L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 3 and many more. S p e c i a l g u e s t w a s I t a l i a n American Jimmy Kimmel, host and executive producer of the ABC's longest-running late- night talk show, who was hon- o r e d w i t h t h e A w a r d o f Excellence for his contribution to the world of entertainment. His parents accompanied him on stage, where he accepted the award with a hilarious speech, recalling his family history as Italian immigrants to the U.S. Other awardees were Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, docu- m e n t a r y f i l m m a k e r R o r y Kennedy (Last Days in Vietnam, 2014), and Morten Tyldum and Graham Moore, respectively the director and screenwriter of The Imitation Game, one of the most credited Oscar contenders that has obtained positive results in the Italian box office. Live music performances by Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo a n d I t a l i a n A m e r i c a n s i n g e r Robert Davi were dedicated to the memory of Frank Sinatra, on the occasion of the centennial of his birth, featuring some of his greatest hits like New York, New York. More tributes to Italian leg- ends of the big screen are in pro- gram during the whole week, including the late filmmaker Francesco Rosi (Hands Over The City, 1963) and American actress and singer Liza Minelli, who will receive the 2015 Jack V a l e n t i L o s A n g e l e s , I t a l i a L e g e n d A w a r d o n F e b r u a r y 20 th . The admission-free Festival will showcase 50 films, includ- ing 5 world premieres and 15 U.S. premieres, such as It Takes a Miracle! by Alessandro Siani and Partly Cloudy (With Sunny S p e l l s ) d i r e c t e d b y M a r c o Pontecorvo and starring John Turturro and Luca Zingaretti. Both films were screened during the opening night and acclaimed b y t h e a u d i e n c e . M a r c o Pontecorvo and lead actor Luca Zingaretti were in attendance, and their work was acknowl- edged by American filmmaker and producer John Landis (The Blues Brothers, 1908). By showcasing the best of contemporary Italian cinema and performing arts, the LA, Italia recognizes the accom- p l i s h m e n t s o f 2 5 m i l l i o n Americans of Italian descent, as Consul General Antonio Verde Michele Ferrero, the man renowned for giving the world Nutella, Tic Tacs, Kinder Eggs, and the ever-famous Ferrero Rocher chocolates, has passed away on Saturday, February 14th. He had been suffering from a long-term illness and ultimately lost the battle at age 89 in his home in Monaco. According to Forbes' list of richest people, Mr. Ferrero's family-owned companies have a net worth of $26.5 million dollars, and had closely held I t a l i a n c h o c o l a t e m a k e r , Ferrero SpA, gain a value of $30 billion -- a candy empire t h a t h a s b e e n " c o u r t e d " b y other large competitors in the business, but have unsuccess- fully tried to get their hands on it. F e r r e r o ' s f a t h e r , P i e t r o Ferrero, initially invented the Nutella spread during World War II, when he experimented with ingredients to create a c h o c o l a t e s u b s t i t u t e s i n c e cocoa was scarce. He created what was then called "Pasta Gianduja", and it wasn't until 1 9 6 3 t h a t M i c h e l e F e r r e r o started rebranding the product and marketing it throughout Europe. Ever since officially creat- ing the first batch of Nutella in 1964, it is clear that Michele Ferrero has perfected the hazel- n u t s p r e a d . H i s g r a n d s o n , Giovanni, told BBC last year: "My grandfather lived to find this formula. He was complete- ly obsessed by it… he woke up my grandmother at midnight – s h e w a s s l e e p i n g – a n d h e made her taste it with spoons, a s k i n g , ' H o w w a s i t ? ' a n d 'What do you think?'" Despite his aspirations to go international once he devel- o p e d t h e N u t e l l a s p r e a d , Michele Ferrero will always be remembered as a family man, notably for being extremely private and distant from the "business world". It was very i m p o r t a n t f o r h i m t o k e e p Ferrero SpA in the hands of his family and never accept any other deals from companies who wanted to cash in on his empire. Many have been saddened a l l a r o u n d t h e g l o b e f o r Michele Ferrero's passing, with so much uproar on social media and among public declarations from celebrities. To the world, Michele Ferrero was viewed as a grandfather-figure, loyal to his family and giving us all a bit of love with his chocolaty inventions and his ambition to make the world a little sweeter. The world's wealthiest chocolatier died on Valentine's Day and NIAF President John Viola remarked. In this regards, the gala opened with a noteworthy video, produced by the Italian Government, which displayed Italy's contribution in a large number of economic sectors, f r o m t h e f o o d i n d u s t r y t o tourism, from engineering to luxury manufacturing. The Los Angeles Italia Film, Fashion, and Art Festival is pre- sented thanks to the collabora- tion of many supporters, like the Capri in the World Institute, A N I C A , t h e I t a l i a n G o v e r n m e n t , t h e C o n s u l a t e General of Italy in Los Angeles, the Italian Cultural Institute, and the Italian Trade Commission, NIAF, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and Cinecittà Studios, just to name a few. For m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d t h e F e s t i v a l ' s p r o g r a m v i s i t http://www.losangelesitalia.com Jimmy Kimmel receives the Award of Excellence. Photo courtesy of LA, Italia FIlm Fest BECKY ZEFERINO Continued from page 1 Tony Renis and Vittorio Grigolo. Photo courtesy of LA, Italia FIlm Fest Michele Ferrero celebrating Nutella's 40 years anniversary in 2004 at Nutella factory in Alba

• Cover