The film academy is continuing its new tradition of presenting honorary Oscars at an untelevised ceremony months before the Academy Awards.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak says the second annual Governors Awards will be held Nov. 13. The private dinner event will be produced by past academy president Sid Ganis, Sherak said.

"In its first year, it turned out to be a really great evening," Ganis said Wednesday. "It was the sweetest, most personal way for the academy to bring extra special recognition to those artists and their lifetime accomplishments.

"It was relaxed, it was of course not televised, and it was super star-studded. My job is going to be to at least duplicate what happened in that first year."

Some of the academy's highest honors, including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, may be presented at the event. The board of governors will meet in August to determine the 2010 honorees.

Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman and Gordon Willis received honorary Oscars and John Calley was presented with the Thalberg award at the inaugural Governors Awards last year.

"It's still brand new, and it's something that I'm almost positive will be around for a long, long time," Ganis said. "We'll keep making it something extraordinary, and we'll make sure that it has its proper moments on the big show."

Ganis, who served four years as academy president before Sherak took office in August, said he's excited to help pay tribute to some of the legends in entertainment.

"This is about my heroes," he said. "These men and women put out a lot of good, and for me to be a part of honoring them is pretty cool."

Source: AP