annual EXPO taking place on in Washington, DC. This November 17 event will showcase new products and economic benefits of America’s copyright industries that provides a platform for artists, trade associations and companies to exhibit creative work and discuss the future of copyright and its impact on local economies.

Folded into the established Streaming Media West, the new Online Video Platform Summit is a two-day event designed to help organizations of all types — not just those for whom video is their core business — debuting in San Jose, November 17-19. An online expo, produced by Sony, seeks to educate its participants through firsthand online interaction, on new and existing HD solutions based on your budget, through an Interactive Exhibit Hall, product demos, presentations, how-to videos, real-world success stories, group chats, networking, happening November 19, as a web only event at: pro.sony.com/bbsccms/ext/vtsnewecohd/index.shtml?
XID=E:VTS09_register:vtsnewecohdpage. CTN Animation Expo, November 20-22 in Burbank, is hosted by Creative Talent Network® to provide highly focused conference programming, workshops, recruiting, presentations and networking opportunities designed to connect animation artists, studio executives and industry leaders both locally and internationally. The Music In Media Interactive Conference, happening in Hollywood, November 20-22, is designed to inform, educate, entertain and create opportunities for conference attendees, and is specifically focused on conveying what (and who) you need to know to get your music in film, TV, video games, movie trailers, commercials and other forms of contemporary media. Imaginaria Film Festival, in Conversano, November 25-29, is attempting a new experience and new connection between international and independent cinema of a digital nature, through innovativeness fused through technology and creativity in an array of works including, feature film, short film, film and digital, music video, web video and video art installations.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film, music and documentary. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor's Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload  head shots or other suitable pictures of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates.

MIPCOM, in Cannes through October 9, is the global content event for creating, co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment content across all platforms, that provides the key decision-makers in the TV, film, digital and audiovisual content, production and distribution industry with a market conference and networking forum to discover future trends and trade content rights on a global level. The New School Office of Career Development in conjunction with The Office of Alumni Relations, New School for Drama, New School for Jazz and Contemporary Studies, Mannes College and others, presents "Careers in Performing Arts," an Alumni Panel and networking event, at its campus in Greenwich Village, on October 6. The Ghent Film Festival (Flanders International Film Festival-Ghent) in Ghent, first established in 1974 as a student's festival, is now recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (IFFPA) as a competitive festival primarily geared towards the "impact of music on film". The festival organizes film music concerts, giving composers of film scores a platform to showcase from. The official CD Release Party for Kyoko Oyobe (www.myspace.com/kyokooyobe) Jazz Trio, recorded live at Smalls Jazz Club, happens October 8 in New York, and features Kyoko Oyobe, piano Michael O'Brien, bass Clifford Barbaro, drums, Saul Rubin, guitar. A subsequent jazz recital happens at Fat Cat Jazz Club, in Greenwich Village, on October 15.

The Chicago International Film Festival, October 8-21, will have an opening night cocktail reception with hors d'oeuvres, and after the festival starts you can listen to experienced film composers, musicians, and directors break down the process of finding collaborators, sourcing new and existing music, and producing the perfect harmony between sound and image at the panel "Score! Music on Film". ` International Entertainment Buyers Association, founded in 1970 as a non-profit trade organization for talent buyers, concert promoters, agents, managers, artists and other related entertainment professionals, starts its 2009 conference in Downtown Nashville, October 11-13. Among slated events IEBA will honor the iconic Chubby Checker who had the number 1 song of the sixties, “The Twist,” which topped the charts at number1 twice. Content and Communications World is the fall conference and exhibition for media and communications technology, opening in New York for two days on October 14. CCW features three events in one location – HD World, SATCON, and IP Media Expo. The Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) was started with a mandate for the advancement of understanding and cultural exchange among the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America through the medium of film, and at this year's event in Honolulu will host an all day event to honor award winning TV program LOST, which is shot on the island of Oahu with the Vision in Film Award. BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2009, October 15-17 in Las Vegas, is for any Blogger, Podcaster, Vlogger, Internet TV or Radio Broadcaster, Social Media expert or producer of any other form of new media content to attend and extend their expertise with strategies, tools and techniques.

Film, Stage and ShowBiz Expo happens this year in Los Angeles for one day, on October 17. On site at the Expo, Disney Theatrical Group and Telsey + Company will be holding casting calls for major Broadway musical productions. During this year's 2009 Digital Hollywood Fall, October 19-22 in Santa Monica, some special events will include: Executive Round Table and Cocktail Event; VIP Content Rights Dinner; Digital Hollywood Finance Dinner; a VIP Breakfast Briefing; and End-of-Day Poolside Reception. During Vienna based Viennale 2009, running October 22 through November 4, directors and actors will join the celebratory opening in the Gartenbaukino, with a number of other film guests, such as Tilda Swinton, to whom the Viennale dedicates a Tribute this year. The festival will close with the Austrian premier of the latest film of the brothers Ethan and Joel Coen: A Serious Man. Cinema exhibition professionals come to Nielsen Film Group's ShowEast in Orlando, October 26-29, for film screenings of major studio and independent feature films slated for holiday release, as well as product reel presentations, special events with Hollywood actors, educational seminars and to find the latest products, services and technologies at the trade show. The Urban Individualists (www.theurbanindividualists.org) close out their year of art showcases with two shows in the month, first with a Brooklyn opening October 23 of 'Heaven and Hell', showing works exploring theological themes by male members of the collective, including Paul Deo (www.myspace.com/pauldeo). They open again on October 31 in Manhattan's upper west side with 'Masquerade - False Faces' a multimedia exhibition which includes masks and other art works. Both events feature live music, poetry readings, refreshments, and are free and open to the public.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film and music. Last month featured German pop (with a little hip hop) performer, Lando van Herzog (www.lando-van-herzog.com); Urban Rap artist Guerilla X (www.guerrillax.exploretalent.com) in his new film, 'Kiss of a Bullet'; comedy in the form of parody rap skits from Filmhawk (www.myspace.com/filmhawkcomedy). These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor's Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload valuable head shots or other photos of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates with messages.

This year at the annual Telluride Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival and The Library of America present a special program in honor of artist and film critic Manny Farber. "The Celebration of Manny Farber" will include an intimate bookstore signing of The Library of America's September 2009 release Farber on Film: The Complete Film Writings of Manny Farber with editor Robert Polito. Since 1975 the Deauville American Film Festival has been showcasing American cinematographic diversity, hosting Hollywood royalty, as well as discovering new talents, actors, directors. This year more than 100 films will be presented to the public on three sites through September 13 in Deauville, France. International animation show, Fantoche 09, in Baden from September 8-13, offers a film programme in several parts of the use of human beings in animated film, and over several editions of the festival, Fantoche explores the interface between animation film and game design. The Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival social calendar runs September 9-13 starting with Opening Night Festivities, followed by daily & nightly filmmaker/musician receptions, industry workshops, a Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards Black Tie Gala, a Sunday morning Hot Air Balloon Ride, a Closing Night Wrap party and Best of Fest special screening presentations. A Disney fan experience in which guests will enjoy exhibits, screenings, presentations and interactive experiences from every part of The Walt Disney Company happens in Anaheim, September 10-13. Talent from Walt Disney Pictures films, ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN and more will be on hand for meet-and-greets, and Disney Couture will debut its new line at a fashion show.

This year's Chicago Underground Film Festival, September 10-17, follows past festival blueprint in which selected films often ignore limitations of genre, and which alternative music films, political agitprop, formal experimentation, and high camp are not uncommon elements of the Festival program. During the Toronto International Film Festival 2009, September 10-17, everyone is invited to Yonge-Dundas Square (YDS) for a playful and dynamic line-up of free screenings, concerts, performances, guest appearances, and special events. The TriMedia Film Festival has an innovative "tri-media" focus, with independent film, TV pilots/specials, and live theatre, rated a PG-13 or equivalent rating limit, and screenings and exhibit entries from all over the world. Festivities running September 11-13 in Fort Collins, open with a Double Feature and VIP Celebrity Party. At the West Coast Documentary and Reality Conference in Santa Monica, there are two areas of professional interest that are designated: The Documentary Village and The Reality Village. The third day of the conference, which runs September 14-16, will be entirely devoted to PitchFest, a live presentation for Documentary and Reality producers to pitch new concepts to network and development executives for potential acquisition. At a Film Finance Forum East, set to run September 16-17 in New York, speaking faculty discuss how to minimize risk when financing films; provide the latest updates on tax incentives and tax credits; address financing strategies and structures; and address effective distribution trends and brand integration resources to lower costs and increase revenue streams.

The Florida Media Market, September 16-20 in Orlando, is an annual market for film, documentary, television and media deal-making whose goal is to educate and build a platform where independent film and media makers meet with international buyers, distributors and production companies to buy, sell and network. Rosanne Cash will be the subject of the Americana Music Association's Festival & Conference 2009 Keynote Interview, conducted by author/journalist Michael Streissguth, when the Convention gathers in Nashville, September 16-19. The First Annual Martha's Vineyard Songwriters Festival, running September 18-19, will combine pop and country BMI hit makers in exclusive live music lineups and intimate settings, adopting the same approach of the Key West Songwriters Festival. Formerly known as IFP Market, Independent Film Week is an ongoing showcase in New York for the discovery of new projects in development and new voices on the independent film scene. From September 19-24, among conference highlights, are select scenes from IFP's Independent Filmmaker Labs uncovering next year’s film festival circuit from IFP’s Documentary & Narrative Rough Cut Labs. The New York Television Festival is held annually each fall (September 21-26) in New York City, and along with the Independent Pilot Competition, the Festival features panel discussions, premiere screenings, and other special events designed to honor television as an institution and art form. The International Bluegrass Music Association presents its annual business conference for the bluegrass music industry with artist showcases, an exhibit hall with more than 100 booths, professional development seminars, member constituency meetings, and more, all happening September 28 through October 4 in Nashville. The Business of Entertainment is a two-part workshop on September 30 in Minneapolis that addresses: "Best Practices in Production Payroll Management," outlining best practices in production payroll management; and "Before The Camera Rolls", an interactive primer on production scheduling and budgeting.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film and music. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor's Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload valuable head shots or other photos of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates with messages.

From You To You Tube: A Filmmaking Summer Camp For Young Adults, is a workshop in New York running till August 14, with another session closely following, from August 17-28, teaches concepts of story and structure, how to use a camera for your own shoot, the basics of film editing theory and technique, and how to compress your final product down to a size to share on the web. Chicago's annual Lollapalooza 2009 music festival gets going again this year, August 7-9, and as part of Citi’s sponsorship of emerging artists at this year’s festival you’re invited to take part in a grassroots music-meets-art installation that allows you and your friends to take away a prized photographic memento of your time at Lollapalooza. Also, there will be chances to win VIP passes, stage passes to the PlayStation® Stage and even chances to win PS3®/PSP® system prize packs. The Florida Writers Association partners with UNF to start a three-day conference from August 7-9 in Jacksonville, with a full day of writing workshops for each day. Sunday afternoon’s schedule includes a marketing panel and a workshop featuring the UNF Writers Conference Book & Film Deal Connection, an opportunity for attendees to submit their work to agents, book editors and film producers after the conference closes. The Black Harvest International Festival of Film and Video is Chicago’s annual showcase for films that tell stories, raise questions, or touch on issues that relate to the black African, African American, and African diasporic experience, and it will be hosted this year in Chicago, August 7 through September 3.

A Media Leaders Meeting in Austin, a monthly "experiential mixing event" on August 11, brings together leaders in media, marketing, advertising and entertainment to discuss current events and new ideas. The LatinVision Hispanic Business Networking Event, an exclusive gathering of U.S. Hispanic and Latin American professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners in a relaxed atmosphere that facilitates networking, holds this month's New York meeting on August 13, with an exclusive VIP after party to follow in the far west Chelsea district. A San Jose workshop for YouTubers who already shoot their own videos and post their content online takes place August 14, focusing on how can implement a successful video marketing strategy in this relatively new and rapidly changing field. The International Odense Film Festival is a short and documentary film festival that takes place every year in August, screening international short fiction and short documentaries as well as Danish short fiction and Danish short and feature length documentaries. Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC), GDC Europe, hosted this year in Cologne, August 17-19, encompasses learning, networking, and inspiration via the GDC's conference content quality and access to the industry leaders driving innovation in games across the globe. GDC Europe focuses on Business, Game Design, Production, and Programming for games. In addition, this three day conference will emphasize timely content and topics in Serious Games and Mobile Games in Europe and worldwide today.

bitfilm09: Hackin' Hollywood begins with a three day event of indoor and outdoor screenings, a workshop for the creative industry, an opening reception, and a public open air screening in a park in the centre of Hamburg. National Alliance for Media Art & Culture Conference 2009 is for media and visual arts leaders, practitioners, researchers, technologists, advocates, scholars, students, funders, and policymakers to share experiences and pool  knowledge among attending conference members, and across networks within the arts, media and culture fields, at sessions running August 28-29 in Boston. MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, August 26-30 in Edinburgh, celebrates success in the TV industry and is committed to the development of new talent. The Festival carries over 60 individual sessions covering the most important issues facing the industry, from policy to programme making, alongside plenty of fun sessions as well. Each year London International Animation Festival 2009 focuses on a specific animation technique. So in 2009 they take a close up look at sand animation. This involves an animator placing and moving coloured sand, salt and other powders on a light box and using hand brushes, air brushes and an array of other tools to create thousands of textured pictures that make up the finished film. To showcase this technique, they put together a programme, running August 28 through September 6, which mixes recently released sand animations carefully blended with a collection of classics from the last 25 years.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film and music. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor's Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload valuable head shots or other photos of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates with messages.

The One Mic Nite Open Talent Showcase (OneMicNite@gmail.com), happening every Monday night in New York's East Village, is a combination of of indie music or dance, theatre, poetry, art, and informal networking, in an open mic acoustic style setting. Latin Alternative Music Conference opens in New York July 7-11, and is geared towards the marketing of Spanish-language alternative music while striving for maximum exposure for Latin artists and repertoire in the U.S. marketplace. The Los Angeles Post Production Group (LAPPG) is a member driven organization for anyone with an interest or passion for film finishing and the post-production process, and will be meeting July 8 featuring Robert Mellette from 'Dances With Films' as well as A.J. Tesler and Jenny Stames from Independent TV Festival. Several panels are held during the first weekend of the Long Island International Film Expo – usually consisting of a distribution panel, a scriptwriting panel, legal music panel and a filmmaker panel and breakfast, running July 9-19 in New York. The Fourth meeting of The Lacuna (Net)works Film and Tv Networking happens on July 10 in London, and is suited for film makers, crew, actors, models, writers, photographers to do some networking, talk about premieres, meet new people and contacts, get business cards exchanged.

The 17th International Animation Festival, Anima Mundi 2009, in Rio de Janeiro, July 10-19, will present competition screenings, special programs, retrospectives, international guests and professional workshops, particularly one called, Open Studio, that allows the spectator to become the creator and exercise their imagination in seven different visualization techniques. Bryan Bertino, a writer/director who made his feature film debut with The Strangers. will speak at the July 11 Alameda Writers Group Meeting, July 11 in Glendale, about breaking into Hollywood, the struggles of directing your own work, and how he’s built his career. Working up to the release of a debut album, 'Cookin' At  Smalls', Kyoko Oyobe (http://www.facebook.com/kyoko.oyobe) of Okayama, Japan, stages a series of NYC jazz club dates in July at Destino, and Fat Cat on July 16, and then October 8 at The Kitano for the official CD release party. Trio band members include Saul Rubin, guitar, Michael O'Brien, bass, and Cliff Barbaro, drums, who made up the live recording of original works at Smalls in Greenwich Village. The Urban Individualists, a multicultural network of collaborating individualists working under the direction of Helene Ruiz (ruizhelene@aol.com), will be present at a July 17 public reception in Williamsburg, Brooklyn featuring music and poetry, opening an exhibition of works that will "dissect and examine aspects concerning the heart, from the banal to the complex."

