Hollywood Film Awards unveil categories for first televised show

The 18 envelopes, please: The Hollywood Film Awards have revealed the dozen and a half categories to be featured during the show’s inaugural broadcast Nov. 14 on CBS. They include individual honors for acting, directing and screenwriting, as well as categories such as animation, documentary, comedy and blockbuster.

The ceremony will be held at the Hollywood Palladium and hosted by actress, singer and talk show host Queen Latifah.

Founded in 1997 by Carlos de Abreu, the Hollywood Film Awards tout themselves as “the official launch of the Hollywood awards season” but have been taken with a grain of salt in years past.

The awards are decided upon by a team of unnamed “film industry insiders and executives” and in previous years were handed out in mid-October — before many of the performances and films being honored would actually have been seen. This year’s November date could help mitigate those concerns, though categories such as the Hollywood Blockbuster Award may reinforce the show’s reputation for fluff.

In any case, the HFA has largely succeeded in becoming a requisite stop on the campaign trail for A-list stars and Oscar hopefuls. CBS and Dick Clark Productions signed a TV deal for the show in January.

The winners will be announced during the broadcast, not disclosed in advance as they used to be. The 18 categories are:

• Hollywood Career Achievement Award
• Hollywood Film Award
• Hollywood Director Award
• Hollywood Actor
• Hollywood Actress
• Hollywood Supporting Actor Award
• Hollywood Supporting Actress Award
• Hollywood Ensemble Award
• Hollywood Breakout Performance Actress Award
• Hollywood Breakout Performance Actor Award
• Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award
• New Hollywood Award
• Hollywood Screenwriter Award
• Hollywood Song Award
• Hollywood Animation Award
• Hollywood Blockbuster Award
• Hollywood Documentary Award
• Hollywood Comedy Film Award

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