OVG360 Names Gregory A. O’Dell President, Venue Management

Venue management and hospitality company OVG360 named Gregory A. O’Dell president, venue management. OVG360 – a division of global sports and entertainment company Oak View Group – will welcome O’Dell to his new role in April after he departs his position at the helm of Events DC, the official convention and sports authority for the District of Columbia. He’ll report directly to OVG360 CEO Chris Granger.

O’Dell, who brings over 25 years of experience to the role, will lead the venue management line of business within OVG360, overseeing venue operations for more than 230 properties across the globe, including stadiums, arenas, convention centers, performing arts centers, cultural institutions and state fairgrounds.

“Greg is truly a unicorn in the live events industry in that his immense leadership experience spans both sports and entertainment and conventions and meetings,” Granger said in a release. “Bringing on Greg as our new head of venue management aligns with our commitment to hiring and developing the most talented, innovative, and values-driven people to grow the OVG360 team.”

In his current role as president and CEO of Events DC, O’Dell oversees three lines of business: conventions and meetings, sports and entertainment and special events. His primary responsibilities include oversight of the creation and promotion of hospitality, athletic, entertainment and cultural activities that generate economic and community benefits for the residents and businesses of the District of Columbia.

He also manages Events DC’s development portfolio, with active projects that include a new multi-purpose entertainment and sports arena on the campus of St. Elizabeths East in Congress Heights, the redevelopment of the RFK Stadium/Armory campus, a comprehensive streetscaping project around the 9-block exterior of the Convention Center and the redevelopment of the Carnegie Library, inclusive of a primary tenant lease for Apple’s global flagship store.

Prior to Events DC, O’Dell served as chief executive officer and general manager of the Washington Convention Center Authority, where he was responsible for the operations of the 2.3-million-square-foot Convention Center.  He also spearheaded the Authority’s development efforts, leading negotiations with the selected private developer and providing oversight throughout the project lifecycle of a $520 million public-private partnership for the 1,175-room, 37-suite Marriott Marquis Washington, DC hotel.

“I could not be more excited to join the OVG360 team. Under Chris’ leadership, we have a bold vision for how we will deliver customized venue solutions to our clients, creating indelible experiences for the communities we serve,” O’Dell said in a release. “I am so fortunate as this role is the perfect fit – a culmination of my experience in sports and entertainment, hospitality and development, coupled with my passion for growth, through building culture and embracing innovation.”

O’Dell’s appointment follows OVG’s acquisition of Spectra, one of the industry’s leading venue management and hospitality providers, to create a leading full-service live events company.

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Nat King Cole Recordings Sold to Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group quietly acquired about 200 recordings by Nat King Cole from the iconic singer’s estate in January 2021, the company revealed Thursday (March 17), bringing all of his recordings under UMG ownership.

The songs, recorded between 1961 and 1964, were previously licensed to Capitol Records — now owned by UMG — under a deal Cole negotiated following his rise to fame. His earlier recordings, also of about 200 songs, were all originally released on Capitol Records as well.

The agreement was first reported by Forbes to be in the range of $10 to $20 million – a price range Billboard confirmed with a source familiar with the deal. Recordings included in the acquisition include such iconic songs as “Nature Boy,” “Mona Lisa,” “Unforgettable,” “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You),” “L-O-V-E,” “Smile” and “When I Fall In Love.”

Also on Thursday, UMG revealed that on Friday (March 18) it will release Capitol Rarities (Vol. 1), a collection of 14 tracks by Cole. The set includes five Cole recordings that were previously unavailable on streaming platforms: “The Magic Tree,” “Early American,” “The Day Isn’t Long Enough,” “My First and My Last Love” and “Easter Sunday Morning.”

The UMG deal follows last week’s announcement that Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group purchased rights to all assets from Cole’s estate, including his recorded music, publishing, TV shows and name and likeness. That deal and the UMG acquisition are being billed as part of an effort to expand Cole’s legacy to new generations. Last year, UMG released an album of the singer’s classic Christmas songs featuring “duets” with contemporary artists including John Legend, Kristin Chenoweth and Gloria Estefan.

