| In addition to Walters' extended presence, this year's
Promax&BDA has drawn participation from the top names in the television
and media world including NBC's Brian Williams, MTV's Judy McGrath,
Oxygen Media's Gerry Laybourne and Viacom's Dennis Swanson, as well
as entrepreneur Russell Simmons, The New York Times' Stuart
Elliott and Vanity Fair / Court TV contributor Dominick Dunne
among others.
Initially Walters was slated to be honored as one of the winners
of the Television Century Award. In her discussions with Promax&BDA
organisers however, Walters wanted to take the opportunity to offer
a speech on the importance of promotion in today's fragmented entertainment
world. Launched originally in May 2003, the Promax&BDA Television
Century Awards were created as an annual award to honor television's
elite for their contributions to building brands.
In addition to Walters, the ABC News correspondent, correspondent
and anchor of ABC News 20/20 and The Barbara Walters Specials;
and co-host and executive producer of ABC Daytime's The View,
Dennis Swanson EVP, chief operating officer, Viacom Television Stations
Group and Judy McGrath, MTV Networks group president, will also
receive the award.
Avenue Q - the hip, low-tech, puppet populated musical,
surprised the world when it won the Tony Award for Best Musical
defeating the heavily favored Oz fantasy Wicked. Avenue
Q also won Best Original Score (Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx)
as well as Best Book of a Musical (Jeff Whitty).
Called "the most fun on the stage this year" by The
New Yorker, Avenue Q opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard
Theatre in March 2003 where it gained rave reviews and was extended
four times. It won the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding
New Musical as well as a nomination for the 2003 Outer Critics Circle
Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical award.
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