The Southern California Counseling Center recognized Tony Shalhoub at its annual City Lights Gala. The “Monk” star received the organization’s City Lights Award at the Beverly Hills Hotel. TV doc Drew Pinsky was honored with the Mardi Arquette Spirit Award. And philanthropist Audrey Irmas was presented with the Wallis Annenberg Founders Award.
The gala was chaired by David Arquette, Amy Brenneman and Ellen DeGeneres. It featured entertainment by those fine young musicians at the Henry Mancini Institute. Proceeds from the dinner benefit SCCC programs, which provide low cost counseling to thousands in need.
REPEAT PERFORMANCE
Call it the revenge of the sequels, prequels and remakes. This summer’s movie season is packed with familiar fare. It kicked off in full force with “Episode III”-the latest in the Star Wars saga.
For something a little bit more down to earth, there’s Adam Sandler, who has teamed up with Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds in a redo of “The Longest Yard.”
Batman flies again with Christian Bale donning the crusader’s cape alongside scientologist-in-training Katie Holmes. It’s Beetle-mania all over again when Lindsay Lohan gets behind the wheel in “Herbie: Fully Loaded.” Johnny Depp shows off his sweet tooth as wacky candy man Willy Wonka and our own Michael Chiklis bulks up in body armor as one of “The Fantastic Four.”
If celluloid clones of “Starsky and Hutch,” “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “The Brady Bunch” left you hankering for more-never fear, there’s more recycled sitcom in store. “Bewitched” is back with Nicole Kidman making magic with funnyman Will Ferrell, and “The Dukes of Hazard” will be revving their engines with Jessica Simpson sporting Daisy Duke’s very hot hot pants.
Having raided most of the ’60s and ’70s for ideas, filmmakers are now reaching back to the fabulous ’50s. “The Honeymooners” is in for a makeover with Cedric the Entertainer driving the bus as Ralph Kramden.
Next comes a revamped version of the H.G. Wells classic “War of the Worlds” and a retooled “Pink Panther” with Steve Martin as Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Mon Dieu!
So play it again, Sam. Let’s see if these reconstituted treatments rival the originals. Once again, imitation is Hollywood’s favored form of flattery, leaving movie-goers with more re-incarnations than Shirley MacLaine.