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Neil in the News Today



A picture in this one:

http://www.chabad.com/5.11.html
Legendary Neil Diamond and comic genius Adam Sandler show their support
as surprise guests at Chabad's 22nd annual "L'Chaim - To Life!" Telethon



And a mention in this one:

Kudos For Carole Bayer Sager & Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams


Hollywood Film Festival to Honor Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams  

With the 'Hollywood Humanitarian Award' and Carole Bayer Sager to Get  

Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting Award' 

Distinguished Nobel Laureate for Peace Jody Williams and Legendary Songwriter 
 

Carole Bayer Sager to Be Honored at the 6th Annual Hollywood Movie  

Awards Gala Ceremony 

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hollywood Film Festival's 
Board of Advisors is proud to announce that Nobel Laureate for Peace JODY 
WILLIAMS will be this year's recipient of the festival's "Hollywood 
Humanitarian Award," and Academy Award-winning songwriter CAROLE BAYER SAGER 
will be honored with the "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting 
Award."  Carlos de Abreu, Executive Director of the festival, formally made 
the announcement today.

The awards will be bestowed upon Ms. Williams and Ms. Sager as part of the 
Hollywood Movie Awards Gala Ceremony on Monday evening, October 7, at the 
Beverly Hilton Hotel.  Other festival honorees include MPAA president Jack 
Valenti, actress Jodie Foster, director Martin Scorsese, actress Naomi Watts, 
director McG, screenwriter Robert Towne, producers Douglas Wick and Lucy 
Fisher, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, editor Pietro Scalia, composer Marc 
Shaiman, production designer Harold Michelson, and casting director Marcia 
Ross.

Regarding the announcement, Mr. de Abreu said, "Ms. Williams's proven 
historic humanitarian achievements have been demonstrated by her efforts 
campaigning to get the international community to adopt and sign a treaty to 
ban antipersonnel landmines, which became international law faster than any 
other major international treaty in history.  And Carole Bayer Sager, 
throughout her songwriting career, has made an extraordinary contribution to 
the music of our times, a great achievement worthy of recognition and honors."

JODY WILLIAMS and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) were 
jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. Ms. Williams and the ICBL were 
cited by the Nobel Committee for turning a "utopian dream" of a treaty to ban 
antipersonnel landmines into a virtual reality.  The treaty marked the first 
time in history that a conventional weapon in widespread use for a century by 
all fighting forces in the world was to be removed from their arsenals.  Ms. 
Williams is only the 3rd woman from the United States and the 10th globally 
to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  Currently, Ms. Williams serves as 
campaign ambassador for the ICBL.

A Vermont native, Ms. Williams's work has demonstrated that ordinary people 
can bring about extraordinary change in the world.  As founding coordinator 
of the ICBL, which was formally launched by six non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs) in October 1992, she and the campaign captured the 
public conscience globally in support of the elimination of landmines.  After 
only five short years, governments from around the world came together in 
Oslo, Norway, to negotiate a ban treaty in September 1997.  On December 3, 
1997, some 122 countries signed the treaty in Ottawa, Canada, and on December 
10, Ms. Williams and the ICBL were honored at the Nobel Ceremony in Oslo.

Prior to beginning the ICBL, Ms. Williams worked for eleven years to build 
public awareness about U.S. policy toward Central America.  From 1986 to 
1992, she developed and directed humanitarian relief projects as the deputy 
director of the Los Angeles-based Medical Aid for El Salvador.  From 1984 to 
1986, she was co-coordinator of the Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project, 
leading fact-finding delegations to the region.  Previously, Ms. Williams 
taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and 
Washington, D.C., and has a B.A. from the University of Vermont, as well as 
an M.A. from the School of International Training and an M.A. from the Johns 
Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Ms. Williams has written extensively and speaks around the world about the 
problem of landmines, the movement to ban them, and the role of individuals 
and civil society in creating a more peaceful and secure world.  For the 
first time, Ms. Williams traveled with the ICBL to Afghanistan in July to 
address mine clearance needs, educating the new government in Kabul on the 
landmine treaty, and urging their signing, which they did on July 30.  For 
further information on the ICBL, visit www.icbl.org .

CAROLE BAYER SAGER'S contribution to feature films includes the 
Oscar(R)-winning "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from the 1981 film 
"Arthur," and the Academy Award-nominated songs "Nobody Does It Better" from 
"The Spy Who Loved Me," "Through the Eyes of Love" from "Ice Castles," "The 
Day I Fall in Love" from "Beethoven's 2nd," "Look What Love Has Done" from 
"Junior" and "The Prayer" from "Quest for Camelot."  Ms. Sager co-wrote her 
first hit, "A Groovy Kind of Love," in the mid-sixties for The Mindbenders. 
Others include such hit songs as "Don't Cry Out Loud," "That's What Friends 
Are For," and "On My Own," to name a few.  Ms. Sager has collaborated with 
such artists as Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach, Neil Diamond, Kenneth Edmonds, 
David Foster, Marvin Hamlisch, Albert Hammond, James Ingram, Carole King, 
Melissa Manchester, Bette Midler, Neil Sedaka, Dave Stewart, and Toni Wine, 
among others.  Ms. Sager was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 
1987.

The 2002 Annual Hollywood Film Festival incorporates in its activities the 
Hollywood Film Conference, Hollywood Humanitarian Symposium, Hollywood Film 
Screenings, and Hollywood Movie Awards.

The sponsors of the Hollywood Film Festival include the American Cinema 
Editors, ArcLight Cinemas, Art Directors Guild, Barco, Be A Star With Revlon, 
California Film Commission, Casting Society of America, Daily Variety, 
ETOnline.com, European Union, FilmMaker Magazine, HBO, Hollywood Chamber of 
Commerce, Hollywood Network, Hollywood Video, The Hollywood Reporter, 
International Cinematographers Guild, International Documentary Association, 
Motion Picture Editors Guild, The New York Times, Paramount Studios, PR 
Newswire, Raleigh Studios, and YAHOO! Movies, Inc., among others.

ArcLight Cinemas, which includes the historic Cinerama Dome, on Sunset 
Boulevard, offers guests a variety of movie-going experiences, from big 
screen presentations to special exhibits and film festivals, and it provides 
guaranteed reserved seats, online and on-site ticketing, an elegant bar/cafe 
and gift shop.

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT -  Click Here  

http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X68161723 

SOURCE  Hollywood Film Festival  

CO:  Hollywood Film Festival

ST:  California

SU:  AWD

http://www.prnewswire.com
   
08/29/2002 08:30 EDT