Wood wins brace of radio awards

7 July 2011 Last updated at 07:52 GMT Guitarist-turned-broadcaster Wood was also recognised at the Sony radio awards in May Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood has won two prizes at the Arqiva Commercial Radio awards for his Absolute Radio show.

The rocker won specialist programme of the year and newcomer of the year at a London ceremony hosted by his Absolute colleague Christian O'Connell.

The latter won breakfast show of the year, while the lifetime achievement award went to DJ David 'Kid' Jensen.

The awards - now in their 16th year - are organised by RadioCentre, the industry body for commercial radio.

It was a good night for Absolute, which received a further award for David Baddiel and Frank Skinner's World Cub podcasts.

For the fourth consecutive year, Take That received the award for PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) most played UK artist.

Wood's plaudits follow earlier success at the Sony radio awards in May, where he was named music radio personality of the year.

Jensen, now 61, is currently a host for Smooth Radio, but is better known for his appearances on the BBC's Top of the Pops and Capital radio.

Beverly Knight and Pixie Lott were among the performers, while Baddiel and music producer Pete Waterman were among the presenters at Wednesday night's ceremony.

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Arctic Monkeys up for Mojo awards

Arctic Monkeys' Suck It And See is up for best album at the Mojo awards Sheffield rock band Arctic Monkeys have been nominated in two categories at this year's Mojo honours awards.

The band's Don't Sit Down Because I've Moved Your Chair is up for best song with Suck It And See up for best album.

Meanwhile singer/songwriter Rumer, who played at Glastonbury this year, picked up three nominations for best breakthrough, album and song.

The rock magazine's annual awards party takes place in London on 21 July.

Other nominations included Arcade Fire, who are up for best album and soul singer Aloe Blacc, whose I Need A Dollar is up for best song.

Arcade Fire are also nominated for best live act alongside Foals, while The Vaccines and Miles Kane will challenge Rumer for best breakthrough act.

Mojo magazine's editor Phil Alexander said: "To me, these nominations are a victory for music that is built to last.

"They reflect just how much quality there is out there right now, so much so that each category is too close to call."

Breakthrough act

1. Villagers

2. Miles Kane

3. The Vaccines

4. Josh T Pearson

5. Rumer

Best album

1. Rumer-Seasons Of My Soul

2. John Grant-Queen Of Denmark

3. Arctic Monkeys-Suck It And See

4. Josh T Pearson-The Last Of The Country Gentlemen

5. Arcade Fire - Suburbs

Song of the year

1. John Grant-I Wanna Go To Marz

2. Rumer-Slow

3. Aloe Blacc-I Need A Dollar

4. Grinderman-Heathen Child

5. Arctic Monkeys-Don't Sit Down Because I've Moved Your Chair

Best live act

1. Seasick Steve

2. The Jim Jones Revue

3. Foals

4. John Grant

5. Arcade Fire

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Chris Brown wins four BET awards

R&B star Chris Brown has won four BET awards at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

The 22-year-old, who released his fourth album in March, picked up prizes including the viewers' choice award, male R&B artist and video of the year.

He shared the best collaboration prize with Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne.

The Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards recognise the achievements of African Americans and other minorities and have been held every year since 2001.

Chris Brown nearly didn't get his viewers' choice award after it was mistakenly handed out to Rihanna by a fan with Canadian rapper Drake accepting it on her behalf.

Organisers blamed the mistake on a technical glitch on its new tablet devices, which were used instead of the show's traditional winners' envelopes.

In pictures: Black Entertainment TV awards 2011

'Every blessing'

After picking up his award Chris Brown said: "I know it's been a long road, so I just appreciate every blessing that's been in front of me."

The singer performed an emotional tribute to Michael Jackson at last year's event.

Drake mistakenly accepted the viewers' choice award for Rihanna

In 2009, Chris Brown was taken to court after assaulting then girlfriend Rihanna in Los Angeles.

He was sentenced to five years probation and 180 days community work after pleading guilty to assaulting her the night before the 2009 Grammy awards.

Elsewhere Tinie Tempah picked up the international act prize with Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Kanye West winning female R&B artist, female hip hop artist and male hip hop artist.

Other awards handed out at LA's Shrine Auditorium went to Wiz Khalifa (new artist) and Diddy Dirty Money (group) with Jaden and Willow Smith tying for the young stars award.

British actor Idris Elba, from The Wire and Luther, picked up the acting prize.

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Mad Men scores awards hat-trick

21 June 2011 Last updated at 07:58 GMT Mad Men stars best drama actor Jon Hamm as an advertising executive in 1960s New York Mad Men was the big winner at the inaugural Critics' Choice Television Awards in Los Angeles, taking three awards including best drama.

