IN/SIGNIFICANT OTHERS movie premier and John Schwert interview

By Esteban “Steven” Escobar, Diversity News Staff
_________________________________________

After a successful world premiere last weekend at the 25th Boston Film Festival and winning for Best Screenplay, as well Best Film at the Charlotte Film Festival this past weekend In/Significant Others is a movie the portray relationships.

Esteban “Steven” Escobar of DIVERSITY NEWS is honored to feature John Schwert, writer, director and producer of IN/Significant Others with the coordination of Jenn Allison from Earth Xstasy Entertainment. With his busy schedule John Schwert took some time to answer some of my questions.


DN: What do you hope to accomplish with this movie?
JS: Since the film mostly deals with relationships, husband and wife, boss and subordinate, siblings, friends and/or lovers, I wanted to explore how manipulation influences those relationships and to expose it in such a way that audiences could see two different types of manipulation: direct or overt manipulation as well as unintentional or subconscious manipulation.

JS: In writing the script, I came up with and a handful of realistic characters that I could introduce manipulation to and follow its effect on their relationships: a soldier that returns from Iraq to discover his wife was raped, a brother who struggles to keep up with a successful sibling, a nurse with a drug-addicted sister, and a woman having an affair with a married friend; as well as a set of circumstances that bound all of them together, the homicide investigation.

DN: What is the message?
JS: I also thought it was important to manipulate the audience in how they follow the characters and interpret the story, hence the cameraman and sound boom guy who interview everyone as the story progresses. The way in which we cut between their “video” interview footage and the main “live-action” narrative is a continuation of the manipulation theme. The key was to avoid it from becoming melodramatic or cheesy, but rather to keep it truthful and interesting, and in the form of a dramatic thriller.

DN: The purpose?
JS: I really want audiences to take away from the film the fact that manipulation does in fact exist in all relationships, whether someone is directly lying to someone else or their manipulation is masked in fear, or even in their subconscious and they can’t acknowledge it, it still exists. This is of course in addition to the idea that it is possible to make great narrative films without spending millions of dollars.

DN: Where will be the movie been shown? Premier parties?
JS: Had its world premiere last weekend at the Boston Film Festival and won for Best Screenplay, as well as won Best Film at the Charlotte Film Festival this past weekend.
In/Significant Others also had successful screenings at the Kansas International Film Festival and the Port Townsend Film Festival, and will screen in October at the Black Swamp Film Festival, and then in December at the Bahamas International Film Festival.

DN: If people need more information about the movie, where they can go? websites?
JS: For more information you can visit them on Facebook under IN/SIGNIFICANT OTHERS to see the trailers and become a fan of the film, as well their official site: www.4wproductions.com.
Please visit us on Facebook to see the trailers and become a fan of the film, as well as our official site: http://www.4wproductions.com



About John Schwert
He is a writer, director and producer.
Growing up in Western New York, John Schwert graduated from St. John Fisher College in 1997 with a business degree in marketing and advertising. Schwert relocated to the Carolinas after college and began working on the popular WB television show Dawson’s Creek. He subsequently entered the corporate world and began working in marketing, branding and advertising at two of the nation’s top five banks. While his days belonged to working within the corporate realm, his nights and weekends were split between freelancing on local independent films and acquiring his Masters degree from Queens University . In 2004, John Schwert then left his corporate job behind to adapt, direct and produce his first feature-length motion picture.

Among Brothers was based on the actual events surrounding the death of Jennifer Morgan, who was murdered in 1994 at Francis Marion College . Filmed in Charlotte over 24 days in September of 2004, the entire movie was financed by a second mortgage on Schwert’s home. Since its premiere at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, the feature film went on to play 17 film festivals, winning awards at the Houston World-fest as well as the Southern exposure Film Festival, and picking up great reviews and a fan-base along the way (www.amongbrothers.com).

In 2006, Among Brothers was released domestically by Vanguard Cinema (85 minutes, English) and internationally by Oasis International, who acquired all of the foreign rights and is selling the film internationally from 2006 through 2011. In May of 2007, Among Brothers and John Schwert were the basis for a two-hour Dateline NBC special titled Scenes From A Murder based on Jennifer Morgan’s still unsolved murder (www.msnbc.com).

John Schwert’s success with Among Brothers led to more work for the filmmaker. In 2005, he was hired by Columbia Pictures to work on Talladega Nights and then by Dreamworks for Eddie Murphy’s comedy Norbit. Schwert spent 2006 and 2007 working under producer Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) on the feature films Super Bad, The Pineapple Express and Step Brothers. In addition to producing over a dozen short films, Schwert has worked on a variety of other projects in recent years, including commercial work for Pytka and MJZ Productions, Disney, Sprint/Nextel and NASCAR, and television work for Sony and ABC.

In keeping with his goal to produce and direct more Carolina feature film projects, Schwert established North Poplar Pictures, LLC in 2008 and announced production of his next feature film, In/Significant Others, a multi-narrative drama that navigates through the different lives of one city’s residents, each of whom is connected to the same local homicide investigation (www.insigothers.com).

The ensemble cast of characters includes an Iraq War vet returned home to an emotionally disturbed wife, a new father living in the shadow of a successful older brother, a sister caught up in a web of addiction, and a cameraman who attempts to exploit the reality behind all of their stories, or at least his version of them. The search for truth becomes a life and death struggle as the subtle manipulation of all relationships is exposed in this dramatic thriller.

The cast for In/Significant Others includes: Burgess Jenkins (Remember The Titans, One Tree Hill), Andrea Powell (Songcatcher, The Limbo Room), Scott Miles (October Sky), Keith Harris (Junebug), Brian Lafontaine, Mark Scarboro, Brett Gentile, and Tiffany Montgomery.

A New York native, Schwert splits his time between Los Angeles and Charlotte, NC, which is home to his company Fourth Ward Productions, and where “In/Significant Others” was shot in 2008. The ensemble cast includes a variety of film and television actors, all with North Carolina roots.

About Jenn Allison:
Currently holds double college degree- BA in elementary education and psychology. Post Grad- acting, writing, and producing.

About Earth Xstasy:
Earth Xstasy Entertainment was created to be a dynamic marketing resource for people who are passionate about achieving their professional goals. For more information you can visit site at http://www.earthxstasyent.com/

Photos and movie trailer are courtesy of John Schwert and Fourth Ward Productions, Inc. © 2009 By Fourth Ward Productions, Inc. All Rights Are Reserved.

Note: Esteban “Steven” Escobar and (http://www.diversitynewspublications.com)Diversity News, a consumer news magazine, published by Diversity News Publications wants to thanks John Schwert for the interview, photos and movie trailer. Also to Jenn Allison for making this interview possible.

BETTY WHITE HONORED WITH 2009 SCREEN ACTORS GUILD LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

46th Annual Accolade to be Presented During the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Simulcast on TNT and TBS on Saturday, January 23, 2010

Los Angeles, California – Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced on September 15, beloved comedienne, pioneering television producer, host, author and animal advocate Betty White, will receive the Guild’s most prestigious accolade—the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. White will be presented the Award, given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” at the “16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®”, which premieres live on TNT and TBS Saturday, January 23, 2010, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. MT.

In making today’s announcement, Screen Actors Guild National President Alan Rosenberg said, “Whether creating some of television’s most indelible characters, plunging into film roles with joyous gusto or perfecting the art of the quip as a television panelist and host, Betty White has entertained audiences with her impeccable comic timing and remarkable wit for more than sixty years. Her lifelong devotion to the welfare of animals, manifest in her work as an author, producer and philanthropist, is further evidence of her tremendous humanity and meaningful contributions in so many important areas. Screen Actors Guild is honored to celebrate Betty White’s extraordinary achievements over the course of an exemplary life.”

