2005 Nightlife Awards Winners Announced, Ceremony/Performance January 31

Special guest stars Joy Behar, Bruce Vilanch, Sutton Foster, Ute Lemper, Maureen McGovern, and Kate Clinton will perform in honor of the winners!

Producer Scott Siegel is proud to announce the WINNERS of the 2005 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS. More than twenty critics and experts vote on the best performances of the year in New York City's cabaret, comedy, and jazz clubs. The winners, rather than make acceptance speeches, will perform to show why they are being honored as the best of NYC's nightlife performers. Celebrity introductions and special guest performances to honor the winners mark this event as the most entertaining awards show of the year.

The Nightlife Awards is the only broad-based critics award show honoring our great city's nightlife, and it's the only award show in the world that is PURE ENTERTAINMENT! There will be more than twenty live cabaret, comedy and jazz performances on the stage of New York's famed Town Hall, performed by the most talented club performers in New York (and, therefore, the world)!

Critics called last year's Nightlife Awards show "An avalanche of entertainment!" (William Wolf, Wolf Entertainment Guide) and "An epic night of grand entertainment" (Andy Propst, American Theatre Web). This year's show promises to be even grander with such stars as Joy Behar, Bruce Vilanch, Sutton Foster, Ute Lemper, Maureen McGovern, Allan Harris, Julie Halston, Jim Caruso, Kate Clinton, Dick Latessa, Joe Mantello and many others presenting the winners and performing in their honor.

The 2005 Nightlife Awards is conceived and produced by Author/Critic Scott Siegel, who also created Town Hall's popular and critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year series (going into its fifth season), and the smash hit Broadway Unplugged concert in September.

The Nightlife Awards take place on Monday, January 31, 2005 at 7:00 PM at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues). Tickets are $25, $50, and $75. (Tickets to the after party are an additional $50). Show tickets may be purchased via Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100 or online at www.TheaterMania.com. For mail order tickets and tickets to the after-party, contact siegelentertainment@msn.com or call 212-365-4345. The Town Hall box office opens on January 3rd.

And the winners are:

CABARET

Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist in a Major Engagement
(tie) KAREN AKERS and KEELY SMITH
Finalist: Christine Andreas

Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist in a Major Engagement
Cy Coleman (posthumous)
Finalists: Jamie Cullum, Michael Feinstein

Outstanding Duo/Group Cabaret Performance in a Major Engagement
ANN & Liz Callaway
Finalists: The Pizzarelli Family, Sandy Stewart & Bill Charlap

Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist
CAROLYN MONTGOMERY
Finalists: Maude Maggart,. Teri Lynn Paul, Julie Reyburn

Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist
PHILLIP OFFICER
Finalists: Scott Ailing, Scott Coulter

Outstanding Cabaret Musical Comedy/Characterization Performance
PETER YAWITZ
Finalists: Mark McCombs, Mary Liz McNamara

Outstanding Cabaret Piano Bar Performer
Leslie Anderson
Finalists: Chris Barrett, Anne Steele

Unique Cabaret Performance
"UNDER THE COVERS" (at Mama Rose's)
Finalists: Jim Caruso's Cast Party, Say Cheese

Outstanding Cabaret Musical Revue/Group/Variety Performance
TEDDY CARES (Ruby Rims)
Finalists: Judy Garland and Uninvited Company, The Three Tenors

COMEDY

Outstanding Female Standup Comedian
LAURIE KILMARTIN
Finalists: Becky Donahue, Jessi Klein

Outstanding Male Standup Comedian
PATRICE O'NEAL
Finalists: Todd Barry, Eugene Mirman

Outstanding Group Comedy Performance
INVITE THEM UP (EUGENE MIRMAN & BOBBY TISDALE)
Finalists: "The Chipperton Family Vocal-tainers' Shooby-Dooby-Dooby Hour," "Dating It"

Unique Comedy Performance
DAVE GORMAN
Finalists: Andres du Bouchet, The Red Wine Boys

JAZZ

Outstanding Jazz Soloist
BILL CHARLAP
Finalists: Joe Lovano, Harold Mabern

Outstanding Jazz Combo Performance
JOE LOVANO
Finalists: Ron Carter Trio W/. Mulgrew Miller, Statesmen of Jazz

Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist
PAULA WEST
Finalists: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Shirley Horn

Outstanding Male Jazz Vocalist
JACKIE PARIS (posthumous)
Finalist: Allan Harris

Performances honoring the late Cy Coleman and the late Jackie Paris will be among the more than 20 performances that will take place on the Town Hall stage, including the Legends of Jazz, Cabaret, and Comedy, who will be announced at a later date.

The 2005 Nightlife Awards is sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, TheaterMania.com, Edythe Kenner, Peter & Barbara Leavy, Thoroughbred Records, Edith & Ervin Drake, and Trattoria Dopo Teatro.

2005 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS JUDGES

KIRSTEN AMES -- Producer, Festival Talent, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
MICHAEL ANTHONY -- WHPC - 90.3 FM, Jazz Journalist
JANE BORDEN -- Time Out NY
ANGELA BOWERS -U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
ADAM FELDMAN, Time Out NY
DAVID FINKLE, Village Voice
WILL FRIEDWALD -- New York Sun/Village Voice
STEVE FUTTERMAN - The New Yorker
AMELIE GILLETTE -- The Onion A.V. Club
IRA GITLER -- Jazz Times and Downbeat
CELIA IPIOTIS - Eye on the Arts
PETER LEAVY -- Cabaret Scenes
BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON -- Cititour.com
WARD MOREHOUSE III -- AM NY
DAVID NOH, Gay City News
DAVID PEROZZI - ABC-TV
Rex Reed, The New York Observer
ROY SANDER -- formerly Back Stage and CitySearch
Barbara Siegel -- TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate
Scott Siegel -- TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate
NAOMI STEINBERG -- Comedy Central
JONATHAN WARMAN - HX Magazine
K.LEANDER WILLIAMS -- Time Out NY