Award Central News

A joint effort by Variety parent Reed Business Information and NBC Universal's Television Stations unit, the Quills are set for Oct. 22 at Gotham's Frederick P. Rose Hall. A one-hour telecast of the awards will be broadcast on NBC O&Os and air in syndication on Oct. 27.

Tony Gilroy, who scripted Universal's Bourne trilogy, will be on hand to accept the nod. Joining him as guests will be Stephen Colbert, Sarah Ferguson, Tina Brown, Joan Allen, Tiki Barber, Nora Roberts, Mary Higgins Clark, Rocco DiSpirito and Karenna Gore Schiff. NBC's Ann Curry and Al Roker will co-host.

"As a publication with a long history of heralding the best in filmed entertainment, we're excited to continue our involvement with the Quills," said Variety VP and editor-in-chief Peter Bart. "The Jason Bourne trilogy has kept the country on the edge of its seats, much as did Robert Ludlum's books, which are still going strong, with new editions by Eric Van Lustbader continuing the Bourne bestseller tradition. It's a pleasure to celebrate the directors' terrific work, based on these blockbuster books."

David Halberstam is being posthumously honored with the Platinum Quill for career achievement, and the Corporate Literacy Quill is going to Time Warner Cable. Several competitive category winners will be announced at the gala.

For the first time, a limited number of tickets to the event will be available to the public. Visit Thequills.org for information or to purchase tickets.