The Critics Choice Association (CCA) will honor legendary actor Billy Crystal with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards. Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry will be presented with the 6th Annual SeeHer Award.

The Critics Choice Awards will take place at the beautiful Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and air live March 13 on The CW and TBS networks at 7 p.m. (ET/PT).

The star-studded gala will be hosted by Taye Diggs (TV's "All-American") and Nicole Byer (TV's "Nailed It!").

This will also be the first time the Critics Choice Awards will broadcast simultaneously from events in both London and Los Angeles.

N2Entertainment.net will be on the scene in La La Land and enjoying all the festivities of what is sure to be a fun-filled and memorable evening.

Crystal will be feted for his incredible body of work at the ceremony. Throughout its 27-year history, the Critics Choice Awards have honored just six stars with the illustrious Lifetime Achievement Award including: Lauren Bacall, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy, Robert Wise, and now, Billy Crystal.

Crystal, a Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, producer, writer, and director, is known to audiences around the world as the star of such films as "When Harry Met Sally," "City Slickers" and "Analyze This," as a cast member of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," and as the acclaimed nine-time host of the Academy Awards.

Next on the horizon, Crystal returns to Broadway in his very first musical comedy "Mr. Saturday Night." Written by Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel, "Mr. Saturday Night" is the story of an outrageous and outspoken comedian seeking one more shot at the spotlight some 40 years after his TV career flamed out. The brand-new musical comedy about one comedian's meteoric rise to the middle arrives on Broadway this Spring, opening April 27, 2022.

Crystal landed his first major television role in 1977 on the comedy series "Soap" playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on TV. In 1984 he hosted "Saturday Night Live" and a few months later joined the regular cast. His best-known SNL creation was Fernando, an unctuous talk-show host whose tagline,"You look mahvelous!" entered the popular lexicon.

In 2015, Crystal made his return to series television opposite Josh Gad in the FX series "The Comedians." Crystal portrayed a superstar veteran comedian who is reluctantly paired with Gad, an edgier up-and-coming star, in an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at a late-night sketch comedy show where egos and generations collide.

Crystal's many feature film credits include the buddy cop comedy "Running Scared" (1986), Rob Reiner's comic fairy tale "The Princess Bride" (1987), and Danny DeVito's dark comedy "Throw Momma from the Train" (1987). His breakthrough role came in 1989 when he starred opposite Meg Ryan in Reiner's "When Harry Met Sally," which became a romantic touchstone for a generation of moviegoers. Other iconic titles include "Mr. Saturday Night" (1992) and America's Sweethearts" (2001).

He also starred opposite Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei in the 2012 Christmas family comedy "Parental Guidance," which he also produced. In addition, he is the voice of one-eyed Mike Wazowski in Disney/Pixar's animated global blockbuster "Monsters, Inc." (2001), its prequel "Monsters University" (2013), and the Disney+ television series "Monsters at Work," now in production for its second season. Crystal's latest work includes the friendship comedy "Standing Up, Falling Down" (2020) opposite Ben Schwartz, and his most recent feature "Here Today" (2021),which Crystal co wrote, directed, produced, and starred in opposite Tiffany Haddish.

As a director, Crystal was nominated for both an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for his direction of the 2001 HBO movie "61,*" which told the dramatic story of the 1961 race between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to break Babe Ruth's single-season home-run record.

In addition to hosting the Oscars nine times--most recently in 2012--Crystal has also hosted the Grammy Awards three times. His work as a host, writer, and producer on the televised awards shows has earned him 14 Emmy nominations and five wins. Crystal won a sixth Emmy for his 1989 HBO comedy special, "Billy Crystal: Midnight Train to Moscow" in which he was the first American comedian to perform in the Soviet Union. Other HBO specials include: "On Location," "A Comic's Line," and "Don't Get Me Started." Along with Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, Crystal hosted HBO's "Comic Relief." These comedic telethons raised almost $75 million dollars to provide medical aid for the homeless in America.

