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.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More