On the morning she was asked to accept Screen Actors Guild’s highest honor, White was headed to the set of the Disney feature “You Again,” starring Kristen Bell (as her granddaughter), Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Kristin Chenowith. Earlier this summer, White played Ryan Reynold’s scene-stealing Grandma Annie in the chart-topping Sandra Bullock romantic comedy “The Proposal.” She is currently heard in theatres voicing the elderly Yoshie in Oscar-winner Hayao Miyazaki’s animated adventure “Ponyo.”

Betty Marion White was born January 17, 1922, in Oak Park, Ill., the only child of Horace, an electrical engineer, and Tess, a housewife. The family moved to California when White was 2. After graduating Beverly Hills High School, White made her professional debut at the Bliss Hayden Little Theatre and landed parts in such popular radio shows as “Blondie,” “The Great Gildersleeve” and “This Is Your FBI.” Her first radio program, “The Betty White Show,” followed. Her big break came in 1949, when she joined Al Jarvis’ five-and-a-half-hour, six-days-a-week live KLAC-TV variety show, “Hollywood on Television.” Starting out as Jarvis’ “Girl Friday,” White inherited the show’s hosting duties for two more years when Jarvis left in 1952.
The same year she formed Bandy Productions with producer Don Fedderson and writer George Tibbles. Spinning off characters from a “Hollywood on Television” sketch, they created the domestic comedy “Life with Elizabeth,” White received her first of six Emmys. Syndication brought the program to national audiences through the mid-’50s. The series made White one of only a few women with creative control before and behind the camera in television’s early years. White went on to produce and host a daily NBC talk/variety skein “The Betty White Show,” garnering a Daytime Emmy nomination. Her second situation comedy, “A Date with the Angels,” premiered in 1957, then evolved into another eponymous comedy/variety showcase.

White’s sly ribald humor made her an audience favorite on the late-night circuit, not only matching wits with Jack Paar (more than 70 appearances) Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson (including many “Mighty Carson Art Players” performances) but also subbing for all three as guest host. Her clever spontaneity also earned her spots on numerous game and talk shows, such as “The Match Game,” “To Tell the Truth,” “I’ve Got A Secret” “Liar’s Club” and especially “Password,” whose host Allen Ludden she married in 1963 after a persistent two-year courtship.

When White and Ludden’s pals, actor Mary Tyler Moore and her producer/husband Grant Tinker, were casting about for a cloyingly sweet “Betty White-type” to guest star on their hit “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” they ultimately decided to go with the real deal. White’s 1973 guest shot as the saccharinely catty, man-hungry “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens was White’s entrée into one of television’s most iconic ensembles. The role relaunched White’s acting career and earned her back-to-back supporting actress Emmy and then a fourth Emmy nomination.

After the series’ historic final episode in 1977, MTM created “The Betty White Show,” with White playing the second-rate star of a TV police drama. After its brief run, White guest-starred in the miniseries “The Place to Be” (1979) and such telefilms as “With this Ring,” (1978) “Before and After” (1979) and “The Gossip Columnist,” (1980), before breaking ground as TV’s first female game show host on NBC’s “Just Men.” Drawing on the lascivious persona perfected as Sue Ann Nivens, White earned the first and only Daytime Emmy for Best Game Show Host awarded to a female emcee. A second Daytime Emmy nomination followed in 1984.
1983 also saw White begin a three-year recurring stint on Vicki Lawrence’s “Mama’s Family,” reprising the role of social climber Ellen Harper Jackson she’d created in sketches on “The Carol Burnett Show” in the early ‘70s.

In 1985, at 63, White began what became the most lauded role of her career, the sweetly naïve Minnesotan Rose Nylund on NBC’s Saturday night hit “The Golden Girls.” White, along with co-stars Beatrice Arthur, Estelle Getty and Rue McClanahan, proved that great comedy transcended age, as did the series’ stellar ratings and countless honors including, for White, a first-year lead actress Emmy, six subsequent nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. She was to reprise the role of Rose on three other series: “Empty Nest” (1989, 1992), “Nurses” (1991) and “The Golden Palace” (1992–93).

In 1991 White starred opposite Leslie Nielsen in the romantic NBC telefilm “Chance of a Lifetime” and subsequently shone in a variety of series, including with Bob Newhart in “Bob” (1993) and as Marie Osmond’s mother in “Maybe This Time” (1995). She won her fourth Emmy for her guest starring self-caricature on “The John Larroquette Show” (1996) and earned more Emmy nominations for guest roles on “Suddenly Susan” (1997) and “Yes, Dear” (2003). She played Alfred Molina’s mother in “Ladies Man” from 1991-2001 and recurred in “That 70’s Show” in 2002-2003. A 2007 TV Land Awards parody entitled “Ugly Betty White” led to a subsequent guest appearance as herself on the spoof’s target, “Ugly Betty,” with White going head-to-head over a taxi with Vanessa Williams’ Wilhelmina Slater. Other television guest appearances include “St. Elsewhere,” “The Ellen Show,” “Everwood,” “My Wife and Kids,” “Joey” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” She has voiced animated characters on “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” “The Wild Thornberrys” “Father of the Pride” and “Family Guy” and in the feature “Whispers: An Elephant’s Tale.” White’s more recent films for television include “Annie’s Point” in 2005 for the Hallmark Channel, “Stealing Christmas” in 2003 for USA “The Retrievers” in 2001 for Animal Planet,
With “The Practice” in 2004, White once again turned one-shot casting into gold. Her guest turn as conniving blackmailer Catherine Piper led not only to another Emmy nomination but also to a recurring return for White as Catherine on the subsequent David E. Kelley series “Boston Legal” (2005–2008). In 1999, White had guest-starred for Kelley on “Ally McBeal,” earning an American Comedy Award for Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a Television Series, and starred in his horror-film send-up “Lake Placid.” Her 2009 guest performance as the Crazy Witch Lady on “My Name is Earl” earned White her eighteenth Emmy nomination.

White returned to the big screen in 2003 in the comedy “Bringing Down the House,” opposite Steve Martin and Queen Latifah and appeared in this year’s “Love N’ Dancing.”Earlier films include “Hard Rain” (1998) with Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater; “Dennis the Menace Strikes Again,” (1998), playing Mrs. Wilson opposite Don Rickles; and Rob Reiner’s “The Story of Us.” (1999)
In December 2006, White joined the daytime drama “The Bold and the Beautiful” as Ann Douglas, long-lost mother of matriarch Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). She has appeared 19 times since, most recently in October 2008. White narrated network telecasts of the annual Tournament of Roses Parade from 1954 to 1974 and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 10 years.

Honors have been bestowed on White throughout her career. In 1976 she was awarded the Pacific Pioneers in Broadcasting Golden Ike Award and the GeniI Award from the American Women in Radio and TV. She was honored with the American Comedy Award for Funniest Female in 1987 and their Lifetime Achievement Award in 1990. In 1995 she was inducted into the Television Academy’s Hall of Fame. In 2006 she was profiled by the Paley Center for Media as part of their “She Made It” initiative honoring women creating television and radio. In August of 2009 she received a Career Achievement Award from the Television Critics Association. She was presented with a Disney Legends Award on September 10, 2009.
White’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame rests adjacent to that of her late husband Allen Ludden, who sadly succumbed to cancer in 1981.

