French star Deneuve gets Chaplin Award

Of her more than 100 films, only seven have been in English. So Catherine Deneuve said she was surprised to win an American film award.

But nobody else seemed surprised as Deneuve, an icon of French cinema as well as a global star renowned for her icy beauty, was handed the 39th annual Chaplin Award by the Film Society of Lincoln Center on Monday evening.

“Catherine Deneuve seems to have been made for cinema, and cinema for her,” said director Martin Scorsese of the actress, now 68. “She IS French cinema.” He added: “She seems to be getting more adventurous every year.”

The Chaplin award has been named for Charlie Chaplin since it was given to him in 1972. Previous recipients have included Scorsese, Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Taylor, Alfred Hitchcock and, last year, Sidney Poitier.

Deneuve’s most famous films include Jacques Demy’s musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964), Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion” (1965) and Regis Wargnier’s “Indochine” (1992), for which she received her only Oscar nomination.

Judd brings star power to convention

Democratic leaders in Tennessee are sending actress Ashley Judd as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in September.

The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville reports that Judd is one of three delegates selected by party officials in Williamson County to serve in at-large positions at the convention.

Judd will join delegates from all 50 states at the convention to discuss the party’s platform and formally nominate President Barack Obama as the party’s candidate. The convention will be held in Charlotte, N.C., during the first week of September.

Oswalt gets emcee post for Webbys

Patton Oswalt will host the 16th annual Webby Awards.

The actor-comedian will emcee the May 21 event, where winners are famously restricted to five-word acceptance speeches. The awards will be held in New York City and streamed live on WebbyAwards.com.

The Webbys, which celebrate Internet achievement, are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a group of about 1,000 Web experts and Internet professionals.

The birthday bunch

Author-poet Maya Angelou is 84. Recording executive Clive Davis is 80. Actor Craig T. Nelson is 68. Actor Robert Downey Jr. is 47. Magician David Blaine is 39. Actress Jamie Lynn Spears is 21.