The 9th Annual Golden Trailer Awards gala, which celebrates the art, craft and fun of movie promotion, will take place on Thursday, May 8th at the landmark Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The announcement was made today by Golden Trailer founders and co-executive producers, Evelyn Brady Watters and Monica Brady.

Established in 1999, the Golden Trailer Awards have become a coveted mark of achievement in the industry, and are awarded in 55 categories covering domestic and foreign movie trailers, video game trailers, movie posters, TV spots and overall marketing campaigns for title releases. The awards have been picked up for telecast for the past two years, on HDNet in 2006 and on ReelzChannel in 2007. Discussions are currently underway with both broadcast and cable outlets for this year’s event. Eagle World Media topper and TV industry veteran, Paul Siegel, is handling negotiations.

Juries for the Golden Trailer Awards in past years have included high-profile industry leaders including David Geffen, Kathleen Kennedy, Quentin Tarantino, Penny Marshall, Ben Stiller, Paula Wagner, Glenn Close, Bill Plympton and Guy Ritchie; key marketing executives, producers and distributors from the big-budget and indie sectors; as well as members of the press ranging from mainstream critic Leonard Maltin to blogger-provocateur Harry Knowles. The 2008 judges will be announced in early Spring.

Seventeen of the awards for trailers are presented during the televised portion of the gala ceremony. The categories range from the expected—Best Action Trailer, Best Romance, Best Summer Blockbuster, etc.—to the irreverent, including The Golden Fleece trophy honoring the best preview for a bad movie, and Trashiest Trailer. In 2007, 1,168 trailers were submitted, with 73% from the U.S., and the remaining entries from the international marketplace.

While the awards are serious business for the nominees, the gala show itself keeps tongue in cheek with MC’s and presenters that have included comedians Dennis Miller, Kathy Griffin, Tom Green, Jim Gaffigan and Susie Essman. The lively gala, which rotates between coasts, is heading back West after two prior editions in New York.