The Sacramento Film and Music Festival, running July 17-26 in Sacramento, likes to point to a track record of picking films that go on to win major awards and/or achieve distribution beyond the festival circuit. But they also puts on "Sac Music Seen", an original program for the Festival that pairs local filmmakers and musicians to make music videos, where bands submit their music and filmmakers provide the images. Casual Games Association holds its annual agenda of events for the casual games industry, July 22-25, Casual Connect Seattle, bringing together talented and knowledgeable experts in the field for essential learning and  networking. Actress Scarlett Johansson will open LA Shorts Fest July 23-31, a festival accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, and that reportedly attracts more than 10,000 moviegoers, filmmakers and entertainment professionals looking for new talent. The Fourth International Conference on the Arts in Society, in conjunction with the Venice Biennale, happening in Venezia, July 28-31, addresses a range of issues and themes relating to the arts in society, and is a conference for any person with an interest in and a concern for art practice, public art, art theory, research and policy, curatorial and museum studies, and art education in any of its forms. The Independent Television Festival is a festival for independently produced, original and innovative television pilots and webseries in West Hollywood, July 31 to August 6, and with the support of institutions like Comcast, Current TV, Brightcove and FX and the talent of pilotmakers from all over the world, ITVFest facilitates independent production beyond the silver screen as a viable platform in which directors, writers and producers can showcase their original visions for the small screen.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film and music. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor's Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload valuable head shots or other photos of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates with messages.

The BANFF World Television Festival, opening this year in Alberta from June 7-10, is a not-for-profit event produced by Achilles Media Ltd., an international events management company serving the television and digital media industries. Among various sessions programmed into the festival, the Broadcaster Briefings get inside information on what broadcasters from around the world want. In these open, informal sessions, international Program Executives will provide insight into their schedules, outline production priorities and biases, discuss potential partnership deals, and answer questions. The second World Copyright Summit kicks off this year with an opening night party and reception in DC, hosted by the U.S. Rights Societies and Guilds members of CISAC on June 8. For the duration of the Summit running through June 10 the shape and impact of the new creative, economic, technological and legal environment will be addressed. Beginning June 10, industry networking and career guidance group URNetworking Alliance (meetup.com/urnetworkalliance) will be part host to a playreading series in New York, and, the group is also conducting the Casting Director Workshops and the Power Lunch Series in other venues as well. A think tank like event gives shape and substance to the 2009 Lake Placid Film Forum, running June 11-13, whose programs throughout the years have provided opportunities for filmmakers, screenwriters and actors to come together to exchange and obtain information related to the creation, production and distribution of film and other electronic media.

At this year's CineVegas Film Festival, happening June 11-20 in Las Vegas, CineVegas will honor two actors, two directors and two video game design pioneers, including Jon Voight who will be given the Marquee Award, and Willem Dafoe honored with the Vanguard Actor Award. InfoComm International will host an International Reception, one of many, when it stages its annual convention in Orlando, June 13-19, which serves the professional AV communications industry worldwide. When TeatroStageFest: the Third Annual Celebration of Latino Arts and Culture opens June 15-28 in New York, it will present 19 events featuring 23 theater, dance, music, and comedy performances, family programming, workshops, artist panels, youth awards, and an all-day conference, with performances in English or Spanish. During Broadcast Asia 2009, in Singapore, solutions will be offered for broadcasters, cable and satellite operators, content providers, new media operators, vendors, IT and multimedia providers, to gather and discuss latest trends, business strategies and technology updates over a four day run starting on June 16. The DISCOP Organisation, which facilitates audiovisual content distribution and coproduction business in 87 countries located in Central, Eastern Europe, Eurasia and Africa, presents its annual convention to an audience of International suppliers of finished programs, packaged TV channels and formats; Programming, acquisitions and coproduction executives representing TV Stations, Pay-TV operators, DVD and theatrical distributors, broadband and telco operators, and others, from June 17-19 in Budapest.

North by Northeast Music & Film Festival and Conference (NXNE) is a Toronto-based conference and showcase taking place June 17-21 for new music and music-related films, where listening and mentoring sessions assist career planning for future considerations, programmed screenings of hand-selected music movies, from concert classics to the latest indie docs from Rio to Rwanda, nightly music showcases, and on June 20, Wu-Tang Clan founding member and creative engine, GZA will be interviewed by hip hop historian Fab 5 Freddy. Opening June 18-28 for its annual event, the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival features s varied offering, and such unique signature programs including the exclusive Filmmaker Retreat - hosted by the Festival's annual Guest Director - and the Spirit of Independence Award ceremony and gala. Cinema Expo International is a pan-European convention and trade show happening in Amsterdam this year, June 22-25, dedicated to the needs of the movie theatre industry where over 1,250 cinema exhibition and distribution professionals from Europe, the Middle East and Africa come to view the latest major cinema releases and extensive product reels and more. At this year's American Black Film Festival, running June 24-27 in Miami, the Festival hosts The Star Project, an international acting competition, and now in its 12th year, the HBO Short Film Competition, showcasing five short film finalists selected from hundreds, including Derrick Anthony's 'Popous Pane and the Kids He Love to Hate' starring Alfred Rutherford. This year Brussels Film Festival is conducted over nine days, June 27 to July 5, with open air screenings, free concerts every evening, and parties. Los Angeles based career service, Talents Connection, has invited performers to the family oriented Orange County Market Place on June 28, and has announced the formation of its Roller Derby Team, Rolling Vixens, for which it is seeking sponsors (talentsconnection@yahoo.com).

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film and music. Last month's video news summary showcase featured Russian film music composer, Edgar Arens (http://edgararens.com) and Dutch video editor, State 209, who have produced graphic game video 'Deadly Pursuit.' Freelance bass guitarist of the RagaZZ style, Jayen Varma (www.jayenvarma.net), considered one of the fastest bass guitarist in the world. Excerpts from the web series of comedy performer Maija DiGiorgio whose documentary feature, 'Hollywood Outlaw' (www.hollywoodoutlaws.com), is playing out in episodes over the Web. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration.

In addition to a week-long meeting over international animation production, AniFest, which runs through May 10 in Trebon, strives to facilitate the best contacts among Central European artists who are engaged in animation, especially after the festival through the ongoing AniFest Echoes. The Council on Foundations' 42nd Annual Film & Video Festival in Baltimore showcases films, videos, and television programs, May 4-7, that have received support from foundations, corporate giving programs, and donor networks, with the aim of encouraging grantmakers to use media to advance their philanthropic goals. A festive party atmosphere takes shape when the 16th Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film presents a program from May 5-10 of screenplay workshops, fine art by Japanese artist Kozue Kodama, live music, and animated film in the open air festival garden at the Schlossplatz, free of charge to the public.  Representatives of newspapers, television, magazines, radio and web-only outlets will come together to discuss new-media both on the business and editorial sides, and culminating  with awards for the Best Media-Affiliated Internet Services presented by Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek, at the Interactive Media Conference & Trade Show happening in New Orleans, May 6-7.

For one day, on May 11, Content Delivery Summit assembles in New York and brings together customers, vendors, analysts, and Wall Street to discuss and define where the video delivery industry is headed. And on the very next day, May 12-13, in the same New York hotel, annual Streaming Media East 2009 Conference & Exhibition continues the topic of online video in a broader sense, catering to the needs of content owners, viral video creators, online marketers, enterprise corporations, broadcast professionals, ad agencies, educators and others that come to Streaming Media East to see and hear the latest online video technology, and to discuss the business models that are coming of age. Game Developers Conference Canada 2009 meets May 12-13 in Vancouver and covers industry-leading methodologies in game design, production, programming, visual arts and writing for big-budget multiplatform games. The CLIO Awards will be celebrating its monumental 50th Anniversary in Las Vegas, highlighting accomplishments in the industry with five new and distinct award shows, after parties, conference sessions, industry networking opportunities, and more.

Cannes Film Festival gets started this year May 13, continuing through May 24. Former US president Bill Clinton will join actress Sharon Stone at this year's AIDS fund-raiser in southern France, held each May on the fringes of the Cannes film festival. Clinton will attend the May 21 event alongside Stone, Harvey Weinstein, Carine Roitfeld, Michelle Yeoh and Donatella Versace, among others. The gala will take place at the Eden Roc, at Cap d'Antibes. The Indie Film Jam is back for its fifth year as part of the Florida Music Festival, running May 14-17, screening selected films in the heart of Downtown Orlando throughout the FMF weekend and offering independent filmmakers networking opportunities as well as industry panels designed for educating, enlightening and gaining insight into the world of filmmaking. The George Foster Peabody Awards which recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious service by broadcasters, cable, webcasters, producing organizations, and individuals, conducts its 68th annual awards May 18 in New York, with a reception that begins at 11 am, followed by lunch, with Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News the events MC. At this year's Seattle International Film Festival, running May 21 through June 21, SIFF will present the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Directing to Spike Lee, on May 23, followed by a screening of Lee's 'Passing Strange, a Q&A session, and an intimate Tribute Dinner celebration with Spike Lee as the guest of honor. Later in the festival, director Francis Ford Coppola  will host a special presentation of his new film, 'Tetro' at a June 10 screening. MUTEK is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination and development of avant-garde digital creativity in sound, music, and audio-visual art, which it does in part through the annual presentation of its namesake festival held in Montreal, this year running May 27-31. Nashville Screenwriters Conference will again offer one of its more popular panels, "Music in the Movies," offering aspiring songwriters, composers and artists advice on how to get their music placed in films and TV, when it assembles again this year for sessions running May 29-31.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Leading entertainment industry publication Back Stage has redesigned their Backstage.com website to allow for better resume and picture upload, casting and job alerts, and much more, accessible at http://www.backstage.com. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist  This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film and music. Last month's video news summary showcase featured New Jersey based Mindbreak Entertainment's (www.mindbreak.net) with murder mystery thriller The Secret, directed by Ian J. Kenney. The futuristic 4D virtual gaming arena 'Turbo' a short film from Jarrett Conaway (www.bfamstudios.com), in the tradition of the Karate Kid and Tron. Los Angeles based Rooftop Mind (www.myspace.com/rooftopmind), with 'Sex Text' and The Moonlit Road. Music video production company, THEfilmboyPROJECT (www.thefilmboyproject.com), of London with 'Never Wanna Lose You' performed by East End hip hop, r&b group, DNA. A documentary segment in which film composer Jermaine Stegall (www.jermainestegall.com) conducts the Hollywood Studio Symphony. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration.

The One Mic Nite Open Talent Showcase (OneMicNite@gmail.com) continues it's run in NYC's East Village every Monday, with this April 6 session featuring European recording artist Liz Menezes in an acoustic set of Bossa Nova, followed by the NYC debut of Pravini, before the mic goes open to the floor. The International Film Festival Summit Europe, taking place in Paris, April 7-8, is the annual conference and trade show for professionals from the film festival industry and provides a platform for the community to explore ways to collaborate and promote the advancement of the film festival industry. At the 2009 MEDIAWEEK Upfront Conference in New York, April 14, seasoned Mediaweek editors will help decipher the strengths and weaknesses among the broadcast and cable networks, TV syndicators and digital players all competing for a piece of the $18 billion Upfront Marketplace. DETOUR: A Film Noir and Arts Festival on April 16 in Brooklyn's DUMBO area, will feature a selection of short films drawing upon the Film Noir genre, in conjunction with photography, live jazz, and a "steamy" burlesque show, all moving along the lines of the evenings central theme - Film Noir.

"Bigger Than Hollywood: Working in Cinema for a Greater Purpose" is a panel discussion and networking session set for April 16 at the New School, Greenwich Village campus, New York. In Las Vegas, April 18-23, the NAB Show™  attended by media, entertainment and communications professionals who share a passion for producing the next generation of audio, video, and filmed content across multiple platforms, will this year add Alternate Reality and Game Day focusing on game development techniques and marketing strategies to the format, as well as the usual Content Creators Party. The Urban Individualists will be in Baltimore, April 18 to May 16, to showcase "Eclectic Urbanism, Space, Time, & Rhythm", with artists Paul Deo (www.myspace.com/pauldeo), Gary Dunn, Helen Bascom, Kraig A. Blue, Keith Duncan, and others, and with a special short video screening by Miguelangel Ruiz titled "El Vejigante-Luchador" and a music performance by Michel Lemorin and Billy Fleurima at the opening reception. An April 19 workshop in New Brunswick for producers, film/videomakers, film/video students, lawyers, as well as amateurs, tackles the general rules of law that apply to the production and distribution of motion pictures and other audio-visual productions, and the basic provisions of common contracts used in the motion picture industry.

The International Experimental Cinema Exposition gets underway April 22-25 in Vienna, by carrying out its mandate to illuminate experimental film of the highest caliber, as well as to join, recognize and serve filmmakers who are dedicated to the art and experimentation of the celluloid motion picture. The European Media Art Festival taking place in Osnabrück, April 22-26, serves as a meeting point for artists, curators, lenders, gallery owners and an audience of specialists, and offers its visitors a current overview of experimental films, installations, performances, digital formats and hybrid forms, ranging from personal and political subjects. For the third year, the Tribeca Film Festival, running April 22 to May 3, teams up with sports entertainment powerhouse ESPN to present a showcase of films as a segment of the program, but there are also premieres of family-friendly films, showcases of local young filmmakers, and an all-day Street Fair, as well as usual activity geared to the international film loving community. Right on the heels of just being named a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow will host the first ever Hinterland, a multi venue arts and music festival which will take place in and around 20 music art venues in central Glasgow with performances by established groups like post-punk band The Fall, April 30 to May 1, and will provide a free compilation album for all ticket holders.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance in film and music. Last month's video news summary showcase featured the 'Buddha Bar' video, a collaboration between musician JanVernerC (Jan Verner-Carlsson), Russian psychiatrist, Taras Popov (www.youtube.com/kotmarsik) and his client Roman Majsonov; Miraflix Productions (www.miraflix.com) 'Harlem Hostel', a Nestor Miranda comedy feature; hardcore rap powerhouse DMX (www.myspace.com/dmx) in 'Lord Give Me a Sign' These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration.

The Durango Independent Film Festival, happening in Durango, will have an array of festival events including late night parties for filmmakers and VIPs running through March 8. The annual Chicago International Movies and Music Festival brings together movies and music, showcasing films about music, movie scores and soundtracks, and other syntheses of moving images and musical performance such as the world premiere of musician Martin Atkins' directorial debut about his foray into the Chinese musical underground, '16 Days In China', during the festival's run March 5-8. Interactive discussion panels planned for the Puerto Rico Music Business Conference enable its participants to receive strategies, recommendations and true-life tales, applicable to any music genre, from experts currently shaping industry events. The Miami International Film Festival whose program is international in scope, but with a special emphasis on Ibero-American cinema, hosts over 350 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry representatives from around the world, during it's run, March 6-15. Entertainment industry career guidance group urnetworkalliance is hosting a series of power breakfast sessions on Saturdays during the month of March. At the opening session Lelia Shearer, Casting Associate of Elissa Myers Casting, currently casting a mini series for PBS, will be in attendance. Joining the sessions is possible through the group's Meetup page (www.meetup.com/urnetworkalliance/calendar/9613814/) or email to: info@urnetworkalliance.info

The Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences holds its annual Career Day Seminar on March 14, for college students interested in television as a career and for young professionals looking to advance in their profession. Certainly on the cutting edge, U.K. based group Crossover Play explores new forms of entertainment for digital media: the relationship between play and narrative, formats dependent on user contributions, mobile or location based entertainment with a broadcast component. It engages all this at the Sheffield Doc/Fest, March 15-20, and the group has presence on Facebook and Myspace as well. At Cable Congress '09 in Berlin, view tomorrow's technology and discover the latest content available at the exhibition, in addition to panels featuring top executives from Europe and the world's leading cable, technology and media companies. Then meet your peers at the exclusive Gala Dinner, Lounge Bar, buffet lunches or coffee breaks, all taking place March 18-20. The United States Institute for Theatre Technology Annual Conference & Stage Expo offers over 175 sessions featuring design, technology, costume, sound, architecture, management, engineering, and production. With over 150 exhibitors the Stage Expo provides conference attendees with the opportunity to see the newest products and services on the market today, when it runs March 18-21 in Cincinnati. Chicago Filmmakers Open Screening is back in operation, and it gets going again with a March 21 start date showing practically anything of a 20 minute duration that comes through the door, except of course, for X-rated material.