White’s devotion to the health and welfare of animals has been a passion since childhood. She is president emeritus of the Morris Animal Foundation and has been a trustee since 1971. She first learned about the Foundation’s support of research studies to protect, treat and cure animals while creating, producing and hosting “The Pet Set,” the 1970-71 syndicated series featuring celebrities and their pets. She received the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Humane Award in 1987. A member of the board of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association since 1974, she served as a Zoo Commissioner for eight years. In February 2066 White was honored by the City of Los Angeles with a bronze plaque placed next to the Gorilla Exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo naming her “Ambassador to the Animals” for her life-long work for animal welfare. In 2007 Western University Veterinary School awarded her an honorary “Doctor of Humane Veterinary Sciences.”
Three of her five books directly connect to this passion: “Betty White’s Pet Love: How Pets Take Care of Us” (1983) and two co-authored with Tom Sullivan: “The Leading Lady: Dinah’s Story“ (1991) and “Together: A Story of Shared Vision” (2008). She published her first autobiography, “Betty White in Person,” in 1987, which was followed by “Here We Go Again: My Life in Television” in 1995. That life continues to unfold new chapters.

“The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards” will be produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC. Jeff Margolis is the executive producer and director. Kathy Connell is the producer. JoBeth Williams, Daryl Anderson, Scott Bakula, Shelley Fabares and Paul Napier are producers for SAG. Gloria Fujita O’Brien and Mick McCullough are supervising producers. Benn Fleishman is executive in charge of production. More information is available online at http://www.sagawards.org/.

About Screen Actors Guild:
Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 120,000 actors who work in film and digital theatrical motion pictures, television programs, commercials, video games, music videos, industrials and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. More information is available online at http://www.sag.org/.

About TBS:

TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television’s top-rated comedy network. It serves as home to such original comedy series as “My Boys,” “The Bill Engvall Show,” Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” and “Meet the Browns,” as well as the upcoming “Neighbors from Hell”; late-night series like the upcoming “Lopez Tonight,” starring George Lopez and “The Very Funny Show,” hosted by Tim Meadows; hot contemporary comedies like “The Office,” “My Name is Earl,” “Family Guy” and “Seinfeld”; specials like “Funniest Commercials of the Year”; special events, including star-studded comedy festivals in Chicago and Las Vegas; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases.

About Turner Network Television:

Turner Network Television (TNT), one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama and home to such original series as the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama “The Closer,” starring Kyra Sedgwick; “Saving Grace,” starring Holly Hunter; “Raising the Bar,” with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; “Leverage,” starring Timothy Hutton; “HawthoRNe,” with Jada Pinkett Smith; and “Dark Blue” starring Dylan McDermott. TNT also presents such powerful dramas, such as “Bones,” “Cold Case,” “Law & Order,” “Without a Trace,” “ER” and “Charmed”; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the “Screen Actors Guild Awards®”; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

About Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.:

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Betty White photo is courtesy of Screen Actors Guild and SAG Awards.

WON AN EMMY AND NOW KEN HOWARD IS ELECTED AS SCREEN ACTORS GUILD PRESIDENT

Los Angeles, CA - Screen Actors Guild announced on September 24, 2009 the results of elections for its top two elected positions. Ken Howard will serve as Screen Actors Guild president and Amy Aquino will serve as secretary-treasurer. Both will serve two-year terms beginning September 25.

Ballots were mailed to 99,485 paid-up SAG members on August 25, and 27,295 were tabulated today, for a return of 27.44 percent. Presidential candidates Ken Howard received 12,895 votes, with Anne-Marie Johnson coming in second with 8,906 votes, Seymour Cassel got 4,838 votes, and Asmar Muhammad received 402 votes.

“I’d like to be among the first to extend my heartfelt congratulations to our newly elected Screen Actors Guild national leadership. I look forward to working closely with our new president, Ken Howard, and new secretary-treasurer, Amy Aquino, as we focus on the wide range of critical issues facing our members in the coming year,” said SAG Interim National Executive Director David White.

“I also extend my thanks, and the gratitude of SAG members and staff to Alan Rosenberg and Connie Stevens for their service and sacrifice on behalf of our union.”

“I am deeply honored to be chosen by the membership to lead the Screen Actors Guild,” said Ken Howard. “I campaigned on the promise that I’d do everything in my power to strengthen our position at the bargaining table by building a greater unity with AFTRA and the other entertainment unions, and that’s exactly what I intend to do. Despite the sharp differences that those of us active in Guild affairs sometimes have over strategy and tactics, we need to continually remind ourselves that we’re all on the same team, fighting for the same thing — and by pulling together, we’ll only grow stronger.”

“I am truly honored that the members have entrusted me with this responsibility,” said Amy Aquino. “Progress has already been made toward strengthening SAG’s finances and I want to make sure it continues. Only by fortifying SAG in this way can we hope to ensure the protections that performers need in these challenging times.”

Screen Actors Guild also announced election results for the National Board of Directors. Twenty-two of the 69 national board seats were open for election this year, representing Screen Actors Guild’s Hollywood, New York and Regional Branch divisions. “It is my privilege to welcome and congratulate our newly elected Screen Actors Guild National Board of Directors for 2009-2010,” said White. “Along with our staff nationwide, I look forward to working with them to pursue a robust agenda as we navigate the Guild through these changing times.”

The National Board members elected today will assume office on September 25 for terms of three years. SAG’s Hollywood Division elected eleven National Board members; the New York Division elected four National Board members; and seven National Board members were elected from the union’s branches in Chicago, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Philadelphia, Portland and San Diego. National Board members elected from the Hollywood Division: Martin Sheen, Ed Harris, Elliott Gould, Ed Asner, Anne-Marie Johnson, Connie Stevens, Diane Ladd, Dulé Hill, Hill Harper, Nancy Travis, and Marcia Wallace (all three-year terms).

The following were elected to serve as National Board alternates and to the Hollywood Division Board of Directors (all one-year terms). Gabrielle Carteris, Jenny O’Hara, Michael O’Keefe, Clyde Kusatsu, Dawnn Lewis, Doug Savant, Michelle Allsopp, Alan Rosenberg, D. W. Moffett, Joe Bologna, Robert Hays, Jason George, L. Scott Caldwell, Clark Gregg, Patrick Fabian, Bill Smitrovich, Ellen Crawford, Stacey Travis, Mandy Steckelberg, Renee Taylor, Bernie Casey and John Carroll Lynch. National Board members elected from the New York Division: Sharon Washington, Monica Trombetta, Sam Freed and Liz Zazzi (all three-year terms). Additionally, New York Division members elected Mike Hodge as NY Division President.

The following were elected to serve as national board alternates and to the New York Division board of directors (all one-year terms.) Manny Alfaro, Sheila Head, Marc Baron, Joe Narciso, Jay Potter, Dave Bachman, John Rothman, Kevin Scullin and Justin Barrett.National Board members elected from the Regional Branch Division: John Carter Brown (Chicago – three-year term), David Hartley-Margolin (Colorado – three-year term), Dave Corey (Florida – three-year term), Scott Rogers (Hawaii – three-year term), Helen McNutt (Philadelphia – three-year term), Mary McDonald-Lewis (Portland – three-year term), Don Ahles (San Diego – three-year term).

Ballots for all eligible SAG members in Hollywood and New York were mailed on August 25 with a September 24 return deadline and were tabulated today by the independent election company Integrity Voting Systems. A total of 13,718 ballots were tabulated in the Hollywood Division (representing 25.25 percent of ballots mailed in the Hollywood Division) and 5,997 ballots were tabulated in the New York Division (representing 26.11 percent of ballots mailed in the New York Division). The number of ballots returned in the Regional Branch elections varied by region.

About SAG

Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents over 120,000 actors who work in film and digital motion pictures and television programs, commercials, video games, industrials, Internet and all new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at SAG.org.

