Award shows Archives

Los Angeles, August 9, 2009 – Let’s face it, the 2009 Teen Choice Awards was all about the guys.  While the Gibson Amphitheatre stage was swarming with gorgeous gals, the evening’s hottest, Transformers star Megan Fox, summed up the mood of the ceremony when accepting her Choice award for Female Hottie:  “I love you guys. And I'm gonna shut up now so you can all look at Robert Pattinson," Fox told the crowd.  And look they did: Pattinson’s Male Hottie award was one of 11 for Twilight. 

With hosts the Jonas Brothers receiving several awards along with Zac Efron, Chace Crawford and Ed Westwick, screaming female fans were everywhere.

The Teen Choice Awards airs on Monday, August 10, at 8 PM E.T. on Fox

New York, June 18, 2009 – 2009 inductees to the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame included Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora; David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash of Crosby Stills & Nash, and many others. 

At the ceremony, attendees were treated to jaw-dropping performances by Bon Jovi and CSN as well as Clint Black, James Taylor, Chris Daughtry, Jason Mraz and BeBe Winans. 

Tom Jones, he of the swiveling hips, was honored with the Hitmaker award, and sang Green Green Grass, and followed that with his hit It’s Not Unusual!  Sir Tom also mentioned in his speech that he never expected to be honored by songwriters – but maybe there’ll be more to come, since he’s been writing his own songs recently. 

The evening’s biggest surprise came while singer Monica Mancini was singing Moon River: suddenly Andy Williams, who made the song famous, joined her onstage and finished the song.  Moon River received the Towering Hit award at the ceremony.

Country star Joe Nichols is preparing for his upcoming Broadway appearance in Pure Country by studying the songs and honing his acting skills, but he doesn’t yet know if he’ll be required to dance.  “If we’re doing dance numbers, that’s going to take a lot of work for me,” he said.  “A lot of work.”

New York, June 15, 2009 – With the big opening party for the long-awaited High Line park falling the same night as the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, Monday was one big – and long – night in New York City.  While the fashion folks were handing out awards at Lincoln Center, Friends of the High Line supporters gathered downtown at Chelsea Piers for their summer benefit honoring actor Edward Norton and philanthropists Lisa Maria and Philip Falcone, who donated $10 million to the park. 

But that was just the start of the evening, as attendees from both events converged at the High Line, where Calvin Klein Collection sponsored the first party at the new park, located on an elevated railroad track running through West Chelsea and the meatpacking district in Manhattan.  CFDA Award winner Alexander Wang arrived at the High Line wearing a torn white T-shirt, and admitted it was simply what he wore under his dressier outfit earlier in the evening.  “I did a little switcheroo in the car,” Wang said laughing.  The designer did wear his short pants to the CFDA Awards ceremony, however.  “They’re Commes des Garcons, so I thought they’d be acceptable.” he explained.

Celebrity couple Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman got involved in the High Line through their friend, Edward Norton.  “This is my neighborhood; we live on 19th Street,” Perlman said.  “I’m so excited.  I can’t wait to get up there; I’m so glad it stopped raining,” she added. 

Many partygoers noted that this official “first party” on the High Line is actually the second – back in September, Calvin Klein, Inc. celebrated its 40th anniversary with a private party on the unfinished trestle – but they had to do their own landscaping for that extravaganza. 

New York, June 7, 2009 – The 2009 Tony Awards got off to a rollicking start with virtually everyone on Broadway joining in a chorus of Let The Sunshine In, followed shortly thereafter by Rock of Ages’ Bret Michaels getting smacked on the head by a descending stage set.  While Hugh Jackman may be the gold standard of Tony hosts, Neil Patrick Harris did an admirable job, although we kept wondering why his tuxedo was so shiny.  NPH walked the red carpet proudly with his partner David Burtka, as he does every year at the Tony Awards.

The three Billy Elliots David Alvarez, Kiril Kunish and Trent Kowalik won hearts with their tongue-tied acceptance speech, but they were blasé around Sir Elton John, who composed the score – because they’ve met him before.  Their Best Actor in a Musical win was historic, marking the first time that a Tony award has been shared by three people. 

Liza was happy, happy, happy in the press room, mugging with her Tony statuette.

Hollywood types like Dolly Parton and Will Ferrell thrilled the Broadway folks, but despite her lack of Broadway credits, everyone was swooning over Anne Hathaway all evening.  )Perhaps because Nicole Kidman, who was slated to appear, had to cancel.)

Tony Awards viewership was reportedly up this year, and that doesn't count the 1,000 people gathered in Times Square to watch the live simulcast.

New York, April 27, 2009 – It was difficult for everyone at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s tribute to Tom Hanks.  Finding anything to say about the movie star is almost impossible.  “It’s going to be tough tonight,” John Patrick Shanley warned us early in the evening.  “Because he is sort of uniformly a great guy, does his work, never freaks out,” Shanley said. “Anecdotally, he may fall a little short.”

Of the multiple projects they’ve worked on together, Steven Spielberg says Hanks never so much as showed up late or hung over.  Charlize Theron insists that while directing her in That Thing You Do, Hanks never once lost his cool.

Tom Hanks really is that nice guy he seems to be. 

Nora Ephron summed it up: “It’s pretty depressing because then what are you going to say?”  Ephron said if she had a funny anecdote, she’d be saying it in her speech later in the evening. 

Instead, Ephron invented an alternative life story, telling the crowd that Hanks was actually born Pinchus Greenblatt on Long Island, and spoke only Yiddish.  “He realized that since there were already too many Jewish actors – Dustin, Paul Newman, Cary Grant, Whoopi Goldberg – he would have to find another way,” Ephron said in her tribute speech.

So you get the drift – Hanks is a great guy, and roasting him is not easy.  So Julia Roberts solved this dilemma, taking the stage with: “All right, it’s late and I’m paying my babysitter overtime and I have to pee, so...everybody f---ing likes you.”