Saturday Stats: San Jose is #3 on Fastest-Growing Cities List

Based on Forbes list of fastest-growing cities, San Jose ranks #3 in the US. It should also be noted that cities were penalized for low median incomes and high unemployment rates while given an extra boost from high projected economic growth. To quote the article, "the result is a list of cities that aren't just growing, but creating opportunities."

Source: Forbes


Xin Zhu/istockphoto

South First Friday Today!

The weather should be pretty nice tonight. Great day for an art walk Downtown!  Today's South First Friday features 19 different venues open from 7pm-11pm. To see the full list of what will be featured, just click here.

Beauty Pop-up Brow Bar

First came pop-up retail, then pop-up eateries, and now we're getting into an age of pop-up services. I'm a fan of the whole concept and hope the trend continues. Studio Joule below is doing a pop-up brow bar in Downtown Campbell this Friday and is also doing a pop-up in Downtown San Jose this June.

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Event Details:

Who: Studio Joule & Simply Smashing Boutique

What:  Pop-Up Brow Bar 

Where:  Simply Smashing Boutique 241-B E. Campbell Avenue, Downtown Campbell

When:  Friday May 4th, 2012.  From 4:00 - 8:00 pm.

Studio Joule and Simply Smashing will be combining beauty & fashion one evening. Beautiful brows, boutique browsing and personal styling.

Come Party at the Tech Tonight!

The Tech Museum After Hours

Special Presentation
The Science of Suds
Sponsored by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
With special musical guests Daze in the Green
Wednesday, May 2
6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
We are teaming up with San Jose's only local brewery, Gordon Biersch, for our first ever beer tasting event! Join us for lots of fun activities exploring the "science of suds".

Special Offer May 2 Only!
Purchase one Gordon Biersch beer glass for $10.00 and get 3 Gordon Biersch beers FREE! Choose from 5 different styles of beer: Marzen, Czech Style Pilsner, Hefewesizen, Blonde and SommerBrau. Mix and match!

Each month provides an exclusive and fun setting of music, games, hands-on exhibits, and more. Explore the entire museum with other adults under moody lighting and music as you play a bevy of giant games, discover more about science and technology, or just relax and have fun with friends! 

• Gordon Biersch beer tasting.
• GIANT GAMES like 4 Foot Tall Jenga-Style Blocks, Over-Sized Chess, and Giant Four in a Row.
• Live music and dancing.
• Limited cafe menu available for purchase.

This May, Daze on the Green is "in the house" and will be joining The Tech Museum After Hours to give us some beats to jam to! So bring your friends for an exciting evening of fun, games and music!

CELEBRATE your birthday a whole new way! If your birthday falls in between April 29 - May 6, YOU can get in for FREE (with a valid ID)!

Don't forget to go over to After Hours Photo Booth and share smiles with your friends. We'll post your photos on our After Hours Facebook page and share your pictures! Enjoy our new bar menu with tasty appetizers now for only $5 per item!

Admission Prices:
General: $10
Member: $8
Group of 10 or more: $8

For more information or to buy tickets please call(408) 294-8324. Or buy online now. (service charges may apply. Members service charges waived.)

Get directions and parking tips.

Like our After Hours Facebook page!   

Pagoda is Transforming into a Live Music Venue

Wow, I didn't see this one coming. Pagoda is going to drop their dinner service and instead feature live music by up and coming bands. I have to say this is a surprising and really cool idea. Along with the live music multiple times a week at the San Pedro Square Market, the big events at the remodeled Civic, and almost daily performances in SoFA... the Downtown live music scene is really growing and starting to become alive. Best of luck to Pagoda, I really hope they succeed with the new concept!

THE FAIRMONT SAN JOSE

FOLLOWS THE BEAT OF DOWNTOWN

THE ALL-NEW PAGODA

SAN JOSE, CA – After years of serving world-class Chinese cuisine in downtown San Jose, Pagoda is changing to meet the needs of our guests and local residents. Effective April 29, 2012, Pagoda will no longer be serving dinner.

“Pagoda is not closing, rather evolving,” says Mike Lerman, Food and Beverage Manager of The Fairmont San Jose. There has been overwhelming demand for an intimate and inviting space to enjoy San Jose’s burgeoning music scene.  Pagoda will provide guests access to international up-&- coming bands, a laid- back lounge scene and serve great drinks. The new direction will be more in line with market demands and consumer trends in downtown San Jose.

