Carol Burnett receives Lifetime Achievement Award at 49th Annual Publicists Awards
Hollywood publicity and marketing executives, producers, studio and network executives, celebrities and press gathered for the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600) 49th Annual Publicists Awards Friday (2/24) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The awards presentation included several moving moments.
Julie Andrews and Jodie Foster dedicated the 2012 ICG Publicist Directory to Arlene Ludwig, West Coast Director of Publicity, Motion Pictures, in celebration of her 50th anniversary at The Walt Disney Studios. The dedication struck an emotional chord since Ludwig is recovering from a serious fall that left her partially paralyzed.
In another touching moment, ICG President Steven Poster presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Carol Burnett. “It is my pleasure to present this award to someone I dearly admire and who continues to make me laugh to this day,” he said.
Oscar nominee Gary Oldman presented the Motion Picture Showmanship Award to David Heyman, producer of the Warner Bros. Harry Potter franchise. “This year, we honor the producer of the most successful film franchise of all time,” he said. “We’re delighted to recognize the person responsible for a collection of films that represents the best example of what can be accomplished with creative and smart publicity and promotion.”
David Stapf, President of CBS Television Studios, received the Television Showmanship Award. Josh Charles, of “The Good Wife,” who presented the award, said, “David, who is a former publicist, now heads a studio that broadcasts six of the top 10 drama series on television, including the CSI franchise and “The Good Wife.”
Missi Pyle, one of the stars of “The Artist,” presented the Press Award to Susan King of the Los Angeles Times. “The award this year goes to a reporter who captures the magic of Hollywood in her reporting while demonstrating her understanding and appreciation of its history.”
Oscar nominee Max Von Sydow presented the International Media Award to Elaine Lipworth of the United Kingdom. “The international media, particularly those based in Los Angeles, play an increasingly important role in creating awareness for American-made movies,” Sydow said. “It’s appropriate that we honor them here.”
Tony Angellotti, of the Angellotti Company, received the Les Mason Award, the highest honor paid a union publicist. “The recipient this year plans and executes publicity campaigns for films, filmmakers, production companies, industry events, including the Golden Globes and the Oscars,” said presenter Wendi McLendon-Covey, one of the stars of “Bridesmaids.”
Kali Hawk, of “Bridesmaids,” presented The Bob Yeager Award, which honors a publicist for community service, to Warner Bros. publicist Sharon Black in recognition of her extraordinary work on behalf of animals.
Maria Canals-Barrera, of Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” presented the Excellence in Unit Still Photography Awards for movies and television. Frank Masi was recognized in the Motion Pictures category and Hopper Stone for television.
Awards ceremony emcee Rove McManus, Australia’s top talk show host and a “Tonight Show” regular, presented the Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Awards for the year’s best publicity campaigns. Disney Studios union publicists who worked on “The Help,” received the award in the motion picture category; and the union publicists who worked on Fox Television’s “Modern Family” won the television.
Steve McQueen Shows Wartime London Through A Child’s Eyes In “Blitz”
It was a single photograph that started Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen on the journey to make "Blitz." As a Londoner, the German bombing raids on the city during World War II are never all that far from his mind. Reminders of it are everywhere. But the spark of inspiration came from an image of a small boy on a train platform with a large suitcase. Stories inspired by the evacuation are not rare, but this child was Black. Who was he, McQueen wondered, and what was his story? The film, in theaters Friday and streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22, tells the tale of George, a 9-year-old biracial child in East London whose life with his mother, Rita ( Saoirse Ronan ), and grandfather is upended by the war. Like many children at the time, he's put on a train to the countryside for his safety. But he hops off and starts a long, dangerous journey back to his mom, encountering all sorts of people and situations that paint a revelatory and emotional picture of that moment. SEARCHING FOR GEORGE AND FINDING A STAR When McQueen finished the screenplay, he thought to himself: "Not bad." Then he started to worry: Does George exist? Is there a person out there who can play this role? Through an open casting call they found Elliott Heffernan, a 9-year-old living just outside of London whose only experience was a school play. He was the genie in "Aladdin." "There was a stillness about him, a real silent movie star quality," McQueen said. "You wanted to know what he was thinking, and you leant in. That's a movie star quality: A presence in his absence." Elliott is now 11. When he was cast, he'd not yet heard about the evacuation and imagined that a film set would be made up of "about 100 people." But he soon found his footing, cycling in and out of... Read More