The Academy Announces 2016 Film Scholars Grant Recipients

Dr. Donna Kornhaber and Dr. Ellen Christine Scott have been named 2016 Academy Film Scholars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Their respective book projects focus on female screenwriters in the early years of American cinema and the representation of slavery in Classical Hollywood films. The Academy’s Educational Grants Committee will award Kornhaber and Scott the scholars’ $25,000 grant awards on the basis of their proposals.

Established in 1999, The Academy Film Scholars Program is designed to support significant new works of film scholarship. The Academy’s cultural and educational wing – the Academy Foundation – annually grants $550,000 to film scholars, cultural organizations and film festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad. Through the Foundation, the Academy also presents a rich assortment of screenings and other public programs each year.

“Both Kornhaber and Scott are brilliant scholars who will bring their expertise to these important but underserved topics,” said Academy Grants Committee Chair Buffy Shutt. “Their unique perspectives will help illuminate and support the Academy’s mission and we’re thrilled to be supporting them. We all look forward to seeing the fruits of their research once they have completed their projects.”

Kornhaber is an assistant professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin. Her project, Women’s Work: The Female Screenwriter and the Development of Early American Film, is the first book-length study of the diverse group of women writers who played an outsized role in shaping the American film industry during the silent era. The work’s fundamental objective is to restore to the historical narrative these women’s transformational creative contributions.

Scott is an assistant professor of cinema and media studies at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Her project, Cinema’s Peculiar Institution, is the first comprehensive film-centered study exploring the evolution of censorship systems and patterns of representability that shaped the image of slavery on screen. The work focuses on the Classical Hollywood period, a time of intensifying civil rights struggles, and emphasizes repression as much as it does representation.

Kornhaber and Scott join 13 Academy film scholars who are currently working on projects and 15 other scholars whose works have already been published.

Academy film scholars with projects in progress are Jane Gaines, Charles Musser, Emily Thompson, Stuart Liebman, John Belton, Anne Friedberg, Harlow Robinson, Cari Beauchamp, Patrick Keating, Dan Streible, Thomas Schatz, Laurence Kardish and James Naremore.

For grant guidelines and information about the Academy Film Scholars program, or visit www.oscars.org/filmscholars.

I.N.C International Concepts Launches Fall 2016 Campaign and Iris Apfel Emoji Keyboard at Macy’s

I.N.C International Concepts, exclusively at Macy’s, reveals its fall 2016 campaign, “Iris Meets I.N.C,” and launches its corresponding emoji keyboard inspired by campaign star, Iris Apfel.

I.N.C International Concepts, exclusively at Macy’s, revealed its fall 2016 campaign, “Iris meets I.N.C” with imagery and a corresponding emoji keyboard inspired by fashion icon Iris Apfel. (Photo: Business Wire)

Designed by Snaps and with input from Apfel, the keyboard includes emojis, stickers and GIFs featuring Apfel, her signature quotes, and items from the “Iris Meets I.N.C” collection. The emojis also incorporate lifestyle categories, including beauty, food and beverage, and an assortment of birthday-themed graphics in celebration of Apfel’s upcoming 95th birthday on Aug. 29.

“I’m a little old for emojis and I didn’t know what they were,” said Apfel. “But everyone seems to like them, and I want everyone to have a good time. If my face makes people happy, I’m all for it.”

I.N.C International Concepts, exclusively at Macy’s, revealed its fall 2016 campaign, “Iris meets I.N.C” with imagery and a corresponding emoji keyboard inspired by fashion icon Iris Apfel. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The creative advertising campaign, shot by Ben Watts, features Apfel, both on her own and alongside model Linda Vojtova, wearing five looks from the collection. As previously announced, I.N.C teamed up with Apfel to develop a collection of approximately 40 must-have clothing and jewelry pieces that play into fall’s “mod” trend revival. Apfel consulted with I.N.C’s design team and provided creative direction on the collection, which focuses on stylish and versatile wardrobe staples and a wide assortment of her signature bangles.

Grandin Road To Debut Seasonal Halloween Décor Pop Up Store At Macy’s Herald Square NYC

In September, Grandin Road, the popular direct retailer of home furnishings and décor, known for its warm, colorful styling will take its first step into experience-driven retail through an innovative collaboration with Macy’s Herald Square in New York City to bring an exciting seasonal retail pop up store to life.

The 1,400 square foot pop-up will be Macy’s first Halloween concept shop, immediately greeting consumers as they enter the department store’s 7^th Avenue entrance. Launching in early-September, the Halloween At Macy’s Herald Square pop-up experience starts outside, with two retail windows and continues inside with four sophisticated vignettes: “Frightfully Fun,” “Bewitching,” “Halloween Glam” and “Macabre and Mystical“.

“Our customers love this time of year at Grandin Road. Every Halloween gets more spooktacular than the last!” said Jennifer Reeves, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at Grandin Road. “And we are looking forward to collaborating with Macy’s to bring the full brand experience to life. The invitation – with a wink – to customers is, ‘Enter if you dare!’“

Macy’s Herald Square is an iconic choice for the site of the pop-up store. Millions of customers flow through Macy’s flagship store each year, and its storied history of bringing seasonal celebrations to life has made the location a central character in the great story of American Retail.

“Macy’s is known and loved for its place in bringing the holidays to life for customers across the country, and the new Halloween At Macy’s Herald Square was designed with that tradition in mind,” said Shawn Outler, Senior Vice President of Leased Businesses for Macy’s. “This partnership and pop-up shop will provide customers at our iconic New York flagship store an exciting experience they can’t get anywhere else.”