Cole started his career as a jazz and classical piano player and signed his first record deal with Capitol in 1943. His debut album with The King Cole Trio was released in 1945 and hit No. 1 on Billboard’s very first album chart. His success helped lead to the construction of the iconic Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, which became colloquially known as “The House That Nat Built.” His other hits include “The Very Thought of You,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Stardust.”

In 1959, Cole won the Grammy for best performance by a “Top 40” Artist for the song “Midnight Flyer.” Following his death in 1965 at age 45, he was posthumously honored with a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Other recent catalog purchases by UMG include the entirety of Neil Diamond’s song and master recording catalogs and Sting’s song catalog, both in February. In December 2020, in what is widely believed to be the biggest deal ever for a single songwriter, the company purchased Bob Dylan’s entire song catalog, including both publishing rights and Dylan’s writer’s share.

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Want Showtime? This Special Promo Gets You 30 Days Free for a Limited Time Only

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Everyone likes to save money. As big-league streamers like Netflix continue with price hikes, those monthly subscriptions that were supposed to be cheaper than a cable bill are really starting to add up. No need to panic though, if you’re looking for an affordable streaming option, Showtime offers groundbreaking movies, addictive original series and sports content that you can watch for free.

For a limited time only, new subscribers can test out Showtime free of charge for the first 30 days. After the free trial, the service will cost just $3.99 a month for three months and you can cancel anytime.

Another excellent way to save? Try a bundle deal and get Showtime and Paramount+ for $11.99 a month (28% savings) after a free 30-day trial.

What’s Streaming on Showtime?

From award-winning series to cult classic films, Showtime has a bit of everything. Subscribers can stream original series such as Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kyle Chandler and Uma Thurman. The miniseries, which premiered last month, follows the meteoric rise and fall of Uber founder Travis Kalanick.

Also on Showtime: Yellowjackets, Billions, Dexter: New Blood, Desus & Mero, The Affair, Couples Therapy, Work in Progress, The Chi, and Ziwe. Catch up on episodes and full seasons of must-watch shows, along with documentaries, boxing, MMA fights and more from one streaming platform. You can also download full episodes and watch them offline from a laptop, smartphone, iPad, smart TV, Xbox and other compatible devices on the Showtime app or at Showtime.com.

Other ways to land a free trial, add Showtime to your Hulu account for an additional $10.99 a month after a free seven-day trial. Additionally, Amazon Prime members can subscribe to Showtime as a Prime Video channel and receive a free weeklong trial ($10.99 month after the trial ends).

Some of the movies and documentaries and other content streaming on Showtime include The Green Knight, Outcry, Zola, Queenpins, Outcry, Passion Play: Russell Westbrook, Shut Up and Dribble and Below the Belt With Brendan Schaub.

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Justin Bieber Speaks Out After Hailey’s Medical Scare: ‘She’s Strong, But It’s Been Scary’

Justin Bieber spoke out about life’s curveballs during his Justice World Tour stop in Denver, Colorado on Wednesday (Mar. 16).

The speech came after an electrical fire caused the power to go out in the middle of JB’s show and days after his wife, Hailey Bieber, revealed that she was hospitalized after experiencing stroke-like symptoms caused by a “very small blood clot” to her brain.

“You know, it’s kind of crazy how life randomly throws you curveballs,” the “Peaches” singer told the crowd once the show resumed, per a video shared by social media user @angiebeebs. “You know, we can’t really control much. You know, tonight the power cutting out. Obviously, you guys know, most of you probably know or seen the news about my wife.”

He assured that she’s doing better, adding, “But she’s OK, she’s good, she’s strong. But it’s been scary, you know? Like, it’s been really scary. But I know for a fact that God has her in the palm of his hands and that’s a good thing.”

Hailey took to her Instagram Stories on Saturday (Mar. 12) to share the news of her hospitalization with her fans. “On Thursday morning, I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke like symptoms and was taken to the hospital,” the 25-year-old model wrote. “They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours.”

