Maria Doyle Kennedy to Perform at 6th Annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring the Irish in Film"

Irish singer and actress Maria Doyle Kennedy will perform at the sixth annual "Oscar Wilde: Honoring the Irish in Film," on 24 February at The Ebell of Los Angeles. The invite-only, pre-Academy Awards party is hosted by the US-Ireland Alliance and is sponsored by Culture Ireland, the Irish Film Board and American Airlines.

Casting agents Ros and John Hubbard are being honored at the event. "I met Ros and John more than 20 years ago and have been completely in love with them both ever since. I could not be more delighted that the US-Ireland Alliance is honoring them in this way," said Ms. Doyle Kennedy, who the Hubbard’s cast in The Commitments, the iconic Irish film that marks its twentieth anniversary in 2011.

Ms. Doyle Kennedy is currently featured in the current season of Dexter. She won multiple awards for her role as Queen Catherine of Aragon, opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers, in The Tudors.

Trina Vargo, president of the US-Ireland Alliance noted that, “Maria was first known to Irish audiences as a singer in the Black Velvet Band. While she’s become well-known in the US for her acting, our guests will get a chance to see her musical side.” With a powerful mixture of folk siren and punk diva, she has been called the Celtic Patti Smith. Her forthcoming album, Sing, sees her teamed up with John Prine, Damien Rice and Paul Brady. At the Oscar Wilde event, she will be accompanied on guitar by her husband/producer, Kieran Kennedy.

John and Ros Hubbard created Hubbard Casting in 1976. One of the most successful and sought after casting agencies in the world, the Hubbard’s have cast many of Hollywood’s best actors in some of the most acclaimed motion pictures of our generation. From Alan Parker’s The Commitments, to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, from The Bourne Ultimatum to Green Zone, Ros and John have been finding the right person for the role for decades. They have started the silver screen careers of many talented actors including Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Colin Farrell.

Past honorees of the award have included J.J. Abrams, Saoirse Ronan, Seamus McGarvey, Hylda Queally, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Fiona Shaw, Colm Meaney, Jim Brooks, Van Morrison, Bill Monahan, Terry George, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan and David Holmes. Additional honorees for 2011 will be announced at a later date.