Lights! Camera! The first annual San Diego Film Awards!

TIMPANI! Ladies and gentlemen, the Film Consortium San Diego is proud to announce the star-studded, first ever San Diego Film Awards!

A relative new kid in town, the FCSD "has been actively working to mobilize the film community in San Diego since fall of 2012." Their goal is quite simply to turn San Diego into a thriving film industry.

What better way to kick things off than by corralling our town's gantze mishpacha of moviedom in the Horton Grand for a mother-loving, gut-busting, self-congratulatory awards ceremony?

Whittling the list down from over 250 entries, 27 awards will be handed out at the black tie event that promises celebrities, clips from the nominated films, and live orchestra accompaniment!

Former UT-TV host and longtime local newspaper personality Chris Cantore drew hosting duties. Emmy-nominated actress Kimberlin Brown (The Young and the Restless) will be there, so will Jose Yenque (Traffic), and Superman's big screen sidekick, Jimmy Olsen aka Marc McClure.

Scheduled presenters include the San Diego Tourism Authority's Joe Terzi, our former Film Commissioner, Wally Schlotter, top-cop William Lansdowne, UT music critic, George Varga, composer Larry Groupe (The Usual Suspects), and John Decker, program director at our local PBS affiliate that proudly turns its nose down at arts coverage.

This reporter, also scheduled to appear, is seriously considering asking Earl Stiff to take my place.

Seriously, wouldn't it be something if the group could somehow manage to resume the promotional and regulatory work of the San Diego Film Commission whose doors were shuttered by the City almost a year ago? On that note you have my undying support.

As for the black tie nonsense, I smoked a bale of pricey black Thai stick back in the '70s, but unless Jean Hersholt or Irv Thalberg's name is engraved across its base, I'll be damned if I'm going to get stuck for the cost of renting a monkey suit to hand out an award.

The San Diego Film Awards will take place on Thursday, March 6 at the Horton Grand, 444 Fourth Avenue. The Red Carpet & pre-show reception begins at 6 pm with the show following immediately at 7 pm.

Advance tickets are $25 general admission and $15 for students. You can tack on an additional $5 if you wait to purchase tickets at the door.