Pagoda will continue to serve as home to the Live at the Pagoda music series; now in its second year, Live at the Pagoda has become the South Bay’s preeminent live music venue. Live at the Pagoda’s music events supports 1^st Act Silicon Valley’s efforts to strengthen the arts and culture industry in the valley (a San Jose network group consisting of business, civic, and arts leaders).

Pagoda’s next music event is Friday, May 4^th, 2012. A live music schedule may be found online at liveatthepagoda.com; additional inquiries regarding private events may be directed to 408-998-3520 or email sanjose@fairmont.com

xxx

       

About The Fairmont San Jose

The Fairmont San Jose located in the heart of Silicon Valley, combines high-tech excitement with the elegance of Fairmont style.  The hotel offers 805 deluxe guest rooms, including 77 luxurious suites, and 65,000 square feet of state-of-the-art meeting space, presented with the perfect balance of contemporary and traditional designs.  The 20^th floor is devoted to a collection of grand penthouse suites, with its own private boardroom and spectacular city views. The 4^th floor (Cabana Level) features lavish -style rooms framing a 58’ swimming pool, sun deck, men’s and women’s saunas, steam rooms, health club and spa.  

Winchester Mystery House Horror Movie Officially in the Works!

We're starting off the week with some really good news! The Winchester Mystery House will officially be staring in a horror movie. Hammer, Imagination Design Works, and Nine/8 Entertainment are coming together to shoot the flick in the actual mansion itself. I can't wait to see this, and who knows... perhaps one of our future contests will feature a visit to the set. Full press release below:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

THE WORLD'S MOST HAUNTED HOUSE OPENS ITS DOORS TO EXCLUSIVE MEDIA GROUP/HAMMER FILMS

THE ICONIC PRODUCTION CO. OPTIONS RIGHTS TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE HORROR FILM

IDW'S BRETT TOMBERLIN TO HELM "WINCHESTER" FEATURE

Los Angeles, CA (April 27, 2012) – In the first deal of its kind, the San Jose, California based Winchester Mystery House considered the “world’s most haunted house” is authorizing Hammer, an Exclusive Media company, the use of its unique property for a feature film based on its legendary story. Hammer has optioned all rights to develop and produce the feature film with Imagination Design Works (IDW) and Nine/8 Entertainment, it was announced today by Simon Oakes, Vice-Chairman of Exclusive Media and President & CEO of Hammer, and Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, Co-Chairmen of Exclusive Media.

Production on the supernatural horror film currently in development will be overseen by Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust, President of Worldwide Production and Acquisitions, and Shira Rockowitz, Director of Development and Production. Brett Tomberlin and Antonia Lianos will produce for Imagination Design Works, Inc along with Andrew Trapani and Brian Gilbert for Nine/8 Entertainment. Christine Forde-Tomberlin of Imagination Design Works and Brent Emery of Coup d’Etat Films will serve as co-producers.

“The Winchester House has a rich and compelling history. The story behind how it was built has attracted a great deal of attention over the years and we are excited to bring that mythology to film,” said Tobin Armbrust. “We are also thrilled, and terrified, that the House has allowed us to film on the premises”.

"We are extremely excited to be partnering with Exclusive Media to bring the story of the Winchester Mystery House to a global audience. For many years, the mystique and history of this unique venue, and its owner Sarah Winchester, could be experienced only by those visiting the site. Now, with a film shot in and around the House, Sarah's spirit will be brought back to life, and the audience will see first- hand this stunning and bizarre house," said Brett Tomberlin, President, Imagination Design Works.

The Winchester Mystery House has a startling history and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. Popular belief holds that Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune, was convinced she was haunted by the spirits of those killed by “the gun that won the west.” Following a Medium’s advice, Sarah built a massive house in Northern California to appease the spirits. For the next 38 years, she never stopped building believing that if she continued, she would live forever, and if she stopped, she would die. Known as the “house built for the spirits,” there have been many inexplicable ghost sightings and to this day, visitors share their terrifying stories of having been in the presence of these departed souls who continue to roam the grounds of the intricate and enigmatic house.

Exclusive Media is a major force in the production and international distribution arena. Recent production titles include the box office hit THE WOMAN IN BLACK starring Daniel Radcliffe, and George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH produced by Smokehouse Pictures and co-produced by Exclusive Media with Cross Creek Pictures.

Other Hammer productions in the works include THE QUIET ONES to be directed by John Pogue starring Jared Harris, BONESHAKER to be produced with Cross Creek Pictures, GASLIGHT written by newcomer Ian Fried and the newly announced THE WOMAN IN BLACK: ANGELS OF DEATH, to be produced with Talisman, Cross Creek Pictures and Alliance Films.

