"Hairspray" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who are responsible for the screen successes "Chicago," "Gypsy" (with Bette Midler), "Annie," "Cinderella," and "Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows," will be honored with the Hollywood Producers of the Year Award during the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony, scheduled to take place Oct. 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
"Hairspray" is directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman. The film boasts a cast of Hollywood names including John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad, Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle, Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton, Zac Efron as Link Larkin, Brittany Snow as Amber von Tussel, Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma von Tussel, James Marsden as Corny Collins, Elijah Kelly as Seaweed, Allison Janney as Prudy Pingleton and Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad.
"Hairspray" opened in July of 2007, nabbing $27.4 million at the box office its opening weekend. The record-breaking figure made "Hairspray" the highest opening movie musical in film history.
The film's star John Travolta will be given the Hollywood Supporting Actor of the Year Award for his turn as haus frau Edna Turnblad, who "wandered beyond the boundaries of the largest McCall's pattern."
Travolta follows in the footsteps of former Ednas, Divine, from John Waters' original 1988 flick; and Harvey Fierstein, who won a Tony for originating the role in the Broadway musical. In addition, the Hollywood Film Festival will award the cast of "Hairspray" the Hollywood Ensemble Acting of the Year Award in the musical/comedy category.
"Hairspray" is also among nine other films nominated for the Hollywood Movie of the Year Award, in which the winner will be decided by the public voting at the Yahoo! Movies website - movies.yahoo.com.
Sixteen years after making its original screen debut, the Tony awarding winning stage musical Hairspray made its transition back to film in the summer of 2007. Released by New Line Cinema, the film adaptation of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's Broadway hit features new and original material based on John Waters' 1988 original about teenagers on a racially segregated Baltimore dance show in the 1960's.