For complete results, please visit SAG.org. Follow SAG Communications on Twitter and Facebook: http://sag.pr-optout.com/Url.aspx?516974x67500x43974 and http://fblink.com/ScreenActorsGuild

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DIVERSITY NEWS, wants to congratulate Mr. Ken Howard for winning the award for Best Supporting actor in a miniseries or a movie for Grey Gardens at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 20 in Los Angeles. And now for been elected as SCREEN ACTORS GUILD PRESIDENT. Also congratulations to AMY AQUINO for been ELECTED AS SECRETARY-TREASURER for SAG.

Ken Howard photo by Esteban "Steven" Escobar, Diversity News
(C) 2009 By Esteban Escobar and Diversity News Publications. All Rights Are Reserved.

The 61st Primetime Emmy® Awards Winners

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded on Sunday, September 20, 2009 the 2008-2009 Primetime Emmys for programs and individual achievements on the “61st Primetime Emmy Awards” originating on the CBS (Channel 2) Television Network from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The Academy’s Chairman & CEO John Shaffner participated in the awards ceremony. Don Mischer was Executive Producer of the telecast. Neil Patrick Harris hosted the "61st Primetime Emmy® Awards," Broadcast Live.

HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF THE WINNERS:

Outstanding Comedy Series
30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosLorne Michaels, Executive ProducerTina Fey, Executive ProducerMarci Klein, Executive ProducerDavid Miner, Executive ProducerRobert Carlock, Executive ProducerJohn Riggi, Co-Executive ProducerJack Burditt, Co-Executive ProducerRon Weiner, Co-Executive ProducerMatt Hubbard, Supervising ProducerJeff Richmond, Supervising ProducerDon Scardino, ProducerJerry Kupfer, Producer

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series

The Office • Stress Relief • NBC • Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille LLC in association with Universal Media StudiosJeff Blitz, Director

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series

ER • And In The End • NBC • Constant c Productions, Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Television.Rod Holcomb, Director

Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special

Little Dorrit • Part 1 • PBS • A co-production of BBC Productions and WGBH BostonDearbhla Walsh, Director

Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

American Idol • Show 833 (The Final Three) • FOX • FremantleMedia N.A., Inc. & 19TV Ltd.Bruce Gowers, Director

Outstanding Drama Series

Mad Men • AMC • Lionsgate TelevisionMatthew Weiner, Executive ProducerScott Hornbacher, Co-Executive ProducerAndr‚ Jacquemetton, Supervising ProducerMaria Jacquemetton, Supervising ProducerLisa Albert, Supervising Producer

Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program

Survivor • CBS • SEG Jeff Probst, Host

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series

30 Rock • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosAlec Baldwin, as Jack Donaghy

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series

Breaking Bad • AMC • High Bridge, Gran Via Productions, Sony Pictures TelevisionBryan Cranston, as Walter White

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Into The Storm • HBO • Scott Free and Rainmark Films production in association with the BBC and HBO FilmsBrendan Gleeson, as Winston Churchill

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

United States Of Tara • Showtime • Showtime presents in association with Dreamworks TelevisionToni Collette, as Tara Gregson

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series

Damages • FX Networks • FX Productions and Sony Pictures TelevisionGlenn Close, as Patty Hewes

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Grey Gardens • HBO • Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO FilmsJessica Lange, as Big Edie

Outstanding Made For Television Movie

Grey Gardens • HBO • Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO FilmsLucy Barzun Donnelly, Executive ProducerRachael Horovitz, Executive ProducerMichael Sucsy, Executive ProducerDavid Coatsworth, Produced by

Outstanding Miniseries

Little Dorrit • PBS • A co-production of BBC Productions and WGBH BostonAnne Pivcevic, Executive ProducerRebecca Eaton, Executive ProducerLisa Osborne, Producer

Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics

81st Annual Academy Awards • Song Title: Hugh Jackman Opening Number • ABC • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesWilliam Ross, Original MusicJohn Kimbrough, Original MusicDan Harmon, Original LyricsRob Schrab, Original LyricsBen Schwartz, Original Lyrics

Outstanding Reality - Competition Program

The Amazing Race • CBS • World Race Productions Inc.Bertram van Munster, Executive ProducerJerry Bruckheimer, Executive ProducerJonathan Littman, Executive ProducerHayma 'Screech' Washington, Executive ProducerElise Doganieri, Co-Executive ProducerAmy Nabseth Chacon, Co-Executive ProducerMark Vertullo, Co-Executive ProducerMatt Schmidt, Supervising ProducerJarratt Carson, Supervising ProducerEvan Weinstein, Supervising ProducerGiselle Parets, Senior ProducerMichael Norton, Senior ProducerPatrick Cariaga, Senior ProducerPhil Keoghan, Producer

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series

Two And A Half Men • CBS • Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc., The Tannenbaum Company in association with Warner Bros. TelevisionJon Cryer, as Alan Harper

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series

Lost • ABC • Grass Skirt Productions and ABC StudiosMichael Emerson, as Ben Linus

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie

Grey Gardens • HBO • Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO FilmsKen Howard, as Phelan Beale

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series

Pushing Daisies • ABC • Living Dead Guy Productions, The Jinks/Cohen Company in association with Warner Bros. TelevisionKristin Chenoweth, as Olive Snook

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series

24 • FOX • Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television in association with Teakwood Lane ProductionsCherry Jones, as President Allison Taylor

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

House Of Saddam • HBO • HBO Films in association with BBCShohreh Aghdashloo, as Sajida

Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLCJon Stewart, Host/Executive ProducerDavid Javerbaum, Executive ProducerRory Albanese, Executive ProducerJosh Lieb, Executive ProducerKahane Corn, Co-Executive ProducerJennifer Flanz, Supervising ProducerJim Margolis, Supervising ProducerSteve Bodow, Supervising ProducerAdam Lowitt, Supervising ProducerJill Katz, Producer

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

30 Rock • Reunion • NBC • Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosMatt Hubbard, Writer

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Mad Men • Meditations In An Emergency • AMC • Lionsgate TelevisionKater Gordon, WriterMatthew Weiner, Writer

Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

Little Dorrit • PBS • A co-production of BBC Productions and WGBH BostonAndrew Davies, Writer

Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart • Comedy Central • Central Productions, LLCSteve Bodow, Head WriterJon Stewart, WriterDavid Javerbaum, WriterJosh Lieb, WriterRory Albanese, WriterKevin Bleyer, WriterJason Ross, WriterTim Carvell, WriterJohn Oliver, WriterSam Means, WriterRob Kutner, WriterJ.R. Havlan, WriterRich Blomquist, WriterWyatt Cenac, WriterElliott Kalan, WriterRachel Axler, Writer

In addition to Emmys in 28 categories announced on September 20, 2009, Emmys in 75 other categories and areas for programs and individual achievements were presented at the Creative Arts Awards held on September 12, 2009 at the Nokia Theatre. The awards were tabulated bythe independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP.

(Photo courtesy of Academy of Television Arts & Sciences - © 1995-2009 Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. All Rights Reserved.Emmy and the Emmy Statuette are the trademark property of ATAS/NATAS.)

THE 61st PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS NOMINEES FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

By Esteban "Steven" Escobar, Special for Diversity News
__________________
On Thursday, September 17, 2009, The Academy of Television Arts & Science honored the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees for Outstanding Performance at the Wolfgang Puck inside the Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA.

