Clint Eastwood Receives Special Award

Dear Blog Visitors:

From time-to-time, I will offer a posting in the entertainment category, especially since I am a life-long film buff.

I am deeply pleased that my favorite actor/director, Clint Eastwood, was honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. I am equally pleased that Sean Penn presented the award to him. (Clint directed Sean in 'Mystic River,' for which he received an academy award for best actor.)

I am obviously disappointed that Clint didn't receive a best actor nomination by the Motion Picture academy for his terrific job in 'Gran Torino.' However, I want you to see the video I made prior to the Academy Award nominations, in which I both pitched 'Gran Torino' and highlighted a few other notable films Clint has given us over the years.

Following the video, you will find an article that details the award Clint Eastwood received in Santa Barbara. I am especially delighted that Clint is in good health and will be providing us with more film-work in the future.

Here is the video, followed by the article:



Clint Eastwood honored at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
KSBY-TV
updated 11:59 a.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 30, 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009
Reported by: Melissa Mecija


A living Hollywood legend walks the red carpet at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to receive its highest honor.

Thursday night, Clint Eastwood took home the Modern Master Award for all of his movie accomplishments throughout the years.

Eastwood made a grand entrance at the festival by hopping over the barrier amidst his screaming fans.
"Yeah, I was in with the group," Eastwood joked. "I stay with the crowd."


Eastwood has been to the festival before as a presenter. This time, he received the biggest honor for his decades of work. However, you can bet his time in film is far from over.

"There's a ton of people I haven't worked with. That's a fun thing about making movies. There's a lot of people, there's a lot of new parts that come along you need faces for," Eastwood said.

Renowned film critic Leonard Maltin sat down for a conversation with Eastwood. The 78 year old remembered back to when he first started, getting paid about $75 a week. "I wanted to learn as much as I could and work in pictures. I took any job that come along," Eastwood admitted.

Sean Penn, who worked with Eastwood in the 2003 movie "Mystic River" presented the Modern Master Award to his former director. "He's just been somebody I'm very grateful to have had a chance to work with and nobody can be called master like Clint, so it's an appropropriate honor," Penn said.

Eastwood has said Gran Torino is probably his last acting role, but he also said Thursday night, "You're never too old to learn."

Santa Barbara International Film Festival ends February 1.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28925229/