Lounge chairs | Courtesy of Kartell
tuesday, april 1
Read
Right of the Dial: The Rise of Clear Channel and the Fall of Commercial Radio
By Alec Foege
If you've ever overpaid for concert tickets or bemoaned the glut of advertising on the FM dial, this profile of Clear Channel Communications -- the media giant that owns billboards, promotes music, and operates more U.S. radio stations than anyone else -- will help you understand why. Alec Foege chronicles in exhaustive (and occasionally exhausting) detail Clear Channel's rise from a single radio station in San Antonio to the behemoth it is today and concludes that "capitalism nearly snuffed out creativity." The book's few bland moments are worth wading through to reach the juicy tales of "good ol' boy" nepotism and the sharp insights into a profit-obsessed business nicknamed "Cheap Channel." -- Bianca Bosker
wednesday, april 02
Create
Exhibition of Inventions
Geneva
Do you ever feel as if you're Rube Goldberg reincarnated? Then step out of the garage and reveal your wondrous creation to the world. Some 750 inventors from 45 countries will gather for five days in Geneva, hoping to be among the 45% of exhibitors whose creations are picked up by distributors and investors. Gizmos at last year's fair ranged from the practical (an advanced narcotics screening test) to the pointless (a spring-loaded fishing hook for beyond-lazy anglers). Anne Loertscher, the show's assistant manager, says that any gadget can be displayed as long as it hasn't been shown at the exhibit before, has a patent -- and "isn't solely used for violence." -- Theunis Bates
thursday, april 03
Tick
BaselWorld 2008 and the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie
Basel and Geneva
Wrist-candy junkies get their annual fix when the world's watch industry meets at BaselWorld, a weeklong fair for the masses with more than 2,000 exhibitors, and the invitation-only SIHH, which opens April 7 and features 16 luxury brands. Both shows share a spirit of innovation. "It's our chance to show off all the creativity you can put into such a small thing," says BaselWorld attendee Stephen Urquhart, global president of Omega, which will tout its new James Bond watch. At SIHH, Roger Dubuis will debut its $600,000 Excalibur 45 0829, whose most notable feature is a low chime that indicates the time so you don't even have to look at your wrist. That neatly captures the challenge for watchmakers today: how do you deliver excitement -- and utility -- in a BlackBerrying-while-driving world? "Forget about technology and design," says Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute, an industry observer. "What's the emotional hook for me to own a timepiece when I don't need one to know the time?" -- David Lidsky
friday, april 04
Screen
Shine a Light
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Call it "geriatrock": America is hearing it everywhere, from concert arenas -- the Rolling Stones broke revenue records with its "A Bigger Bang" tour, which grossed more than $500 million -- to the Super Bowl, where the last four half-time acts (Tom Petty, Prince, the Stones, Paul McCartney) averaged 60 years old. Now Martin Scorsese's new Stones documentary, Shine a Light, packed with archival footage and scenes from two 2006 concerts at New York's Beacon Theatre, aims to cash in on our devotion to aging rockers in tight pants. Look for a cameo by Bill Clinton, who celebrated his big 6-0 with Jagger & Co. Keith Richards's onstage advice for the former prez: Stop counting. -- Ellen Gibson
sunday, april 06
Illuminate
Light + Building
Frankfurt
This biennial, which bills itself as "the world's biggest innovation platform for lighting," puts the sector's smaller trade shows into the shadows. (Lightfair, we're talking about you.) At this illuminating mecca, one can gape at walls glowing in kaleidescopic colors or cool-to-the-touch, 50,000-hour-battery LEDs. When the sun goes down, a festival called Luminale will fill the city and surrounding countryside with fantastically trippy lightscapes. Light + Building seems to bring out the inner moth in people: Attendance is set to hit 135,000 light lovers during the six-day, gazillion-watt event. -- Kate Rockwood
thursday, april 10
Tee Up
The 2008 Masters
Augusta, Georgia
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