The recipient of the 2007 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Crystal has written five books, including: "Absolutely Mahvelous" (1986), "700 Sundays" (2005) and "Still Foolin' 'Em" (2014), as well as two children's books, the New York Times best seller "I Already Know I Love You" (2004) and "Grandpa's Little One" (2006).

Crystal co-wrote, produced, and starred alongside Kevin Kline and Annette Bening in "Have a Nice Day," a play that was recorded live at The Minetta Lane Theatre. It was released on Audible on November 2, 2018 and became an instant best-seller. In his 2013 New York Times best-selling memoir "Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going," and Where the Hell Are My Keys?" Crystal offers his heartfelt and humorous observations on aging. The audiobook version debuted at number one on iTunes and was nominated for a Grammy Award for the "Best Spoken Word Album" and won the Audiobook of the Year at the 2014 Audies Gala.

A "BERRY" BIG NIGHT:

The Critics Choice Awards will also shine bright as it honors Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry with The SeeHer Award which recognizes a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries. It's a fitting award for Berry who continues to break down barriers acting in a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles. Berry most recently added the title of "director" ("Bruised") to her already impressive filmography.

SeeHer is the leading global movement for accurate portrayals of women and girls in media. Founded in 2015 by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Female Quotient (The FQ), SeeHer is a global collective of marketers, media organizations and industry influencers committed to creating gender-bias-free advertising and media. Previous award recipients are Viola Davis (2017), Gal Gadot (2018), Claire Foy (2019), Kristen Bell (2020), and Zendaya (2021).

For her brilliant performance in "Monsters Ball," she won the Academy Award for "Best Actress," making her the first Black woman to ever receive that honor. Berry's performance garnered her numerous other awards including: "Best Actress" awards for SAG, the Berlin Silver Bear, and the National Board of Review. No stranger to accolades, Berry also earned an Emmy, SAG and NAACP Image Award for her extraordinary performance in HBO's telefilm, "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," which she also produced.

Currently, Berry can be seen in her highly anticipated directorial debut "Bruised," in which she also stars. The plot follows a disgraced MMA fighter who must fight a rising MMA star, while trying to become the mother her child deserves. The film was released on Netflix in November 2021 to enormous success as it hit No. 1 in the U.S. on the streaming service during its first week and No. 1 globally. Fresh off the triumph of "Bruised," Berry inked a multi-picture partnership with streaming giant Netflix.

Berry also starred in Roland Emmerich-helmed sci-fi epic "Moonfall" for Lionsgate. "Moonfall" follows the journey of three unlikely heroes mounting a last-ditch mission into space to save the world from annihilation after a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit. The movie opened in theaters Feb. 4.

In addition to "Bruised," Berry's film credits include: "John Wick: Chapter 3 "Parabellum," "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," the "X-Men" franchise, "The Call," "Cloud Atlas," "New Year's Eve," "Frankie & Alice," "Things We Lost in the Fire," "Perfect Stranger," "Robots," "Catwoman," "Gothika," "Die Another Day," "Monster's Ball," "Swordfish," "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Bulworth," "B*A*P*S," "The Rich Man's Wife," "Executive Decision," "Race the Sun," "Losing Isaiah," "The Flintstones, "The Program," "Boomerang," "The Last Boy Scout," and "Strictly Business."

Berry has garnered praise not only for her roles on-screen, but for her philanthropic work with a range of organizations focusing on women and children and underserved communities. She is an active supporter and chair member of the Jenesse Center in Los Angeles. The Jenesse Center was founded in 1980 and assists victims of domestic violence and aims to change the pattern of abuse in the lives of women and children.

