The Eye: Countdown To Video Conference; Hip-hop Showcase Moves To Mtv

BILLBOARD MUSIC VIDEO CONFAB:This is the last week to register for the 1999 Billboard Music Video Conference, set to take place Wednesday (10) through Friday (12) at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif.
Friday (5) is the cutoff date for registration by fax, mail, or the Internet. After Friday, walk-up registration will be available at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. (The conference fee of $499 per person remains the same.) Walk-up registration at the hotel will begin Wednesday at 12 p.m.
The grand finale to this year's Billboard Music Video Conference is the 1999 Billboard Music Video Awards show, which will take place Friday (12) at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. The awards show will be hosted by Steven Seagal and will feature presenters Audio Adrenaline, Jim Brickman, Meredith Brooks, Kurupt, Dave Navarro, and U-God.
A limited number of awards show tickets, at $125 each, are available for people who aren't registered for the conference.
For conference registration or awards show tickets, please contact Michele Quigley at 212-536-5002.
For all other questions, contact me at 212-536-5019.
For a complete conference schedule and list of events, go to www.billboard.com/events/mvc.
THIS & THAT:Launch Media has acquired Chicago-based cable TV production company Made in Heaven Entertainment, which produces the Chicago modern rock program "JBTV." Launch will add "JBTV" to its Web site.
Production company Gas, Food & Lodging has signed director J.C. Barros . . . Director Philipp Stölzl has joined the director roster at production company Oil Factory. He was previously represented by F.M. Rocks.
The Lyricist Lounge, a New York-bred showcase for unsigned hip-hop artists, will become a series on MTV beginning in January. Eminem, Mos Def, and Slick Rick are among those scheduled to appear on the show. Meanwhile, the Lyricist Lounge is in the midst of its second national tour, which is scheduled to conclude in early December.
College Television Network (CTN) has named Daniel Davenport president of CTN Internet initiatives. He was previously director of business development at THINK New Ideas.
Ken Ehrlich Productions will have three consecutive prime-time music specials on CBS: Celine Dion on Nov. 24, Shania Twain on Nov. 25, and Ricky Martin Nov. 26. The production company has been behind several other music specials this year, including VH1's "Divas Live '99" and the 41st annual Grammy Awards.
The No Dance Film & Multimedia Festival is accepting applications for independently produced music videos, film shorts, and feature films. The event-the first DVD-based film festival-will take place Jan. 22-Jan. 25 in Park City, Utah. Nov. 19 is the deadline for submissions. Application forms can be found by going to the festival's Web site at www.6161.com.
LOCAL SHOW SPOTLIGHT:This issue's spotlight is on the Louisville, Ky.-based R&B/hip-hop program "Da Urbin."
TV affiliate: WFTE-TV Salem/Louisville, Ky.
Time slot: 1 p.m. Sundays.
Program length: 30 minutes.
Key staffer: Craig Olmstead, executive producer.
Following are the show's top five videos for the episode that aired Oct. 31:
1. Angie Stone, "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" (Arista).
2. EPMD, "Symphony 2000" (Def Jam).
3. Ja Rule, "How Many Wanna" (Yab Yum/Elektra).
4. Mariah Carey, "Heartbreaker (remix)" (Columbia).
5. TLC, "Unpretty" (LaFace/Arista).