The upcoming Film/TV Production & Finance Summit taking place in Los Angeles, March 23-24, tackles current challenges attached to financing a film, television or online content in the current economy, as well as to address international co-ventures between the U.S. and Canada, how to make money through branding products with your content, online distribution, as well as, how to get the Film/TV production distributed and financed by studios. The Leadership Music Digital Summit, produced by Leadership Music, an educational 501(c)(3) focused on cultivating an educated, issue-oriented music community,  conducts the Summit, March 23-25 in Nashville to identify and explore new technology opportunities, innovations, and challenges, and to foster a knowledgeable, issue-oriented, vibrant community of music professionals. At this year's 2009 Game Developers Conference, happening March 23-27 in San Francisco, some of the party and networking functions will include: Playstation Interactive Lounge; Intel Visual Adrenaline Lounge; Game Connection Reception; IGDA Members-Only Party; ISM Charity Poker Tournament; GDC World Mixer; Booth Crawl. NXT STAGE Online & Mobile Entertainment Conference & Market, is a market conference and networking forum to discover future trends and digital content, March 24-25 in Hollywood. This years IPTV World Forum 2009 in London will continue to address the key strategic issues for telcos deploying IPTV, and will also focus on the challenges facing satellite and internet broadcasters, when it runs March 25-27. This year's South Beach International Animation Film Festival, running March 26 - April 5, offers screenings, parties and special events taking place at a variety of venues around Miami and the Beaches, along with art exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, seminars, and workshops about the newest technology and creative software. Film, Stage & Showbiz Expo will take place March 31 in New York, and will highlight some of the following areas: film festival, designer's showcase, focus groups, round table meetings for networking, movie reel showcase, original music showcase, headshot lane, live audition recording, and much more.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will again see an interesting array of performing artists from the indie sector on video, in a lineup that will be announced. The Actor's Checklist continues to build it's archive of high quality digital video. All past video uploads of the monthly news summary are now archived without the audio news narration to the Free Home Video Showcase.

Blues musicians from around the world will compete for cash, prizes, and industry recognition, performing in 18 venues along Beale Street, as The Blues Foundation presents the 25th Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, running through February 7. In Directors Close-Up: Conversations on the Art of Filmmaking, a series running through March 11 in Los Angeles, indie directors and their collaborators explore specific aspects of their craft, and allow you to ask questions, examine their work, and get a rare insight into the creative process. For nine days during the Berlinale, also known as the Berlin International Film Festival, film professionals have the opportunity to get informed about the latest productions and developments in the global film scene, for an event that has come to be known as The European Film Market, running February 5-15. The 17th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival opens this year’s festival, running February 5-16 in Los Angeles, with the acclaimed South African drama “Jerusalema” directed by Ralph Zinman, hosted by 2009 PAFF Celebrity Host Blair Underwood. Musical artist support group, MusiCares, will present the Person of the Year Tribute To Neil Diamond, February 6 in Los Angeles. The Urban Individualists (helene_ruizartist@yahoo.com), a multicultural network of collaborating individualists, presents an exhibit, "Space and Time" that contemplates the subtle and apparent aspects and perspectives of connections and disconnections of time and space, opening with a gallery reception on February 7 and continuing through February 21, in New York's East Village.

The “Guru of Rom-Com” and author of the screenwriting textbook, 'Writing the Romantic Comedy', Billy Mernit shares secrets about writing for this genre learned during his tenure in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, and his background as a writer, lyricist and script consultant, when he sits in at a February 7 Alameda Writers Group meeting in Glendale. The Writers Guild of America, hosts its annual Writers Guild Awards, February 7 in Los Angeles. Jimmy Kimmel will host the 51st Grammy Awards, February 8 in Los Angeles, which will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8-11:30 pm (ET/PT), as well as on grammy.com and cbs.com.  The NAACP Image Awards, held in Los Angeles, February 12, is the nation's premier event celebrating the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts (motion picture, television, recording, and literature), as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors. The GSMA Mobile World Congress, February 16-19 in Barcelona, combines the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry with a viable congress that brings together prominent leaders and personalities from mobile operators and equipment vendors, as well as Internet and entertainment professionals. Director John Reiss ('Bomb It') shares his experience and insights regarding self distribution, passing along his acquired wisdom about the tools and tips of how to self distribute a film and get it seen by the widest possible audience, when he speaks at a Film Independent workshop on February 17 in Los Angeles.

The Folk Alliance Music Conference conducts special events, such as the Folk Music & Business Awards, Lifetime Achievement Awards, networking receptions, official Performance Alley and private showcase performances, feature shows and more when it meets February 18-22 in Memphis. The 2009 United States Super 8 Film and Digital Video Festival encourages any genre (animation, documentary, experimental, fiction, personal, etc.), but the work must have predominantly originated on Super 8mm/8mm film or Digital video or 8mm video formats. All works will be screened by a panel of judges who will award over $4000 in prizes when the festival meets for three days, opening February 20 in New Brunswick. The 81st Academy Awards take place February 22 at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, hosted by actor Hugh Jackman, with Laurence Mark and Bill Condon producing. Participate in the Academy Awards festivities by attending one of 52 official Oscar viewing parties across the country. The Noise Pop Film Festival, February 24 through March 1 in San Francisco, focuses on films that embrace and reflect independent music and culture. Most screenings include Q&A's with the filmmakers. 2009's program includes "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison" and "Agile Mobile Hostile: A Year with Andre Williams." Noise Pop is pleased to unveil plans for Noise Pop 2009’s opening night party featuring a special live performance by Deerhunter.

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. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will again see an interesting array of performing artists from the indie sector on video, including Used Bookstore (www.myspace.com/usedbookstoredocumentary), an American mockumentary film series produced by Dogma Digital in association with Rise in Might Studios. "Hip-Hopumentary" film about the Los Angeles underground rap music movement, PrimalRap (www.primalrap.com). Australian dance music artist duo, Groove State (www.groovestate.com), performing the Get Sexy, bikini fiesta vocal mix, music video from the new Pop Glam album, distributed by Play Lab Records. The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

The same Australian acting techniques that launched the careers of Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Hugh Jackman can be sampled when the Australian Institute of Dramatic Arts offers several sessions in selected cities, including Hollywood, through January 10. Tucson Slow Food and Film Festival is an extended weekend of classic food films, culinary events and cultural discussions that combine screenings of feature films, documentaries, shorts and animation with panel discussions about the cuisines, cultures and traditions shown on the screen, along with culinary events at restaurants, all happening in Tucson, through January 11. For the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, writers selected through a year-round staff search/outreach receive feedback and help with their projects at the Park City facility from January 9-14.

The Slamdance Film Festival, running this year from January 15-23 in Park City, is best known for its annual film festival. But Slamdance will now also serve as a year-round showcase for the discovery of new and emerging musical talent, in addition to the recently formed online venture with INDIEROAD.NET, a website created by a team of veteran entertainment and business executives to address the lack of robust distribution options available to promising new talent in the independent film field. From January 15-25, Sundance Film Festival, organized by actor Robert Redford in 1981, continues its festival, held primarily in Park City, and dedicated to the support and development of emerging screenwriters and directors of vision, and to the national and international exhibition of new, independent dramatic and documentary films. The International Film Festival Rotterdam offers a quality selection of worldwide independent, innovative and experimental cinema and visual arts, and will be running this year, January 21 through February 1.

Interaction is encouraged for audience members during the run of the Children's Film Festival Seattle, to sharpen their critical eyes through workshops with professional actors, directors, writers, technicians, and producers, during the run of the festival from January 23 to February 1. Göteborg International Film Festival, opening January 23 through February 2, functions as a meeting place for the Nordic film industry and has become an integral link for new Nordic film, hosting about 200 specially invited buyers, distributors and festival representatives from all over the world. Steve Seskin and Pat Pattison will present a Hollywood Songcrafting Seminar in Los Angeles, January 24 & 25, sharing their knowledge and passion for writing songs. Honoring excellence in the field of animation, Annie Awards will be presented in the categories of animated theatrical feature, television production, television commercial, short subject and video games, and the people who have worked in these areas, January 30 in Westwood.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will again see an interesting array of performing artists from the indie sector on video. Newly introduced this month to The Actor's Checklist website is Google Friend Connect technology where visitors may now sign in with their Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account. You are encouraged to explore the entirety of the site for instances of Google Friend Connect deployment, including its use on the news page at http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. Happy New Year to all from The Actor's Checklist!

The 18th International Animated Film Festival in Bègles admits animated short and feature films, and conducts screenings in 35mm (optical sound), video BetaSP Pal or DVD formats, and foreign films if they are without dialogues, with french dialogues or subtitled in french. The festival, which is free to filmmakers to enter, runs through December 14. The inaugural Philadelphia Independent Film & Video Festival is a chance for independent and upstart filmmakers to showcase their works and talent in a small scale film festival that runs December 4-7 in Philadelphia. The Toronto Fantasy Worldwide International Film Festival brings together various fantasy, science-fiction and anime genre, running December 4-8. The festival seeks to exhibit globally produced feature, short, animation and documentary films from the genre that has provided 19 of the 20 top best selling box office hits of all time. In a special engagement set for the Bahamas International Film Festival, Laurence Fishburne will be on hand for a special tribute and presentation on Sunday, December 7. Academy Award® winner Sir Sean Connery will again be attending as Festival Patron and presenting Laurence Fishburne with the Career Achievement Award. Chris Lockhart, former executive story editor of ICM, now with the William Morris Agency will hear pitches from Alameda Writers Group members, at the December 6 session in Glendale, and will reveal what works and what doesn’t. Guests may become members at the meeting for a membership fee.

The International Film Festival Summit (IFFS) is the annual conference and trade show for professionals from the film festival industry. The Summit, which will be in Las Vegas, December 7-9, provides a platform for the community to explore ways to collaborate and promote the advancement of the film festival industry. BMI will be hosting its Annual Holiday Party with cocktails, edibles,  and live DJ. Raffle tickets will also be sold for a chance to win great items from Puma, Gibson Guitar, Silver Jeans, Solstice Sunglass Boutique, the Ellis Hotel, and more, All happening December 9 in Atlanta. The WIFV-MD Holiday Happy Hour Party, made up of professionals, students, organizations and dedicated women and men who support, envision, write, direct, participate in and produce independent films, movies, TV series, documentaries, industrials, multi-media, etc., will include a feature film screening with Q&A at their December 11 party in Timonium, with the customary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar. The December 17 iStandard Producer Showcase is a live Music Producer-Specific event that puts the aspring hitmaker in front of a panel of prominent music industry tastemakers. Record Labels send their A&R's, Artists come out looking to collaborate, and other Producers, Engineers, Publishers, Entertainment Attorneys, and more seeking the next hot producer at this New York event.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will again see an interesting array of performing artists from the indie sector on video. Newly introduced this month to The Actor's Checklist website is Google Friend Connect technology where visitors may now sign in with their Google, Yahoo, AIM or OpenID account. You are encouraged to explore the entirety of the site for instances of Google Friend Connect deployment, including its use on the news page at http://www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. Happy Holidays to all from The Actor's Checklist!

The International Student Film Festival Hollywood offers student filmmakers from all over the world a unique opportunity to gain the recognition of film industry leaders. It is a forum for student filmmakers to showcase their independent films in Hollywood, mostly by putting these students face to face with working Directors, Producers, and other industry professionals, throughout the event that runs through November 9, giving them the invaluable opportunity to promote themselves and their films. American Film Market is a well regarded industry function to which over 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, red carpet premieres, networking and parties. All 23 screens on the Santa Monica Promenade and the surrounding community become AFM screening rooms for the entire eight-day event which lasts till November 12 and eight digital and video screening rooms are added just for the AFM. Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup East, taking place in Boston, November 6-7, will focus on how you can reach and connect with youth ages 16-24 using technology, and embraces themes of content, connectivity and community.

Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, and associated festivals, is the result of the merger between Copenhagen's major film festival organisations; Copenhagen International Film Festival and NatFilm. The new organisation today house three international film festivals in the Danish capital, with certain segments taking place from November 7-18. The People-Powered Media [un]Workshop is an 'unconference' style event created to explore how community media can be used as a tool for information, organization, and action, one day only, November 8, in Austin. PAUSE is the title for a conference happening November 10-11 in New York, that examines the creative and technical approaches of industry leading studios and agencies involved in broadcast and film. Attendees of this event will receive full access to the 2 day event, which includes 14 one hour presentations, and a wrap party at Madame X in Greenwich Village. The Association of Moving Image Archivists Annual Conference, takes place this year in Savannah, November 12-15, and provides an opportunity for colleagues and those interested in the field to meet, share information and work together, in part through events like The Newcomer's Breakfast which will give Mentors and Newcomers a chance to meet and network.

The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard join forces to deliver a  two-day seminar, November 13-14 in Los Angeles, on the role of music in film and television. The seventh annual event provides a forum for the exchange of ideas among film, TV and music professionals. Also featured will be live artist performances, roundtable discussions, and networking cocktail parties. The Global Gaming Expo is a yearly event put on by the gaming industry, providing the latest secrets and ideas for everyone who comes. Anyone who runs or works professionally in the gaming industry (including Bingo hall managers) is welcome to come to this Las Vegas extravaganza happening November 18-20. The fifth annual Billboard Touring Conference and Awards is a gathering for the concert industry that will host informative panels, controversial discussions, invaluable networking opportunities, and an awards reception, the Billboard Touring Awards, which honors the concert industry's top artists and professionals based on actual data compiled through the Billboard Boxscore chart of 2007. The November 21 'Betting on Shorts' (BoSs) conference is being hosted by a London-based cultural organisation run by Ricarda Vidal, Irini Marinaki and Konstantinos Stefanis, with a focus on the dissemination of shortfilms by new international filmmakers in prominent cultural institutions, and further collaboration between cinemas and galleries in Europe and beyond.

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. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of urban a capela group from New York, but based in Germany, Naturally 7 (www.n7house.com). A platform for new urban talent, Tickles.tv (www.tickles.tv). A Junebug Presents film starring Alfred E. Rutherford, 'Pro-Black Sheep' (www.myspace.com/problacksheep). Rock Talk Records (rocktalkrecords.com), Chas Ferry Producer, with 'Hypnotic Video'. Post Media, LLC (www.luispascual.com), Luis G. Pascual, principal, presenting sports television formats from - "FUTBOL DE PRIMERA" - Argentina. The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

Billboard hosts its Regional Mexican Music Summit, through October 8 in Los Angeles, where regional artists, concert promoters, retailers, sponsors, managers as well as record label, digital/mobile entertainment, marketing, advertising and radio executives come together to network, do business and discuss current industry topics. At the EkoFilm International Film Festival on the Environment and Natural and Cultural Heritage, the aim of the festival is to present new films and video programmes that reshape our perception of the environment through natural and cultural heritage in a local or global fashion. The Festival runs in Prague, October 6-12. Kimberly Graham (www.linkedin.com/pub/7/369/695), an associate at Judy Henderson Casting, conducts a limited group casting workshop in New York, on October 7. For more details send email to: Michellel740@gmail.com. At Berlin's PopKomm, expo goers can take part in an international music and entertainment business conference, focused on creation, communication and commerce, and with more than 400 solo artists, bands and DJs playing in over 25 official locations, all happening October 8-10. Monte Carlo will host the International Emerging Talent Film Festival, October 9-12, an event run by the International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), a not-for-profit organization based in Monaco.

