Tuesday, November 08, 2011 5:13 PM
The tables will be turned when the legendary editor-in-chief of Playboy Magazine, Hugh M. Hefner, is interviewed onstage by NBC4 news anchor Robert Kovacik in the incisive and entertaining style pioneered by the popular men’s magazine over 50 years ago.
The legendary comic and civil rights icon Dick Gregory is flying in from Washington D.C. to pay a special tribute the man who gave him his first break, Mr. Hefner.
It takes place Thursday, Nov. 17 at the Biltmore Bowl in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Press Club’s Award Dinner for the finalists in the Club’s 4th Annual National Entertainment Awards competition that attracted hundreds of entries from all over the U.S.
The live interview follows Hefner’s acceptance of a Lifetime Achievement Award in entertainment journalism. The LA Press Club Board cited Hefner’s “huge, unmatched footprint on popular culture and his unflinching support of First Amendment rights for the average citizen as well as the press.”
Locally, Hefner help save the landmark Hollywood Sign–twice, is a major contributor to USC’s Film School and has produced the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl for 34 years.
Tickets for the reception, dinner and silent auction are available online or call Diana @ 323.669..8081 to purchase tables or buy ads for the Tribute Book.
Twenty-two of the best entertainment reporters and photographers in the country will take home coveted first-place trophies for their finest work in 2011 and part of 2010. Bloomber, The Hollywood Reporter, Parade Magazine, Deadline Hollywood, Los Angeles Times, RadarOnline, LA Weekly, NBC4, Antelope Valley Press, KPCC, ABC7, Geekweek.com, Jewish Journal of LA and KUSC are represented by multiple finalists. Other single finalists file for Vanity Fair, TheWrap and WCBE, among others.
The winner of the highly competitive category of entertainment journalist of the year will receive a $500 check.
There is a $20 dollar valet service at the Biltmore Hotel or you can park in Pershing Square for $6.60.
NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALISM AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
Entertainment Journalist of the year the finalists are: Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood; Ronald Grover, Bloomberg News; Dylan Howard, Radar Online; Stephen Leigh Morris, LA Weekly; George Pennacchio, KABC-TV; Tara Wallis-Finestone NBC4
News, Print
* Barbara Gasser, Kleine Zeitung, “Kerstin Lechner: Life is not Sticky and Sweet”
* Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times, “For Vegas, Luck be a Lady”
* Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, “Movie fund in Talks to Save Nursing Home”
Personality Profile, Print
* Alex Ben Block, The Hollywood Reporter, “Brittany Murphy’s Final Days”
* Leslie Bruce, The Hollywood Reporter, “The Split Personality of Chelsea Handler”
* Ronald Grover, Tom Lowry and Michael White, Bloomberg Businessweek, “King of the World (Again)”
* Karina Longworth, LA Weekly, “Elvira”
* Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly, “Pee Wee’s Big Comeback”
* Maggie Murphy, Dotson Rader, PARADE Magazine, “Michael Douglas”
Feature/Series, Print over 1,000 words
* Leslie Bruce and Judith Newman, The Hollywood Reporter, “Inside Kardashian Inc.”
* Dawn Chmielewski, Ben Fritz, John Horn, David Pierson and Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, “China series”
* Rich Cohen, Playboy Magazine, “The Spasm Band”
* John Horn and Nicole Sperling, Los Angeles Times, “Oscar Grind”
* Gustavo Turner, LA Weekly, “Insane Clown Posse”
Feature Print, under 1,000 words
* Andy Fixmer, Bloomberg Businessweek, “Universal Casts Its Vote on American Idol”
* Ronald Grover, Bloomberg Businessweek, “Netflix Lust for ‘True Blood’ Unrequited by HBO Plans”
* Karina Longworth, LA Weekly, “Wanda Restoration”
* Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, “On Location”
* Lisa Wolf, Antelope Valley Press, “Critters of the Cinema”
Critic, Print
* Karina Longworth, LA Weekly, “Film”
* Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, “TV Criticism”
* Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly, “Theater”
* Lavender Vroman, Antelope Valley Press, “Film Reviews”
Columnist, Print
* Gendy Alimurung, LA Weekly, “Gendy Alimurung”
* Patrick Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, “The Big Picture”
* Ruben V. Nepales, Philippine Daily Inquirer, “How it feels to be short and a minority person in Hollywood”
