Contact:
Gita Chandra, gita@mkpr.com
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
MKPR, 212.627.8098
SNL’S SETH MEYERS AND 30 ROCK’S JUDAH FRIEDLANDER TO HOST
WEBBY AWARDS CEREMONIES ON JUNE 9th and JUNE 10th IN NYC
New York, NY – (April 30, 2008) –Two icons of late-night comedy – one real and one fictitious – will host The 12th Annual Webby Celebration in New York City from June 8th – 10th.
Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live and Judah Friedlander of 30 Rock will headline this year’s ceremonies honoring the best of the Internet, Webby organizers announced today.
Stand-up comedian Judah Friedlander, who stars as comedy writer Frank Rossitano on 30 Rock, will emcee The Webby Film and Video Awards. Taking place at The Skirball Center for The Performing Arts on June 9th, the awards honor original film and video premiering on the Internet. A frequent contributor to VH-1’s Best Week Ever, Friedlander won accolades in his role in American Splendor, appeared in Meet the Parents, and can be seen in the upcoming films Meet Dave and The Wrestler.
Meyers will headline the 12th Annual Webby Awards on June 10th at Cipriani Wall Street. The Webby Awards honor the year’s best Websites, ads, and mobile sites, as well as special achievement honorees, including Lifetime Achievement, Artist of the Year, Person of the Year, and Breakout of the Year.
A cast member of Saturday Night Live for seven years, Meyers recently appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly with his “Weekend Update” co-anchor Amy Poehler. He became head writer for the legendary series in 2006.
“We like to think of Seth and Judah as the Webby dream ticket,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. “They’re fresh, fun, and unpredictable, which makes them a perfect match for the Webby audience.”
As hosts, Meyers and Friedlander will be responsible for ensuring that all winners stick to the Webby Awards’ famous five-word speech limit. Speeches by past winners like Al Gore (“Please don’t recount this vote.”), Beastie Boys (“Can anyone fix my computer.”), and Arianna Huffington (“Darlings, make blogs not war.”) have made headlines around the world.
This year’s Webby Awards nominees range from pop-culture phenomena like “I Got a Crush on Obama” (Viral Video) and 23/6’s “Swift Kids for Truth” (Comedy: Long Form or Series) to The Huffington Post (Blog – Political) to advocacy tools such as “Eyes on Darfur” (Activism) and micro-lending service Kiva.org (Non-Profit).
Unlike other awards shows, where only judges choose the winners, The Webby Awards also give the global Web community an opportunity to decide who will take home a Webby. Now through May 1st, the public can cast their votes in The Webby People’s Voice Awards presented by Nokia at http://pv.webbyawards.com. Winners will be announced on May 6th, 2008.
Hailed as the “OSCARS® of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-person judging academy whose members include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, and Harvey Weinstein.
For more information on The Webby Awards, please visit www.webbyawards.com
About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “The Internet’s highest honor for excellence” by the New York Times Magazine, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Web sites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 12th Annual Webby Awards received a record 9,500 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Adobe; The Creative Group; .ORG; The Barbarian Group; Level3; Adweek; Fortune; Variety; Wired; IDG: Brightcove; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.
OSCAR® is a federally registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Webby Awards and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are in no way affiliated with or sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or OSCAR®.
# # #