A Model/Actor Boot Camp with Aaron Marcus (aaron@howtomodel.com), will cover: preparing for auditions and casting calls; understand the differences between agents, managers, art/creative directors and casting directors; using special techniques for TV, film and commercial auditions/go-sees; accurately managing and understanding the business side of the industry; helping your agent by marketing yourself, and more. MIPCOM is the global content event for creating, co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment content across all platforms. This year when it is held in Cannes from October 13-17, it features a series of specialised networking breakfasts designed with the intent of creating a unique forum around some of the challenges facing the industry today. At this year's ShowEast, happening October 13-16 in Orlando, just some of the activities you can preview are major studio and independent feature films slated for Holiday 2008 release, product reels of upcoming releases, visit a comprehensive trade show of motion picture industry products, services and concession items, networking, and actually much more. The music industry operates under quite different conditions than the film industry, just as music festivals and film festivals do, and so MOFFOM was founded to build synergy between these two worlds. And so from October 16-20 in Prague, Music on Film, Film on Music will be conducted from Prague with a rich assortment of live music and film events.

The 43rd Chicago International Film Festival last year, was dedicated to distinguished film critic Roger Ebert. At this year's opening night presentation, join director Rian Johnson and actress Rachel Weisz, for 'The Brothers Bloom', and a Perspectives Tribute October 18 honoring Sidney Poitier. The Connective Series in New York educates emerging artists, musicians and music business professionals, serves as a networking opportunity and helps raise awareness and funds for charity,  and on October 21 they review "How International Bands Can Break in the US Market". From October 21-25, CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival gets underway, with most of its activities clustered within the New York University area of Greenwich Village, day and night. The Florida Media Market (www.floridamediamarket.com), October 23-26 in Miami Beach, is a non-profit membership-based organization whose goal is to build a platform where independent film and media makers meet with international buyers, distributors and production companies to buy, sell and network. SMPTE 2008, the annual event for technology, production and operations in the motion imaging industry attended by professionals in the motion picture studios, broadcast and cable networks, production and post-production community and related industries, gets underway October 28 for three days in Hollywood.

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. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of Black-Smith Enterprises' (www.black-smithenterprises.com) recent release of new feature, 'Till Death...'  Surreal indie short by Marco Sanchez, 'Emily in Nightmare Land' (www.myspace.com/mjsfilms). Community generated zombie documentary, 'Lost Zombies' (www.lostzombies.com). Horror genre short, 'Creepers' (www.myspace.com/beparanoid), making the festival circuit, and slated for screenings in The Terror Film Festival, October 23, and The Severed Head Horror Film Festival, October 31. The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

IMFF Cinedays M, taking place in Skopje through September 7, celebrates the past, present and future of the music and film. The Festival's focus is on music-related content, including feature films, documentaries and short films submissions that have an emphasis on music - rock, jazz, blues, soul, reggae, punk, pop, reggae .... old and new. River View Players (et34888@aol.com) based in Harlem open a new performance series on September that will present readings of plays (featuring DuEwa Frazier, Lit Noire Publishing), short stories, poetry, music and films every Sunday from 4 to 6 in the back room of Cafe Largo. Free food tastings will be offered from the Cafe on this occasion, and the event is free and open to the public.  indieWIRE presents filmmaker Alan Ball and actress Summer Bishil in a discussion of their new film, 'Towelhead,' at the Apple Store, SoHo, September 8. "The Down-Low on Distribution" is a seminar on September 10 in Los Angeles attempting to decode the different distribution deals so that you can get the best rights in your agreement. New York Television Festival which has featured acclaimed independent pilots that were purchased by networks such as NBC Universal, A&E, and the like, will feature an "Industry Day" session in which industry leaders participate in a number of panel discussions, when it runs September 12-17.

At this year's Boston Film Festival a program of shorts, documentaries and feature films premieres during the festival's run from September 12-19,  and  evening  receptions are hosted by regarded chefs and restaurateurs providing the ideal scene for filmmakers and talent to network as well as sponsors to entertain. The IBC 2008 Conference and Exhibition, September 12-28 in Amsterdam, addresses personalised content over the web; future broadcast businesses and the changing audience; the “digital dividend” and the battle for bandwidth; production and protection of all types of content, and other areas. At "Fund Your Film Workshop With Stu Pollard," key elements of an independent film business plan, including structure, layout and research and a primer on private equity financing for truly independent projects, will be reviewed when the one-day session meets September 13 in Dallas. Independent Film Week, formerly know as the IFP Market, is still a gathering for industry professionals where pitch meetings search for new talent, and cash, product donations and services are awarded to participants. The Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival's social calendar starts with Opening Night Festivities on September 17, followed by daily and nightly filmmaker/musician receptions, industry workshops, a Lifetime and Career Achievement Awards Black Tie Gala, a Sunday morning Hot Air Balloon Ride, a Closing Night Wrap party (September 21) and Best of Fest special screening presentations and more. The NBC Universal Women Writers Workshop, September 18-25 in Toronto, will target intermediate women screenwriters who have a treatment or first draft, and will work toward the development of their next draft of a feature script. It will focus on script development and building on concepts introduced in the Feature Film Writing Program emerging module.

Screenwriting and the Business of Hollywood, will be conducted September 19 and 20 from Rock Island, by Act One Seminars, intensive, practical workshops for aspiring and professional writers and entrepreneurs who are serious about their Christian faith and who dream of creating culture that respects and enriches a global audience. SWAMP and TALA present the Business of Film Conference 2008, a September 20 event at Rice University Media Center focusing on the business of making movies with professionals from the film, legal and financial worlds that address a wide range of topics, including budgeting for film, funding resources, music rights, distribution and more. The Film, Stage and Showbiz Expo will allow participants to showcase their film/video/movie reel for Producers and Production Companies at a private screening area all day at the Expo, and Telsey + Company will conduct an open talent search for some of the hit Broadway shows they represent at the one-day event, September 21, in New York. In Gene Autry, Oklahoma, the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum celebrates the legacy of the singing cowboys with its Film & Music Festival. It's a gathering of cowboy and country singers, cowboy poets and storytellers, Western film stars and look-alikes, and it happens from September 24-28. The 17-day New York Film Festival gets underway September 26 in New York, with its program of emerging and international filmmakers. Black Entertainment Magazine in conjunction with Talents Connection, reachable at TalentsConnectionCasting@yahoo.com, hosts the September 27 Business, Arts & Entertainment Conference in Los Angeles, with slated workshop sessions on "Surviving Hollywood," and "Getting your children in commercials," and a premiere screening of soon to be released BEM film 'True Riches'.

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. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Bit Torrent, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of 'True Riches' a collaborative production of Talents Connection (www.talentsconnection.com) and BEM Films, slated for a premiere screening at the Business, Arts & Entertainment Conference, September 27 at LA Convention Center. Strange comedy from The Pimps Horror House™ TV show Cleveland (www.ilovehorror.com). The creative duo of H.G. Robert and Wayland Anderson, that form DANCEWORDZ (www.myspace.com/dancewordz), a production company that writes, choreographs and stages shows for professional companies and art programs. The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

BMI will sponsor the Amplify Music Conference and Festival taking place in Downtown Las Vegas, through August 8. The agenda includes daily conferences, workshops, nightly showcases and more. HBO will be present at the Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival, August 6-9 in Vineyard Haven, hosting the HBO Short Film Competition on August 9 at Katherine Cornell Theatre. Process is an international Hip Hop Theatre workshop festival, August 7-9 in Manchester, delivered by Breaking Cycles as a tool to preserve the language of Hip Hop Theatre within the British culture and as a provision to nurture and develop the talents of emerging young artists.The film festival will exhibit films inspired by and representative of global Hip Hop culture.

Indie Fest USA Expo and International Film Festival, August 8-15 in Anaheim, combines eight days of independent films, live music artists, celebrities, the opening night welcome party and closing night awards show. Village 8 Theatres in Louisville hosts the August 15 premiere of 'Last Breath', a horror and gore genre flick about a canabalistic killer on the loose, preying on young women, and the close-knit band of police detectives on his trail. Tejano Music Convention, August 15-17 in Dallas, seeks to increase and enhance the Tejano or Tex-Mex music genre, and to showcase new artists and assist in the development of the next generation of Tejano artists and fans. An example of one featured event used to reach these goals is the Tejano Mega Dance which will happen at the Dallas Convention Center. Flashforward2008 San Francisco, August 20-22, includes the international Flashforward Film Festival and Awards ceremony and a Flash-related industry Expo Hall and community center with opportunities for the entire Flash community to network and share knowledge. The Flashforward Conference party happens at Ruby Skye.

London Frightfest is held each August Bank holiday weekend. Over 75% of the films shown have been UK, European or world premieres of the latest must see fantasy, sci-fi and horror films. NVISION will gather visual computing professionals, world-class gamers, innovative artists and designers, and cutting-edge researchers to share their ideas, experiences, and passions, August 25-27 in San Jose. It will also be held in conjunction with the Fifth Annual iGames Expo. Telluride Film Festival sticking to its annual custom opens during the Labor Day weekend, August 29 to September 2, in the mountain village of Telluride. Los Angeles Film Acting Coach, Molli Benson, will be holding a free two day Film Actors Workshop, August 30-31 in Albuquerque. For more details contact mollibenson@aol.com.

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 actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Bit Torrent, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of 'Last Breath' from C&T Productions (www.myspace.com/tracyandchase), a murder mystery about a cannibalistic serial killer called the "Southside Slasher" has an August 15 premiere at Village 8 Theatres (502-897-1870), 4014 Dutchmans Lane, Louisville, Kentucky. A Spoilt Video Production release of a Mirko Virgili film, 'Ganja Fiction' (www.ganjafiction.com) an Italian short film, in the pulp style genre, starring Claudio Caminito Attore, in which the lives of the characters intertwine behind a single common denominator -- marijuana. Modern electronica experimentalism band Phoenix Block (www.phoenixblock.com), available through iTunes music store. Comedy portrayals of Kim Waldauer, and Robert Christophe, from their Cube News 1 (www.cubenews1.com) series, and Adventures of Cubegirl, that follows Kim, a cubicle worker by day and superhero when needed, rescuing employees from corporate abuse The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

At this year's AnimeExpo 2008, running through July 6 in Los Angeles, Anime Expo® has teamed with Bang Zoom!® Entertainment to offer free voice acting workshops that will give participants a taste of voice acting with insiders’ tips, general discussions and chances to dub with a professional audio engineer. The free summer film fest in St. Louis, Cinemania, shown outdoors on a grassy lot, starts up July 5 running through July 26, and features musicals like festival opener, An American in Paris, that have garnered 19 Oscars among them. CinemadaMare Film Festival travels across the five main regions of the south of Italy with about 150 filmmakers in tow traveling on the festival bus. At each stop which lasts a week the participants, who can be not just filmmakers but actors, set and costume designer, make-up artists, screenwriters and all cinema lovers, have the possibility of both shooting and screening movies and attend seminars. The Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York, July 8-12, is geared towards the marketing of Spanish-language alternative music. On July 9 will be LAMC Music & Film Night at Central Park Summerstage. ASCAP offers a "one-of-a-kind" experience for aspiring film and television composers during the 2008 ASCAP Television & Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis in Los Angeles, July 8 to August 1, whereby 12 selected participants will have an opportunity to record their original composition with an "A list" of Hollywood professionals.

The 16th International Animation Festival, Anima Mundi 2008, will take place in Rio de Janeiro from July 11- 20, and in São Paulo from July 23-27. It will present Competition Screenings, Special Programs, Retrospectives, International Guests and professional workshops. The 2008 Ypulse National Mashup Conference that brings together youth media and marketing professionals from brands, agencies and the non-profit sector to share best practices for reaching today's totally wired youth, is set to run July 14-15 this year in San Francisco. The Connective Panel Series presents "What You Need To Know To Succeed In The Music Business", July 20 in Decatur, a series that serves to educate indie musicians on the music business, serve as a networking opportunity, and to raise awareness and funds for the Artist Against Hunger & Poverty Program of WHY (World Hunger Year), and music related charities. Expo Comm Wireless Japan, specialized in Wireless and Mobile networks, Personal Area Networks, Internet ITS, home networks, and other wireless technologies for Japan's advanced mobile society, will be held in Tokyo, July 22-24. This year's BritDoc Festival 08 in Oxford, July 23-25, features an International Pitching Forum, featuring a panel of Commissioning Editors and film funders, from the US, Europe and the Far East, poised to invest in ambitious British feature length Documentary.

Casual Games Association hosts this year's Casual Connect Seattle, July 23-25, and is focused on the casual games industry for the general public and families, casual games are non-violent video games that are fun and easy to learn and play. At this year's Action On Film International Film Festival - known to be a producer friendly festival - Xristos Productions and Sony Creative Software are offering a new 'Guerilla Filmmaker Award' that includes a complete Sony Vegas Editing System and Cinescore Composer Package, during festival events running July 25-31 in Old Pasadena. Yale School of Management is the setting for Business Perspectives for Creative Leaders, July 27 to August 1 in New Haven, at which creative leaders in tandem with Yale's top business experts discover opportunities within the forces transforming the business social environments. The 2008 San Diego International Children's Film Festival opens on Kids Day at Comic-Con International, july 27 to August 10, at the San Diego Convention Center, presented by Comic-Con International. The festival showcases films from around the world made for children and teens, including live-action, animation and documentaries. The Third Annual Diversity Fellowship Program @ LATV Fest, taking place July 30 to August 1 in Hollywood, is a NATPE Diversity Fellowship Program now in its third year to provide a small group of emerging television and video content creators of color with the next step in their career development.

In a special request for support from the indie filmmaking and film loving community, creators of 'The Plague: Writers & Director's Cut' (http://www.actorschecklist.com/video/video_13.html), a socially relevant horror movie dealing with the subject of kids, violence and fear, are seeking public support to have their version of the film released at Sony Pictures Entertainment which published their version to DVD under the title Clive Barker's The Plague. The effort led by Director/Writer Hal Masonberg has a petition up at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/plague/signatures.html as well as names and email address of relevant Sony Pictures executives to contact on behalf of this effort at: http://www.spreadingtheplague.com/sony.html.

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 www.actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Bit Torrent, as well as on The Actor's Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video now serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of A Natalie Paige Bentley Film, 'City of Motherly Love' (www.comlmovie.com) the story of a mother's spiral into anger and self-destruction after the shooting death of her son. Multi-media, make-up artist, performance artist Damon Zex (www.Zexart.com), deriving much of his creative expressionism from German Expressionism and Surrealism. Dance music record company from Australia, Play Lab Records (www.playlabrecords.com), featuring new single release, 'Disco, Disco'. Kentucky born Country music recording artist on Aria records, Stephen Cochran (www.stephencochran.com). 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

Join fellow activists, media makers, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens in calling for real and lasting changes to the nation''s media system at the National Conference for Media Reform, June 6-8 in Minneapolis. Bill Moyers will deliver the keynote address. On June 7, the Alameda Writers Group in Glendale interviews humorous author, screenwriter, and producer Eric Garcia, best known for his novels, Anonymous Rex, Casual Rex, Hot & Sweaty Rex, Matchstick Men, and Cassandra French's Finishing School for Boys. Eric Garcia's Matchstick Men which was made into a 2003 film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Nicolas Cage. The annual Webby Award Competition, open to all organizations and individuals involved in designing, building, managing, maintaining, marketing or promoting Web sites for business, consumer of general audiences, takes place this year in New York, June 8-10. BANFF World Television Festival 2008 combining an international program competition, the Banff World Television Awards, with a comprehensive conference agenda, will be conducted June 8-11 from its always scenic location of Banff in the Canadian rockies.

