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NEW YORK - From David Bowie and Beastie Boys to eBay's Meg Whitman and YouTube co-founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, winners at Tuesday night's 11th Annual Webby Awards proved once again that less is more with a speedy procession of the awards' trademark five-word speeches.
Unlike most awards ceremonies, The Webby Awards limits speeches to just five words, a rule that is only slightly relaxed for special achievement honorees like Bowie.
"I only get five words?" Bowie asked. He continued: "Sh*t, that was five. Four more there. That's three," concluding: "Two," before exiting the stage.
The rock icon was presented with the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for pushing the boundaries of art and technology with his digital empire, which includes the seminal Internet service provider BowieNet, the digital media company UltraStar, and BowieArt, an innovative site that connects emerging visual artists with collectors worldwide.
Other special achievement speech highlights included:
"Bidding starts at 99 cents."
- eBay CEO and President Meg Whitman on behalf of the eBay community (Webby Lifetime Achievement)
"Can anyone fix my computer?"
- Beastie Boys, who were named Webby Artists of the Year for their 2006 concert film, "Awesome, I F***ing Shot That", which was filmed entirely by audience members.
"YouTubers, this is for you."
- Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, co-founders of YouTube (Webby Person of the Year)
Among the winners in dozens of categories honoring Websites, advertising, and mobile content, two speeches highlighted the plight of kidnapped BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston:
"Alan, we're thinking of you."
- BBC News (Best News)
"Please free Alan Johnston now."
- The Guardian (Best newspaper)
Other speech highlights included:
"Hey, Rupert, we're available. Call."
- NYTimes.com Dealbook (Best Business Blog)
"Because some hotels still suck."
-TripAdvisor (Best Travel)
"Don't sh*t where you eat."
- TreeHugger.com (Best Cultural Blog - People's Voice)
"Now let's get hammered."
- DIYNetwork.com (Best Lifestyle)
"Thanks Mom. Whoever you are."
- Clearification (Best Branded Content - People's Voice)
"Have sex, make more kids."
- Nick.com (Best Youth)
"More popular than Lou Dobbs."
- CNNMoney.com (Best Financial Services - People's Voice)
"Webby: the Pulitzers are history."
- Salon.com (Best Magazine)
"There's no place like home."
- Yahoo! Real Estate (Best Real Estate)
"Come connect with me tonight."
- LinkedIn (Best Social Networking)
"Sex is why we're here."
- The Science of Sex (Best Student)
"Don't believe everything you hear."
- Factcheck (Best Politics)
"Fat cats need watch dogs."
- OpenSecrets (Best Politics - People's Voice)
"Promised I'd mention the missus."
- KFC's FlavorStation (Best Restaurant)
Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-person judging academy whose members include Vinton Cerf, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.
More than 700 winners, industry leaders, and celebrities attended the gala event, which was hosted by comedian Rob Corddry ("The Winner", "The Daily Show").
In April nzherald.co.nz was one of only seven online newspaper sites in the world to be awarded with an Honoree mention in the prestigious international Webby Awards.
- NZ HERALD STAFF
