From left, N.J. Senate President Steve Sweeney, Past AC Chamber President Ken Calamo, and current AC Chamber President Joe Kelly at the annual installation event at Stockton on Jan. 23.

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP — The Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce held its annual installation meeting Monday night, Jan. 23, at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s new Campus Center. The core issue of the meeting was the Chamber’s recommitting itself as an advocate for local businesses and to help reinvigorate the area’s struggling economy.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the installation.

Senate President Stephen Sweeney addressed the Chamber members prior to the installation. This year’s installation included Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sam Young of Tilton Fitness. A special award was given to Janice Johnson of Prudential Fox & Roach Relators for outstanding volunteerism.

Others in attendance included Chamber President Joe Kelly, Past Chamber President Ken Calamo, Atlantic City Alliance President Elizabeth Cartmell, Kenneth Calemmo of Cooper Levinson Law Firm and Superintendent of Brigantine Schools Bob Previti.

ATLANTIC CITY — As promised, the 4th annual ACWeekly.com Readers’ Choice Nightlife Awards bash was bigger and better than ever Thursday night, Jan. 26, at Night Fever Dance Club at Resorts.

Several new categories were added this year, among them the Best Place to Cure a Hangover and the Best LGBT Party Place, and the event included a special show chronicling the ever-changing live music eras in nightlife.

Click here to see a photo gallery of the awards party.

The festivities brought out a veritable who’s-who of the regional nightlife scene. A special thanks from Atlantic City Weekly goes out to all who continue to support the local nightlife scene, the thousands who voted, our host venue Night Fever Dance Club, show producer Mark A. Dahl, as well as the team at Resorts Casino Hotel that helped us put the awards party together.

ATLANTIC CITY — The popular local band Don’t Call Me Francis will be appearing on two upcoming Friday nights — Feb. 10 and March 9 — at the all-new ‘70s and ’80s themed Night Fever Dance Club at the Resorts Casino Hotel.

“One of the elements we thought would take Night Fever to the next level was the addition of live music, and we are thrilled to debut it with Don’t Call Me Francis,” said Resorts president Dennis Gomes in a recent media release. “Don’t Call Me Francis is one of the most sought-after bands in southern New Jersey and we are excited to bring their energy and love of the ‘70s and ‘80s to Atlantic City.”

With an 18-year music career, the Don’t Call Me Francis band has been touted as the Best Band in south Jersey and the Delaware Valley in the Courier Post Readers Choice Awards.

For more information, visit the band’s Web site here. — Julie Pipitone

ATLANTIC CITY — Absecon Lighthouse (left) is yet again offering an educational series called “Kids Light Up The Arts” beginning on Sun., Jan. 29, and running through Sun., March 11.

It is an opportunity for children to learn and grow in visual and performing arts. There will be two-hour art classes offered from 1-3pm on Sunday afternoons, Jan. through March. The premiere series will also feature local artists, performers, and crafters to influence students to develop their own artwork. Students will have the chance to display their creativeness and individuality at an Art Show and reception on Sun., March 11 from 1-3pm.

In addition, classes will include theater and puppetry, dance, painting, literature, photography, and other art forms. Classes are $15 per student and $95 for the complete class series. Price includes all materials, supplies, and educational instruction. In order to reserve your child’s participation weekly, please call (609) 449-1360 or go here for more information.  

— Julie Pipitone

ATLANTIC CITY — Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson, who fought to a controversial no-decision on Oct. 15, 2011M will meet in a light-heavyweight rematch on April 28 at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, Dawson’s promoter Gary Shaw confirmed Jan. 25.

Philadelphia legend Bernard Hopkins

In their first fight, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Hopkins, light-heavyweight champion from Philadelphia, was lifted up by Dawson after a missed punch and thrown to the canvas in the second round. He could not continue due to a dislocated shoulder, and initially referee Pat Russell said no foul had been committed and gave Dawson (30-1-0, 17 KOs) the victory by technical knockout. The WBC, however, later changed the ruling to a technical draw, and the California Boxing Commission changed it to a no contest, allowing Hopkins to keep his WBC belt. The WBC later ordered a rematch.

Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KOs) has had an illustrious pro career that began with a four-round decision loss at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City in 1988. He then rattled off 23 straight wins before dropping a decision to Roy Jones Jr. in 1993 — a loss he would avenge 17 years later. He also has wins over such high-profile boxers as Felix Trinidad, William Joppy, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Tarver, Winky Wright, Kelly Pavlik and Jean Pascal, who dealt Dawson his only loss by technical decision on Aug. 14, 2010. Dawson is from South Carolina and now resides in New Haven, Connecticut.

Chad Dawson of Hartsville, S. Carolina and New Haven, Conn.

According to a usatoday.com/sports article, the fighters have made no secret of their dislike for each other.

“There’s real bad blood here,” Shaw said in the article. “Chad knows everything that happened in the past, and he’s the bigger fighter, stronger fighter, younger fighter, maybe even the more skilled fighter. We have always believed he’ll stop Hopkins around the eighth round.

“And I give credit to Hopkins for stepping up and defending the title, which everyone thought he wouldn’t do.”

Hopkins’ shoulder has healed and he has recently begun training again. He turned 47 on Jan. 15. Two of his greatest victories have come in Atlantic City — a unanimous decision against Tarver in 2006 and a unanimous decision over Pavlik in 2008.

