The 14th Annual Genesis Awards was fit for a Prince—literally.
The pop star decided, at the last moment, to appear in person
to receive his Dolly Green Special Achievement Award, which he
accepted with a humble spirit that befit not only the occasion,
but also the royally named artist himself.
More than 1,070 people were on hand at the Beverly Hilton's
International Ballroom to witness this Prince-ly behavior. The
audience also found itself among nobility with the other 22
Genesis Award winners, including Instinct, The Iron
Giant, Animal Farm, Dateline NBC, Judging
Amy, Leeza, Road Rules, and Reader's
Digest.
The event was co-hosted by Wendie Malick (Just Shoot
Me) and David Hyde Pierce (Frasier). Celebrity
presenters included Maria Conchita Alonso, Christian Bale,
Dorie Barton, Garcelle Beauvais, Linda Blair, James Cromwell,
Frances Fisher, Kelsey Grammer, Valerie Harper; Tippi Hedren,
Earl Holliman, Jesse James, Frankie Muniz, Alan Rachins, Doris
Roberts, Susan Sullivan, Concetta Tomei, Joan Van Ark and
Dennis Weaver.
The artistic theme of the show and stage design was animals
"On the Brink of Extinction," a sobering reflection on those
species we have lost forever and a wake-up call to protect
those we are in danger of losing. The whole event was once
again caught on tape for a television special. It was, in fact,
the 10th-year anniversary of the Genesis Awards on
television.
Most Memorable Moments:
This event was chock full of memorable moments, including
the appearance of Special Guest Julia Butterfly Hill, to whom
the Doris Day Music Award-winning song, "Sundown on the
Forest," was dedicated. Hill had recently spent 738 days living
in an old-growth redwood tree to prevent loggers from cutting
it down. She eloquently told the audience, "I like to look to
the children because they often are connected a little closer
to creation's source. They still place a value on life above a
value for money, and there's a lot of truth to be had in
that."
The really big moment, of course, was Prince's
appearance. He was accepting the Dolly Green Special
Achievement Award for his latest CD, Rave Un2 the Joy
Fantastic, which contain liner notes that decry the
suffering of sheep to produce wool clothing. Prince received a
heartfelt standing ovation and, in all sincerity, said, "I've
received many awards, but I'm truly humbled just to be here…I'm
truly humbled receiving this…There are so many wonderful people
in the room…Really this has been a moving experience just being
in the room with all of you."
Winners:
Feature Film: Instinct, Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass
Entertainment
Animated Feature Film: The Iron Giant, Warner
Bros
Made for TV Movie: Animal Farm, TNT
Network Newsmagazine: Dateline NBC, multiple
segments
Television Dramatic Series: Judging Amy, "The
Persistence of Tectonics," CBS
New Television Series: Popular, "Under Siege," WB
Cable Documentary: Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees
Cry, Discovery Channel
PBS Documentary: Nature, "A Conversation with
Koko"
Television Talk Show: Leeza, "Pets Turned Predators,"
syndicated
Network News Feature: CBS Evening News with Dan
Rather, "Dolphin Capture"
Cable News Series: ABC News/Discovery News, multiple
segments, Discovery Channel
Cable News Magazine: Earth Matters, multiple
segments, CNN
Local News Series: Newschannel 4, "Unfair Game,"
WNBC-New York
Reality Programming: Road Rules, "Semester at Sea,"
MTV
Children's Programming: The New Adventures of A.R.K.,
"Hunting by Numbers," Discovery Channel
Children's Programming, Animated: The Wild
Thornberrys, multiple episodes, Nickelodeon
Dolly Green Special Achievement: Prince, Rave Un2 the Joy
Fantastic, Arista Records
Doris Day Music Award: "Sundown on the Forest," Kingfish,
Phoenix Media Group
Bridgitte Bardot International Award: Carte Blanche
(South Africa), "The Tuli Elephants"
Ark Trust International Award: The Toronto Sun, "A
Price on Their Heads" by Scot Magnish
Periodical: Reader's Digest, "Scandal of America's
Puppy Mills" by William Ecenbarger
National Newspaper Feature: The Washington Post, "For
the Birds" by Tamara Jones
Series of Articles: San Jose Mercury News, "Zoo
Animals to Go" by Linda Goldston
