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From Special Irish Fest Tinseltown Correspondent Ronan Collins:

Van Shines Bright At Astral Event

(The Irish Times) Acclaimed singer songwriter Van Morisson's light shone brightest at a star-studded pre-Oscar event in Los Angeles overnight.

The highly acclaimed Belfast-man is best known for seminal albums such as Astral Weeks (1968), Moondance (1970) and string of consistently good recordings since, but last night movie star Al Pacino presented him with an award for his work in film.

His music is included in nearly fifty films, including this year's multi-Oscar-nominated, The Departed; Irish movies such as Neil Jordan's Breakfast on Pluto , and all the way back to classics like Thelma & Louise (1991) and An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).

Morrison's has released a new album, Morrison at the Movies - a compilation of some the music he has written and recorded which has been used in film - to coincide with this year's Academy Awards this Sunday.

After receiving the Tiffany-designed award, the 61-year-old then entertained the 400 or so party-goers, sharing the stage with his daughter Shana, rhythm and blues legend Solomon Burke and Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains.

Among those in attendance at the event hosted by Irish actress Roma Downey, were Orlando Bloom, Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend, Andie McDowell, Colm Meaney, and Rachel Griffiths.

Morrison was one of three people honoured at the annual Oscar Wilde: Honoring Irish Writing in Film party organised by the US-Ireland Alliance, which promotes the Irish film industry in the US.

Fellow Belfastman Terry George received an award recognising his achievements in screenwriting from actress Fionnula Flanagan

George is currently at work on directing his self-written Reservation Road starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino.

His credits reflect his experiences of life in Troubles-afflicted Northern Ireland and include two of the most celebrated movies based on those times: Some Mother's Son (1996) and In the Name of the Father (1993).

He also wrote the screenplay for the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda (2004) and co-wrote the World War II drama Hart's War (2002).

Boston-born William Monahan was also honoured. The screenwriter is nominated in this year's Oscar list for the Irish American mob movie The Departed , directed by martin Scorcese and starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg.
© 2007 ireland.com

The Irish onslaught of Hollywood continues. And make plans now for Van's appearance at the 2010 Kansas City Irish Fest...in my dreams.