For Grandin Road, the move is a natural step in its strategy to expand the consumer experience beyond the catalog and website. The collaboration is a progression into an inspirational, fully styled space, leveraging a collection that is, without a doubt, a Grandin Road “fan favorite”.

The success of the Halloween line has built steadily for over a decade at Grandin Road, with the brand’s clever and aspirational designs striking a chord with a specialty consumer market that is growing dramatically. Once a single day of costumes and trick-or-treating, Halloween has expanded to a full season of ghoulish fun and spooky fantasy that everyone enjoys – kids, adults, friends and family – that includes parties and home entertaining.

Indeed, in 2015 Americans spent $6.9 billion celebrating Halloween, and $1.9 billion of that was on decorations, according to the National Retail Federation. Last year, 49 million Americans were predicted to attend or host a Halloween party.

Tretorn Celebrates 125 Years Of Heritage With A Collection Of Shoes And A New Global Marketing Campaign, # Tretorn125

Tretorn, a Swedish brand heritage iconic lifestyle has announced the launch of a new collection of footwear for fall 2016 that merges the spirit clean, fresh and playful design Swedish an urban purpose.

Tretorn offers rubber boots, shoes, coats and riding boots for men, women and children and tennis team and is available in department stores and specialty retailers in Europe, North America and Japan and online worldwide. Tretorn is constantly evolving to bring innovative products to suit the evolving life of the modern consumer.

Tretorn Fall 2016 Campaign (PRNewsFoto/Marc Fisher Footwear)

The Fall/Winter 2016 footwear collection launches a line of styles Tretorn reinvented and expanded including slippers and boots for men and women featuring function, comfort and design suitable for an active daily life. Inspired by styles of inheritance, Match, Marley and Camden have been reinvented with rich fabrications and bold shades of autumn. The iconic Nylite has been updated with new materials such as leather and suede jersey and is available both in silhouette hi-top and low-top.

(PRNewsFoto/Marc Fisher Footwear)

Technical Specifications include:

EcoOrthoLite : Styles select footwear, including style inheritance Nylite, use Ortholite a template custom design, technology template cell foam and formulating biobased that provides superior cushioning, moisture management, performance and breathability.

Sympatex : select time styles are made of Sympatex, designed with high performance materials and environmentally friendly. Sympatex outdoor provides comfort and protection in all weather conditions, are 100% waterproof, 100% recyclable and perfectly breathable.

Thermal Sock : Unlike traditional rubber products, rubber shoes Tretorn has thermal insulation to cushion sock long term and warmth. With its lightweight design, thermal sock provides a form of shock absorber is molded to the shape of the foot for maximum comfort.

In support of the launch of the fall collection 2016, Tretorn is activating a marketing campaign 360 inclusive of print and digital advertising and influential social campaign, # Tretorn125 celebrating the 125th anniversary of the brand and will feature brand ambassadors in 125 – mile trip to your favorite destination, as a showcase of their daily life outside – in cities and in nature and Tretorn style. The week of August 22 # Tretorn125 start a long season activation of celebrity and influencer key styles.

For more information visit: www.Tretorn.com

Champagne Armand de Brignac Awarded #1 Blanc de Noirs in the World for 2016

Champagne Armand de Brignac (http://www.armanddebrignac.com) was announced as the number one Blanc de Noirs champagne in the world, following a blind tasting of 250 cuvées submitted as part of the 2016 annual rankings by FINE Champagne Magazine and www.Tastingbook.com. The Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs is a 100% Pinot Noir prestige cuvée and less than 3,000 bottles of the first assemblage were created. It is the first new release champagne expression from the brand since it was acquired by Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter in November 2014.

Champagne Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs (PRNewsFoto/Champagne Armand de Brignac)

The Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs is crafted from 100% Pinot Noir fruit, from some of the best black-grape producing villages in Champagne. A winemaking signature of Armand de Brignac is extreme selectivity in juice extraction, with the winemakers taking solely the first and freshest portion of the gentle cuvée grape press. This no-compromise approach to producing the most exceptional quality, resulted in a release of less than 3,000 bottles. The inaugural assemblage (A1) is a trio of vintages, 2006, 2008 and 2009, which rested in the chalk cellars in France for more than six years, before its release last November. The champagnes are crafted by the Cattier family, 11th generation Champagne growers, who have held family-owned vineyards in the region for more than 250 years.

FINE Champagne Magazine, the only international publication devoted to champagne, have annually assessed the vast offering on the international markets since 2010 producing the ranking of ‘100 Best Champagnes’. On the debut year, Armand de Brignac Brut Gold was celebrated as the best champagne of the year. This year, FINE Champagne organized the ranking in association with the world’s largest wine information source, www.Tastingbook.com.

“Blanc de Noirs are a rare but exciting, up-and-coming champagne category and we were delighted to see Armand de Brignac’s brand new release excel in our tasting. After all, FINE Champagne’s ranking is all about picking the best wines on the market for the consumer, celebrating champagne’s different styles” said Essi Avellan MW, the Editor of FINE Champagne Magazine.

Juha Lihtonen, co-founder of www.Tastingbook.com, comments that “Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs charms with its refined, round and opulent nature. It possesses all necessary characteristics of a great Blanc de Noirs. Thanks to these qualities, it stood out in its category.“

Champagne Armand de Brignac Blanc de Noirs is available at select fine wine stores in key cities of the world at USD $850.

To learn more about Champagne Armand de Brignac, please visit www.armanddebrignac.com. To explore the FINE Champagne Magazine’s ‘Best Champagne for 2016’ results, please visit www.tastingbook.com.