This year, the Music 2.0 Summit has been combined with the Sixth Annual Digital Media Summit, in New York on June 9, to create one conference designed to put you at the center of the oncoming battles over digital content. The annual Maui Film Festival, kicks off June 11-15 in Wallea, Maui, and among the venues for screenings, Celestial Cinema has seating on the grass. This year's North By Northeast Music and Film Festival covers three nights of performances, with about 400 showcasing bands performing at over 25 live music venues in downtown Toronto, from June 12-15. The NXNE Film Festival offers a unique program of music related feature films, documentaries and shorts. In the beachside resort village of Saugatuck, the Waterfront festival showcases many award-winning and critically acclaimed films. This year, June 12-15, they add a NewMedia Television Festival as a sidebar of the 10th annual Waterfront Film Festival, providing a platform for independent producers, directors, writers, and actors to share their pilots that could be aired via network and cable television, webmedia and other future forms of broadcast. Human Rights Watch's International Film Festival, a venue for fiction, documentary and animated films and videos with a human rights theme, showcasing the heroic stories of activists and survivors from all over the world, has a June 13 launch date at New York's Lincoln Center.

At Beyond Broadcast Conference 08, on June 17 in Washington, DC, the panelists examine the role of media in informing and mobilizing publics, and the rise of both citizen and data-driven news. The Los Angeles Film Festival / LA Film Festival Submissions Orientation, conceived  as a platform for launching a film, will include the free annual Diversity EXPO that offers filmmakers access to more than 40 film companies and media arts organizations, during its run from June 19-29. Cinema Expo International 2008, in Amsterdam, June 23-26, guides its participants to competing in the European movie theater industry by displaying products and services, previewing upcoming cinema releases for the European market, and revealing what the movie studios and distributors have lined up, as well as many other activities. "Music in Films" held June 23 in Santa Monica, seeks to give its attendants an explanation of music rights, ownership vs. licensing issues, and even nuts and bolts on how a movie soundtrack  is put together. Intro to Studio Production will cover basic use of all television studio equipment, including camera operations, lighting theory, color, and audio mixing, as well as control-room equipment and more, in a session conducted by Denver Open Media, on June 28. In addition to free open air screenings parties and concerts, The Brussels European Film Festival is hosting Film Workshop 2008 to give fledgling directors an opportunity to make a film with professionals during that week of the festival, which runs June 28 to July 6.

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. 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 video blog & podcast directory, a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of Indie mystery feature, The Collective (www.myspace.com/collectivemovie), entered in the Brooklyn International Film Festival, has a screening date at Brooklyn Lyceum Theater. Experimental rock, electronica , drum band, Sandbox (www.myspace.com/sandbox2008) -- "Everything Starts In The Sandbox."  Comedic video entertainment from ACTORSandCREW (www.actorsandcrew.com), a networking and employment service for entertainment professionals in all categories. coldwave, industrial and hard rock band Mankind Is Obsolete (MKIO) with tracks from new album "Trapped Inside". The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

Digital Hollywood Spring '08 celebrates new talent in the "New Social Digital Media Landscape," when it meets May 5-8 in Hollywood, holding events like the VIP opening day dinner hosted by Tim Chang, featuring  Damon Wayans, Tyrese Gibson, and Chuck D, and a poolside reception hosted by Microsoft Media Center. A new award takes shape as Deutsche Telekom and fmx 08 join forces to honor new concepts, cutting edge developments and forward thinkers, shaping the future of digital entertainment, through the "fmx 08 - Deutsche Telekom Digital Entertainment Awards" to be presented May 5-8 at the 13th International Conference on Animation, Effects, Games, and Digital Media in Stuttgart. Delray Beach Film Festival makes its third annual start from May 6-11, offering independent short and feature-length films, such as Stella Oliveros'  biographic retelling of events in her life in Pretty In Red (May 9 at 4 pm), and documentaries, panels and workshops, concerts, screenwriter and filmmaker contests, actors, and parties, all taking place in the Delray Beach village set by the sea. The Blues Foundation presents its 29th Blues Music Awards May 8 in Tunica. The event brings together blues performers, industry representatives and fans from all over the world to celebrate the best in blues recordings and performances from the previous year. The Global Sound Conference, May 9-12 in Marina del Rey, brings together a lineup of doctors, scientists, musicians, and media visionaries from the music, film and television industries, pioneers in the areas of Music Therapy and Ethnomusicology, all exploring the ways that sound affects our lives, and to address how this knowledge can create harmony in our world.

Pangea Day plans to use the power of film to bring the world a little closer together. Starting at 18:00 GMT on May 10, locations in Cairo, Kigall, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked for a live program of films, live music, and speakers, to be broadcast in seven languages worldwide through the Internet, television, and mobile phones. One way to locate a Pangea Day event in your area is checking a Google map specially set up for this occasion. The Indie Film Jam once again screens selected films in the heart of Downtown Orlando during the Florida Music Festival 2008 weekend, May 14-17, offering independent filmmakers networking opportunities as well as industry panels designed for educating, enlightening and gaining insight into the world of filmmaking. It's well known that the Cannes Film Festival, founded in 1939, is one of the world's oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals held annually in the resort town of Cannes - this year from May 14-25- in the south of France. Fairly new to the format, the Cannes Short Film Corner, presents films from all over the world, which, for the most part have not yet been released, such as Parisian director Vince Bosco, and the world premier screening his latest film, LYA (www.myspace.com/lyalefilm). Meeting in New York, May 16-18, the sixth annual Broadway Sound Master Classes (BSMC) provides attendees with an in-depth exploration of the current trends in Broadway theatre sound design and reinforcement -- from the artistic process to new technology. Sound designer Abe Jacob leads a faculty of sound professionals covering topics such as theatrical sound design, optimization and reinforcement, working with digital audio consoles, and more. Quite closely related to the BSMC, the 2008 NYU/ASCAP Foundation Film Scoring Workshop in Memory of Buddy Baker, happens in an adjacent venue, May 16-23.

During the Fifteenth Annual Hollywood Filmmaker Conference, Power Pitchfest is a major component to the conference, that will happen in Los Angeles, where you have an opportunity to sell your script or book to buyers; and/or submit your script or short to agents and managers in attendance. Reba McEntire returns to host the 43rd annual Academy of Country Music Awards that will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on May 18. The organization of theater critics, writers and editors honors excellence in all areas of New York theatre, including Broadway, Off Broadway, Off Off Broadway and not-for-profit theater, with the annual Drama Desk Awards, happening on May 18 in New York. Content owners, viral video creators, online marketers, enterprise corporations, broadcast professionals, ad agencies, educators and others are expected to attend Streaming Media East, May 20-21 in New York, to see and hear the latest online video technology, as well as, to discuss the business models that are coming of age. Actress Charlize Theron, director Stuart Townsend, and other special guests are expected to attend Seattle International Film Festival's opening night with the premiere of "Battle in Seattle," a dramatization of the events when Seattle was host to the WTO conference, putting the SIFF into gear for a May 22 opening, continuing to June 15. The 12th Annual Durango Songwriters Expo, co-sponsored by BMI, is a blend of music business seminars and workshops, song listening/critique sessions, live songwriter showcases, and a live hit-writer concert to close the event. It's also notoriously known to limit its registration to 200 attendees, seeking to amplify its importance as a vigorous networking and relationship-building opportunity.

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. 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 video blog & podcast directory a great place to get your iPhone, ipod or Apple TV download from. The Free Home Video Showcase serves as an archive for all past video presentations. This month on video you will see trailers and sample clips of Ghanian hip hop recording artist, mixing reggae and rap, Akwabazi Filanzy (www.myspace.com/akwabazi). Parisian based actor, filmmaker and musician who will be featured in the Cannes Short Film Corner, Vince Bosco (www.myspace.com/vincebosco), with the world premiere of LYA. Winner for the Best Foreign Film in the Miami Underground Film Festival, 'Marta's Sex Tape,' from director Anthony Rivero Stabley. The Actor's Checklist now lets you check the latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis.

Professional television and stage actor Michael Kostroff (dark and unscrupulous gang lawyer, Maury Levy in HBO's "The Wire," and other appearances to his credit in "Studio 60," "The Closer," "Without a Trace," etc.), and the author of the book, "Letters from Backstage" (www.myspace.com/lettersfrombackstage) conducts "Audition Psych 101" (AuditionPsych101@aol.com)  an audition workshop, one night only on April 3, in Hollywood. Author, screen, television writer, and executive consultant on HBO's "Rome" series, Josh Conviser, will discuss writing for film, television, and literature at the Alameda Writers Group monthly meeting set or April 5 in Glendale. The Film/TV Production and Finance Summit is set to meet April 10-11 in Los Angeles, and its organizers say it is for anyone involved in filmmaking, finance, production, or investing in a motion picture or television production, particularly if you need to understand the complexities of a Film/TV finance transaction, the distribution process, and the important steps to get your production in front of the key players in the industry. The organization sometimes known as the film industry's version of the United Nations, the Association of Film Commissioners International holds its 22nd annual AFCI Locations Trade Show with more than 180 film commissioners from around the world and some 100 production resource companies that will exhibit, in Santa Monica, April 10-12.

BEM Film's current film project "True Riches", now in pre-production, is hosting a 70's era Jam Party to support filming. The production, a current day adaptation of the Book of Job, is also considering music submissions for the score and soundtrack of the film in the categories of R&B Neo Soul, Contemporary Gospel, and Smooth Jazz. Contact Talent Connection (talentsconnection@yahoo.com) for more information. The Big Break Hollywood Conference and Expo, taking place in Atlanta, from April 11-13, will award its audition finalist with a one year contract for a Hollywood talent agency; one year contract with a Hollywood management agency; and a one year contract with a commercial agency. At the Broadband TV World segment of this year's NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 11-17, learn how web video is dramatically changing the distribution channels for video and creating new challenges for branded media and traditional broadcast content. The annual IFFS Europe gathering of the European film festival community provides a platform for the community to explore ways to collaborate and promote the advancement of the film festival industry. This year's event is conducted from Central London, April 15-16. The theme for Signal & Noise 2008, happening April 17-19 in Vancouver, is "Media Intercourse." The Festival host VIVO is a not for profit media production, exhibition and distribution centre, operated by and for artists and media/community activists with ongoing public exhibitions of video, new media programs and Video Out's International Distribution network. When the Bare Bones International Film Festival and Movie-Biz Conference gets underway in Muskogee, its purpose is to provide a platform from which to showcase low-budget (less than one million dollars) independent movies whose focus is championing the Bare Bones Auteur. An opening night reception is on April 17, and an Awards Gala after-party closes festivities on April 27.

This year's Tribeca Film Festival runs April 23 to May 4 in New York's Tribeca district. The Tribeca Talks session returns with more must-see one-on-one conversations, a concert film from a music legend, a filmmaker master class, and Tribeca Talks Industry, a brand new series that explores the business of entertainment. The Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival has announced the launch of Merge Miami, a two-day conference and networking event opening April 26 on queer film and media that is sponsored and funded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, presenters of the annual Oscar awards. Merge Miami, to be held across the opening weekend of the 10th Annual Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, will provide a platform where seasoned film industry veterans lend their knowledge and expertise to aide those commencing their transition into motion pictures, while international industry tastemakers have the opportunity to come together and interact with the pioneering filmmakers and industry talent. The MUSEXPO 2008 conference opens April 27 in West Hollywood with a video documentary on "How to Fix The Music Business" and is followed by a wine tasting and cocktail reception on the rooftop of The Hyatt West Hollywood. A Film/TV & Videogames (Art & Commerce through visual media) forum will be conducted April 30, and the MUSEEXPO cocktail reception and awards ceremony featuring live performances at House of Blues, is in the evening. Artist showcases happen throughout at The House of Blues Main Music Hall.

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 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 Metal rock band hailing from London, Die So Fluid (www.diesofluid.net), with their latest single release from their album 'Not Everybody Gets A Happy Ending,' on Renaissance Records, via Koch Entertainment Distribution USA. The band will be in Phoenix, Arizona shooting a new video during the last week of April 2008. Indie film short "Switch" (www.myspace.com/switchmovie), a story about the romantic entanglements among a group of friends, based on the book of the same name and screenplay by Annette Johnson of AllWrite Publishing (www.e-allwrite.com) in Atlanta. Egami Vivid Production Studios (www. egamivivid.com) of Los Angeles and Toronto, with short film project "Rice Counter, Ice Sleeper," a stylized story of romance, passion, temptation and self control, and other works of Director J. Wesley Bassard. 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

Now in its 26th year, Canadian Music Week, March 5-8, is a conference focusing on the business of music and spans four nights of performances, with over 500 showcasing bands at over 40 live music venues in downtown Toronto. International Festival of Films on Art encourages the film industry, both nationally and internationally, to increase its annual production of films on art. To this end, it strives to develop international markets by inviting both Canadian and foreign filmmakers, professionals and artists to participate in exchanges and networking forums at this year's festival in Montreal, from March 6-16. 'Earth Vision - The Tokyo Global Environmental Film Festival', from March 7-9, has been held annually in Tokyo as a visual forum to examine the environment through moving images. This year's South by Southwest (SxSW) Film Festival and SXSWClick Shorts Fest, runs March 7-16 in Austin. Among the many festival highlights, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Van Morrison will play SXSW on Mar 12 at La Zona Rosa, and the ScreenBurn Arcade, an open platform of exhibitors and game tournaments, is free to the public and connects consumers, independents, developers, and soon to be masters of the game world. The 23rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be held in New York, March 10, and the 2008 Inductees are: Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five, Madonna, John Mellencamp, and The Venturers, Little Walter, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The annual ShoWest Convention, happening March 10-13 in Las Vegas, is focused on the needs of the cinema exhibition and distribution community who need to know about the latest products and services, the newest technologies, industry happenings and upcoming films. The Center for Asian America Media presents the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF) every March, and this year's festival, which usually fields 130 works for new Asian American and Asian films, opens March 13-23.  Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional materials and programs, and emerging technologies. The awards ceremony is in Arlington, March 14. Meet with the people behind the documentary "Meeting Resistance" to discuss the role of a documentary maker in providing unheard narratives and under-reported information that catalyzes political and social action, in a workshop taking place March 15 in Seattle. The Nashville Songwriters Association will host a March 16 workshop in New York with songwriters Pat and Pete Luboff, as they conduct an audience participation workshop in which the Luboffs will lead the entire group in a collaboration on a new song. At the White Sands Film Festival running March 16-22, film professionals and the interested public have the opportunity to gain industry knowledge through workshops and seminars and interaction within a festival environment. The Festival also offers all attendees the opportunity to visit the beautiful country, facilities and pursuits that Alamogordo and Southern New Mexico has to offer.

