Awards

The state of California has won a preservation award from the Los Angeles Conservancy for its restoration of the Malibu Pier. The conservancy recognized the state for showing "solid stewardship of this beloved public resource by reversing decades of decay while staying true to its historic character." Built in 1905, the pier endured storm damage and neglect that caused its closure to the public in 1995. The pier reopened last June. -- Martha Groves

Two animated productions -- the feature film "Bolt" and the Fox TV series "The Simpsons" -- have picked up top honors at the 23rd annual Genesis Awards, presented by the Humane Society of the United States to honor media presentations of animal protection issues. "Bolt," the story of a pampered, sheltered dog suddenly thrust into the outside world on its own, was cited in part for its depiction of "the sad truth about unwanted and abandoned cats and dogs," while "The Simpsons" won for its episode "Apocalypse Cow," which the Humane Society praised for "telling it like it really is about the fate of 4-H club animals and the bleak, inhumane nature of factory farming."

Bill Cosby will be awarded the nation's top humor prize from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for his groundbreaking career. The center announced Wednesday that Cosby, 71, will be honored in the fall with the 12th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Some of the biggest names in comedy will salute Cosby on stage in Washington on Oct. 26. The award honors people who have had an influence on society in ways similar to Twain, a satirist, commentator and storyteller.

Competition officials weren't planning to announce the winners of the 2009 Albert Award in the Arts until May -- but overeager publicity reps for one lucky artist went e-mail crazy Thursday morning, so the news is out: An awards spokeswoman confirms that prizes of $75,000 each will go to Paul Chan of Brooklyn, N.Y., for film/video; interdisciplinary artist Rinde Eckert of Nyack, N.Y., for theater; composer-guitarist-violinist John King for music; Paul...

More awards: Two jazz ensembles from Cal State Long Beach -- the Concert Jazz Orchestra and vocal group Pacific Standard Time -- have won first- place awards at the fifth annual Next Generation Festival, hosted by the Monterey Jazz Festival.

It was a night meant to honor the top songwriters and publishers of 2008, and it did. Winners shuffled to the stage Friday at ASCAP's 22nd annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards, posing for photos as they clutched onto their trophies. But it was also the night after Michael Jackson's death, and the ASCAP ceremony at the Beverly Hilton took on the feel of a tribute, with Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Berry Gordy and more paying their respects to the fallen pop icon. The event began with a moment of silence in honor of the "King of Pop."

He's won an Emmy and a Grammy, and now Steve Martin is nominated for the International Bluegrass Music Assn. Awards. The writer-comedian picked up six nominations Thursday in connection with his first music record, "The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo." Martin was nominated as best banjo player and the album, which is No. 1 on Billboard's bluegrass chart, was nominated as best instrumental recorded performance of the year. The Dan Tyminski Band led all nominees with nine.

Ricky Gervais: An article in Tuesday's Calendar section about Ricky Gervais' reaction to being selected to host the Golden Globe awards misstated the first name of NBC executive Paul Telegdy as Pat.

When Taylor Swift showed up over the weekend as both host and musical guest on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," the 19-year-old country-pop star delivered the show's highest ratings of the season so far. Tonight she'll be vying with country music veterans -- all men -- for the title of entertainer of the year at the Country Music Assn.'s annual award ceremony in Nashville. Should she win, she will be the first woman to win that title since 2000, and she'd become the youngest recipient of the CMA's top prize.