Biz Buzz

To the Rescue. McNellie's Group is sounding off in support of 2-1-1 Helpline. The week of Feb. 11, Cox Media Group (KRAV, Star 103.3, K95) will promote the awareness and fundraiser for the 2-1-1 Day.

Go to El Guapo, 332 E. 1st St., on Feb. 11 for lunch or dinner, get the $2.11 Tecate special and if a web burrito is ordered, El Guapo will donate 50 percent of the proceeds to the help line.

The helpline is a free and confidential service that makes a critical connection to get help and give help. Dialing 2-1-1 connects callers to trained specialists with access to multi-lingual translations.

With a database of thousands of community and government services, the specialists can identify the right solution to the caller's problem. The program eases access to health and human services and responds during community emergencies.

Those interested in donating can also go to 211tulsa.org and give as little as $2.11.

Country Cookin'. Tim Baker, award-winning restaurateur and visionary behind Brookside staples The Brasserie Restaurant & Bar and Sonoma Bistro & Wine Bar, is expanding into south Tulsa with his latest concept, Duke's Southern Kitchen. Located in the SpiritBank Event Center, Duke's will offer an eclectic mix of true southern cuisine, paying homage to staples such as she-crab soup and chicken fried steak while incorporating modern and unpretentious twists into what is quietly becoming the next food trend among big-name chefs.

The new restaurant features Justin Thompson, an award-winning chef who has garnered local and regional attention for his work at The Brasserie and Sonoma. Kristen Villareal rounds out the team with her southern take on cocktails and additional menu input.

To complement the food, a southern-inspired selection of beers, wines and cocktails will be also available, including a wide selection of single batch bourbons and exotic gins. Duke's will also feature live music on select days of the week with a variety of local and regional artists playing jazz, blues, southern rock and the super hip classic country.

And Action. Midnight on Friday, Feb. 4 will mark the kick-off of the 24 Hour Video Race. Teams of participants will then have 24 hours to write, shoot and edit a short video which must be returned to Living Arts, 307 E. Brady, or Individual Artists of Oklahoma, 706 W. Sheridan, Oklahoma City, by midnight on Saturday, Feb. 5.

The videos must be shorter than five minutes and must relate to a surprise theme that will be revealed to participants on the night of the competition.

All entries will be screened on Thursday, Feb. 17 at the Philbrook Museum of Art, 2727 S. Rockford. A panel of judges will select three winners--two from the standard category and one from the student category. A juror's grand prize will be given along with other awards to winners in a selection of categories.

Those interested in pre-registering should send an email to shunsuke-manabe@utulsa.edu. Same day registration is also available.

And the Award Goes To. The year-end rankings of the top arena venues worldwide based on ticket sales for 2010 have been released by Pollstar magazine, a leading industry publication. The BOK Center ranked No. 10 in the United States and No. 23 in the World. In both full years of operation for the arena, 2009 and 2010, BOK Center has finished in the top ten of the Pollstar rankings.

The BOK Center's success is fueled by the number and variety of the entertainment coming to Tulsa. More than 175 events ranging from C-USA Men's Basketball Tournament, Brooks & Dunn, Yo! Gabba Gabba Live! and the Second Anniversary Concert featuring Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were part of the lineup in 2010.

Pollstar will award the most recent nomination for Arena of the Year in early February. Sharon Dunaway, box office manager for BOK Center and Tulsa Convention Center was voted in by the ticketing industry as VenuesToday magazine's 2011 Box Office Star.

BOK Center, 200 S. Denver, fell in the 10th spot with 360,871 tickets sold. The number one spot went to Madison Square Garden in New York, NY with 1,152,792 ticket sales.

For a full list of events since the arena opened in fall 2008, visit bokcenter.com.

Pulitzer Please. Entries are being accepted now for the 2011 Great Plains Journalism Awards. This year's contest features new categories and the introduction of a blue-ribbon panel of judges.

Deadline to enter is Feb. 1. Awards will be presented at a spring banquet and workshop.

The Great Plains Journalism Awards started three years ago as a way to honor print, web and magazine journalists from eight states. Last year's event honored more than 100 journalists from the region's best newspapers.

Before last year's awards presentation, a conference was held and featured two nationally known speakers--Jacqui Banaszynski and Mitch Pugh. Banaszynski is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, University of Missouri chair and Poynter Institute fellow. Pugh is editor of the Sioux City Journal as well as a Poynter presenter.

This year's awards ceremony and workshop promise to be just as exciting with prominent speakers and opportunities for award nominees and winners to interact with each other and share ideas, tips and strategies.

"The journalists involved in the Great Plains Awards are turning the tired chicken-dinner banquet into a lively and creative affair," Banaszynski said. "They've attached a series of strong training workshops to bolster the event and bring enthusiasm and hope to the future of the profession. Other journalism award programs should take notice."

For more information, visit greatplainsawards.org.