* James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, “What ails local TV News”
* Gustavo Turner, LA Weekly, “Gustavo Turner”
Entertainment Publication
* Antelope Valley Press
* Deadline
* LA Weekly
* The Hollywood Reporter
TV News
* George Pennacchio, Cheryl Diano, KABC-TV, “Goodbye, Columbo”
* Robert Kovacik, Jeffrey Scharping, KNBC-TV, “Hef Saves the Hollywood Sign”
* Dylan Howard and the RadarOnline.com team; “Charlie Sheen Uncensored”
* Dylan Howard and The RadarOnline.com team, “Oksana Grigorieva Breaks her Silence”
TV Feature
* Chuck Henry and Tara Wallis-Finestone, NBC4, “Forgotten Footprints”
* Carol Massar, et al, Bloomberg TV, “Wall Street: Hollywood Returns”
* Mike O’Sullivan, Voice of America, “Making an Album – The Way it Used to be Done”
* George Pennacchio, KABC, “The True Kim Darby, Grit and All”
* Manny dela Rosa, Matt Parise, KMIR6/NBC, ”Palm springs undefined playground of the stars”
Radio News
* Alex Cohen, KPCC, “Porn Industry”
* Barbara Gasser, Kronehit, “Hollywood Celebrities Donate to Japan’s Victims”
* Sanden Totten, KPCC, “China Hollywood”
* Sanden Totten, KPCC, “Video Gaming Hiring”
* Carole Zimmer, Bloomberg News, “New Economics of Hollywood”
Radio Personality Profile
* Alex Cohen, KPCC, “Gay Guru”
* Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC, “East LA musician”
* Larry Mantle, KPCC, “Airtalk: Dick Van Dyke”
* Larry Mantle, KPCC, “Oliver Stone Goes South of the Border”
* Patt Morrison, KPCC, “Betty White”
Radio Feature
* Linda Bell and Donna Wilson, Bloomberg, “Bloomberg Music Makers: The Business of Music: 2011″
* John DeSando and Kristin Dreyer Kramer, WCBE, “It’s Movie Time’s 2010 Year in Review”
* Brian Lauritzen and Gail Eichenthal, Classical KUSC, “LA Phil in Europe”
* Claudia Amezcua and Cason Smith, KSAK, “Renaissance Faire Opens”
* Carole Zimmer, Mark Mills, Al Mayers, WBBR Bloomberg Radio, “Spiderman Takes a Dive”
C4 Radio Critic
* John DeSando and Kristin Dreyer Kramer, WCBE (Columbus), “Nights and Weekends”
* Kenneth Turan and Gail Eichenthal, Classical KUSC, “Kenneth Turan’s Art Alive Film Reports”
Online News
* Nikki Finke, Deadline Hollywood, “The Conan O’Brien/Jay Leno Tonight Show affair”
* Pete Hammond, Deadline Hollywood, “Melissa Leo Goes Rogue with Her Own Personal Campaign Ads”
* Jen Heger and the RadarOnline.com Team, radaronline.com, “Lindsey Lohan Legal Troubles”
* RadarOnline.com and Star magazine’s Joint Investigation Team, “Power, Politics & Money! Mother of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Love Child Revealed”
* Michael White and Sarah Rabil, Bloomberg News, “Murdoch Spreads Risk, Nets $400 Million from Avatar”
Online Feature
* Philip Boroff, Jeremy Gerard and Manuela Hoelterhoff, Bloomberg News. “Opera Money Blues”
* Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly, “Nate Dogg Obituary”
* Andrew Gumbel, TheWrap.com, “Interim MPTF Chief Beitcher: We F***ed Up.”
* David Margolick, Vanity Fair Magazine, “No Comfort for Old Men”
* Keith Plocek, Josh “Curious Josh” Reiss, Lina Lecaro, Wendy Gilmartin, Drew Tewksbury, Jena Ardell. LA Weekly. “Coachella” series.
Online Entertainment Critic
* Maureen Ryan, AOL TV, The Huffington Post Media Group. “Stay Tuned With Maureen Ryan”
* Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies. “Mark Reviews Movies”
* Luke Y. Thompson, Geekweek.com. “LYT’s Fast Food Reviews”
* Luke Y. Thompson, Geekweek.com. “The LYT Review”
Entertainment Website
* Radaronline.com
* Deadline Hollywood
* The Envelope, Lisa Fung, Scott Sandell and Los Angeles Times Web Entertainment Staff
* Ilana Angel, Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, “Keeping the Faith”
* Ilana Angel, Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, “Keeping it Real”
Blog
* Richard Stellar, The Wrap, “Hollyblogs”
Tweet
* Keith Plocek, LA Weekly
Facebook Presence
* Ben Westhoff and Rebecca Haithcoat, LA Weekly
Entertainment Photo
* Wesley Mann (with Shanti Marlar, Jennifer Laski,, Jenny Sargent and Carrie Smith), The Hollywood Reporter, “Mark Ruffalo’s Water Crusade”
* Wesley Mann (with Shanti Marlar, Jennifer Laski, Jenny Sargent and Carrie Smith), The Hollywood Reporter, “Late Night’s Late Blloomer – Jimmy Kimmel”
* Joe Pugliese, The Hollywood Reporter, “Studio Legends: Paramount”
* Al Seib, Los Angeles Times, “Oscar Crown”
* Peggy Sirota (with Jennifer Laski, Shanti Marlar, Jenny Sargent, Carrie Smith), The Hollywood Reporter, “Barrier Breakers: Sidney Poitier and Halle Berry.”