Live Nation has just announced a March 2 concert at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City featuring Trey Songz and Big Sean.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Jan. 27, 10am for the pair’s Anticipation 2our.

Trey has been in Atlantic City before, opening for Jay-Z back in 2010 and in 2007 at the House of Blues.

The tour dates are:

Feb. 9 Cleveland, Ohio State Theatre
Feb. 10 Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
Feb. 11 Chicago, Illinois Auditorium Theatre
Feb. 12 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
Feb. 14 Dallas/GP Verizon Theatre
Feb. 17 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
Feb. 18 Las Vegas The Pearl at Palms Concert Theater
Feb. 19 Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
Feb. 23 Cincinnati, OH Aronoff P&G
Feb. 24 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
Feb. 25 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Theatre
Feb. 28 Toronto, ON Sony Theatre
March 1 New York, NY Theatre at MSG
March 2 Atlantic City, NJ Mark G. Etess Arena
March 3 Washington, D.C. Constitution Hall
March 8 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
March 10 Southaven, MS De Soto Civic Center
March 11 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium

Along with the latest models from major boat manufacturers like Boston Whaler, the AC Boat Show boasts over 440 booths showcasing all the latest in marine technology.

ATLANTIC CITY — The indoor Atlantic City Boat Show returns to the Atlantic City Convention Center Wednesday through Sunday, Feb. 1-5. This year will be the first time the show is under major corporate sponsorship — the Progressive Insurance Company — and will be 30 percent larger than previous years, featuring hundreds of different boats and thousands of boating accessories.

Additionally, the show will feature many entertaining activities for the whole family to enjoy, including the new “Boating Simulator” sponsored by the Annapolis School of Seamanship, the Power Boat Docking Challenge, the Paddlepalooza (educational paddle sport information), scuba diving in a heated pool, and listening to teenage sailing adventurer Abby Sunderland’s story.

Guests will also be able to view the neon green powerboat Miss GEICO, which has set world speed records on water. Children will be able to take pictures with SpongeBob Squarepants, take a ride on a mini lake driving own paddleboat, and have the chance to “Build A Boat!” presented by Sea Quest Kids.

The Progressive Insurance Atlantic City Boat Show will be at the Atlantic City Convention Center Feb. 1-5. Show times will be Wednesday through Friday 11am-8pm, Saturday 10am-8pm, and Sunday 10am-5pm.
Tickets are $14 for adults (ages 16 and older), and FREE for children ages 15 and under. Tickets can be purchased online in advance by clicking here. For group rates, call 718-707-0711. — Julie Pipitone

The Artist.

There were a few surprises during the announcement of the Oscar nominations this morning. After making little buzz, the post-9/11 drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close earned one of the nine best picture nominations. So did The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s unconventional family epic. Malick also earned a best director nod, likely replacing David Fincher (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo).

In the best actor race, Demian Bichir earned a nomination for the little seen independent film A Better Life. His nod pushed Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) out of the top five. Michael Fassbender, universally acclaimed for his performance as a sex addict in the NC-17 rated Shame, also did not make the best actor category. Gary Oldman, a veteran actor who has never earned as much Oscar acclaim as he has deserved, picked up a nomination for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

In the best actress race, it was a mild surprise that Rooney Mara earned a nomination for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo over Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin). No matter, the race for best actress is between Viola Davis (The Help) and Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady).

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo earned the most nominations with 11, but no acting nods. The true frontrunners for best picture are The Artist, the black and white silent film comedy about the early days of the movies, and The Descendants, Alexander Payne’s dysfunctional family dramedy

Check out how I did with my Oscar predictions here.

Here is the complete list of nominations.

Read the rest of this entry »

ArtC, the headquarters for the arts in southern New Jersey, is teaming with the Noyes Museum of Art and the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey to present a series of photography workshops featuring keynote presenters John Russo and Seth Resnick.

Discover the secrets of commercial photography success and learn new techniques in composition, lighting, editing and more, with the best and brightest photographers of all levels from all over the region.

Seth Resnick

The workshops will take place at Stockton’s brand new Campus Center on Wednesday and Thursday, April 4-5. Go here for a schedule of events or call the Noyes Museum of Art at (609) 652-8848 to reserve tickets.

John Russo is among Hollywood’s most sought-after photographers. He has trained his lens on giants such as Jeff Bridges, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Will Smith, Sophia Loren and many others. His images are often seen on the covers of top magazines. He has two books of portraits, About Face and 100 Making a Difference. A native of Ventnor, he is a graduate of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and lives in Beverly Hills and Montecito, Calif.

John Russo

Seth Resnick is one of North America’s most respected photographers. His work been published in 2,500 prestigious publications, including National Geographic. A co-founder of D-65, the educational resource for digital photography, he also consults to manufacturers, software developers and agencies. He is a Photo District News Most Influential Photographer, a Canon Explorer of Light, a member of X-rite Colorati and a consultant to Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. He teaches and lectures around the world.

There will also be a special meet-and-greet at 8 pm, after Resnick’s presentation. The fee is $10 and includes coffee, soft drinks and desserts, and it should draw an interesting mix of photographers, artists and students.

One of the biggest breakout bands of 2011, Florence + The Machine, has announced a slate of tour dates this spring, which will take them from California’s Coachella Festival in April to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, the Mohegan Sun and Atlantic City’s Borgata in May.

The U.K. band is slated to wrap up its spring tour at the Borgata on May 12.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Jan. 27, 10am.