Academy Award- winning actor Ernest Borgnine Chairs Gala   USC Student Mario Bucca to Receive Scholarship         (LOS ANGELES, CA -- February 14, 2006)   Jack Valenti, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), will present a scholarship in his name to Mario Bucca at the National Italian American Foundation’s (NIAF) Salute to the Academy Awards.  The dinner honored prominent Italian Americans in conjunction with the 78th Annual Academy Awards.

 

The black-tie gala was held on 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 was the culmination of the week-long Los Angeles Italian film, fashion and food festival.

Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine was the gala chairman. Valenti joined Angelo Mozilo, chairman and CEO of Countrywide Credit Industries Inc., and a member of the NIAF board of directors, as the dinner co-chairs.
 
 Ernest Borgnine                                          Jack Valenti                  Actors Robert Loggia,  Franco Nero, 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 was the evening’s emcee.

Bucca is currently a junior at the University of Southern California (USC) with a major in cinema and television, and a minor in classics. He has previously been awarded the NIAF Jerry Colangelo Scholarship, the Presidential Scholarship and a National Merit Finalist.   He is actively involved with charities and cultural organizations including: the Italian Film Club; the International Thespian Society; and American Cinematheque. His grandmother was born in Calabria and his grandfather’s parents were born in Sicily. 
       Mayor Antonio Villariagosa                                                  Dom DeLuise( center)            The event was hosted by NIAF and its vice chairman, Joseph R. Cerrell.   The gala was in support of the Foundation’s scholarship and education programs.

The NIAF is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC dedicated to preserving the heritage of an estimated 25 million Americans of Italian descent.

Please visit their website at www.niaf.org