In a star-studded evening to remember, some of Hollywood's finest talent will gather to celebrate the cleanest, most popular and most inspiring movies in the heart of the worldwide entertainment industry.
The 20th Annual Faith & Values Awards Gala and Report to the Entertainment Industry will be held Feb. 10, 2012, at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif. Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide, told WND unlike many other Hollywood awards shows these days, Movieguide's gala is clean, wholesome and uplifting. The gala celebrates positive values and good content in movies and television.
"It's an event that honors families and lifts up producers, writers and directors," he said. "It's just a wonderful time, because we honor the movies people like to see and the movies that America likes. We want to be there to help people choose the good and reject the bad."
As WND reported, actor Dean Cain, best known for his role as Superman and Clark Kent in the series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," will host Movieguide's red-carpet awards gala. Cain is also known for his roles in "Beverly Hills 90210," "Las Vegas," "Smallville" and the made-for-television movie "The Perfect Husband: The Laci Peterson Story."
Other stars presenting awards at the gala include:
- Joe Montegna of CBS' "Criminal Minds" and "Cars 2"
- Corbin Bernsen of "Psych," "L.A. Law," "25 Hill" and the upcoming movie, "Barlowe Man"
- Kevin Sorbo of "Hercules," "Soul Surfer" and the upcoming movie, "Abel's Field"
- James Patrick Stuart of "Call of Duty" and TV's "Supernatural"
- Bailee Madison of "Just Go with It," Disney Channel's "The Wizards of Waverly Place," "Letters to God" and the upcoming "Cowgirls n' Angels"
- Teri Polo of the "Meet the Parents" movies and many TV shows
- Bella Thorne of Disney Channel's "Shake It Up"
- Susan Ward of ABC Family Channel's "Make It or Break It" and other TV shows
- Kristy Swanson of "A Christmas Wish" and other roles
- Julie Mond of "Priest," Hallmark Channel's "Love Begins" and other roles
The gala will also feature Jimmy Bennett, star of TV's "No Ordinary Family" and the upcoming "The Return of Captain Kidd," and Greg Sulkin of the Disney Channel's "The Wizards of Waverly Place."
Grammy nominee Natalie Grant will perform at the gala. Grant, a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music, was named female vocalist of the year by the Gospel Music Association four times, in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. She won four Dove Awards for best female artist.
The Faith & Values Awards, also known as the "Crystal Teddy Bear Awards," will honor the Ten Best Movies for Families, the Ten Best Movies for Mature Audiences, the $100,000 Epiphany Prizes for Most Inspiring Movie and TV Program, the Grace Awards for Most Inspiring Performances in Movies & TV, the Faith & Freedom Awards for Promoting Positive American Values in Movies & TV and the $50,000 Kairos Prizes for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays by Beginning and First-Time Screenwriters.
In alphabetical order, the nominees for Best Movie for Families are:
"The Adventures of Tintin"
"Cars 2"
"Courageous"
"Hugo"
"Justin Bieber: Never Say Never"
"Mars Needs Moms"
"Mr. Popper's Penguins"
"The Muppets"
"Puss in Boots"
"Soul Surfer"
In alphabetical order, the nominees for Best Movie for Mature Audiences are:
"The Artist" – The Weinstein Co.
"Captain America: The First Avenger" – Paramount Pictures
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" – Warner Bros. Pictures
"Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol" – Paramount Pictures
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" – Walt Disney Company
"Sarah's Key" – The Weinstein Co.
"Seven Days in Utopia" – Visio Entertainment
"Thor" – Paramount Pictures
"The Tree of Life" – Fox Searchlight
"The Way" – Producers Distribution Agency
At the gala, Baehr will present highlights from Movieguide's Annual Report to the Entertainment Industry, which evaluates the popularity and financial success of family friendly and spiritually uplifting movies and television programs.
"We do the show for the people in Hollywood," Baehr said. "We want them to hear the gospel. We want them to do well."
Movieguide Awards Gala tickets are $1,000 and are available for purchase for a limited time. The show will be televised on the Hallmark Channel at a future date.