Weekly North American agenda: Detroit, Golden Globes, Sundance, Superbowl

(Jill Orschel)

In the midst of awards season for the best in film, television and music, the football season marks the best team at the Super Bowl, and there are trade shows for the best in cars, dogs and toys.

105th North American International Auto Show
January 15-23
Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan

NAIAS is the biggest auto event in the US and one of the key shows in the industry, drawing 800,000 visitors and exhibitors from around the world. Vehicle unveilings, concept cars and Design Awards add to the attraction. This year finds the Big Three US automakers and all vehicle manufacturers showcasing green innovations. Annual shows are growing in NYC and Los Angeles, and worldwide from Frankfort to Shanghai.
http://www.naias.com

68th Golden Globe Awards
January 16, 5 pm PT/8 pm ET
Beverly Hills, California

The Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, recognizes outstanding achievements in film and television. The show is telecast live to 150 countries from the Beverly Hills Hotel. The voting body consists of journalists, not peers like the Academy Awards, and instead of formal seats like the Oscars, which follows on February 27, the ceremony is a dinner party for nominees.
http://www.goldenglobes.org

26th Sundance Film Festival
January 20-30, 2011
Park City, Utah

Founded by Robert Redford, Sundance is a premier showcase for US and international independent films. Up to 200 dramatic and documentary films by international filmmakers are screened in competitive and non-competitive sections. Attracting 40,000 attendees it draws Hollywood stars and execs seeking tomorrow's Oscar wins. Tribeca and SXSW also focus on indie films, unlike major fests at Berlin, Cannes and Toronto.
http://www.sundance.org/festival

45th Super Bowl XLV
February 6
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

The championship game of the major American football leagues is the most watched program on US television. With 106.5 million viewers Super Bowl Sunday is a de facto holiday. Custom-made commercials are as anticipated as the halftime show, which the Black Eyed Peas will perform in 2011. On Fox-TV in the US, Sky in the UK, ESPN in Brazil and Italy and other local networks around the world. It's the US equivalent to the FIFA World Cup for 'soccer,' while the Rose Bowl is the big game for college teams.
http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/45

108th Toy Fair 2011
February, 13- 16
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
New York City, New York

One of the largest annual toy fairs the ' Toy Fair' attracts over 1,000 exhibitors, 25,000 attendees, and is home to around 7,000 new product launches each year. The event is also home to the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, billed as the 'Oscars of the toy industry', these awards honor the most outstanding new products in twelve categories and crown one the overall 'toy of the year'. Though the event attracts less visitors than the Nuremberg event, the Toy Fair New York, where Barbie first appeared, is widely respected and the TOTY awards are generally recognized as the industry standard.
http://www.toyassociation.org

53rd Grammy Awards
February 13
Los Angeles, California

This celebrated award for musical artists is voted on by the recording industry, covering a wide spectrum of genres, from classical and jazz to pop, rock, hip-hop, country and Latin. The Grammy's televised live event features performances by nominees. The top awards crossing all genres are Album of the Year, Record of the year for the best song, Song of the Year to the writer/composer and Best New Artist. Other music awards include the AMA and People's Choice which fans vote for. The UK equivalent is the Brit Awards.
www.grammy.com

135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
February 14-15
New York, New York

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the second longest-running sports event in the US, judges 2,500 purebred dogs for the Best in Show championship of hounds, toys, terriers, sporting and non-sporting breeds. The sold-out shows are held at New York City's Madison Square Garden and telecast live on USA Network, with highlights streamed on the web. The most important of the American dog shows, including the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving, and the equivalent, Crufts in Birmingham, England, the largest, most prestigious in the world with 22,973 dogs on display. http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org

83rd Academy Awards
February 27, 5:30 pm PT
Hollywood, California

The iconic Oscars ceremony is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor excellence in films and its professionals. The oldest and most revered film awards show is televised live from the Kodak Theatre in more than 200 countries and viewed by up to 55 million. Voting consists of industry peers for categories from acting to documentaries, with the ultimate prize for Best Picture. The BAFTAs are Britain's equivalent. The Spirit Independent Awards, scheduled the day before, are mounted as an alternative to pay tribute to less mainstream Hollywood fare.
www.oscars.org

RC