The following Talent were expected to walk the Red Carpet before entering Wolfgang Puck and be honored for Outstanding Performance



Ellen Burstyn, Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series – Law & Order SVU
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance
Dana Delany, Desperate Housewives
Sharon Lawrence, Drop Dead Diva
Sandra Oh, Grey’s Anatomy
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Kate Walsh, Private Practice
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Saddam
Hank Azaria, The Simpsons
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Beau Bridges
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Len Cariou, Into the Storm
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Seth Green, Robot Chicken/Family Guy
Ken Howard, Grey Gardens
Cherry Jones, 24
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Andy Serkis, Little Dorrit
Cicely Tyson, Relative Stranger

Neil Patrick Harris photo courtesy of Cliff Lipson/CBS • Candid Photos: Scott Buford/Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Other Photos by Esteban "Steven" Escobar, Diversity News.
(C) 2009 By Diversity News and Diversity News Publications. All Rights Are Reserved.

SHAKIRA TO PERFORM AT THE 2009 NCLR ALMA AWARDS AND FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA TO DELIVER A SPECIAL VIDEO MESSAGE

Los Angeles, CA—NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, announced additional entertainers for this year’s revamped NCLR ALMA Awards®, which will showcase Latino talent in more arenas than ever before. Shakira will perform her new single, “She Wolf,” and Antonio Banderas will present Salma Hayek with the Anthony Quinn Award for Industry Excellence, Andy Garcia will present Oscar De La Hoya with an award for Special Achievement in Sports Television, and Jimmy Smits will present the PepsiCo Adelante Award to Raul Yzaguirre for his leadership, vision, and service to the Latino community.

The awards will highlight the importance of service in communities across America. First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver a special video message about community service and launch a new website designed to empower the Latino community.

Andy Garcia, Jordana Brewster, Jesse Metcalfe, Mario Lopez, Lauren Velez, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, John Leguizamo, Daisy Fuentes, and Cristián de la Fuente have all been added as presenters.

The show will feature a significant format change, with specially produced packages highlighting Latinos in the entertainment field. One of the Latino performers in each category will be honored for Special Achievement. Celebrities confirmed as presenters and performers are David Archuleta, Jake T. Austin, Benjamin Bratt, Jordana Brewster, Cristián de la Fuente, Oscar De La Hoya, Nelly Furtado, Daisy Fuentes, Andy Garcia, Joanna Garcia, Selena Gomez, Sean Kingston, Eva LaRue, John Leguizamo, Mario Lopez, Jesse Metcalfe, Rita Moreno, Enrique Murciano, Oscar Nuñez, Pitbull, Dania Ramirez, Efren Ramirez, James Roday , Adam Rodriguez, Michelle Rodriguez, Roselyn Sanchez , Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Sofia Vergara, Lauren Velez, Nadine Velazquez, Kat Von D, and Rainn Wilson.

The 2009 ALMA Awards will be hosted by Eva Longoria Parker and George Lopez. This year’s Title Sponsor is PepsiCo. Gold Sponsors are AT&T, Comcast, Doritos, Gatorade, Johnson & Johnson, Pepsi, Quaker, Target, and Tropicana. Silver Sponsors include ConAgra Foods, L’Oreal Paris, McDonalds, Prudential, State Farm Insurance Companies, Verizon, and the Walt Disney Company. To date, the key media partners for the 2009 ALMA Awards include People en Español, AOL Latino, and SíTV.

The show will tape on Thursday, September 17 at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus. The 2009 ALMA Awards will air Friday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. EDT on ABC
To learn more about this year’s ALMA Awards, please visit http://www.almaawards.com/

AIDS Walk LA 2009 – Diversity News#3960 Outgoing Team Leader and Welcomes the New Team Leader for the remaining of the year

By Esteban "Steven" Escobar, Diversity News Staff
__________________________________________
Hollywood, CA --- September 15, 2009 Diversity News Publications announced the official outgoing of Cecilia Ojinaga as team leader and welcomes Tish “ThaDish” Roberts, an actress, model, host and choreographer as the new Team Leader for the remaining of the year.

“I’m very sad that Cecilia Ojinaga have to step down as Diversity News#3960 Team Leader to take care of some personal matters. Also I am so happy that she will remain on board as team member with her to support Team Diversity News#3960 of AIDS WALK LA.” Said Esteban “Steven” Escobar, CEO, President, Owner of Diversity News Publications, Editor-In-Chief for Diversity News and Team Captain for Diversity News #3960.

Mr. Escobar concluded “I am please to welcome Tish “ThaDish” Roberts as our new Team Leader for Diversity News#3960 of AIDS WALK LA 2009. I have been watching Ms. Roberts as team member and she have given over the 110% in making sure people get involved in a great cause. The money raised will benefit people at risk with education, research, prevention for HIV/AIDS.”

Ms. Roberts have been promoting AIDS WALK LA event in many social online networks and reaching out to her friends, family and professional network.

“I am interested in being the Team leader, because I understand the seriousness of HIV/AIDS and I want to encourage others to help find a cure for this preventable disease. It is the 'forgotten and silent killer' and we should all remember that we could DIE from it if we don't protect ourselves and find a cure.” Said Tish “ThaDish” Roberts, actress, model, host and choreographer and now Diversity News #3960 Team Leader for AIDS WALK L.A. 2009.

Diversity News Publications, do not compensate any team leader or captain that participates in Diversity News#3960. They are volunteers, that put their own valuable time and they get exposure, gain experience. They are able to learn or put in practice their marketing, public relations and fundraising skills.

Ms. Roberts continued “I am honored to be a "FACE" in the community promoting social changes that will only add to all of us humans having a better quality life. I want to show that not only I am an African-American woman (which happen to have the highest percentage of HIV). I am not afraid to speak up and out about not only protecting my self, but others especially young people to KEEP aware about this life threaten illness.”

“I would like our TEAM to reach all of our donation goals as well as having the LARGEST walking team in AIDS WALK history. All I can do is lead by example and do the best that I can. I want to encourage, motivate and inspire others to do the same.” Ms. Roberts concluded.

She have made the necessary arrangements with her company Classy Sassy Par Tease and reach out to The Back Stage Culver City Management to allow her to host the ENTERTAINMENT COLLECTIVE & AIDS WALK TEAM SIGN-UP event to be held on September 24, 2009 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Back Stage Culver City is located at: 10400 Culver Blvd. (Motor, Across the Street from Sony Studios) in Culver City, CA.

“I am stepping down, as a Team Leader and Tish Roberts will be our new Team Leader. I'm truly sorry that I am unable to full fill the commitment as a Team Leader, but never the less I know that Tish Roberts, would be the best candidate for this position.” Said Cecilia Ojinaga, Former Diversity News#3960 Team Leader.

AIDS Walk Los Angeles benefits APLA (Aids Project Los Angeles) and other non profit corporations in the Los Angeles County.
Diversity News #3960 has been participating since 2003 to the present with AIDS WALK LOS ANGELES to raise money for a great cause that help others and to give back to the community where they do business.

About Tish Roberts:
Tish “ThaDish” Roberts, is known as a one woman entertainment wrecking machine. Have been performing, choreographing, and writing for over 20 years. Her career has progressed and expanded in the fields of modeling, stand-up, and voice over work. Tish “ThaDish” Roberts will be feature “In Coming2Hollywood Season 2” as one of the up and coming personality. Tish “ThaDish” Roberts is the Principal/CEO of Classy Sassy Par Tease, a company available for your parties and entertainment events needs. For more information you can email: lmissambious@aol.com for prices. You can visit her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/tish.roberts1 You can add Tish “ThaDish” Roberts to your LinkedIN professional network with the above email address and follow her on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/TishThaDish

About Diversity News Publications:
Is a public relations firm specialize in Advertising, Design, Marketing, Printing & Public Relations who combines all sources in one.
Diversity News Publications Public Relations division is available to help you with your public relations projects feel free to email: diversitynews@hotmail.com for special rates.

