By Teri Kinne and Valerie Milano
Palm Springs, California (The Hollywood Times) 09/25/2024 – It seems a bit backwards, the Palm Springs International Comedy Festival Awards Gala came first and will be followed by the comedy festival next weekend. But comedians are funny like that.
PSICF sizzled last Saturday night at Hotel Zoso in downtown Palm Springs. Creatives of comedy showed up on the red carpet and stage to accept, present, emcee or support and honor the best comedic celebrity talents in stand-up, film and television.
Festival Director/Founder Paul Cruz is responsible for hosting and producing both events. Paul is an actor, writer and producer. He’s committed to showcasing new talent and celebrating creative legends.
PSICF Hall of Fame Awards were presented to Cybill Shepherd, Tom Arnold, and Mo Collins (MAD TV, Parks & Rec, The 40-Year-Old Virgin).
The awards were presented by Kathy Griffin, Anne Ramsay (Mad About You, A League of Their Own), Debra Wilson (MAD TV) and Will Sasso (Apple TV’s Acapulco, The Three Stooges). We spoke to all of them on the, not so, red carpet.
Transgender Latina comedian Roz Hernandez was honored with the PSICF Diversity in Comedy Award. Hernandez brings her comedic wit to the Hulu series Living for the Dead, executive produced by Oscar-nominated actor Kristen Stewart. Hernandez also hosts the weekly podcast Ghosted!.
LA-based comedian, actor, and writer Zach Noe Towers received the 2024 PSICF Breakthrough in Comedy Award. He is featured in season three of Netflix’s Dear White People and hosts the E! series Nightly Pop and Dating #NoFilter. Towers entered the comedy scene in 2018 and named one of Time Out’s Comics to Watch. Towers was also recognized as one of the New Faces of Comedy at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.
Jonathan Kite (2 Broke Girls, Dad Stop Embarrassing Me) was presented with the 2024 PSICF Best Male Stand-up Comedian Award. Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) received the PSICF Spotlight in Comedy Award.
Queen comedian Luenell (Hacks, Lopez) was named PSICF’s Comedian of the Year for 2024. Although she couldn’t attend in person to accept her award, she sent us a heartfelt and funny video message to convey her appreciation for the recognition.
The family of legendary film director Stanley Kramer, Golden Globe-winning actress Karen Sharpe-Kramer, and daughters Kat Kramer and Jennifer Kramer presented the PSICF Stanley Kramer Mad World Comedy Award to filmmaker Nicholas Eliopoulos for his documentary “Celebrating Laughter: The Life and Films of Colin Higgins.” The film is produced by Dolly Parton, narrated by Cybill Shepherd, and features Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Shirley MacLaine, and Goldie Hawn.
Tommi Rose, who is also a board member of PSICF helped produce the event. Tommi Rose has been a professional female impersonator, singer and entertainer for nearly 48 years, starring in some of the biggest shows with female impersonators and drag performers. Rose was a headliner and emcee at the world-famous Finocchio’s, Jewel Box Revue, and many productions of Evening At La Cage.
Notable guests included television actor/host BJ Korros, author/artist James Randall Chumbley, David White – Business Development Director for Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, Joey Ratliff – Business Development for Ramsey Realty, architectural photographer Michael Arden & HIV activist Bob Blackford, Palm Springs internationally acclaimed artist – Nancy Worthington, along with writer/director Odalys Nanin.
Ahmed Ahmed emceed the awards Gala and will be hosting the upcoming festival. He was pleasantly surprised with a PSICF Hall of Fame Award to close out the evening.
Ahmed Ahmed has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, two Showtime comedy specials, and in films Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, Weeds, Swingers, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, and Iron Man. He directed the award-winning documentary Just Like Us, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was featured on Netflix and other streaming platforms. The documentary earned him an invite to dinner with President Barack Obama at the White House.
The awards ceremony was fraught with technical glitches. We missed seeing some media clips highlighting award recipients. Others popped up while the guest was speaking. Kathy Grifin (and I) got frustrated. But the content was sincere, the organization’s message “Laughter is Healing!” persevered, and we laughed it off.
PSICF’s mission is to promote Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion while fostering education and the understanding of different cultures through comedy.
The Comedy Fest begins in Palm Springs Next Weekend.
The Palm Springs International Comedy Festival (PSICF) is September 27th – October 6th.
The festival is a non-profit 501c3 organization celebrating the art of comedy in all its forms. It will feature diverse performances, films, stand-up, sketch comedy, and improv.
Ahmed Ahmed’s new comedy special, It Only Takes One Of Us, premieres at the fest on Sunday, September 29 at 8:45 pm.
Festival events will be held at The Mary Pickford Theater (36850 Pickfair Street Cathedral City, CA 92234). Special thanks to D’Place Entertainment.
For more information about the festival, including tickets and program details, please visit www.psicf.org. Get tickets here
