AARP Movie Awards Show Makes Broadcast And Cable Deals For First Time; Begins Airing Sunday

EXCLUSIVE: Say hello to yet another TV deal for an awards show. The AARP’s lively 14th Annual “Movies For Grownups Gala”, which I covered February 2nd when it was held at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, has been sold as an hour TV special to air on Los Angeles station KTLA this Sunday at 5 PM. It also has been sold to several local broadcast stations for airing over the next two weekends, as well as to national cable outlet, The Reelz Channel for airing on Oscar Sunday, February 22, in multiple time periods. SRE, Inc, the production company owned by KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin  produced the special and co-hosted Red Carpet Arrivals with Dorothy Lucey. John Leguizamo  hosted the actual show which drew a strong turnout of Oscar nominees including Julianne Moore, who won AARP’s Best Actress award, J.K. Simmons who took Supporting Actor, and other nominees who served as presenters including Laura Dern, Patricia Arquette and The Theory Of Everything’s Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones who accepted the Best Picture prize for their film. Among highlights were stirring speeches from Career Achievement honoree Kevin Costner and Supporting Actress winner Rene Russo (Nightcrawler). Robb Weller and Gary Grossman  produced the special along with Rubin, who  is becoming a double threat producer/host on Red Carpets, having also produced this season Live From  The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, Tribune’s Live From The Grammy Awards  and will again  host Live From The Oscars, airing in LA and NY, and for the first time, WGN America, Tribune’s national cable outlet. As for AARP’s maiden voyage into the awards show broadcast firmament Rubin told me, “It is a great companion to the Oscars as so many Oscar nominees are represented. We’re thrilled with the way this turned out and appreciate the support of our television and cable partners.”