Meet the World's Least Superstitious Man

His name is Clive Palmer, and he's going to build the Titanic II.

The daring (foolish?) Mr. Palmer.

Perhaps the best quote of the press conference came when reporters asked if the new ship would sink.
"Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it," replied Mr. Palmer.  (Duh.)

The ship will sail in 2016.  No word yet on how much tickets will cost, but we'd suggest opening a savings account now if you don't believe in bad luck.

Thanks to Titanic Tipster Christian for this breaking bit of news.

What does a block of ice have in common with a whale?

 In this case, they’re both named Iceberg.

Earlier this week, we were pretty excited when this news story popped up.  Scientists in Russia have sighted what is possibly the world’s only white orca whale.  He is at least 16 years old, 22 feet long, and seems to enjoy sailing the seven seas with his fish-eating pod.  When the team of scientists studying whales and dolphins in the Commander Islands suddenly saw a six-foot-tall white dorsal fin surface from the waves, they immediately christened the white whale “Iceberg.”

We sincerely hope that someone in that research team thought to yell, “Iceberg, right ahead!” after giving the whale his new name.

100 Years Later

I believe that the heart does go on..

Caroline, Mankaa, and Megan would like to extend their most heart-felt thank you to everyone who attended our party last weekend.  It was an amazing time and the commitment demonstrated by our guests was inspiring.

Though the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic may be over, our interest in providing you with information all things Titanic-related lives on, and so as long as you keep checking in on us, we'll keep posting weird stuff we find online.  We might even start posting *gasp* non-titanic related things.

Thanks for the memories!

Things We Won't Be Doing on Saturday

Here at The White Star Line Cordially Invites You, we have literally spent months developing brilliant ideas to turn Saturday into one of the most memorable events of your lives.  This week, though, Titanic Tipsters Heather C. and Mary brought two things to our attention which we hadn’t even considered:

1. We promise not to make you do this.  (Mainly because we can't fit a pool inside a house; access to canoes is no problem when you have our day jobs.)
2. We also won’t be baking one of these. (Though you shouldn’t let that stop you from channeling your inner pastry chef, if you feel so inclined.)

Karma

Thanks to Titanic Tipster Tyler for this lovely note.

A Construction Mystery

 One of our 2^nd Class passengers is busy creating something to help make next Saturday night memorable.

What could Caleb be up to??

The Band Played On

Lest you think our blog has become all about the movie, here are some fun facts about Titanic's musicians to liven up your Friday.

• White Star Line musicians were expected to have complete memorization of over 500 pieces of music.  The musicians remembered each song by its corresponding number, so that the bandleader could simply say the number, rather than the title of the song, when he wanted to play a particular piece.
• The musicians traveled in 2nd class accommodations. 
• John Wesley Woodward, the cellist on Titanic, is suspected to have had a fling with a fellow second class passenger.  Apparently he visited her cabin fairly frequently to give "private concerts."
• The band leader--Wallace Hartley--led the band on the Mauritania before moving to the Titanic.
• Titanic actually had two separate bands--a quintet led by Hartley, and a trio which played in the Cafe Parisien onboard the ship.
• The band really did play until the bitter end.  They stopped briefly, but when Hartley continued to play solo, the rest of the band rejoined him until the ship sank.  The night of the sinking was likely the first time that both sets of musicians performed together.
• The Titanic Musicians Memorial was erected in Southampton, England in 1913.  After being destroyed by a bombing during WWII, a replica was unveiled by four Titanic survivors in 1990.

How’s that for a bit of musical education?

It's been 15 years...

The party planners have just acquired tickets to Titanic: An Imax 3D Experience this Tuesday, April 10, and you are cordially invited to join us!

Where: AMC Tysons Corner 16
When: April 10 at 6:40pm
Why: Because who wouldn't want to re-live the most memorable movie of the '90s?
Why, Part 2: Maybe re-watching the movie will help you pick up some survival tips for April 14.  (We suggest clinging to a floating door if you miss your chance to get into a lifeboat, but maybe there are some additional tricks we've forgotten in the past decade and a half.)

Need more reasons to buy a ticket?  Check out this article.

See you at the movie!  (We'll be the ones wearing the oh-so-stylish glasses and looking this excited.)

"Ok, sink already." (Movie Critics’ Thoughts on Titanic)

In honor of Titanic returning to theatres (and our trip to see it next week!), here are some fun articles we found on WaPo today.

The review of the movie in 3D is kind of unnecessary, as nobody is basing their decision to buy a ticket off of whether a reviewer liked the re-release.  What’s fun, though, are the two reviews from when Titanic first came out in 1997.  So much panning of James Cameron as a nerd who is only concerned with the sinking of the ship, rather than the epic love story!

Looks like the regular blogs are finally catching up with us!

Check in with bestweekever.tv for some titanic awesomeness.

A Titanic To-Do List

Can’t make it to Belfast in the next few days for the Titanic Belfast Festival (complete with MTV spinning live music) or a showing of “Titanic the Musical” at the Grand Opera House? Then you may want to whet your appetite for the party with these local options offered in the DMV.

Your Hostesses with the Mostesses will be venturing out for a showing of Titanic in 3D and IMAX – yeah, we go hard – next Tuesday. Check your RMS Mail in the coming days for details on location and tickets.

 

Titanic: 100 Year Obsession – National Geographic Museum, Washington, DC

Not part of the Smithsonian so you gotta pay for this one, but at 8 bucks it’s worth it, and includes entry into the Big Cats exhibit as well! Rawr. [Editor’s note: Okay, the Big Cats outdoor photography exhibit is actually free all the time but we think this pairing is just too poetic to resist – cats, water…come on!] 

 

Titanic Memorial, WDC

Stop by this poignant memorial in Southwest DC and reflect on how cutthroat you can be to assure yourself a spot on a lifeboat. After all, it's better to be remembered as someone who survived, right?

Titanic Docks at Discovery Station, Hagerstown, MD

For those of you who will be toiling away in steerage, get an advance taste of your party digs by checking out the full-scale Third Class cabin.

Hillwood Museum, WDC 

For all you fashionistas, hear a textile expert talk about…cloth. Any water-resistant materials available in 1912?

Remembering the Titanic, Virginia Beach, VA 

Take part in a Titanic discussion and viewing of “A Night to Remember” (the greatest Titanic movie no one under 30 ever saw) and compare it to your Junior Prom of the same name. (Which night saw the bigger tanking?)

 

100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic featured documents display – National Archives, WDC

You know you want to see what a Titanic luggage tag looked like. (Be sure to ask an archives security guard to show you where the Main Titanic Exhibit is located.)

Feeling a bit adventurous? Take a quick Bolt Bus ride to...  

New York to knock off the list some of the Titanic-themed tourist traps treats in the great ship’s intended destination,

or Philadelphia for…well, let’s be honest: Philly just can’t handle being left out of anything.