HOLLYWOOD, Calif -- The nation's top entertainment journalists
were honored Thursday in the Los Angeles Press Club's first National
Entertainment Journalism Awards.
"The judge's were deeply impressed by the quality and variety
of entries that came from top news outlets and freelancers across the
country," said Press Club President Chris Woodyard, a reporter for
USA Today. "With 102 entries, there's clearly a need for a
competition to honor the best in entertainment journalism."
Actress Maud Adams, the only actress to play the female lead in two James
Bond epics, handed out awards for 2007's best work for entertainment
news and features; she also named the Critic of the Year for entertainment
print, radio, television and online media.
Entries included work from top network affiliates from magazines like
Esquire and People, and newspapers like the Baltimore Sun, Dallas Morning
News, Tulsa World and Las Vegas Review Journal.
First-place winners included Matthew Garrahan of the Financial Times for
best news story, print; and Jacob Soboroff for TV; and Darby Maloney and
Matt Holzman of KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif., for radio; and Nikki Finke
of LA Weekly for online.
For feature writing, Matthew Belloni, writing for Esquire, won for print;
Jeffrey H. Howard of KCLV Las Vegas for TV; Queena Kim and Charles Solomon
of KPCC in Pasadena, Calif., for radio; and Nikki Finke for online.
Critics of the Year were Ella Taylor of LA Weekly for print; Shawn Edwards
and Russ Simmons of Fox4News in Kansas City; Joe Morgenstern of KCRW for
radio; and Nikki Finke again for online.
Runners-up in all categories included Noe Tannigawa of Hawaii Public Radio;
Richard Tomlinson, Fergal O'Brien and Monee Fields-White of Bloomberg;
Mary Carole McCauley of the Baltimore Sun; Shawn Edwards and Russ Simmons,
WDAF Fox4News, Kansas City; Sandie Newton, Mona Khanna, Billy Sexton and
Daniel Penz. KTVT CBS-11 News; Beth Accomando, PRI's The World;
Claude Brodesser-Akner, Matt Holzman and Ray Guarna, KCRW; and Sara Shereen
Bakhshian of the CW Network.
Others included Jason Bracelin, Las Vegas Review Journal; Michael Sraqow,
Baltimore Sun; Jeffrey K. Howard, KVBC, Las Vegas; Manny Dela Rosa, KMIR6NBC,
Palm Desert; Peter Noble-Kuchera, WFIU Public Radio, Indiana; and James
Taylor of KCRW.
A complete list of categories and winners is posted at the Los Angeles
Press Club's web site, www.lapressclub.org. The Press Club, which
traces its roots to 1913, is a 500-member non-profit entirely devoted
to the pursuit of quality journalism.