The USITT Annual Conference & Stage Expo in Houston, March 19-22, is a focal point for performing arts and entertainment professionals, with over 175 sessions featuring design, technology, costume, sound, architecture, management, engineering, and production while showcasing businesses, products, services, and educational opportunities in the performing arts and entertainment industry. The Urban Network Entertainment Marketing Summit takes place in Newport Beach, March 26-29, with an agenda that will include panel discussions, a platform for artists and labels to showcase their music, a 20th anniversary gala celebration, a salute to select high profile dignitaries, entertainment-technology product exhibits, and much more. The three-day Arizona Black Film Showcase 2008 opening March 27 in Phoenix, is comprised of informative workshops, short and feature Film Screenings, and a Vendor and Resource Fair. This year, teens can explore their love for film and role in making Film a future career through the AZBFS Urban Youth Film Boot Camp. The 10th Annual Method Fest Independent Film Festival, which puts its focus on acting within the array of American and international feature films and short films offered on the festival program, is set to launch March 27 to April 3 in Woodland Hills. The Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Films, running March 27 to April 8, includes more than 150 films in the fields of Fantasy, Thriller, Science-fiction, Horror, Cult, and Underground, of which 80 are long features as a first screening, about 50 films in retrospectives, and rounding out with some 30 short films. The New York Underground Film Festival is set to run March 28 to April 3, with a mandate to "push boundaries and break new ground -- that challenge, entertain and provoke".

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. 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 video blog 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 Carlton Films' "The Backup Man" (www.myspace.com/thebackupman / www.carltonfilms.com) a comedy about two bumbling small town cops who go up against a big-time Colombia hit-man. A new romantic comedy from director Stella Oliveros, "Pretty In Red" (www.myspace.com/babystar444 / www.prettyinredmovie.com). Electro-pop duo from Antarctica, Oslo Swan, formerly known as Mellow Pop (www.mellowpop.com / www.myspace.com/mellowpop) 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

The Orlando Entertainment and Events Association is holding it's first of monthly parties on October 6 where you can make friends with agents, managers, radio personalities, talent company principals, performers, meeting planners, and more. One Mic Night (www.myspace.com/onemicnite) continues its open mic showcases accommodating performing artists of all types, every Monday night in New York's East Village following the featured act. 'Making Your Media Matter' is a Washington D.C. conference from February 7-8 for established and aspiring filmmakers, non-profit communications leaders, funders and students looking to learn and share cutting-edge practices for creating media that matters. During the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, running February 7-17, the Berlinale Talent Campus takes place parallel to the Berlinale and works as an intensive week-long academy for talented people from around the world involved in all areas of filmmaking. Additionally, the European Film Market (EFM) runs for 9 days during the Berlinale. Seventeen-time GRAMMY-winning recording artist Aretha Franklin will be honored as the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year, February 8 in Los Angeles. The red carpet affair benefits the Musicares fund and is two days prior to the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will take place in Los Angeles and broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8-11:30 pm (ET/PT). The show also will be broadcast on radio via Westwood One worldwide and XM Satellite Radio, and covered online at GRAMMY.com. The show honors musical achievement of the 2007 recording year in which recordings were released between October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007. Billboard and Hollywood Reporter will host "Mobile Backstage", February 13, as a break-out session at the GSMA Mobile World Congress, running February 11-14 in Barcelona. The Millenium Music Conference (MMC12) showcases new music with four nights of showcase performances by 300 original acts and artists at 30 venues in and around Harrisburg, February 15-18, in addition to business keynotes, panels, clinics, workshops, mentoring and demo listening sessions and a trade show. The National Association for Campus Activities hosts their NACA National Convention -- "Show Me," designed to give colleges and universities around the country the chance to meet one-on-one with artists, performers and agents, and view live performance showcases at the annual convention, running February 16-20 in St. Louis. Academy Award winning filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, has been selected by the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors (ACE) to be honored with the organization’s prestigious ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award at a ceremony in Beverly HIlls, February 17. Fusion 2008 in Vancouver, February 20-21, dedicated to digital media - video games, online communities, digital entertainment, multi-platform animation, film and music properties, mobile content and eLearning - will showcase early and growth stage companies that are original content/intellectual property ventures or developing platform, and enabling tools to deliver digital media content.

The San Francisco International Children's Film Festival showcases films from around the world made for children, plus animation workshops they can take part in, when it runs from February 22 to March 2. Each year the Motion Picture Sound Editors presents the MPSE Golden Reel Awards to acknowledge the year's best work in the various areas of sound editing: Dialogue and ADR, Effects and Foley and Music. This year's presentation is in Los Angeles on February 23 in which Michael Bay will receive the 2008 MPSE Filmmaker's Award. This year's Film Independent Spirit Awards are being held under a tent in beachfront Santa Monica. To be eligible, films must be at least 70 minutes long, and have either played one week in a commercial theater in 2007, or have been shown at one of the designated six film festivals. The 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will be televised live from Los Angeles by the ABC TV network on February 24. Jon Stewart is scheduled to host the Oscar Night awards --  his second time. Join BMI's Myles Lewis and over 40 music industry pros and songwriters for a networking experience, with workshops, listening sessions, panels, showcases, and open mics, that is customarily limited to 200 attendees -- the Fifth Annual Durango Songwriters Expo happening  February 28 to March 1 in Buellton. The International Family Film Festival (IFFF) promotes and encourages the creation and sharing of family films and screenplays through seminars, networking and film camps for kids, when it opens February 28 running through March 3 in Hollywood.

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. 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 Shaolin Boogaloo! (www.myspace.com/sweetzombiejesusfilms / www.kallixti.net) a.k.a. "The artist formerly known as Sweet Zombie Jesus!" with a remix of "Superego Exchange - Doctor Hu's Signal Loss Mix"; "CODEX ATANICUS", "FAQ", "PROXIMA", a video collection from Spanish director Carlos Atanes (www.myspace.com/codex_atanicus / www.carlosatanes.com), reflecting a body of work from the sci-fi and horror genre. 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

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

In Beverly Hills on December 4, TelevisionWeek's Annual Syndication Roundtable features top executives from the syndication marketplace in an important panel discussion on the state of the business. Special guests are Dr. Phil McGraw and his son, Jay, executive producers of "The Doctors". Digital Video Expo West and DV Film Fest runs from December 4-6 in Los Angeles, and offers a line-up of educational forums, including Apple and Avid certification training, sessions covering digital video technology from A to Z, and specialized tracks featuring industry hot topics. Venture Summit West is a two-day gathering that highlights the significant economic, political and technology trends impacting the global growth investor, all happening in Half Moon Bay. The Summit gets underway with a Pre-Event Party in The Observatory on December 5. The Barbados Film Market - Film Finance Conference is organized by the Barbados International Film Festival (BIFF), with goals to set and maintain the lead as a major showcase for the exhibition of Latin America, Caribbean and Worldwide independent cinema.

The Department of Media Studies and Film of the New School in New York presents the 11th annual graduate student showcase this December 7. "Mixed Messages", an evening of student works selected by a panel of jurors, and emphasizing the Media Studies program's commitment to theory and practice encompassing all types of media. Reception follows. Boyle Heights Latina Independent Film Extravaganza is a Los Angeles event from December 7-9, featuring the creative work of Latina film directors from all across the country showing their creative work in front and behind the lens. Web Video Summit 2007 happening in New York, December 10-11, brings together the new pioneers of an expanding industry, discussing and demonstrating what you need to know about producing Internet video. David Poltrack of CBS Television and Garrick Utley of The Levin Institute preside over "FutureThink: The Media & Entertainment Industry 2008 and Beyond," taking place in New York on December 11. Women In Film and Television hold their Sixth Annual Jingle Mingle, with holiday networking and fun for Central Florida's media and entertainment professionals, December 12 in Maitland.

The Actors' Fund of America presents a December 13 gala benefit auction in New York, "Defining Elegance," showcasing glamorous evening gowns designed by award-winning costume designers using  Brunschwig & Fis fabrics, all to benefit The Actors Fund. The International Press Academy puts on their annual event, the 12th Annual Satellite Awards, December 16 in Beverly Hills, and Academy Award winning actress Kathy Bates will be recognized for her 35-year career in entertainment with the Mary Pickford Award. Aspen Film Academy Award Screenings offers a sneak peek at some of the films everyone will be talking about come the Academy Awards® when it runs December 21 through January 2 in Aspen. At a New Year's Eve Holiday Bash in Port St. Lucie, aside from traditional holiday party festivities of champagne, hors'dourves, and party hats, there will be an announcement of filmmakers chosen to be a part of the Treasure Coast International Film Festival opening February 1-3 in 2008. 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 Lando Van Herzog: Music and Muscle... The Voice and The Violin, making his return appearance to our video report with the Cologne Cathedral Boys' Choir (www.lando-van-herzog.com); World Wide Cinema and Vince Bosco present new French film and Cannes candidate "LYA" (www.myspace.com/lyalefilm) featuring music from new comers to the Electro scene, Starshiphustlers; Chris Mitchell's DVD bound comedy "Life's A Joke," the story of a man who's not getting any... jokes, or the other thing (www.myspace.com/lifesajokemovie); the music video by Michael Sweet, and the film trailer for holiday release "Noëlle" about a business minded Catholic priest who arrives in a tiny fishing village the week before Christmas to shut down a dying parish (www.entertainmentrevolution.com), opening December 7 at a movie theater near you. 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.

The American Film Market, a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed, collaborates with AFI Fest to present screenings on the Santa Monica Promenade and the surrounding community of a vast selection of indie works, happening in Santa Monica through November 11. For the Insights On Internet Television Breakfast Workshop, on November 6 in Los Angeles, Veoh Networks, an Internet television company, discusses how the industry and major players are revolutionizing the business of entertainment. American music legend Willie Nelson will be honored as an Icon at BMI’s 55th Annual Country Awards, November 6 in Nashville, the oldest awards saluting country’s top music makers. Streaming Media West 2007 happening in San Jose from November 6-8, covers the business of online video and the technology of streaming, downloading, Webcasting, Internet TV, IPTV, and mobile video. The Latin Recording Academy presents the 2007 Person of the Year Tribute at a Latin Grammy Awards related ceremony honoring Juan Luis Guerra on November 7 in Las Vegas. The Eighth Annual Latin Grammy Awards follows the next day -- broadcast live on the Univision Network. Attend a Dow Jones and Nielsen Company two-day event uniting media and entertainment dealmakers with private and public investors to discuss how they can work together to profit, and how buyout firms, hedge funds and venture firms are prospecting new deals, valuing opportunities and structuring deals to maximize returns, at "Media and Money," November 7-8 in New York. The Aurora Animation Festival fuses thematic film programmes, seminars, and debates with live performance, installation work and new films from across the world, during sessions that run from November 7-10 in Norwich, UK. A two-day IGDA Leadership Forum, on November 8 and 9 in Burlingame is focused on advancing the state of the art in game production and management, and is suited to producers, team leaders, project managers, studio directors, and all others seeking to learn and share techniques for leading teams in creating successful games.

Director Pan Nalin's feature, "Valley of Flowers" (www.valleyofflowers.com), filmed in the remote and high altitude region of the Himalayas, and in Japan, has its New York premiere on November 9, coming off a Grand Jury Prize win at the IFFLA in April. A reception with Director and Cast follows the screening at a local art gallery. The Recording Academy's Memphis Chapter presents "Indie Impact," November 9-10 in New Orleans, focusing on digital music and the important business, creative and legal issues it presents to the music industry and consumers. The GiRL FeST Hawaii festival, whose mission is to prevent violence against women and girls through education and art, incorporates film, music, art, spoken word, and dance complemented by a mini-conference involving panels, lectures, outreach workshops, at sessions running November 9-18 in Honolulu. On November 10 Houston Film Commission hosts the Texas Filmmaker's Showcase, a special screening event each June of Texas short films and videos under 45 minutes, presented to a select group of studio executives, agents and producers in the Hollywood film community, resulting in selected filmmakers being flown to Los Angeles for follow-up screenings and meetings with industry professionals at the Directors Guild of America Theater. The Michigan Production Alliance (MPA) in partnership with Detroit Women In Film and TV (DWIFTV) and The Detroit Film Society (DFS) holds a Filmmaker's Marketing and Distribution Seminar on November 10 in Southfield to aimed at media professionals. The New York Production Technology Expo, focused on people who work with equipment; who rent and buy equipment; students and people who make creative decisions based on new and emerging technology, will be held in Brooklyn Navy Yard, on November 12 & 13.

Professionals in the interrelated areas of lighting, audio, special effects, projection and staging technologies can attend Live Design Wire 2007 Entertainment Industry Convention, to see the latest products, interface with vendors and attend educational conference sessions, November 12-18 in Orlando. At G2E: Global Gaming Expo, on November 13-15 in Las Vegas, investors, analysts, stockbrokers and investment professionals will learn about the financial future of leading gaming companies in forums, and attendants can enjoy the sounds of classic symphonic rock, jazz, new country, reggae and more at the G2E Entertainment Showcase located in the lobby. The Billboard Touring Conference and Awards unites today’s top touring professionals to discuss the current state of the industry when it meets November 14-15 in New York. The International Student Film Festival Hollywood offers a forum for student filmmakers around the world to showcase their films in Hollywood, and includes a discussion with Tim Lampros, Founder & CEO of ACT (Actors Certified Training) conducted at an opening day reception. The 35th annual American Music Awards - created by Dick Clark in 1973 as an alternative to the Grammy Awards - is hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles at 8 pm ET. Now in its eighth year, the Billboard R&B, Hip-Hop Conference and Awards combines conference sessions, artist showcases, networking opportunities which culminate in the awards program, from November 28-30 in Atlanta. The ongoing New Filmmakers series for independent filmmakers in New York, will screen Andrew William Flores LIAR’S PENDULUM, a psychological thriller set in the fictitious city of Johanna during the next Great Depression, on November 28.

The above events are just 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 now available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, the Apple iTunes store podcast category, 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 Pan Nalin's Himalayan epic "Valley of Flowers," an Asian love story about passion, death and reincarnation spanning two centuries from remote and high altitude region of the Himalayas to modern day Tokyo (www.myspace.com/pannalin - www.valleyofflowers.com) Australian ambient music composer NakedSkin adapting its music to Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis (www.youtube.com/Nakedskin - www.myspace.com/nakedskinlostsouls)  Laurence N. Kaldor’s comedy "Redirecting Eddie," about a fledgling director who conquers sibling rivalry, finds parental acceptance, and discovers love while fighting to finish his first film (www.myspace.com/redirectingeddie - www.RedirectingEddie.com) Andrew William Flores LIAR’S PENDULUM, a psychological thriller set in the fictitious city of Johanna during the next Great Depression (www.liarspendulum.com - www.myspace.com/liarspendulum) Belgium based DocFilm' Movie Productions making of music video Senkrecht Waagerecht (Confuse The Cat) (www.docfilm.be - www.myspace.com/docfilm_be). 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 Actor's Checklist now lets you keep track of latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/resources/itunes.php.

HDFEST World Tour takes place in six different cities throughout four countries around the world - first in London through October 4; then New York, October 10-11 - screening High-Def content, and holding panels, that highlight issues pertaining to filmmaking in HD. Films that will be screened in the "MontanaCINE International Film Festival of Cultures, Issues of Nature and the Environment," taking place in Missoula, through October 7, throws the spotlight on issues that include: culture, outdoor recreation, conservation, urban sprawl, political and social impacts and influences, agriculture, industry and the effects of war on the natural world. Streaming Media Europe, on October 4 & 5 in London, features over 50 international speakers focusing on both corporate and consumer business, technology and content issues for online video in the enterprise, advertising, media and entertainment and broadcast markets. The Annual Durango Songwriter’s Expo, happening in Rio Rico October 4-6, typically limits its registration slots holding this year's number to 200. Horror genre screenwriter Stephen Susco discusses the craft and business of his chosen field when Alameda Writers Group meets October 6 in Glendale. On October 8, and every Monday night, the One Mic Nite talent showcase (www.myspace.com/onemicnite) and industry networking event turns over the microphone to a variety of performinng artists to do their thing, in the far west district of Greenwich Village.

