Gyllenhaal, Bello and Sher to Give Keynote at Women in Entertainment Break
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Maria Bello, who starred in Oliver Stone's critically acclaimed 9/11 drama "World Trade Center," and "Center" producer Stacey Sher are set as the keynote speakers at The Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment breakfast Tuesday, Dec. 5 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The breakfast, presented by Lifetime Television, will be held in conjunction with the publication of The Hollywood Reporter's 15th annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 special issue. Ford Motor Company is a category sponsor, and Black, Star & Frost and Source Veritas are participating sponsors of the breakfast.
"We are delighted to have such a talented trio of women keynote this year's breakfast. They each have noteworthy achievements in their respective fields and represent the essence of the success that Women in Entertainment is designed to celebrate," said John Kilcullen, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter.
Gyllenhaal, one of the industry's fastest-rising young actresses, broke onto the scene in 2002 with her award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated role in the Sundance favorite, "Secretary." Since then, she has worked steadily appearing in such notable films as "Happy Endings," "Mona Lisa Smile," and "Adaptation." She also has turned in memorable performances in "Cecil B. Demented" and the indie hit "Donnie Darko." Gyllenhaal has been seen prominently this year with "World Trade Center," "Stranger Than Fiction," "Sherrybaby" and the upcoming "Trust the Man."
Bello has segued effortlessly from her Screen Actors Guild Award-winning role on NBC's "ER" to starring in films including "Thank You For Smoking," "Auto Focus," "Secret Window" and "Coyote Ugly." She garnered Golden Globe nominations for her supporting roles in "A History of Violence" and "The Cooler" as well as winning numerous other accolades for those performances. Bello is currently starring in "Flicka." Her upcoming projects include "Butterfly on a Wheel" and "The Jane Austen Book Club."
Sher is a partner in Double Feature Films and has produced such films as the Academy Award-nominated "Erin Brokovich" and "Pulp Fiction" and the hits "Along Came Polly" and "Garden State." Additional film credits include "Be Cool," "The Skeleton Key," "Out of Sight," "Reality Bites" and "Man on the Moon." Sher also is an executive producer of the Comedy Central series "Reno 911!" Double Feature's next release is "Freedom Writers," starring Hilary Swank and written and directed by Richard LaGravanese.
Two-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep will receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at the breakfast. The Lansing Award, instituted in 2004, is designed to recognize women who have been pioneers or leaders in their field in the entertainment industry.
Publishing Dec. 5, The Hollywood Reporter's 15th annual Women In Entertainment Power 100 special issue will identify and rank entertainment's most powerful female executives. From motion picture, TV, music and other areas of the industry, these women are recognized as having the power to change the direction of their company and affect the future of the business.
A committee of Hollywood Reporter editors and reporters selected the names and ranking of the Power 100 women after thorough field research and an evaluation of hundreds of submissions. Based upon numerous criteria, the ranking took into consideration their position in the company, how much money they control and how successful their products are in the marketplace. The committee also considers what each woman has attained during the past year and how close she is to having the power to greenlight projects.
