One of my favorite devices is the birthday tribute.
Hollingsworth had in mind a major event, a birthday tribute for Mandela, who would be 70 the following year.
With the birthday tribute as her triumphant comeback, she is preparing to return to the stage.
The show was in most cases sold to the entertainment divisions of broadcasters as a birthday tribute that would not be political.
Bruno Mantovani took the commission for a birthday tribute literally, sort of.
It's fitting, then, that this weekend offers several birthday tributes, each pointing toward a different phase of his career.
Shown as part of a birthday tribute to Judy Garland, who would have turned 90 had she still been alive.
Now, his friends said at a belated birthday tribute on Tuesday night, it is time to get on with the rest of his life.
The event should not be "angry", but a "positive" birthday tribute, calling only for Mandela to be freed.
The way to televise an all-star 70th birthday tribute to Willie Nelson might seem obvious.