At the San Francisco International Animation Showcase, opening October 8-11, programs of feature-length and short films are screened, with two days devoted to the latest technical, aesthetic and narrative techniques in animated film production. MIPCOM, the global content event for co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment content across all platforms, opens this year October 8-12 in Cannes. HD World, opening for two days on October 10 aims to bring together buyers and suppliers of HDTV, high def video, and broadcast related equipment and solutions while  offering  a forum for broadcast, cable, film and government executives to collaborate together and with suppliers of High Definition technologies. The New Orleans Film Festival enters its 18th anniversary when it opens October 11-18 as the preeminent vehicle in the region for the exhibition of local, regional, national and international film, while also hosting the Film Congress, a program of panels, workshops and mentor sessions. The 2007 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony on October 14 is a presentation of The Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc., a non-profit foundation dedicated to honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. A Jazz Loft Party will be thrown to benefit the Jazz Foundation of America's Musicians' Emergency Fund on October 14 in New York. Nightly red-carpet gala premieres and other cause celebre are part of the annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards happening in Beverly Hills, from October 17-22.

The Amsterdam Dance Event is part industry conference, part club festival, and actually takes place in over 40 clubs, concert venues, record stores and art galeries in the city center of Amsterdam from October 18-20. Florida Media Market, a membership organization that facilitates meetings of independent film and media makers to meet with international buyers, distributors and production companies, to buy, sell and network, hosts an upcoming session from October 18-21 in Miami. FREAK SHOW Horror Film Festival features independent horror from around the world, and is part of the SCREAMFEST Horror Convention, running October 19-21, in Orlando where there will be seminars, live music, tattooing, a dealer room, and more surprises. Billboard Mobile Entertainment Live! is a mobile entertainment conference produced in partnership with CTIA - and hosted by entertainment impresario Quincy Jones -  prospectively drawing in more than 1,000 executives from companies representing mobile music, gaming, TV, video, animation, messaging, marketing, social networking and more at its October 22 meeting in San Francisco.  American Black Film Festival hosts five days of independent films, panels, workshops, Hollywood premieres, live entertainment and the ABFF Awards Dinner, during its run from October 25-29 in Los Angeles. From the World Trade Centre in Mumbai, Broadcast India Exhibition and Symposium is a global megamart for broadcast related industries, with everything to do with entertainment. During the Americana Music Conference, October 31 to November 3 in Nashville, evening showcases and parties will continue Thursday through Saturday, and the Sixth Annual Americana Honors & Awards will be held at the Ryman Auditorium on November 1.

The above events are just 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 now available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, the Apple iTunes store podcast category, 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 The Milgram Experiment (http://www.myspace.com/tme61) a Moving Art Picture film by Maxwell Addae following the story of a pair of career con artists who have mastered the art of wielding the power of authoritative figure; the antics reflected by their comedy skits and hip hop tunes of the parody duo Tommy C and Joey McG (http://www.myspace.com/tommyc_joeymcg); Hear the soulful, break beat, hip-hop style of UK based songstress, Bukola (http://www.bukola.biz; http://www.myspace.com/bukolabiz). The Actor's Checklist now lets you keep track of latest musical artists song releases on Apple's iTunes, updated on an hourly basis at: http://www.actorschecklist.com/resources/itunes.php

President Clinton will be on hand to sign copies of his latest release, Giving, during a November 4 book signing in New York. The NYTVF,  opening September 5-10 in New York, features an Independent Pilot Competition that has established a pipeline allowing producers, writers, and directors to showcase their original TV pilots directly to the decision-makers of the industry. The West Coast Songwriters Conference, happening September 7-9 in Los Altos Hills, contains two days of seminars, songscreenings, performances, lyric reviews, one-on-one consultations, performance-showcases, networking and more, including a sunset concert. MTV Video Music Awards will air live from the Palms Casino Resort September 9 in Las Vegas 9 pm WST on MTV, and feature performances by Kanye West, Rihanna and others. The Third Annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival launches September 9-17 in Washington, DC, and as part of the festivities, this event will also celebrate Dizzy Gillespie's 90th birthday. For September 10, and actually every Monday night, the One Mic Nite talent showcase (http://www.myspace.com/onemicnite) and industry networking event turns over the microphone to a variety of performinng artists at the Voyage Restaurant/Bar, in the far west quarter of Greenwich Village. BMI is a co-sponsor for the first industry conference focusing primarily on Latin hip-hop, urban, and reggaeton which opens with a party and showcase produced through LA TV September 12 in West Hollywood.

The Wired Magazine NextFest in Los Angeles features more than 160 interactive exhibits from leading scientists and researchers around the world, allowing your to experience the future of communication, design, entertainment, exploration, health, play, robots and more when it opens September 13 for 4 days in Los Angeles. The Primetime Emmy Awards stages its ceremony September 16 in Los Angeles, and willl be captured via teleccast over the FOX network. The NAMIC Conference and Inaugural Television Writers' Workshop is a customized daylong workshop designed to give experienced writers of color the opportunity to hone their craft and learn the essentials of creating, packaging and selling a television script, all happening September 16-18 in  New York. The IFP New York Filmmaker Conference wiill be held September 16-21 and offers daily social networking opportunities and over 35 panel discussions on new technologies, current issues and global marketplace trends, in addition to conference themes like “Making Your First Feaure”, “Filmmaking 2.0”, and “Music Makes Movie” panels. Over two days starting September 17, The Seventh Annual Future of Music Policy Summit taking place in Washington, DC, brings together musicians, music industry executives and policymakers to discuss critical issues relating to music, law, technology and policy, as well as conversations about copyright, music licensing, and this year presents a special breakout sessions for musicians on how to better use emerging Internet technologies such as podcsating and online social networking.

Digital Entertainment World 2007 will take place in Hong Kong, September 19-21, and is all about new distribution channels for entertainment content including strategies on monetising digital entertainment by bringing content to consumers using new technologies and new distributions capabilities. Festival do Rio/The Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival is the most celebrated cinema event on Brazil's cultural calendar, and for fifteen days, starting September 20, Rio steps into the spotlight, with gala parties, film market events, Brazilian and international celebrities, major media attention, and of course, great films. Advertising Week hosts their annual gathering of advertising and media decision-makers of North America in New York from September 24-28, with an agenda that includes a hybrid of 200 distinct events. Mamak Khadem (http://www.mamak-khadem.com/), the lead singer of the cross-cultural Persian fusion ensemble Axiom of Choice, and who has been a featured performer on numerous American film and television scores, performs songs inspired by travels throughout the Middle East at a September 25 New York engagement. The NAB Education Foundation (NABEF), in partnership with the Broadcast Education Association (BEA), and Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), will host its annual Radio Career Fair, taking place in Charlotte, September 26-28, and welcoming seasoned professionals, college students and entry-level job seekers who are interested in a career in radio broadcasting. The Global Peace Film Festival, opening September 26 in Orlando, is being held in conjunction with the UN's International Day of Peace to promote the art of motion picture to further the goal of peace on earth, beyond anti-war, ideology and activism. The Ypulse Tween Mashup is a business-to-business conference, designed to help media and marketing professionals reach tweens using technology in a multi-platform world, that precedes the formal opening of DigitalLife, the consumer technology, gaming and entertainment exposition taking place in New York on Sepember 28.

The above events are just 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 now available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, the Apple iTunes store podcast category, 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 suspense, thriller The Prodigy, from F5 Films, LLC (http://www.myspace.com/prodigymovie - http://www.theprodigymovie.com); Ballet improvisations shown in sample clips from "Creating Ballet Dreams with Rochelle" from Arizona based Ballet Ovations (http://www.balletovations.com - http://www.myspace.com/balletovations); Video adventures and "Rocket Roll" music with Futureman (http://www.futureman.com - http://www.myspace.com/futuremandotcom ); Worldwide Cinema, and hip hop, R&B label OTISSSPROD, joint production of French language film "A Coeurs Perdus" starring filmmaker/musician Vince Bosco (http://www.myspace.com/acoeursperdus - http://www.myspace.com/otisssprods); The Psychedelic alt electro indie pop rock from the future fusion of video and music from Montreal based band TOYKULT. Another hearty welcome goes out to newly initiated iPhone owners to make http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog their premiere video download destination for media industry news and entertainment.

For Chicago's Lollapalooza Stage 2007, bands from the U.S. and abroad will be showcased August 3-5, including Pearl Jam, Interpol, Amy Winehouse, Patti Smith, The Black Keys, Regina Spektor, and others. The Sandbox ACM Siggraph Videogame Symposium, from August 4-5 in San Diego, is a forum for innovative research and advances in videogame theory, practice and criticism. The 2007 University Film and Video Association (UFVA) Conference will include exhibits, the traditional receptions, showcase panels from sustaining members, formal and juried screenings, paper presentations and panel discussions, script readings and new media installations, not to mention the  annual picnic held at the Merritt Buffalo Ranch near Denton featuring Texas and regional music. The 2007 Latino Producers Academy developed for producers who create or intend to create feature films, documentaries will be held August 7-17 at various  locations throughout Tucson. The Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival, organized by Run and Shoot Filmworks from August 8-11, now in its fifth year, offers festival events that include an African American Art Expo, symposiums, karaoke party and film screenings.

On August 11, Home Movie Day (www.homemovieday.com) is the worldwide celebration of amateur films during which people in cities and towns all over the world meet their local film archivists, learn about the proper storage and care of personal films, and get to watch other people's home movies. Toronto's WILDsound Monthly Reading Series offers screenwriters at all levels the opportunity to hear their scripts read aloud by professional actors in front of an audience of their peers, and with feedback from industry professionals that follows, at sessions that meet August 14-17. At Women In Film Chicago's Backlot Events, take a 'tour and talk' of The Chicago Film Office on August 16, to learn about its operation in the city's motion picture industry and engage in networking opportunities. The On The Road Film Fest comes to a close in Los Angeles with Festival Awards and Closing Ceremonies, culminating the 12 city touring film program that utilizes a fairly new technology in portable outdoor movie screens along with the cooperation of cities and universities across the country. At the NICHE Film and Music Festival in Portland, August 16-19, a combined program will be showcasing feature, short narrative or documentary and varied musical formats, while performing musicians will each have a four song set to vie for the Make Your Mark! artist award. Right before the August 17 launch of Fright Night Film Fest, in Louisville, aspiring filmmakers can make a film from August 9-16 under festival auspices, to be entered in the festival by following the guidelines outlined on the website under "The 7 Day Film Festival."

The B Movie Celebration, running August 17-19 in Franklin, is pleased to announce that the recipient of its first lifetime achievement award is Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Studios so honored with the award accompanying a day long retrospective of “The Best of Troma” screened, as well as a presentation by the King of B’s himself, Lloyd Kaufman. Aspiring models might be able to beat the deadline of the Atlanta International Fashion Week, running from August 16-19, and send in a application and portfolio by downloading the registration form at: http://www.atlantaintlfashionweek.com/MODEL%20APPLICATION.pdf. BIRTV is a conference and exhibition in the industries of content acquisition, creation, production, and distribution, happening August 21-25 in Beijing. The Atlanta Hip Hop Film Festival, August 24-26, will focus on hiphop genre films and hiphop artists that have made a successful transition into the world of acting. A festival highlight for the Telluride Film Festival opening August 31 in Telluride, is A Tribute To Walter Murch (American Zoetrope), in which a screening from a collection of clips will be followed by the presentation of the Silver Medallion and an onstage interview of the renowned filmmaker.

The above events are just 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 now available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, the Apple iTunes store podcast category, 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. This month on video you will see trailers and video clips of Love Inspirational, a 24k Black Films production of a Torrance Colvin film ( http://www.myspace.com/24kblack  http://www.24kblack.com ), a coming of age story about reconnecting with your childhood crush who now falls for your best friend; Spreading The Plague, a socially relevant horror feature dealing with the subject of kids, violence and fear, from Off Leash Films, now on DVD, is looking to enlist your help by signing their petition ( http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/plague/ ) to restore the director's cut altered by Screen Gems ( http://www.spreadingtheplague.com/Text/Trailer.htm   http://www.myspace.com/plaguefilm ); Jazz musician Nick Russo and his group Nick Russo + 11, recorded live in NYC while performing jazz tunes from their new CD "RO" ( http://www.nickrusso.org/  http://www.myspace.com/nickrusso11 ), also available on CD Baby at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nickrusso; Deckchair Productions production of a Harry Otto Brunjes film, "La Bella Figura" ( http://www.labellafilm.com  http://www.myspace.com/labellafilm ) where 3 weeks of intensive filming in 46 locations across Rome were done with a 2 man crew and an acting cast of over 20; Newark hip hop female emcee Mooka Jerz (http://www.myspace.com/mookaa ) on the Utility Records label ( http://www.myspace.com/utilityrecords  http://www.UtilityRecords.net ) declaring this the "Year of the Femcee". Another welcome goes out to newly initiated iPhone owners to make http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog their premiere video download destination for media industry news and entertainment.

The Media Conference, a one day conference, happening on July 3 in London, brings together policy-makers, companies, foundations and charities working for global change to learn how to successfully exploit the power of film as a global advocacy tool. Craig Mazin, the writer and producer of the hit comedies Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4 leads a discussion on "The Ins and Outs of Writer’s Guild Rights and The Coming Contract Renegotiation" for the Alameda Writers Group's July 7 meeting in Glendale. The World Premiere of Static Room Media's production of Shelli Ryan's film Jake’s Closet - a suspenseful journey into the mind of a little boy who believes there is something lurking in his bedroom closet - will be screened July 7 in the competition segment of the DancesWithFilms Film Festival, opening July 6-12 in West Hollywood. The Independents Day Music Conference is a break-out session within the Philadelphia Music Week celebration, running July 9-15, to celebrate Philadelphia music, and hosted by the Recording Academy®, in which there is a slate of performances, activities, and events highlighting Philadelphia artists and music venues. In its return to the New York area, The Latin Alternative Music Conference runs July 10-14 featuring free concerts and film nights at Central Park Summerstage and the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival at Prospect Park, industry panels at the Roosevelt Hotel, numerous artist showcases across the city and a closing night party at the Cooper-Hewitt museum. From July 11-13 Barker Hangar in Santa Monica will be converted into a software showcase where invited attendees will be able to casually test drive featured video games in what shapes up to be a preeminent press and networking event hosted by the Entertainment Software Association. Proibido Proibir (Forbidden to Forbid), by writer/director Jorge Durán, and with Caio Blat, Maria Flor, Alexandre Rodrigues, and Andressa Furletti (http://www.myspace.com/andressafurletti) will have its NYC screening, July 14 & 20, during Premiere Brazil! 2007, a collaboration between MoMA and the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival. During the two days ConnectiCon runs, beginning July 13, convention members will find entertainment including (but not limited to) gaming tournaments, video screenings of anime and major motion pictures, informative panels, workshops and demonstrations, and a 12,000 square foot gift shop. On July 16 & 17 in San Francisco, the 2007 Ypulse Mashup (www.mashup.ypulse.com/mashup_2007), the brainchild of Anastasia Goodstein (www.myspace.com/ypulse) is the place where industry experts discuss leveraging social media, virtual reality environments and wireless technology; social networking and non-traditional marketing; youth activism, branding, experiential marketing and more. Project Accessible Hollywood, also known as PAH-FEST, is the brain child of Christopher Coppola (the nephew of Francis Ford) and is a new kind of digital media festival that celebrates the stories and voices of everyday people by recording them using today’s latest technology and pro-sumer equipment. Festivities are July 16-22 in Livonia and will feature an evening of film and discussion with Elmore Leonard and his latest work. During Expo Comm Wireless Japan, taking place July 18-20 in Tokyo, the focus will be on Wireless and Mobile networks, Personal Area Networks, Internet ITS, Home networks, and other wireless technologies for Japan's advanced mobile society. At the Develop in Brighton Gaming Conference and Expo, from July 24-26, there will be various networking events and evening receptions, in addition to the Develop Industry Excellence Awards 2007 on Wednesday night. The NATPE TV Producers Boot Camp and LA TV Festival, run in tandem, though at different locations in the Los Angeles area, July 25-27, both offering an agenda suited to the established independent producer, or an emerging creator, building their industry credentials. Comic-Con International is a gathering of comic book, science fiction, film and television fans attending this event, July 26-29 in San Diego, which also offers seminars on breaking into filmmaking and near 24-hour film retrospectives. The Grammy Foundation along with the Gibson Foundation honors Quincy Jones, the ambassador for The Recording Academy's 50th Celebration, at its annual Starry Night gala — a benefit dinner and concert under the stars on July 28 in Los Angeles. The above events are just 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 now available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, the Apple iTunes store podcast category, as well as on The Actor's Checklist at http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog/ a great place to get your iPhone download. This month on video you will see trailers and video clips of metal, rock band, American Head Charge (http://www.myspace.com/americanheadcharge; http://www.headcharge.com), from their current DVD "Can't Stop The Machine"; Static Room Media's production of Shelli Ryan's film Jake’s Closet (http://www.JakesClosetMovie.com; http://www.myspace.com/jakesclosetmovie) premiering in the DancesWithFilms Festival; Brazilian film Proibido Proibir (Forbidden to Forbid), premiering in the Premiere Brazil! 2007 festival at MoMA (http://www.proibidoproibir.com); The sketch comedy parodies of Planet Craze (http://www.planetcraze.com; http://www.myspace.com/planetcraze) based in Miami. Another welcome goes out to newly baptized iPhone owners to make http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog their premiere video download destination for media industry news and events.

