JAMES CAMERON NAMED MOTION PICTURE SHOWMAN OF THE YEAR!

PRODUCER SHANE BRENNAN GETS TV SHOWMAN NOD

ROBERT ZEMECKIS HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ERNEST BORGNINE RECEIVES SPECIAL AWARD OF MERIT 

Hollywood publicity and marketing executives, producers, studio and network executives, celebrities and press gathered for the ICG 47^th Annual Publicists Awards Friday (3/5) at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. Extra! host Mario Lopez emceed the ceremonies. 

Sigourney Weaver presented the Motion Picture Showmanship Award to Avatar writer-director-producer James Cameron. “This year we honor one of the most innovative, daring and creative talents in the industry who has broken new ground in the cinema arts with all of his films,” said Weaver. “He is leaving his imprint on all areas of filmmaking in which he excels - as producer, director, writer and editor.”

Shane Brennan, executive producer of NCIS and NCIS: LOS ANGELES, received the Television Showmanship Award. “Shane is often  described as a whirl of energy,” said presenter Michael Weatherly of NCIS, who co-presented with LL Cool J of NCIS: LOS ANGELES. “Just seven years ago, he was writing tv scripts in his native Australia.” LL Cool J added that “he began writing for CSI: Miami, Summerland and One Tree Hill almost immediately after his arrival in this country and went on to produce, write and edit two of television’s biggest hits.”

Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios Rich Ross presented director-producer-screenwriter Robert Zemeckis with the Lifetime Achievement Award. “His films are characterized by an interest in state-of-the-art special effects,” said Ross. “His early use of match moving in Back To The Future Part II and the pioneering performance capture techniques seen in The Polar Express, Beowulf and Disney’s A Christmas Carol has set the standard for the industry.”

Doris Roberts presented a Special Award of Merit to veteran actor and Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine. “At age 93 he is still going strong with 204 movies under his belt,” she said. “He has two more films in post production, two more in pre-production and a recurring role in the popular kid show, Sponge Bob Square Pants.”

Oscar nominee George Clooney made a surprise appearance to present the Les Mason Award to publicity agency owner Stan Rosenfield. “Stan has long been admired for high professional standards as well as for extraordinary success in what is clearly identified as one of the most competitive fields in entertainment,” said Clooney. 

The Press Award went to Anthony Breznican of USA Today and the International Media Award to Chris Hewitt of the UK. The Bob Yeager Award, which honors a publicist for community service, was presented to Pamela Golum of the Lippin Group; the Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Award for Television was presented to the publicists who worked on CBS-TV’s NCIS and NCIS: LOS ANGELES; The Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Movie Campaign went to the publicists at Warner Bros. for their efforts in behalf of The Hangover; and the Excellence in Unit Still Photography Award went to Andrew Cooper.

Presenters also included Joel David Moore (Avatar), Eric Braeden (The Young & the Restless), Heather Tom (The Bold and the Beautiful), Dean Morris (Breaking Bad) and Merle Ginsberg (Bravo’s Launch My Line and Rupaul’s Drag Race)

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