FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF) 202/939-3106 or elissa@niaf.org

(LOS ANGELES, CA — February 21, 2006) Actor Gary Sinise will receive a National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Special Achievement Award in Entertainment from Joe Mantegna, actor and NIAF celebrity spokesperson, at the Foundation’s Salute to the Academy Awards. Jack Valenti, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), will present a scholarship in his name during the event. The dinner will honor prominent Italian Americans in conjunction with the 78th Annual Academy Awards.
The black-tie gala will be held Friday evening, March 3, at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. It is also the culmination of the week-long Los Angeles Italian film, fashion and food festival.

His Excellency Giovanni Castellaneta, the new Ambassador of Italy to the United States, will make his first official visit to Los Angeles to attend the NIAF gala.

Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine will chair the gala. Valenti will join Angelo Mozilo, chairman and CEO of Countrywide Credit Industries Inc., and a member of the NIAF board of directors, as the dinner co-chairs.

Actors Robert Loggia, Doris Roberts, Antonio Sabato, Jr., entertainers Dom DeLuise and Fred Travalena, singer Al Martino, and Barbara Sinatra are among the celebrities attending the NIAF Salute to the Academy Awards. Tom Dreesen will be the evening’s emcee.

Mario Bucca, a junior at the University of Southern California, will receive The NIAF/Jack Valenti Scholarship.

The event is hosted by NIAF and its vice chairman, Joseph R. Cerrell. The gala is in support of the Foundation’s scholarship and education programs. Tickets to the NIAF Salute to the Academy Awards range in price from $500 to $1,000 per person. For tickets and more information, contact Bonni Cellini at 202/939-3114.