She added, “Although this was definitely one of the scariest moments I’ve ever been through, I’m home now and doing well, and I’m so grateful and thankful to all the amazing doctors and nurses who took care of me!”

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Video shows fatal hit and run crash in Broward. Police need your help finding the driver.

A man crossing a Fort Lauderdale street over the weekend was killed after a minivan slammed into him and never stopped, video shows. On Thursday, Fort Lauderdale police released the … Click to Continue »
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St. Thomas school in Glenvar Heights wants to expand. Neighbors worried about traffic

Expansion plans by the St. Thomas the Apostle School face a county vote on Thursday, with some neighbors warning of increased traffic and others supporting the zoning request. The private … Click to Continue »
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3 Florida Hungry Howie’s pizza joints shorted drivers $2,800. One had child labor issues

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Ex-Congressman Victor Fazio of California dies at 79

Victor Fazio, a Democratic congressman from California who served for 20 years and rose to become an influential party leader in the House, has died. He was 79. Fazio’s death … Click to Continue »
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Kanye West Suspended From Instagram for 24 Hours

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has been suspended from Instagram for 24 hours, Billboard can confirm.

The rapper’s recent posts violated Instagram’s policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment, a rep from Meta (formerly Facebook, Inc., which is the parent organization of Instagram) told TMZ, which first reported the news on Wednesday (March 16). The @kanyewest account has been restricted for 24 hours, which means Ye is unable to post, comment and send messages, among other actions, on the social media platform.

While his account remains active, certain posts have been deleted, including repeated racial slurs underneath a screenshot of Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s Google page. Half of the page is dedicated to the numerous shots Ye has taken at Pete Davidson, the current beau of West’s estranged wife Kim Kardashian. He wrote that the Saturday Night Live comedian, whom he refers to as “Skete,” “will get my kids mom hooked on drugs He’s in rehab every 2 months” and pleaded with SNL writer Dave Sirus to “please help write some more culturally irrelevant jokes for SKETE” while referencing Davidson’s tattoo of Hillary Clinton, which Ye had previously posted (and has since deleted) with the caption, “Tramp Stamp. Pete the tramp. Here’s the stamp.”

Ye also criticized comedian D. L. Hughley’s style by writing, “This grown a– man picked this outfit out himself Is he influential or under the influence???” underneath his picture. Ye additionally posted a screenshot of Hughley’s June 2021 interview on The Wendy Williams Show, where the 59-year-old actor discussed his latest book How to Survive America. “Funny thing is we’ll probably end up being friends… I used to defend this n—a back when he had work…. Like nah he funny … you just gotta watch it 1 trillion more times to get it,” Ye wrote. 

Hughley took to Twitter to defend himself in a series of tweets, starting with, “Now #Kanye! When you say you had to explain my jokes to people, are these real people, or the ones you keep in your head?” He later teased the rapper about Kardashian moving on from their marriage of six-plus years and dating Davidson. “At least I wasn’t crying on the phone about how big Pete’s Peter is! If you want her back instead acting up why don’t you try doing some d–k ups!” the D. L. Hughley Breaks the News host wrote in one tweet, while adding in another, “#Kanye do you know how horrible you gotta be to make a #Kardashian date a white man!”

The Instagram suspension follows Ye and Kardashian’s ongoing divorce case, which the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star first filed a little over a year ago. A Los Angeles judge declared her legally single earlier this month after she had requested a quick separation in December, which he had filed objections to in February. She complained to Judge Steve Cochran that Ye has been spreading “misinformation” about family matters with his social media outbursts, which she claims have caused her “emotional distress.” Yet he fired back by filing documents saying that his estranged wife couldn’t prove he wrote since-deleted posts that bashed her parenting style and trashed Davidson.

According to Meta, the platform will take additional steps if it sees Ye’s account continue to violate its policies on hate speech and bullying and harassment once the initial 24-hour restriction is up.

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