Diversity News Publications parent company is E.E. and Diversity News Publications Enterprises who owns Diversity News Productions, Diversity News Printing Services, Diversity News Publishing, Diversity News #3960, Diversity News Magazine & Revista Diversidad.
For more information you visit web site at http://www.diversitynewspublications.com/ or follow on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/eediversitynews

About AIDS WALK Los Angeles:
Since 1985, AIDS Walk Los Angeles has raised $59 million for HIV programs and services in Los Angeles County, and has grown into the largest AIDS fundraising event in California. AIDS WALK L.A. Created and produced by MZA Events AIDS Walk Founder/Producer: Craig R. Miller

DIVERSITY NEWS OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF BRAND NEW SITE

Hollywood, CA --- September 9, 2009 Diversity News Publications announced the official launch of brand new consumer news magazine web site.

"I’m very happy to present to all you a brand new image with a well developed site." Said Esteban "Steven" Escobar, CEO, President & Owner of Diversity News Publications and Editor-In-Chief for Diversity News.

Diversity News Publications will official launch the brand new site party at a local venue. Time, date, location and venue to be announced soon.

He continue "As you may know we used to be a company homepage since 2007, now we are more "A Consumer News Magazine" featuring News, Entertainment, Features, Sports, Classifieds, Display Ads and much more."

Diversity News is different publications that have branded its name with thousands of educated consumers, executives, news makers and the rest of the media. Diversity News goes to the field and cover events live and then write about it to share online world wide. The is why Diversity News is different and unique publication. Diversity News do not intend to compete with other established sites. They hope to work with others together to make mutual sites even better because there is always room for improvement.

Mr. Escobar concluded "I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thanks Rob Bledsoe of www.rapidnethost.com for the Design and excellent job with the brand new site. Also to his wife Christa Bledsoe, Editor of The Star Celeb www.thestarceleb.com for introducing me to Rob. I am glad I decided to work with Mr. Bledsoe."

Diversity News Publications want to thanks many people and companies for trusting, allowing us with their media coverage. Also for welcoming us to their private and public events. Diversity News is accepting classifieds and display advertisements, please feel free to contact us at advertise@diversitynewspublications.com

About Esteban "Steven" Escobar:
He came to the USA at age of fourteen and he took advantage of all the opportunities presented to him. Now you are the judge of his whereabouts. The rest like they say is history with much more to come.

About Diversity News Publications:
Is a public relations firm specialize in Advertising, Design, Marketing, Printing & Public Relations who combines all sources in one.
Diversity News Publications parent company is E.E. and Diversity News Publications Enterprises who owns Diversity News Productions, Diversity News Printing Services, Diversity News Publishing, Diversity News #3960, Diversity News Magazine & Revista Diversidad. For more information visit web site at http://www.diversitynewspublications.com

D.J. CHEW FU PHAT PLAYS LIVE AT THE HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN

By Esteban “Steven” Escobar, Diversity News Staff ______________________________________________________
On 7-25-2009 Classy Sassy Par Tease and Weekend Rock Stars Entertainment brought from New York to Hollywood D.J. Chew Fu Phat and celebrated Chew Fu Phat first time ever LA premier party. The premier party was held from 9 pm to 2 am.

“I created and produced the L.A. Chew Fu Premiere Party, because not only did I want to introduce the amazing "Super DJ", and "Serial Fixer" to the West coast, I wanted to put Classy & Sassy Par Tease on the map as an event company to be reckoned with.” Said Tish Roberts, Principal of Classy & Sassy Par Tease.

The full DJ’s lineup: In the Patio were Sohail (1040WK - Austin, Texas), Captain Chronic (1040WK- Dallas, Texas), Hypnotic (1040WK - Austin, Texas) and including the “Serial Fixer” CHEW FU (Brooklyn Zoo - NY, NY).
Inside Bar: 5 Signs DJ’s: Foniks, Alcendor, Abstract Butta Fingas, Kyle Kyte (NSOK) from Los Angeles, CA. And Under the Table DJ’s: were JOE U KNO and Dstrukt from Carson, CA.

She concluded “Classy & Sassy Par Tease has been around for 2 years. I personally have been producing and coordinating events, live shows, and parties for 20 years. I want not only Hollywood to take notice of the quality and commitment of our dedication to each event , I want the whole world to know. I as the principal at Classy & Sassy Par Tease want to the public to know that if they want to hire a company that not only knows how to party, but is the party. We are professional, loyal and ready to accommodate everyone's individual event needs.”

Live appearances by: Frankie Finch; fashion designer and Ms. Fitz; model and Chew Fu Phat girlfriend. People that attended the event have fun and enjoying the music by all the DJ’s, but in particular by DJ Chew Fu Phat who appeared around 11 pm to 1 am.

The HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN is located at 1006 Seward Street Hollywood, CA 90028.

About Tish Roberts:
She is known as “Tish D Dish Roberts,” A one woman entertainment wrecking machine. Have been performing, choreographing, and writing for over 20 years. Her career has progressed and expanded in the fields of modeling, stand-up, and voice over work. For more information you can visit her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/tish.roberts1 and you can follow her on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/TishThaDish

About Chew Fu:
Mega-producer/ DJ extraordinaire Peter Kardolus aka CHEW FU’s rise to musical acclaim is the result of a tireless work ethic that has made him the darling of bloggers and critics worldwide. A seasoned creative-executive-hybrid CHEW FU brings over 15 years of experience as a freelance producer, musician, and music supervisor. CHEW FU has produced and remixed tracks, songs, and commercials for some of the today’s and tomorrow’s most notable artists and corporations including: Diddy, Doug E. Fresh, Faith Evans, Sean John, J-Cast, Justin Timberlake, Clipse, LL Cool J, 112, Foxy Brown, TDK, Ghost Face Killa, Adidas America, Carl Thomas, The Cocoa Brovaz, Twix Brand, New Era Cap, Royce The 5’9”, Jazmine Sullivan, and JVC. In addition, CHEW FU has scored or produced music for countless television series, pilots, and films. CHEW FU graduated with honors from the internationally renowned Utrecht Conservatory where he received his Masters in Fine Arts while studying alto sax. For more information visit his website at http://myspace.com/ChewFuPhat

TV Academy Announces Governors Award Recipient‏

HBO'S SHEILA NEVINS NAMED RECIPIENT OF ACADEMY OF
TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES 2009 GOVERNORS AWARD
Twenty-Two Time Primetime Emmy® Award Winner to Be Honored at 2009
Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Nokia Theatre
On August. 19, 2009 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors announce voted to bestow its prestigious Governors Award to Sheila Nevins, President of HBO Documentary Films. Nevins is the 15th individual to receive this honor since the award’s inception in 1978. Television Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner made the announcement today.
Nevins will receive the Governors Award, saluting an individual, company or organization that has made a substantial impact and demonstrated the extraordinary use of television, at the 2009 Creative Arts Emmy® Awards on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Los Angeles’ NOKIA Theatre. The Creative Arts Awards will be shown as a two-hour special on Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. on E! Entertainment.
“Sheila Nevins is highly deserving of the Governor’s Award after 21 years of distinguished participation in the Emmy competition by her acclaimed HBO unit, as well as for her lengthy, multiple award-winning career,” Shaffner says. “Sheila’s remarkably sustained work-in-progress continues into the 2009 season with the unit’s trademark service to the documentary ideal.”
“She’s a genuine original in every sense of the word,” said HBO Co-President Richard Plepler. “We are so proud and honored that she is a part of our family and that the Academy has given her this well deserved recognition for her extraordinary body of work.”
"Sheila has set a standard of excellence in documentary programming for years. Her unerring instincts, passion, creativity and intellect have led to programming which moves, informs and challenges. We are proud and honored that Sheila has been recognized with the Governor's Award," added Michael Lombardo, President, Programming and West Coast Operations, HBO.
This year, in addition to the Governors Award, Nevins is nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards: three nominations for The Alzheimer's Project including Grandpa Do You Know Who I Am?; as well as a nomination for Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery. Over the course of the 21 years that Nevins and her HBO documentary unit have been participating in the Primetime Emmy Awards, she has personally amassed 54 nominations and 22 wins, including 2008's White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki for "Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking," Classical Baby for "Outstanding Children's Program,” When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts for "Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking”; and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib for "Outstanding Nonfiction Special" in 2007, and many more.
During Nevins tenure, HBO’s critically acclaimed documentaries have gone on to win 20 Academy Awards. As an executive producer or producer, she has received 22 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 25 News and Documentary Emmys® and 31 George Foster Peabody Awards, as well as a personal Peabody Award. In 2005, she was given the News and Documentary Emmy for Lifetime Achievement by the National Television Academy in New York, as well as another Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association. She was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2000.

