MANHATTAN — Actor and comedian Ben Stiller tried to get the better of Mayor Michael Bloomberg over his proposed ban on sugary soft drinks at the "Made in NY" Awards at Gracie Mansion last night in Manhattan.
“Could you get me a 64-once Cherry Coke?” Stiller asked the mayor. "I have something in my throat."
"I could, but I’d have to serve it in four 16-ounce glasses," Bloomberg replied, to laughs. Stiller was introducing his parents, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, winners of the "Made in NY" Mayor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement. The "Made in NY" awards are given to individuals and groups who are deemed to have made a significant contribution to New York City's entertainment industry.
"Made in NY" winners Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep evidently have a healthy competition when it comes to awards. "I'm proud that I have as many of these as Meryl. She has more Emmys, Oscars, Tonys and Golden Globes. Last fall, she even beat me to be named Italian American Man of the Year," he said.
"I was made in New Jersey, but was made happy in New York," Streep said when accepting her "Made in NY" award.
“Made in NY” award recipient Whoopi Goldberg loves New York for its diversity. "There’s no other city like New York. There’s every religion, every ethnic background and you can eat every kind of food," she said. "In the wintertime, you can’t tell who is rich and who is poor. You can meet all kinds of people and suddenly you discover a friend of yours has a gazillion dollars and they don’t mind hanging in the projects. It’s a different world."
Also receiving “Made in NY” awards were television host Kelly Ripa; award-winning media company @radical.media and New York City-based Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects. Raven-Symoné and two performers from the cast of the Broadway musical Sister Act performed.
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Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are the womenswear designers of the year, according to the highly regarded Council of Fashion Designers of America, which held its annual Fashion Awards at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.
The diminutive duo won the award, and some industry respect, for their label "The Row."
Southern gentleman Billy Reid was named menswear designer of the year, while Reed Krakoff was named accessory designer of the year for his namesake collection. Swarovski awards for emerging talent were awarded to Joseph Altuzarra won in the womenswear category; Phillip Lim in menswear and Tabitha Simmons in accessory design.
Tommy Hilfiger was awarded the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award; Andrew Rosen took home the Founders Award and the Eugenia Sheppard Media Award went to bloggers Scott Schuman (The Sartorialist) and Garance Doré (GaranceDore.fr).
The big draw for the evening, Johnny Depp, the winner of the fashion icon award, couldn’t make it and sent the sartorially snazzy John Waters in his stead.
CFDA Awards pictures courtesy of Patrick McMullan.
