J.J. Abrams, Seamus McGarvey and Saoirse Ronan to be Honored at 'Oscar Wilde: Honoring The Irish in Film' Pre-Academy Awards Party

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The US-Ireland Alliance, a non-profit organization created to foster ties between the US and Ireland, will honor  J.J. Abrams, Saoirse Ronan and Seamus McGarvey at the fifth annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring The Irish in Film," Thursday, March 4, 2010 at the Ebell of Los Angeles.  Colum McCann, a 2009 National Book Award winner will emcee. Irish band Bell X1 will perform.

The US-Ireland Alliance's intimate, casual party has become a must-have ticket the week before the Academy Awards.  The event has led to collaboration among artists and businesses for both countries.  After being honored nearly two years ago, James L. Brooks created an episode of The Simpsons about an Irish pub.  He visited Ireland in March to premiere the episode, which featured his co-honoree Colm Meaney, and performers Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.  Fiona Shaw, who was honored with Brooks and Meaney, saw singer Duke Special perform that evening, leading to the Belfast singer-songwriter joining Fiona in the cast of Mother Courage and Her Children at the National Theatre in London.

A concert has become a highlight of the evening, and has included performances by Van Morrison, Hansard and Irglova, Duke Special, Laura Izibor, Gemma Hayes and the Republic of Loose.  Singers Paddy Casey and S.J. McArdle performed at the first Oscar Wilde event and subsequently received US recording contracts.

"Academy Award nominees often feel the luck of the Irish from this event," said Alliance President, Trina Vargo "Bill Monahan was honored, and went on that year to win an Academy Award for The Departed. Hansard and Irglova performed at the event just before winning an Academy Award for their song "Falling Slowly."  Last year, three nights before winning her first Oscar, Kate Winslet took the stage to honor her agent, Hylda Queally."

Other honorees have included Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Van Morrison, Terry George, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and David Holmes.

Major sponsors of the event include American Airlines, Culture Ireland, the Irish Film Board, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures and William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. Event committee includes Brad Grey, Dick Cook, Charlie Koones, Howard T. Owens, John Fogelman, Alan Moloney and John Gardiner.  For info, visit www.us-irelandalliance.org.

SOURCE US-Ireland Alliance