Nevins began her career with the U.S. Information Service after attending Barnard and Yale. She has been a producer for ABC and CBS, a writer for Time-Life Films and has worked for the Children's Television Workshop. Since joining HBO, Nevins has supervised the production of more than 500 documentary programs. She was named executive vice president, original programming, for HBO and Cinemax in 1999 and in 2005, was named president, HBO Documentary Films for Home Box Office.This year’s Governors Award Committee was co-chaired chaired by Hal Eisner, Television Academy Los Angeles Area Vice Chair and KCOP/KTTV reporter and Anne Damborg Pedersen, Vice President, Business Affairs at ABC, as well as Television Academy Governors and members Sharon Lieblein, Russell Calabrese, Nancy Thurston, Beth Bohn and Mark Watters.

Last year, National Geographic Channel's “Preserve Our Planet” received the Governors Award. Past recipients include "American Idol Gives Back"; HBO's "Addiction”; Jerry Lewis; Viacom, Inc.; Lifetime Network's "Stop the Violence Against Women" initiative; ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC for the 9/11 special “Supporting America: A Tribute to Heroes"; Walter Cronkite; Johnny Carson; Masterpiece Theatre; Lucille Ball; Bob Hope; Red Skelton; Ted Turner; Grant Tinker; CNN; Showtime's diversity programming; PBS; Alistair Cooke; and MTV's "Fight For Your Rights: Take a Stand Against Violence," among others.

Past Recipients Include:
1978: William S. Paley
1979: Walter Cronkite
1980: Johnny Carson
1981: Elton H. Rule
1982: Hallmark Cards, Inc.
1983: Pat Weaver
1984: Bob Hope
1985: Alistair Cooke
1986 Red Skelton
1987: Grant Tinker
1988: Hanna & Barbera
1989: Lucille Ball
1990: Leonard H. Goldenson
1991: Masterpiece Theatre
1992: Ted Turner
1993: No award given
1994: No award given
1995: PBS
1996: USA's Erase The Hate Campaign Turner's Native American Initiative
1997: ABC’s March Against Drugs Campaign Comic Relief Jac Venza
1998: National Geographic Television The Learning Channel's "Great Books" Literacy Project
1999: MTV's "Fight For Your Rights: Take a Stand Against Violence" History Channel's

"Save Our History"
2000: A&E’s The Biography Project For Schools The Teen Files

VH1 Save The Music Foundation
2001: Showtime's diversity programming CNN
2002: ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC for "America: A Tribute to Heroes"
2003: Lifetime network's "Stop the Violence Against Women" initiative
2004: Viacom, Inc, for its pro bono publico outreaches
2005: Jerry Lewis
2006: MTVu Campaign for Darfur
2007: American Idol Gives Back Addiction
2008: National Geographic Channel's "Preserve Our Planet" campaign
2009: Sheila Nevins

For selections from Nevins’ Archive of American Television interview, visit EmmyTVLegends.org. For more information on the Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards, go to Emmys.com.

Tom Sherak Elected President of Academy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Tom Sherak Elected President of Academy.

Beverly Hills, CA – Tom Sherak was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (8/18) by the organization’s Board of Governors.
Sherak, who is beginning his seventh year as a governor representing the Executives Branch, has served as treasurer of the Academy during the past year. He succeeds Sid Ganis, who had served the maximum four consecutive one-year terms in the office.
In addition, Actors Branch governor Tom Hanks was elected first vice president; Producers Branch governor Kathleen Kennedy and Writers Branch governor Phil Robinson were elected to vice presidents posts; Producers Branch governor Hawk Koch was elected treasurer; and Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governor John Lasseter was elected secretary. Ganis, representing the Public Relations Branch, will serve as immediate past president.
These will be the first officer stints for Lasseter and Robinson. Hanks had previously served as vice president and treasurer. Koch had previously served one term as vice president. This will be Kennedy’s second consecutive term as vice president.
Sherak, a marketing, distribution and production executive with more than four decades in the motion picture industry, is currently a consultant for Marvel Studios.
Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios where he oversaw the release of more than 40 films including “Black Hawk Down,” “Anger Management,” “Rent” and “Across the Universe.”
Prior to joining Revolution, Sherak was chairman of Twentieth Century Domestic Film Group and served as senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Previously, he held various positions at Fox, including senior executive vice president, where he oversaw the distribution and post-production of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Speed” and “Independence Day,” among others.
In 1990 Sherak was named executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox. Prior to that he was president of domestic distribution and marketing for Fox, where launched such films as “Romancing the Stone,” “Aliens,” “Wall Street,” “Die Hard” and “Working Girl.” He began his career in the industry at Paramount Pictures in 1970.
Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one office.
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Photo By Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.

About the Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world"s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.
©A.M.P.A.S.®Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

“Networking, having fun and charity fundraising”

By Esteban “Steven” Escobar, Diversity News Staff
______________________________________________________

On Tuesday, July 28, 2009 Fabowlous, a monthly fashion, entertainment mixer and charity bowling event benefiting Kierrah Foundation was held at Lucky Strike from 9 pm to 11 pm inside the Hollywood & Highland complex. The event show cast Live DJ, models, business entrepreneurs that are interesting in networking and exposure.

“Fabowlous was created as another fun alternative to bring people together in the fashion and entertainment industry in one place to network, while supporting the community, by having a charity bowling activity, as well as a fashion show.” Said Jovy Janolo, CEO & Event Producer

The venue features live DJ, big flat TV screens and bowling lanes. It sells food & drinks. Fabowlous is produced and presented by JovyJanolo.com & MyFashionPlace.com.

The event allows guest to networking by exchanging business cards and raise money for non profit charities.

He concluded “I hope to have more of my mixers in the future at different types of venues (bars, bowling alleys, coffee shops, parks, etc.)... not only to offer a fun environment to network but to further reach out to people who are serious to get in the industry, but he or she is not into bars or clubs. I've been doing this type of "not-your-typical" mixer for almost two years now and loving it. Definitely there are other fun activities that I want to see in the future.”

Next event will be held on August 25, 2009 from 9 pm at Lucky Strike.

For more information about upcoming events, visit website at http://www.myfashionplace.com/ or http://www.bowlluckystrike.com/

About Jovy Janolo:
Educated in the US and abroad with a Masters in Business Administration (major in Marketing Management), Jovy Janolo has worked with leading profit and non-profit organizations such as National Notary Association, American Express® International, CHASE Visa®, GMAC® Insurance, DHL Express®, OfficeMax, Sharp® Electronics, Entertainment® Publications, Ayala Land Philippines, Philippine Telephone Company, and many small to medium size companies for their marketing campaigns, product promotions, direct mail pieces, and/or graphic design (print and web) projects.

