Los Angeles Press Club Press Release

L.A. Press Club Extends Entry Deadline for the 2009 National Entertainment Journalism Awards

Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, Joe Morgenstern, to receive the top NEJ Award at special awards ceremony

Hollywood, CA -- The best work by writers, broadcasters, bloggers and critics is being sought for this year's National Entertainment Journalism (NEJ) Awards, the Los Angeles Press Club has announced. Entry forms and rules are available at www.LAPressClub.org and the deadline to enter has been extended to February 13, 2009. The awards honor the top work of 2008 by those who cover show business without regard to genre—whether it is work about film, television or local performances. Awards and runners up will be given for best entertainment news story, best feature story and critic of the year in the categories of print, online, television and radio.

"For years, the entertainment world has recognized its best performances. This year, the Los Angeles Press Club will again pay homage to the journalists who cover the industry," said Chris Woodyard, Los Angeles Press Club President and USA Today reporter.

It was announced earlier this month that celebrated film critic, Joe Morgenstern, will be honored with the top NEJ Award for his contributions to the field of entertainment criticism. Morgenstern is a film critic for the Wall Street Journal and KCRW, and is the co-founder of the National Society of Film Critics. He is one of only three film critics to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his work.

“We are particularly pleased to be honoring Joe Morgenstern,” said Woodyard. “His contribution to film criticism is unparalleled and as a Pulitzer prize winner and founding member of the National Society of Film Critics, he is truly a national treasure.”

The awards will be judged by the club and the winners announced at a gala in the spring. Entries last year came a diverse list of some of the nation's top media organizations like the Baltimore Sun, Financial Times and Bloomberg, to broadcasters like KDAF/Kansas City, WGCU/Fort Myers and public radio.

The Los Angeles Press Club is a thriving, non-profit organization devoted to quality journalism located in the nation's entertainment capital. For over half a century, the club has produced the Southern California Journalism Awards and now welcomes the 2nd Annual National Entertainment Journalism Awards.

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The Los Angeles Press Club stands as an organization devoted to improving the spirit of journalism and journalists, raising the industry’s standards, strengthening its integrity and improving its reputation all for the benefit of the community at large. Serving the Southland since 1913, it is the only Southern California journalism group that speaks for all journalists working for daily and weekly newspapers, radio & TV, magazines, documentary films and online. For more information, go to www.LAPressclub.org and/or www.myspace.com/lapressclub.

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