Spike TV to Honor Legendary Rock Icon Keith Richards With Brass Balls Award

Spike TV has announced that it will present two of its most celebrated honors to entertainment giants Keith Richards and Sean Penn during the 2011 "Guys Choice" event. Rock God Keith Richards will be awarded with the show's Brass Balls honor for his contributions to the music industry, while Penn will reunite with cast members of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" as the iconic coming-of-age comedy is inducted into the Guy Movie Hall of Fame. Both honors will be presented by Academy Award winning actor Robert De Niro. Taping Saturday, June 4th at the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, CA, the fifth annual event premieres Friday, June 10 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

"Keith Richards is a rock-n-roll superhero who lives his life the way he plays his music...balls to the wall," said Casey Patterson, EVP, event production, talent and studio relations, Spike TV. "Our audience doesn't just want to honor Keith Richards, they want to be Keith Richards." Patterson continued, "Thirty years after its debut, 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' is clearly one of the most enduring and beloved guy classics of all time as Sean Penn's breakthrough character Jeff Spicoli remains the most lovable, quotable surfer dude ever and it's totally awesome to be inducting 'Fast Times' into The Guy Movie Hall of Fame."

Born and raised in England, Keith Richards is widely considered one of the most iconic rock guitarists to ever grace the stage. In 1962, Richards teamed with Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Brian Jones and Ian Stewart to form the Rolling Stones and, in 1963, the group signed with Decca Records, beginning a run atop the music industry with international smash hits such as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Brown Sugar," and "Start Me Up," among many others. With Richards' virtuoso guitar work prominent on each Stones song, Rolling Stone magazine named him the 10th greatest guitarist of all-time in 2003. In 2007, Richards was featured on the big-screen alongside Johnny Depp in the role of Captain Teague in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and can most recently be seen in the same role in the recently released "On Stranger Tides." In October 2010, Richards released his best-selling autobiography "Life," which is nominated for a 2011 "Guys Choice" award in the Literary Achievement category. Richards joins luminaries Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford as Brass Balls recipients.
Written by Cameron Crowe, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is the hilarious portrayal of a group of southern California high school students and their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Featuring an all-star cast led by Academy Award-winner Sean Penn, the brilliant teen comedy's breakout success and significant lasting allure has helped spawn several hit Hollywood movies in the same vein. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" has been recognized by the American Film Institution in its "100 Years...100 Laughs" list as one of American cinemas funniest flicks, while Entertainment Weekly placed it #2 on its "50 Best High School Movies." "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is the fifth movie to receive this prestigious honor, joining previous inductees "GoodFellas," "Swingers," "There's Something About Mary" and "Fight Club."

Additional attendees and presenters for the 2011 "Guys Choice" celebration include Jason Bateman, Brian Backer, Charlie Day, Ben Garant, Amy Heckerling, Annie Ilonzeh, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Lennon, Eva Mendes, Judge Reinhold, Jason Statham, Robert Smigel, Justin Timberlake, Forest Whitaker and "The Fighter's" Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward.

The official sponsors of Spike TV's "Guys Choice" are AT&T, AXE Excite, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Corona Extra, Kia Motors America, Pizza Hut®, Inc. and Snickers® Brand.

Casey Patterson, Carol Donovan and Beth McCarthy-Miller will serve as executive producers.

Spike TV is available in 99.4 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.