New York, New York December 29, 2004-Jazz artists Mark Murphy, Bill Charlap, Joe Lovano Quartet, Allan Harris, Andy Bey, and Paula West will be part of the 2005 Nightlife Awards.

The Nightlife Awards is the only broad-based critics award show honoring NYC's great nightlife, and it's the only award show in the world that is PURE ENTERTAINMENT! There will be more than twenty live cabaret, comedy and jazz performances on the stage of New York's famed Town Hall, performed by the most talented club performers in New York (and, therefore, the world)!

More than twenty critics and experts vote on the best performances of the year in New York City's cabaret, comedy, and jazz clubs. The winners, rather than make acceptance speeches, will perform to show why they are being honored as the best of NYC's nightlife performers. Celebrity introductions and special guest performances to honor the winners mark this event as the most entertaining awards show of the year.

Critics called last year's Nightlife Awards show "An avalanche of entertainment!" (William Wolf, Wolf Entertainment Guide) and "An epic night of grand entertainment" (Andy Propst, American Theatre Web). This year's show promises to be even grander with such stars as Joy Behar, Andy Bey, Tony Danza, Bruce Vilanch, Ute Lemper, Julie Halston, Jim Caruso, Mark Murphy and Allan Harris (winner of the 2004 Nightlife Award for Outstanding Male Jazz Vocalist) and many others presenting the winners and performing in their honor.

The 2005 Nightlife Awards is conceived and produced by Author/Critic Scott Siegel, who also created Town Hall's popular and critically acclaimed Broadway by the Year series (going into its fifth season), and the smash hit Broadway Unplugged concert in September.

The Nightlife Awards take place on Monday, January 31, 2005 at 7:00 PM at The Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street, between 6th & 7th Avenues). Tickets are $25, $50, and $75. (Tickets to the after party are an additional $50). Show tickets may be purchased via Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100 or online at www.TheaterMania.com. For mail order tickets and tickets to the after-party, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 212-365-4345. The Town Hall box office opens on January 3rd.

And the winners are:

JAZZ

Outstanding Jazz Soloist - BILL CHARLAP

Outstanding Jazz Combo Performance - JOE LOVANO

Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist - PAULA WEST

Outstanding Male Jazz Vocalist - JACKIE PARIS (posthumous)

CABARET

Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist in a Major Engagement - (tie) KAREN AKERS and KEELY SMITH

Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist in a Major Engagement - CY COLEMAN (posthumous)

Outstanding Duo/Group Cabaret Performance in a Major Engagement - LIZ & ANN HAMPTON CALLAWAY

Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist - CAROLYN MONTGOMERY

Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist - PHILLIP OFFICER

Outstanding Cabaret Musical Comedy/Characterization Performance - PETER YAWITZ

Outstanding Cabaret Piano Bar Performer - LESLIE ANDERSON

Unique Cabaret Event - "UNDER THE COVERS" (at Mama Rose's)

COMEDY

Outstanding Female Standup Comedian - LAURIE KILMARTIN

Outstanding Male Standup Comedian - PATRICE O'NEAL

Outstanding Group Comedy Performance - INVITE THEM UP (EUGENE MIRMAN & BOBBY TISDALE)

Unique Comedy Performance - DAVE GORMAN'S GOOGLEWHACK ADVENTURE

Performances honoring the late Cy Coleman and the late Jackie Paris will be among the more than 20 performances that will take place on the Town Hall stage, including the Legends of Jazz, Cabaret, and Comedy, who will be announced at a later date.

The 2005 Nightlife Awards is sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, TheaterMania.com, Edythe Kenner, Peter & Barbara Leavy, Thoroughbred Records, Edith & Ervin Drake, and Trattoria Dopo Teatro.

2005 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS JUDGES

KIRSTEN AMES -- HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival

MICHAEL ANTHONY -- WHPC - 90.3 FM, Jazz Journalist JANE BORDEN -- Time Out NY

ANGELA BOWERS -U.S. Comedy Arts Festival

ADAM FELDMAN, Time Out NY

DAVID FINKLE, Village Voice

WILL FRIEDWALD -- New York Sun/Village Voice

STEVE FUTTERMAN - The New Yorker

AMELIE GILLETTE -- The Onion A.V. Club

IRA GITLER -- Jazz Times and Downbeat

CELIA IPIOTIS - Eye on the Arts

PETER LEAVY -- Cabaret Scenes

BRIAN SCOTT LIPTON -- Cititour.com

WARD MOREHOUSE III -- AM NY

DAVID NOH, Gay City News

DAVID PEROZZI - ABC-TV

REX REED, The New York Observer

ROY SANDER -- formerly Back Stage and CitySearch

BARBARA SIEGEL -- TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate

SCOTT SIEGEL -- TheaterMania.com and Siegel Entertainment Syndicate

NAOMI STEINBERG -- Comedy Central

JONATHAN WARMAN - HX Magazine

K.LEANDER WILLIAMS -- Time Out NY