Exclusive Media’s current production slate includes Ron Howard’s epic RUSH starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl and produced with production partners Cross Creek Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Brian Grazer, and Revolution Films; END OF WATCH starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick and America Ferrera set for release through Open Road Films on September 28; SO UNDERCOVER starring Miley Cyrus and SNITCH starring Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon in post- production.

Other recent titles from Exclusive Media’s documentary film division, Spitfire Pictures, include the Academy Award winning UNDEFEATED currently in release through The Weinstein Company, the Grammy Award winning FOO FIGHTERS: BACK AND FORTH produced in association with Allentown Productions and Martin Scorsese’s award winning GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD produced by Martin Scorsese, Nigel Sinclair and Olivia Harrison.

IDW is represented by Alexa Pagonas at Michael Black Management.

ABOUT HAMMER

Originally founded in 1934, legendary British film studio Hammer has delivered a hugely successful run of films over the years including Dracula, Frankenstein Created Woman, One Million Years B.C. and The Vampire Lovers. Since 2008, the company has been part of Exclusive Media, which is reinvigorating this beloved global brand through investment across both traditional and new media.

Not in production since the 1980s, Hammer marked their return to features in 2010 with the release of the critically acclaimed Let Me In, an adaptation of the highly praised Swedish film Låt den rätte komma in. The film was written and directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) and stars Chloe Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road).

In 2011, Hammer released Antti Jokinen’s The Resident starring two-time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby), Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hammer legend Sir Christopher Lee, as well as the critically lauded Wake Wood directed by David Keating and starring Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle and Timothy Spall.

February 2012 saw the theatrical release of Hammer’s first ever feature ghost story The Woman In Black, directed by James Watkins, adapted by Jane Goldman from the book by Susan Hill, and starring Daniel Radcliffe. The film has taken over $ 100mm worldwide making it one of the biggest indie horror films.

Hammer recently launched a new publishing imprint through Random House which has already published eight books. In February 2012 the imprint published its first original title with the much- praised “The Greatcoat” by Helen Dunmore, which will be followed by an original novel about the Pendle witches, by Jeanette Winterson, and “Coldbrook” by Tim Lebbon. Also publishing in 2012 are further new novelisations of classic Hammer films.

Hammer is also broadening its reach, with plans for a Hammer Theatre of Horror and a Hammer visitor attraction, as well as continuing to honour the company’s legacy with re-releases of classic films, official histories, merchandise, screenings and social media engagement.

For further information about Hammer and its parent company Exclusive Media, please visitwww.hammerfilms.com and www.exclusivemedia.com

ABOUT EXCLUSIVE MEDIA

Exclusive Media is a vertically integrated global film entertainment company, founded in May 2008 with the backing of the strategic investment group Cyrte Investments. Exclusive Media develops, finances, produces, markets and distributes prestige and talent driven commercial and documentary feature films on a global basis.

Exclusive Media is run by a five member Executive Board with Nigel Sinclair as Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Guy East as Co-Chairman, Simon Oakes as Vice Chairman and President of Hammer, Marc Schipper as Chief Operating Officer, and Randy Hermann as Chief Financial Officer. Supporting the Executive Board in both the operational management and strategic expansion of the business is a strong team of highly skilled professionals who have a broad range of complementary experience.

Exclusive Media’s development and production activities operate through three specialist labels: UK based Hammer for genre titles, Spitfire Pictures for documentary features and the flagship label Exclusive Media for all other feature film production.

Exclusive Media’s international sales & distribution division maintains a strong marketing presence and represents the group’s in-house productions plus its growing library of over 550 titles, as well as actively acquiring third party feature films to further strengthen its international distribution slate.

For further information about the company, our slate of films, library and our experienced management team please visit www.exclusivemedia.com

ABOUT IMAGINATION DESIGN WORKS, INC.

Imagination Design Works (IDW) is an independent production company formed for the purpose of creating feature length motion pictures, television programming and stage productions. Among its many unique projects, IDW represents the Winchester Mystery House, and was the first entity to broker the rights for a feature length film about and at the location.

Video: Scenes are Temporary, Movements are Forever (official teaser trailer)

This is a documentary being filmed about the current art renaissance going on in San Jose. We will feature many local artisans of all mediums in hopes to gain insight about what is fueling this movement. We will be posting updates and still shots from film sessions and other misc news. Thanks for supporting art. :)

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San Pedro Square Market Video (by SJMADE)