The 10th Annual Webby Awards Including a Performance by Prince

In 2005, Empire Entertainment produced the 9th Annual Webby Awards - - the first time the event was held in New York City. The event was a great success, and Recognition Media, LLC called on Empire the very next week to begin brainstorming how to make the gala even bigger and better yet again for it's 10th Anniversary. That mission was accomplished on Monday, June 12, 2006 at majestic Cipriani Wall Street in New York City's Financial District.The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality, and the event has been dubbed the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, and "the Online Oscars" by Time Magazine.

On the night of the event, more than 750 of the best and the brightest minds on the net came to honor and be honored for their contributions to the information superhighway. Empire created a stage set and lighting design that wowed attendees as they entered the space. A lush, dramatic Austrian drape in a beautiful muted shade of dusty rose created the backdrop for the stage, with a dazzling silver "10th Annual Webby Awards" logo set in the center. Three large video screens were flown, adding to the sleek, high-tech feel of the event. Palm trees set around the room were uplit with rose and amber colored lighting, as were the impressive pillars and columns in the space. Centerpieces of gorgeous white Calla Lillies surrounded by votives, as well as other deco-styled floral arrangements strategically set by the bars, added to the elegance of the event.

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour in Cipriani's spacious mezzanine. Hors d'ouvres and cocktails were passed while pink cosmopolitans flowed through an elaborate spiral ice sculpture designed to resemble the Webby Awards trophy at the generously stocked bar. Then it was time to commence the show."The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" correspondent Rob Corddry returned to host the event for the second consecutive year. After a fantastic comedy set, Rob laid the ground rules, including a reminder of the time-honored Webby tradition that winners' acceptance speeches would be limited to just five words (a rule that remains unchanged since the inception of the Award in 1996). Arianna Huffington's speech "darlings, make blogs, not war" was among the best received of the evening.

The program was packed with memorable moments, including a hilarious performance by "Avenue Q", the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Broadway Musical, as well as an appearance by the characters from the virtual band "Gorillaz" whose puppets accepted their "Artist of the Year" award with their 5-words "the future's only just begun" before debating the merits of the internet in hilarious fashion. Other special achievement distinctions presented included "Entrepreneur of the Year" to Mark Cuban whose Dallas Mavericks were in the midst of the NBA finals, "Breakout of the Year" to MySpace founders Chris DeWolfe and Thomas Anderson, and "Person of the Year" to New York Times journalist and author Thomas Friedman. Dr. Robert Kahn who is credited with co-inventing the modern Internet was met with a standing ovation as he accepted a Webby "Lifetime Achievement Award".

But the highlight of the evening came when musical legend Prince took the stage to accept the second "Lifetime Achievement" award of the evening. The crowd response was so tremendous that he could barely get his 5-word acceptance speech heard, but he eventually told the crowd "everything you think…..is true". He then proceeded to perform an incredible number solo on acoustic guitar, bringing down the house, perhaps an answer to one savvy winner's speech earlier in the evening "Prince, play us some songs".To see video of this extraordinary event, please visit http//:www.cnn.com and search the term "webby awards". There you will find a link for "5-word speeches" that will give you a glimpse of the evening.