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For this year’s 18th annual event held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, I took along my wife Norma, as my stills photographer, and also my son Peter Wooding, to video the “Red Carpet” interviews. (By the way, there was no actual Red Carpet this year.) We arrived early for the occasion, which is sometimes known as “The Christian Oscars” and, after checking in at the media table, I searched around for some early interviews to do before the battle began in earnest. Almost immediately, I spotted veteran filmmaker Ken Wales, Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed and award-winning CBS Television series Christy, and also the producer of the marvelous film, Amazing Grace. Peter set up his camera and sound equipment and soon we launched into the interview with Ken Wales and his granddaughter, which you can read about soon in a print story that I will be releasing. Then came, Dr. Ted Baehr, Founder and Publisher of Movieguide®, in which he reminisced about the very first event held all those years ago as a press conference in a Hollywood Hotel. He also shared how the gala has grown to be such a large event and how Hollywood is producing so many family-friendly films these days. You can see the interview at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8YUtcFd-iA Then the battle well and truly commenced…and so did the yelling with people trying to attract the attention of celebrities they wanted to interview. PR people walked down the area set up for TV interviews holding up signs of their clients with some background about them so that when we came to interview them, we would at least have a clue about who were talking to. Fortunately, having covered just about every Movieguide® gala over these past 18 years, I did know many of them.
Within a few minutes, I saw singers Billy Davis Jr., and his lovely wife Marilyn McCoo, so I did my own yelling and managed to get their attention and got them to talk about the secret of their more than 40 years of marriage, something quite amazing in Hollywood. You can seem the interview with this charming couple at: www.youtube.com/user/assistnewsservice#p/a/u/0/SATScZ_6BqI Actor Stephen Baldwin, fresh from his appearance on the British TV show, Celebrity Big Brother, came into the room, did one interview with Fox News, and then promptly disappeared from the mayhem. I really I couldn’t blame him as he a veteran at these events. By now, the interviews were coming thick and fast and when I didn’t know the background of the person I was interviewing, I would simply ask them to state their name and what they were most well-known for. They all complied and made life easier for me. As Baldwin left the room, a video cameraman standing next to me began complaining that I was blocking his view and then yelled at another hapless journalist for doing the same thing.
Fortunately, some light relief then came from the hosts for the gala, Christopher and Kyle Massey, who played off each other with some hilarious banter. You can see this interview at www.youtube.com/user/assistnewsservice#p/a/u/0/QpLNQ74RYlk One of the most glamorous interviewees was British actress, Jane Seymour (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBYZEnksh2A), who was one of the presenters at the gala. Standing quietly off to the side was her husband, James Keach, an American actor, producer, and director who is the younger brother of actor Stacy Keach, Jr., and son of actor Stacy Keach, Sr.
My wife Norma immediately recognized him and asked if he would mind posing for a picture, which he did. Here’s the photo she took. The room had been set up in a semi circle and the real noise erupted when the photographers at the far end of the room began shouting their instructions to the various celebrities to pose in the positions they wanted. One, rather large lady seem very upset with a fellow “photographer” because of the size of her camera. She complained, “I don’t know why they would allow someone with a point-and-shoot camera in the room.” After more than ten interviews, and quite exhausted, I decided to call it a day and we got ready to leave.
But not before saying “hi” to China-born Wendy Click, who along with her husband, Kenneth Click, was covering the event for “FuYinTV” which means “Gospel TV” in Chinese. (Both Wendy and Kenneth are ASSIST board members.) As we left the Beverly Wilshire Hotel the gala, sponsored by the Christian Film & Television Commission®, was in full swing and today I have received the Winners List. So here it is: Winner of the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring Movie of 2009, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation – THE BLIND SIDE from Warner Bros. Pictures. Other movie nominees: THE CROSS from Gener8ition X, DISNEY’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL from Walt Disney Pictures, KNOWING from Summit Entertainment, NOT EASILY BROKEN from Screen Gems/Sony Pictures Entertainment, THE SOLOIST from Paramount Pictures, TYLER PERRY’S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF from Lionsgate Films.. The $100,000 movie prize is equally divided among the people in the following five categories – the director, the credited writer(s), the producer(s), the executive producer(s), and the senior motion picture studio executive responsible for production. Winner of the $100,000 Epiphany Prize for Most Inspiring TV Program of 2009 sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation – “GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY,” telecast by TNT and the Turner Entertainment Group. Other TV nominees: “The Greatest Christmas Present” episode of TYLER PERRY’S HOUSE OF PAYNE from TBS, CHRISTMAS IN CANAAN from the Hallmark Channel, THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER from Hallmark Hall of Fame, and EVERYDAY LIFE from American Life Network. The $100,000 TV prize is equally divided among the people in the following five categories – the director, the credited writer, the executive producer(s) or producer(s) responsible for the program, the senior television network executive responsible for broadcasting the program, and the production studio executive responsible for production. The $50,000 Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by Beginning Screenwriters, sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation: 1. “The Good Doctor,” written by Dwight Carlson and Gregory Carlson, $25,000 The Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance in Movies in 2009 – Albert Hall for NOT EASILY BROKEN Other acting nominees (alpha order): Sandra Bullock & Ray McKinnon for THE BLIND SIDE, Nicholas Cage for KNOWING, Jim Carrey for A CHRISTMAS CAROL, and Tyler Perry for TYLER PERRY’S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF. The Grace Award for Most Inspiring Performance in Television in 2009 – Winner To Be Announced Nominees (alpha order): Robert Schuller, Jr. in EVERYDAY LIFE, THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER form Hallmark Hall of Fame, CHRISTMAS IN CANAAN from the Hallmark Channel, GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY from TBS. Best Movie for Families – “UP from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures” ** The Ten Best 2009 Movies for Families ** 1. UP Best Movie for Mature Audiences – THE BLIND SIDE from Warner Bros. Pictures ** The Ten Best 2009 Movies for Mature Audiences ** 1. THE BLIND ROOM
The Faith and Freedom Award for Promoting Positive American Values in 2009 Winner for Movies – (Tie) STONING OF SAROYA M. and INVICTUS Other movie nominees: THE BLIND SIDE from Warner Bros., CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS from Columbia/Sony Entertainment, G-FORCE from Walt Disney Pictures, UP from Pixar and Walt Disney Pictures Winner for TV – BEDFORD: THE TOWN THEY LEFT BEHIND Other TV nominees: CHRISTMAS IN CANAAN from the Hallmark Channel, GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY from TNT, TAKING CHANCE from HBO Films, V: THE PILOT EPISODE from ABC-TV, and WWII IN HD from The History Channel.. Special Crystal Teddy Awards Tyler Perry Studios For their faithful production of exceptionally produced and strikingly redemptive movies and TV shows. Hallmark Hall of Fame for bringing outstanding movies to television that excels in quality. So now, all there is to do is to wait for next year’s gala and go through it all again! Come to think of it, it was a lot of fun and especially wonderful for me to be able to work with Peter, who is over from the UK, and my lovely wife Norma, who did a great job in holding her own in the scrum!
** You may republish this story with proper attribution. Send this story to a friend. Share This story is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ASSIST News Service or ASSIST Ministries.
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