NEW YORK, N.Y. — An exhibit dedicated to the memory of Oprah Winfrey’s late dogs opens in Manhattan’s west village, helping to promote pet safety awareness. A life-size monument depicts “puppy versions” of Oprah’s Cocker Spaniel Sophie and Golden Labrador Gracie atop the head of the talk show icon by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards. The [...]

CHICAGO, Ill. — With her endorsement of presidential candidate Barack Obama, Oprah is making known her views on the need for healthcare reform. But controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards is urging talk show host Oprah Winfrey to do more by taking the time on her show to reach out to the recently retired baby boomers for whom healthcare reform will come too late. Edwards is offering his latest creation to Oprah, to assist the television icon in breaking the ice with baby boomers to encourage them to prepare for their own funerals.

CHICAGO, Ill. — On the heels of last year’s farewell tour of the King Tut exhibit starts this year’s tour of the gilded likeness of talk show queen, Oprah Winfrey. “The Oprah Burial Mask” will debut in Chicago April 24th, near Oprah’s Harpo Studios at GARDENfresh Gallery, courtesy of NYC’s Leo Kesting Gallery.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Metrofunk.com, the first metropolitan based online social network built by trendsetters for trendsetters, announced this week that they will celebrate the company’s launch into public beta on Wednesday, March 19th at Club Metrofunk, located at 532 West 27th Street. If the address sounds familiar, that is because it is the address of the popular Manhattan nightclub, Home.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — BackstageBroker.com is proud to announce the launch of their event ticket comparison website. Backstage Broker does not sell tickets, it “brokers” ticket buyers with the best providers in the secondary ticket industry.

NORMAN, Okla. — Last year, images of Britney Spears’ shaved head were splayed all over the media. And, in celebration of Spears, Mainsite Contemporary Art in Norman is exhibiting an appropriated image for public viewing through March 28. Los Angeles artist, known as XVALA, set out to define Spears’ spiritual, emotional and economical value.

DUXBURY, Mass. — One informs the other; the other informs the one. “As an abstract painter, I am very influenced by my life’s work as a graphic designer. Alternatively, my approach to painting impacts my design work in a way that makes it richer and more interesting,” explains artist Robert Cipriani, whose abstract painting, Red 2, received an honorable mention award at the Cambridge Art Association’s “Red” show.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Barbaro, the euthanized champion racehorse, is an emblem for the Right To Die and Death With Dignity movements in a monument to be unveiled in Central Park this April, before the 134th Kentucky Derby. “The Barbaro Memorial for the Right to Die” by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards is a tribute to the late Triple Crown contender and is dedicated to the institution of euthanasia, announced Manhattan’s Leo Kesting Gallery.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — A statue of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro will be unveiled at the Central Park South location where a carriage horse was tragically killed last year. The unveiling will correspond with the introduction of a proposal titled Barbaro’s Law, urging the mandatory disclosure of race-related horse injuries and fatalities. “The Barbaro Memorial” by controversial sculptor Daniel Edwards, courtesy of Manhattan’s Leo Kesting Gallery, will be unveiled April 30th.

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Metrofunk announced today that their invite-only social network built by trendsetters, Metrofunk.com, has officially launched. Metrofunk, a site devoted entirely to the genres of nightlife, fashion, music, and film will provide a centralized place for people to gather information on what is hot and trendy in the genres of their interest.

LAKE WORTH, Texas — Thirteen-year-old Jake Tinsley will realize a lifelong dream this week when a character he invented as a young boy debuts in a new comic book published by Galveston-based Wham Bang Comics. Two Fisted Adventures #1 becomes available this week, making Jake one of the youngest comic book writers in the US.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Gregory Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is taking its show on the road. After touring for seven years and then celebrating its first full year of daily shows at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, the show is scheduled to appear in several cities throughout California during December.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — As an international distributor of electronic musical instruments during the 1990s, Geoff Farr frequently spent long nights in European hotel rooms watching the only television programs that required no translation: short experimental videos backed with electronic music scores. Farr says German television was an especially rich medium for an American insomniac interested in creative new videos.

NEW YORK and LONDON, England — Prince Harry is the symbolic hero of a monument encouraging empathy for the Iraq War in the latest work by controversial New York sculptor, Daniel Edwards. The statue featuring Prince Harry will be unveiled at London’s Trafalgar Hotel October 11th during the Bridge Art Fair, courtesy of Capla Kesting Fine Art of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — International Productions, a Los Angeles based company, today announced that baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky will perform one live concert on the stage of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on November 11, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. Accompanied by conductor Constantine Orbelian and the Russian Chamber Orchestra and the Moscow Academy of Choral Arts, Hvorostovsky will perform Russian romances and arias.

LONDON, England — A war-mutilated Prince Harry is the symbolic fallen hero in a memorial honoring those willing but unable to serve in the occupied Iraq conflict. Harry, the youthful brother to Britain’s future king, was poised to be the most celebrated soldier of the Coalition forces, but due to the “specific threats to kill or kidnap him,” he was kept home. However, Prince Harry will be remembered for his intended tour of duty in a memorial to be unveiled at the Trafalgar Hotel October 11th courtesy of Bridge Art Fair.

JAMAICA, N.Y. — Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL) will host their Fall Open House, at 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY, where families can sample for free its culturally and educationally enriching workshops offered year-round. On Saturday, September 22, 2007 from 11 am to 5pm, guests of all ages are invited to take advantage of free dance, music, theater and art workshops, speak to instructors and find out more about JCAL programs.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Wildfire, Inc., which specializes in UV effects, including fixtures and expendable materials, is announcing the launch of their UV Artist of the Month Contest, which is open to all readers of their new newsletter, The Monthly Blaze. Every month, a black light artist will be selected and featured in the print and online newsletter.

EUGENE, Ore. — Resplendent in their finest magical attire, faerie lovers of all ages from as far away as England, Japan, Hawaii and Australia are gathering at The Secret House Winery outside of Eugene on July 21-22 for Faerieworlds, a celebration of art, music, imagination and all things faerie. This year’s event promises to break all previous attendance records, with guests expected to top 6,000, and is fast becoming one of the most popular outdoor festivals on the West Coast.

JAMAICA, N.Y. — The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) is pleased to present the inaugural seminar of Jamaica Flux 2007, inviting Kathleen Goncharov, Independent Curator, and Tom Finkelpearl, Executive Director of the Queens Museum of Art. The seminar takes place Saturday, May 12, 2007 5 - 8 pm.

JAMAICA, N.Y. — In recognition of National Dance Week, the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL) will offer Master Classes in dance and a live performance on Saturday April 28, 2007 from 12 PM to 6:30 PM. This year, JCAL celebrates National Dance Week by traveling the globe with the dances of Africa and the African Diaspora.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — John Waguespack, a unique San Francisco Surreal Artist, launches his latest exhibit “REINCARNATION” at District in San Francisco on Thursday April 12th. This exhibit ties history, pop culture, and surrealism into a colorful display of American iconography. “REINCARNATION” shows the affect of a former president’s “reincarnation” on the economy.

JAMAICA, N.Y. — The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) is pleased to present “A Jamaica, Queens Thing”: Rap and the Crack Era in South Jamaica, organized by guest curator Herb Tam. The opening artist reception takes place Saturday, April 14, 2007, 4 - 7 pm.

QUEENS, N.Y. — The Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (JCAL) has assembled a group of 18 emerging artists in a new exhibition - The Field: Selections from JCAL’s Artist Registry. The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, from 4-7 p.m. with a special performance by Tattfoo Tan. The contemporary artists were selected from JCAL’s artist registry; themes, styles and type of media vary.