We’ll be adding more, so keep your eyes open for new and quirky events that may tickle your fancy.

Palm Springs, CA
January 3 thru January 14
www.psfilmfest.org

On January 3 – 14, 2008, the Nineteenth Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival plays host to a fabulous collection of movies and movie stars. The festival features a stellar line-up of more than 230 films from 65 countries, seminars, special events, and Gala receptions. The Awards Gala will be held on Saturday, January 5, 2008 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The 2008 Award Gala Honorees are Halle Berry, Sean Penn, Emile Hirsh, Hairspray’s rising star, Nikki Blonsky and more.

Berlin, Germany
January 13, 2008

A new marathon-like event is sweeping the nation of Germany — The Tower Run. For four euros, anyone can enter the race to the top of the Ideal Hochhaus, one of the tallest residential buildings in Germany. Modeled after the New York City run to the top of the Empire State Building, the Germany course has only been around for 6 years, and has reached cult-like status. The race is 465 steps up a 29-story building, and racing groups are split by age and gender. Currently, there are Tower Runs in over 75 cities throughout the world. Go check it out!

Nara Park, Japan
January 2008

The Roof. The Roof. The Roof is on fire! Not exactly, but Wakakusayam Hill is on fire at the annual Japanese festival. The origin of the festival is not fully known, but it is believed that Wakakusa Yamayaki dates back to the 12th century and is supposedly a celebration mirroring the ancient acts of agricultural field clearings—the land is burnt to get rid of vermin and to promote a bountiful sprouting of vegetation for the upcoming spring. At 5:30 PM purification rituals and safety prayers are made after which a fireworks display lights up the winter sky. The 342-meter area is set ablaze by monks and priests, as onlookers watch the flames engulf the entire mountain. The fire and fireworks make for a beautiful view at this mid-winter Asian festival.

Miami, Florida
January 18 thru January 20
www.mdpl.org

Celebrate the exuberant, toe-tapping Broadway musicals of the 1930s and 40s; when Broadway met Art Deco, the result was an exciting blend of art, industry, beauty, and glamour. The emerging Art Deco movement inspired stagecraft, choreography, costume, scenic design, and more. Art Deco Weekend also offers antiques and collectibles, guided tours, music, the 3rd annual "Light Up the Drive" opening night parade and the first "Arf Deco Weekend" dog parade. Art Deco Weekend is one of Miami’s most celebrated and highly attended events. The mission is to promote Miami's heritage and spotlight Art Deco to the world. For those who love the arts, this star-studded weekend can't be missed!

A complete schedule of events and info, including the free, live concerts, can be found online at www.ArtDecoWeekend.com or by calling 305.672.2014. The hours for the weekend festival are from noon to 11:00 p.m. on Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

New Orleans, Louisiana
January 16 thru February 5
www.mardigrasday.com

Get your party on! New Orleans Mardi Gras is back for another year of debauchery, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the fun-filled, month long festival celebrating Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is actually only one day, the last day of the festival, and it is the true culmination of weeks worth of costumes, beads, parades, parties, booze, and breasts (not ours… never)! However, don’t miss out on all the festivities. If you’re gonna do it, do it right! The festival begins on the Twelfth Night of January with the Phunny Phorty Phellows Parade (say that fast), after which there are about 40 more parades in New Orleans alone. Don’t miss the Krewe Of Bacchus Parade, February 3, which is the biggest and best parade with the most energetic and vibrant floats. This is also where the celebrity King makes his debut. We missed Luke Perry in 2000 and we missed Nicolas Cage in 2002, so be sure not to miss this year. We hear this year’s King is one of the biggest music legends of our time. Don’t quote us on that.

Glendale, Arizona
February 2, 2008
www.nfl.com/superbowl

Hut One. Hut Two. Set. Set. Hike! It’s the beginning of the New Year and you know what that means…. Football season is coming to an end. But not without some flare. This year is Superbowl XLII (Forty-two for all you roman numeral slowpokes) and it will be held on February 3, 2008 at the new University of Pheonix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. We don’t know exactly who will be competing for the grand title, but we do know this… Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers will be there and neither team will be Backing Down from the fight. A reminder to all you DVR addicts, don’t just breeze through the commercials - these are the blockbusters of the medium!

National Park, Grampians, Victoria, Australia (2 hrs from Melbourne)
February 15 thru February 17
www.maitreyafestival.com

This hippie Festival is an explosion of art, and music, complemented by an astonishing atmosphere created by the gathering of brothers and sisters from Australia and those from around the globe for 4 magical days in the Aussie summer. Since the beginning of time, people have gathered under the sun and the stars to celebrate the unbridled spirit that runs through everything around us; Maitreya Festival continues the party and brings new understanding to all who get involved. The festival includes a $10,000 no boundaries, intergalactic art prize and 4 stages of Australia's best local music lineup, featuring performances from over 70 Aussie bands and 9 international acts, accompanied by nightly laser shows. What’s more, workshops on mind, body, spirit, and culture, late-night cinema under the stars, international traders markets, camping on site, and the most amazing people in the universe all in one spot. Come experience something new and lose yourself in the sounds of music, under the shade of a big gum tree. Be prepared, the cherished beauty of the Australian Bush will capture your heart and take your breath away. Maitreya is the perfect journey for the excited traveler! See you in the bush!!

Hollywood, CA
February 24, 2008
Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on ABC.
www.oscar.com

The Oscars! At the start of the New Year, Oscar fever hits, and the annual presentation of golden statuettes becomes all the rage, as hundreds of millions of movie lovers glue themselves to the screen to discover who will be given the highest honor in filmmaking. This year Jon Stewart is set to host the 80th Academy Awards® telecast, which will mark Stewart's second stint as Oscar host. It’s not just the awards that tickle our fancy; it’s who’s wearing what: Versace, Valentino, Chanel, Armani? And, as you know, it’s just as entertaining (and amusing), to spot Joan Rivers’ new facelift, as well as all the celebrity collagen, bountiful botox, and diva dermabrasions working the red carpet.

Vanity Fair After-party!
For those of you gals with deep pockets, we suggest you buy your $10,000 tickets now (the money goes to charity) to attend Vanity Fair’s over-the-top Oscar party, the world's most famous (and media-saturated) annual gala. Since 1993, Elton John has hosted a dazzling party that raises international awareness and resources for those affected by H.I.V. and AIDS. Without any hesitation Vanity Fair and famed Morton’s Steakhouse came into the mix, making the party the finest, most exclusive, celebrity-clad, celebration of the year. It truly is a legendary affair, as Hollywood hotshots meet and greet one another, hatch deals, swap business cards, flirt, party, lie about how they loved each other’s latest movie, and just … paint the town red as they revel in each other’s delight.

Miami, Florida
March 16, 2008
11AM – 7 PM
www.carnavalmiami.com/calle8

One week each March, Miami transforms itself into a time-honored Latin street festival. Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) becomes the scene of Carnaval as over a million spectators gather to celebrate in the city’s largest annual party. Calle Ocho (pronounced kye-yay oh-cho) means "8th Street" in Spanish and is the leading celebration of Latino culture in the US. Miami has a huge Cuban American population, and 8th Street is the most popular street in "Little Havana”, making it the center of Cuban culture. The massive street party that is Calle Ocho, features fashionable music, dance, art, food and fun! It started in 1978 to bring the Hispanic community together, but each year the festival has grown and today the event is known as Carnaval Miami, the world's largest street party! Calle Ocho spreads over 23 blocks of Little Havana with thirty stages at intersecting avenues blasting out salsa, meringue, pop and Caribbean music to more than a million people.