The Media Conference, a one day conference, happening on July 3 in London, brings together policy-makers, companies, foundations and charities working for global change to learn how to successfully exploit the power of film as a global advocacy tool. Craig Mazin, the writer and producer of the hit comedies Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4 leads a discussion on "The Ins and Outs of Writer’s Guild Rights and The Coming Contract Renegotiation" for the Alameda Writers Group's July 7 meeting in Glendale. The World Premiere of Static Room Media's production of Shelli Ryan's film Jake’s Closet - a suspenseful journey into the mind of a little boy who believes there is something lurking in his bedroom closet - will be screened July 7 in the competition segment of the DancesWithFilms Film Festival, opening July 6-12 in West Hollywood. The Independents Day Music Conference is a break-out session within the Philadelphia Music Week celebration, running July 9-15, to celebrate Philadelphia music, and hosted by the Recording Academy®, in which there is a slate of performances, activities, and events highlighting Philadelphia artists and music venues. In its return to the New York area, The Latin Alternative Music Conference runs July 10-14 featuring free concerts and film nights at Central Park Summerstage and the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival at Prospect Park, industry panels at the Roosevelt Hotel, numerous artist showcases across the city and a closing night party at the Cooper-Hewitt museum. From July 11-13 Barker Hangar in Santa Monica will be converted into a software showcase where invited attendees will be able to casually test drive featured video games in what shapes up to be a preeminent press and networking event hosted by the Entertainment Software Association. Proibido Proibir (Forbidden to Forbid), by writer/director Jorge Durán, and with Caio Blat, Maria Flor, Alexandre Rodrigues, and Andressa Furletti (http://www.myspace.com/andressafurletti) will have its NYC screening, July 14 & 20, during Premiere Brazil! 2007, a collaboration between MoMA and the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival. During the two days ConnectiCon runs, beginning July 13, convention members will find entertainment including (but not limited to) gaming tournaments, video screenings of anime and major motion pictures, informative panels, workshops and demonstrations, and a 12,000 square foot gift shop. On July 16 & 17 in San Francisco, the 2007 Ypulse Mashup (www.mashup.ypulse.com/mashup_2007), the brainchild of Anastasia Goodstein (www.myspace.com/ypulse) is the place where industry experts discuss leveraging social media, virtual reality environments and wireless technology; social networking and non-traditional marketing; youth activism, branding, experiential marketing and more. Project Accessible Hollywood, also known as PAH-FEST, is the brain child of Christopher Coppola (the nephew of Francis Ford) and is a new kind of digital media festival that celebrates the stories and voices of everyday people by recording them using today’s latest technology and pro-sumer equipment. Festivities are July 16-22 in Livonia and will feature an evening of film and discussion with Elmore Leonard and his latest work. During Expo Comm Wireless Japan, taking place July 18-20 in Tokyo, the focus will be on Wireless and Mobile networks, Personal Area Networks, Internet ITS, Home networks, and other wireless technologies for Japan's advanced mobile society. At the Develop in Brighton Gaming Conference and Expo, from July 24-26, there will be various networking events and evening receptions, in addition to the Develop Industry Excellence Awards 2007 on Wednesday night. The NATPE TV Producers Boot Camp and LA TV Festival, run in tandem, though at different locations in the Los Angeles area, July 25-27, both offering an agenda suited to the established independent producer, or an emerging creator, building their industry credentials. Comic-Con International is a gathering of comic book, science fiction, film and television fans attending this event, July 26-29 in San Diego, which also offers seminars on breaking into filmmaking and near 24-hour film retrospectives. The Grammy Foundation along with the Gibson Foundation honors Quincy Jones, the ambassador for The Recording Academy's 50th Celebration, at its annual Starry Night gala — a benefit dinner and concert under the stars on July 28 in Los Angeles. The above events are just 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 now available at most popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, the Apple iTunes store podcast category, as well as on The Actor's Checklist at http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog/ a great place to get your iPhone download. This month on video you will see trailers and video clips of metal, rock band, American Head Charge (http://www.myspace.com/americanheadcharge; http://www.headcharge.com), from their current DVD "Can't Stop The Machine"; Static Room Media's production of Shelli Ryan's film Jake’s Closet (http://www.JakesClosetMovie.com; http://www.myspace.com/jakesclosetmovie) premiering in the DancesWithFilms Festival; Brazilian film Proibido Proibir (Forbidden to Forbid), premiering in the Premiere Brazil! 2007 festival at MoMA (http://www.proibidoproibir.com); The sketch comedy parodies of Planet Craze (http://www.planetcraze.com; http://www.myspace.com/planetcraze) based in Miami. Another welcome goes out to newly baptized iPhone owners to make http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog their premiere video download destination for media industry news and events.

Midge Ure of Scottish soft rock band Spotty Dogg, in duet with female vocalist of German electronica band X-Perience; short comedy film "Elevator Music" by UK director Serdar Ferit; Trasharama A Go-Go film entry from Australia "Chicks From Hell," by Director Christos Mouroukis; Larry Martinelli on acoustic guitar sings a poetic love song. Above featured on video set to the audio narration of June Entertainment Industry Networking Events

The Webby Awards will honor website innovation and creativity in categories that include Art, Games, Lifestyle, Movie and Film, Music, NetArt and more, during a festival and awards ceremony from June 3-5 in New York. You can browse three floors of exhibitors that provide the essential tools for advancing careers, and actually audition at casting calls, model and talent searches, during the one day only Entertainment Industry Expo on June 3 in New York. The Hollywood Black Film Festival taking place June 5-10 in Beverly Hills, will feature narrative and documentary features, short and student films, music videos and animation in its competitive program, a separate Storyteller Competition for screenwriters, and nightly parties to attend, including the HBFF White Party at Royale on Wilshire. At CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas, June 6-16, Jerry Weintraub, producer of Ocean's Thirteen, will be honored with the Vanguard Producer Award, and joined by his all-star cast from the movie, during opening night festivities which will benefit the aid group, International Rescue Committee for Not On Our Watch, an organization whose campaign is to support Darfur humanitarian relief efforts.

At "Country Music's Biggest Party," better known as the CMA Music Festival, running June 7-19, the Fan Fair Exhibit Hall at the Nashville Convention Center, gives four-day attendees the opportunity to meet some of their favorite country music entertainment personalities. Opening the Maui Film Festival in Kahului, June 13-17, a twilight reception theme titled "Taste of the Islands" ends with an after-party at Cosmic Comedy Club. At the In The City of New York Music Festival curated by Manchester-based In The City, in conjunction with AEG Live, panels happen at day, and at least six of the UK’s hottest new bands perform at night followed by after-show events throughout downtown Manhattan. The Bluegrass Masters Film Festival is part of the ROMP music festival, June 21-23, in Owensboro, and features world premier screenings of the International Bluegrass Music Museum's 'Video Oral History Project' films - film documentaries of the lives and musical contributions of bluegrass music's First Generation.

At the many showcase events during the Los Angeles Film Festival starting on June 21, a June 28 session titled "Actors Who Call Cut," explores the creative opportunities and challenges actors face when stepping behind the camera to direct. Cinema Expo 2007 running June 25-28 in Amsterdam previews important upcoming cinema releases for the European market while offering a trade show of motion picture industry products, services and concession items, while running in conjunction the Cinema Expo International award presentation. At the Second Annual Hollywood and Games Summit, June 26 & 27 in Los Angeles, business and creative visionaries from both industries address synchronized production, who and how to pitch to the other side. Clive Barker, writer-director of Hellraiser and other films delivers the keynote address. For the Web Video Summit Spring '07, on June 27-28 in San Jose, one theme that will be pointedly addressed is how new and old media can learn from each other - how net productions can find opportunities in Tinseltown, and what changes "old pros" need to make to succeed in this new web arena.

The above events are just 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 now available at most popular sites around the Web like YouTube and the Apple iTunes store podcast category, as well as on The Actor's Checklist at http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog/. This month on video you will see trailers and video clips of Scottish pop rock band Spotty Dog (http://www.myspace.com/spottydoggmusic; http://www.spottydogg.com/), now giving away (http://www.mydatabus.com/public/spottydogg1/SpottyDoggFREECDSingle.rar) copies of their debut single "High Heels"; from acoustic guitarist and comedian, Larry Martinelli (http://www.larrymartinelli.com/; http://www.myspace.com/larrymartinelli); Currently showcased in Australia's "most sick and twisted short movies," Trasharama A Go-Go, Australian Premiere entry, "Chicks From Hell" from Director Christos Mouroukis (http://www.myspace.com/christos98); United Kingdom based film Director Serdar Ferit (http://www.myspace.com/serdarferit; http://www.serdarferit.com/) featuring "Elevator Music", a MyMovie MashUp (http://www.myspace.com/mymoviemashup) short film Entry.

ASCAP invites you to attend the seventh annual Silver Lake Film Festival running through May 12. The festival, happening in Los Angeles, is an independent-alternative film and arts festival and ASCAP is helping to expand the SLFF Music Fest programming with live musical performances by various artists and bands. The regionally inclined Vancouver International Game Summit is tapping into a growing pool of game creators residing on the West Coast of Canada and the United States. The Summit will showcase designers and leaders from the digital entertainment community, highlighting latest trends in game development and publishing, and offer perspectives on industry growth. Author/Screenwriter Diana Wagman and Author Dara Marks discuss the process of integrating character and depth into story for both books and film during a May 5 meeting of the Alameda Writers Group in Glendale. Diana Wagman has three published novels and a screenplay, Delivering Milo, produced in 1999, and Dara Marks' book, Inside Story, demonstrates how to identify your story’s thematic intention. IFP Chicago conducts a May 5 session titled "Selling Your Film" in which it will review workshops on trailers and materials, developing a website and finding publicists and producer’s reps, as well as offer a chance to pitch your film to industry pros. A Florida Media Market Project-A-Thon Workshop opening May 5 in Miami covers budgeting, negotiating techniques, how to prepare for a pitch session, how to structure various deals, and the legal obstacles filmmakers should avoid, when it runs for selected sessions till June 16.

Since 2002 Los Angeles based Instant Films has conducted a filmmaking process where movies are made in 48 hours. In early May Instant Films is looking for actors, writers and directors for its next production  that will be screened May 6 in front of a live audience at LA Center Studios when screenings are followed by a party and awards. Advertising's top awards show, the Clio Advertising Festival and Awards, presenting the best and most-celebrated names in advertising and design will be hosted in South Beach, May 9-12, offering a mix of conferences, parties, and networking. The mission of the International Emerging Talent Film Festival is to discover and promote emerging cinema talent from around the world, conducting its event May 12-15 out of Monte Carlo's Eastern “Larvotto” Beach Quarter. Streaming Media East covers both the business of video on the Net and the technology of streaming, downloading, IPTV and mobile video delivery, with everything happening in New York, on May 15 & 16. BMI Film/TV Awards is an Invitation-only event honoring the songwriters and composers of the past year’s top film, TV and cable music programs. BMI composer George S. Clinton will receive the prestigious Richard Kirk Award for outstanding career achievement at the May 16 Beverly Hills event. The seventh annual Florida Music Festival welcomes the music, film and interactive gaming industry and artistic community to Downtown Orlando for more than 40 screenings, 250 music showcases, and three full days of industry panels. The Indie Film Jam event of Florida Music Festival is an international film competition that screens music inspired documentaries, shorts and music videos.

This year's Cannes International Film Festival gets underway May 16 running till May 27. Each year, about 15 international short films - as exemplified by selection "God's Own Devil," directed by Alka C. Mehta (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnIiCejksn8) - compete for the festival's Short Film Palme d'Or. Alternatively, the independently run Cannes Short Film Corner screens international short films outside the official competition. And the festival's Producers Network offers a host of original initiatives aimed at producers. These and more form a small sampling of the many substantial offerings that happen in the renowned area of Cannes. On May 17 in New York City, Jazz Foundation of America presents its sixth annual "A Great Night In Harlem" a pre-concert gala dinner and private gala dinner for corporate sponsors, patrons and celebrities, that will be attended by Bill Cosby, Danny Glover, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Junior Mance, Ron Carter, Gary Bartz, Odetta among others. A 2007 ASCAP Foundation Disney Musical Theatre Workshop, happening in New York, will be conducted May 22 to 24 by Oscar and Grammy-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, leading sessions in which workshop participants will have the opportunity to present selections from their original works in progress for professional critique. The global debate on the future of copyright will be played out in Brussels, May 30 & 31, at the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers Copyright Summit hosting the likes of policy-makers from copyright societies around the world and anyone else involved with intellectual property. The May 31 opening of the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival fields filmmaker discussions with the likes of Richard Anderson, Carroll Baker, Rhonda Fleming, Kathleen Hughes, Stanley Rubin, John Saxon and others in nightly discussions following screenings. Activities conclude with a wrap party June 3.

The above events are only a sampling of what is listed. Many 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 now available at various sites around the Web like YouTube and the Apple iTunes store podcast category, as well as on The Actor's Checklist at http://actorschecklist.com/loudblog/. This month on video you will see  trailers and video clips of Italian film, "The Role Player" (www.myspace.com/theroleplayeronmyspace; www.theroleplayer.it/), opening a new way to movie production; music, and music oriented film, from the Florida Music Festival & Conference (www.floridamusicfestival.com; www.myspace.com/floridamusicfestival) opening May 17; alternative punk-rock band from the U.K., "Tripped and Falling" (www.myspace.com/trippedandfalling; www.trippedandfalling.com); French actor and music producer Vince Bosco (www.myspace.com/vincebosco; www.myspace.com/otissprods); German-based musical performer, Lando van Herzog (www.lando-van-herzog.blogspot.com), with his voice, violin, biceps and pecs, and a hint of hip-hop; one of the shorts selected for screening at the Cannes Film Festival this May, "God's Own Devil" (www.youtube.com/alkaCM; http://audience.withoutabox.com/festivals/event_item.php?id=6385) a film by Alka Mehta loosely based on a true-life bombing in Mumbai in 1992.