October 12, 2007

All

Well guys the Kennedy Center folks did it again to Jerry Lewis they picked someone other then Jerry Lewis for this year's
Mark Twain Comdey Award.

They saluted Billy Crystal this year.

I guess he will never get this Award.

Annie

See Varity article below:

Kennedy Center honors Billy Crystal
Comedian awarded with Mark Twain Prize
By PAUL HARRISWASHINGTON -- Comedian Billy Crystal received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Oct. 11 in a raucous celebration that featured clips of his classic film and TV moments and irreverent plaudits from a cadre of comics and other media celebs.
Not surprisingly, Crystal stole the show with an inspired acceptance speech that would have done Twain proud. He offered a homespun Twain-like tale about growing up in America, delivered from a rocking chair on the Opera House stage. Except that his tale featured a Jewish family in Brooklyn, and a kid whose role model was Bill Cosby. “He played football at Temple. I belonged to a temple,” Crystal recalled.

Crystal was presented the award by Kennedy Center Chairman Steven Schwarzman, who lauded the comedian’s extensive career and called him “a one-man melting pot.” The Twain Award presentation, now in its 10th year, will be broadcast Nov. 12 on PBS stations.

A parade of admirers trooped on stage to honor Crystal, including Robin Williams, Martin Short, Rob Reiner, Jimmy Fallon, Danny DeVito, Jon Lovitz, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robert DeNiro. Sportscaster Bob Costas and broadcaster Barbara Walters also paid their respects by sharing personal moments with the comedian.

A diehard New York Yankees fan, Crystal was clearly impressed by a surprise appearance of Yankees manager Joe Torre, who suddenly had room on his October sked for the cameo perf. “Billy is the 26th man on our baseball club,” said Torre, who congratulated him on the award.

A marathon of vintage clips included moments from “Saturday Night Live,” “City Slickers,” “Throw Mama Off the Train,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Analyze This” and numerous other sources.

Previous recipients of the Mark Twain Prize include Neil Simon, Steve Martin, Lorne Michaels, Lily Tomlin, Bob Newhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, and Richard Pryor.

What else is new?

Thanks for the info, Annie.

Crystal is a funny man, but c'mon! Too bad the idiot powers that be are such numbskulls!

Why does that not surprise me!

One problem is that stars of a certain age are forgotten. Obviously Billy has many more years left--and it would make sense to give JL the award. The AFI Life Achievement Award is another example. Why did Tom Hanks get this a couple of years ago? and Harrison Ford? This is for lifetime achievement so they could enjoy this award when they are in their 70s or 80s. There are still some of a certain age who deserve this award and haven't gotten it: Jerry, Joan Fontaine, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Havilland, Debbie Reynolds, Doris Day--to name a few. They are fast dying off--Jane Wyman and Deborah Kerr--both of whom recently died--never received the AFI Award--certainly they deserved to. But they have to make it more appealing to todays audiences to get them to watch the ceremony on TV so they give it to people like Hanks, Ford and Spielberg.