She previously partnered with Michael Kors' Watch Hunger Stop campaign and the United Nations World Food Programme to raise awareness for building a world with zero hunger. This partnership saw Watch Hunger Stop commit its global reach and resources to WFPA's goal of building a world with zero hunger. In support of this, Berry visited rural Nicaragua to raise awareness. Berry joined forces with Novo Nordisk and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to launch the Diabetes Aware Campaign and has supported a vast number of charities and organizations such as Revlon Run/Walk, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Afghanistan Relief Organization, Stand Up to Cancer, Love Our Children USA, Clothes Off Our Back and Black Lives Matter.

In 2020, Berry founded re-spin which is a platform created to provide broader access to health and wellness content and products through inclusivity and conversation. Rooted in discovery and learning, the heart of re-spin is its global community connected around the core belief of a holistic mind, body, and soul approach to wellness.

ABOUT SEEHER:

Despite strides made in recent years to accurately portray women and girls in media, unconscious bias persists throughout advertising and entertainment. The average age, race, body type, and other aspects of women depicted in media today still represent only a small fraction of the female population. SeeHer is a collective of marketers, media organizations and industry influencers committed to creating advertising and supporting content that portrays women and girls as they really are. Led by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) in partnership with The Female Quotient (The FQ), SeeHer launched in June 2016 in in Washington DC at the United State of Women. To help marketers benchmark success, the group developed Gender Equality Measure (GEM), the first research methodology that quantifies gender bias in ads and programming. GEM shows that content portraying females accurately dramatically increases both purchase intent and brand reputation. In 2017 GEM won the prestigious ESOMAR Research Effectiveness Award. The methodology quickly became the industry standard, which led to a global rollout in 2018. In 2019, the movement expanded into new verticals: sports (SeeHer In Sports) and music (SeeHer Hear Her).
Visit SeeHer.com and follow @SeeHer on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

ABOUT THE CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS:

The Critics Choice Association is the largest critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 500 media critics and entertainment journalists. Yours truly, has been a card-carrying member for six years. The organization was established in 2019 with the formal merger of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association, recognizing the intersection between film, television, and streaming content. The Critics Choice Awards are bestowed annually to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Historically, they are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.

The 27th annual Critics Choice Awards show is produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. The CCA is represented by Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig.

You can follow the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards on Twitter and Instagram @CriticsChoice and on Facebook/CriticsChoiceAwards. Join the conversation using #CriticsChoiceAwards.
For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com.

ABOUT THE CW:

The CW television network launched in 2006 as America's fifth broadcast network, with programming targeting younger viewers, a demographic highly sought after by advertisers. The CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, now broadcasts across the week, offering fourteen-hours of primetime programming, Monday through Sunday, beginning in Fall 2021. The CW's primetime programming is also available to stream for free, without authentication, on the ad supported CWTV.com and The CW app, now available on every major OTT platform. Additionally, The CW broadcasts a three-hour Saturday morning kids block. The CW's digital network CW Seed launched in 2013 and offers original short-form digital content as well as past seasons of fan-favorite television series.
For more information about the network and its programming, visit www.cwtvpr.com.

ABOUT TBS:

TBS, a WarnerMedia brand, is a top-rated destination for television among young adults and known for escapist, good-time entertainment, featuring smart, imaginative stories with heart and comedic edge. From scripted comedy series to late-night shows, game shows, and animated programming, TBS' Originals slate is comprised of some of the most popular shows on cable such as "Miracle Workers," "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," "The Last O.G," "American Dad!" and "Chad." The network's slate of premium unscripted series includes "The Misery Index," "Go-Big Show," "Wipeout," "Friday Night Vibes" and "The Cube" along with upcoming series, "The Big D". TBS' lineup also includes comedy hits like "Young Sheldon"and "The Big Bang Theory," classic sitcom favorites such as "Friends," blockbuster movies, and live event coverage of Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship and "ELEAGUE," WarnerMedia's eSports gaming competition. Website: www.tbs.com.

Don't miss The Critics Choice Awards which will take place March 13 at the beautiful Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and air live on The CW and TBS at 7 p.m. (ET/PT).

Editor's Note: Information and photos used in this report obtained from the Critics Choice Association.