About MyFashionPlace.com:
Is a place to meet and network with people in the fashion industry such as designers, models, stylist, photographers, etc. You can also promote, sell, buy, and swap your products, services, and even events to the fashion industry and fashionistas.
It produces and presents monthly mixers that features LIVE fashion shows, performances, celebrity hosts and appearances, etc.

About Lucky Strike:
Lucky Strike Entertainment is the nation's premier destination for dining, lounging and bowling. They open their first location in 2003, Lucky Strike Hollywood – is an upscale bowling lounge with gourmet food, plush seating, and signature cocktails, it became an immediate and overwhelming hit. They have been recognized in national publications as a leader in the industry and in 2006 their CEO was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. Lucky Strike have 12 locations nationwide with themes ranging from upscale lounges and bars to swanky billiard clubs.

PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 36TH ANNUAL DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT EMMY AWARDS‏ AIRING LIVE ON SUNDAY AUGUST 30 ON THE CW

Bradford Anderson, Tyra Banks, Patrick Duffy, Jennie Garth, Anthony Geary, Van Hansis, Bindi Irwin, Katherine Kelly Lang, Susan Lucci, Sandra Oh, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Alex Trebek, Betty White, Montel Williams and Others Confirmed for the Telecast; Vanessa Williams to Host

LOS ANGELES, CA, Aug. 12, 2009 – Kristen Alderson (One Life to Live), Daytime Emmy Nominee Bradford Anderson (General Hospital), Daytime Emmy Nominee Tyra Banks (The Tyra Banks Show), Brandon Buddy (One Life to Live), Patrick Duffy (The Bold and the Beautiful), Melissa Claire Egan (All My Children), Colin Eggelsfield (Melrose Place), Jennie Garth (90210), Daytime Emmy Nominee Anthony Geary (General Hospital), Daytime Emmy Nominee Van Hansis (As the World Turns), Elizabeth Hendrickson (The Young and the Restless), Daytime Emmy Nominee Bindi Irwin (Bindi, the Jungle Girl ), Jay Kenneth Johnson (Days of Our Lives), Katherine Kelly Lang (The Bold and the Beautiful), Lori Loughlin (90210), Susan Lucci (All My Children), Gilles Marini (Dancing with the Stars, Brothers & Sisters), Kyle Massey (That's So Raven), Christopher Massey (Zoey 101), Cameron Mathison (All My Children), Daytime Emmy Nominee Dr. Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil), Robin McGraw, Billy Miller (The Young and the Restless), Ronn Moss (The Bold & the Beautiful), Robert Newman (The Guiding Light), Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Daytime Emmy Nominee Rachael Ray (The Rachael Ray Show), James Scott (Days of Our Lives), Jake Silbermann (As The World Turns), Daytime Emmy Nominee Kirsten Storms (General Hospital), Dr. Travis Stork (The Doctors), Daytime Emmy Nominee Alex Trebek (Jeopardy), Betty White, Montel Williams and Kim Zimmer (The Guiding Light) have been confirmed as presenters for the 36th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmyâ Awards, it was announced today by David McKenzie, executive producer of the telecast.

The ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 30 at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and will broadcast live on the CW at (8:00-10:00 PM ET Live/PT tape delayed). Vanessa Williams will host.

The Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards recognize the outstanding achievement in all fields of daytime television production and are presented to individuals and programs broadcast from 2:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. during the 2008 calendar year. The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards is a presentation of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in cooperation with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
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Official Paula Abdul not returning as Judge for American Idol

Official Paula Abdul not returning as Judge for American Idol Season 9

On Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Paula Abdul tweeted on her account paulaabdul that she is not coming back to American Idol.

She wrote around 7:30 p.m. according to MyFOXLA.com "With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all, I’ll miss nurturing all the new talent,but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1become an international phenomenon.
What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me. It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month. I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all."

After she tweeted all majors online social networks such as Twitter, Facebook started to post the breaking news that Paula quit American Idol.

Ryan Seacrest host of American Idol since season one also twitted on his account RyanSeacrest and stated "about to go to sleep when I started seeing my blackberry blow up. I have read what u have read and I am shocked and saddened about paula." He added: "Idol and the cast have grown with each other over the last 8 seasons..I can't imagine the panel without puala. She's a star @ a great friend."

About Paula:

Paula Abdul is one of the most recognized pop singers and choreographers of our day. Her celebrated work in choreography for television includes Emmy-winning contributions to The Tracey Ullman Show, Paula's own performance on The American Music Awards and her choreography for The Academy Awards, for which she earned an Emmy nomination. Paula's choreography contributions in feature films include the Academy Award-winning American Beauty, working with Cuba Gooding Jr. on his Academy Award-winning performance in Jerry Maguire, and transforming Val Kilmer into Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors.

Paula's music career encompasses worldwide album sales exceeding 30 million records, two No. 1 albums, six No. 1 singles, a Grammy Award, seven MTV Awards, two Emmy Awards, two People's Choice Awards and two Kids' Choice Awards. She has been honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and was inducted into Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Hall of Fame.

Contestants and viewers alike praise Paula's positive feedback on American Idol. She has even designed good-luck jewelry for the Idols, which provided the inspiration for her Paula Abdul Jewelry Collection on QVC, which opened to record-breaking sales. The collection consists of charms, pendants, earrings and bracelets adorned with meaningful phrases.

Other triumphs include her award-winning work with Janet Jackson, which garnered two MTV Video Awards; and working with such music legends as Aretha Franklin, Heart and Prince.
Paula continues to honor her roots by running dance and cheerleading camps, competitions and scholarship programs throughout the country. She lives in Los Angeles.

Sources: MyFOXLA.com, Americanidol.com, Facebook.com & twitter.com

Edward Zwick Wins Academy Board of Governors Election Run-Off

Beverly Hills, CA —The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that Edward Zwick has prevailed in the run-off for the open Directors Branch seat on the 2009-2010 Board of Governors; this will be his first term on the Board. Zwick will join Martha Coolidge and Curtis Hanson as the third governor representing the branch.

Earlier this month run-off ballots were mailed to Directors Branch members when Zwick and Gil Cates tied for the seat. Ballots were due back yesterday (July 29). This was the first time in Academy history that there was a tie in the balloting.

The 2009-2010 Academy Board of Governors are: Annette Bening, Tom Hanks and Henry Winkler, Actors Branch; James D. Bissell, Rosemary Brandenburg and Jeffrey Kurland, Art Directors Branch; Caleb Deschanel, Owen Roizman and Vilmos Zsigmond, Cinematographers; Martha Coolidge, Curtis Hanson and Zwick Directors; Rob Epstein, Lynne Littman and Richard Pearce, Documentary; Jim Gianopulos, Robert Rehme and Tom Sherak, Executives; Dede Allen, Donn Cambern and Mark Goldblatt, Film Editors; Leonard Engelman, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists; Bruce Broughton, Charles Fox and Arthur Hamilton, Music; Mark Johnson, Kathleen Kennedy and Hawk Koch, Producers; Robert G. Friedman, Sid Ganis and Marvin Levy, Public Relations; Carl Bell, Bill Kroyer and John Lasseter, Short Films and Feature Animation; Curt Behlmer, Don Hall and Kevin O’Connell, Sound; Craig Barron, Richard Edlund and Bill Taylor, Visual Effects; and James L. Brooks, Frank Pierson and Phil Robinson, Writers.

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About the Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world"s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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