Modern Family won best comedy but failed to add further prizes despite leading the field with six nods.

Organisers hope the event will be as successful at predicting Emmy winners as sister ceremony the Critics' Choice Movie Awards is at Oscar forecasting.

This year's TV Emmy nominees will be announced on 14 July.

Emmy winners will be announced on 18 September.

Mad Men's Jon Hamm won best drama actor while co-star Christina Hendricks shared best supporting actress with Justified's Margo Martindale.

Mad Men, which stars Hamm as an advertising executive in 1960s New York, made it a hat-trick of best drama Emmys at the 2010 ceremony.

Awards presenter Cat Deeley was nominated for best reality show host for So You Think You Can Dance

Modern Family also won best comedy at last year's awards.

Best actress in a drama went to Juliana Margulies for legal show The Good Wife while the equivalent comedy award went to Tina Fey for 30 Rock, set behind the scenes in a fictional live sketch comedy.

Other comedy prizes went to best actor Jim Parsons, for The Big Bang Theory, best supporting actor Neil Patrick Harris, for How I Met your Mother, and best supporting actress Busy Philipps, for Cougar Town.

The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills and Hoarders were joint winners of best reality series, American Idol won best reality competition and Jon Stewart's The Daily Show won best talk show.

Meanwhile, Danny DeVito, who won an Emmy in 1981 for TV sitcom Taxi, was honoured with the Icon Award.

The awards lunch was presented by Briton Cat Deeley who missed out on best reality show host - for Dancing with the Stars - to fellow nominee Mike Rowe, for Dirty Jobs.

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War Horse scoops five Tony Awards

13 June 2011 Last updated at 10:02 GMT Watch highlights from the Tony Awards

UK export War Horse has won five prizes including best play at the Tony Awards in New York, while Briton Mark Rylance won the top acting award for Jerusalem.

War Horse, which opened at the National Theatre and then moved to the West End and Broadway, also earned Tom Morris and Marianne Elliott a directing award.

Quoting poetry when getting his award, Rylance said "walking through walls" was "a totally earth-related craft".

Satirical musical The Book of Mormon was the big winner with nine honours.

War Horse, based on a 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo, tells the moving tale of a horse caught up in the carnage of World War I.

When collecting the award for best play, co-director Morris told the Beacon Theatre audience: "We quite like it when people cry."

After picking up his award from Catherine Zeta Jones, Mark Rylance recited poetry

The play, which has been made into a film by Steven Spielberg, also won design awards for sound, lighting and scenery.

Rylance, 51, who won for his role as Johnny "Rooster" Byron in fellow British export Jerusalem, by Jez Butterworth, was a best actor winner for the second time.

When he won in 2008 for a revival of Boeing-Boeing, which also transferred from the West End, he also quoted little-known Minnesota poet Louis Jenkins.

On Sunday, he told a bemused audience: "Unlike flying or astral projection, walking through walls is a totally earth-related craft, but a lot more interesting than pot-making or driftwood lamps."

'Sitting in underwear'

The night's biggest winner, The Book of Mormon, from the creators of TV show South Park, follows the adventures of two Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone thanked South Park fans, saying they "wouldn't be here" without them.

Parker jokingly thanked their "co-writer" Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion.

"You did it Joseph, you got the Tony," he said.

Oscar-winner Frances McDormand won best actress in a play for her role as a single mother who reconnects with her high school boyfriend in David Lindsay-Abaire's Good People.

Daniel Radcliffe was among award presenters and also performed with the cast of How to Succeed in Business

The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer - based on his experiences of the beginning of the Aids epidemic in the early 1980s - won best revival of a play as well as a best featured actor prize for John Benjamin Hickey.

His co-star Ellen Barkin - star of films including Switch and The Big Easy - picked up best actress in a featured role in a play.

The Normal Heart first appeared in 1985, off-Broadway at the Public Theatre.

"I could not have written it had not so many of us so needlessly died," Kramer said.

A revival of musical Anything Goes also won three awards including best actress for Sutton Foster.

Norbert Leo Butz won best actor in a musical for his turn as an FBI agent in Catch Me If You Can, a musical take on Steven Spielberg's 2002 film.

John Larroquette - Daniel Radcliffe's co-star on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - won best musical actor in a featured role.

He said that, were it not for the Harry Potter star, he would be "home, sitting in my underwear, watching this on television".

The Scottsboro Boys, based on the 1930s case in which nine black men were unjustly accused of attacking two white women on an Alabama train, came away with nothing despite earning 12 nominations.

The event, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, was held at the Beacon Theatre because its long-time home, Radio City Music Hall, is currently home to performance arts company Cirque Du Soleil.

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