The 15th Annual Genesis Awards gave a nod to free speech when
it bestowed
Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher with
an award for his passionate condemnation of hunting.
Maher was one of 20 Genesis Award winners who were honored
at the black-tie event at the Beverly Hilton's International
Ballroom, where about 1,000 people paid tribute to the
awardees. Other winners included Chicken Run,
Dateline NBC (its fourth award), Family Law,
Popular, The Wild Thornberrys, and cartoonist
Cathy Guisewite's Cathy.
Judd Nelson and Charlotte Ross co-hosted this year's awards.
Celebrity presenters included Justin Berfield, Linda Blair,
Traci Bingham, Dixie Carter, James Cromwell, Tim Curry, Valerie
Harper, Tippi Hedren, Frances Fisher, Matt Gallant, Bill
Goldberg, Earl Holliman, Kimmi "The Vegetarian" Kappenberg
(Survivor), Kelly, the canine star of Dr. Seuss' How
the Grinch Stole Christmas, Judson Mills, Alan Rachins,
Natalie Raitano, Doris Roberts, Susan Sullivan, Karle Warren
and Dennis Weaver.
The Guest of Honor was Carol Buckley, founder and director
of The Elephant Sanctuary, the nation's first natural-habitat
refuge for Asian elephants.
Most Memorable Moment:
When accepting his award, Maher earned a rousing ovation by
saying, "The animals are the most innocent, most speechless,
most defenseless creatures, and they deserve a mean,
take-no-prisoner son-of-a-bitch like me talking for them."
We're glad he's on our side! Politically Incorrect
won for fearlessly dissecting the arguments of those who defend
hunting, declaring that an animal's right to live supersedes a
dying child's wish to kill. The aforementioned discussion
followed a policy change by the Make-A-Wish Foundation that
denies last wishes involving firearms.
Winners:
Feature Film: Chicken Run, DreamWorks Pictures in
association with Pathe
Network Newsmagazine: Dateline NBC, "A Dog's Life"
and "The Silence of the Lambs"
Television Dramatic Series: Family Law, "Family
Values," CBS
Television Comedy Series: Popular, "Joe Loves Mary
Cherry," WB
Television Documentary: Investigative Reports, "War
on the Range," A&E
Television Talk Show: Politically Incorrect with Bill
Maher, ABC
Cable Newsmagazine: CNN & Time, "Off Track,"
CNN
PBS Documentary: Nature, "The Urban Elephant,"
PBS
PBS Series: ITN World News, "Cruel World," five-part
series
Cable Documentary Series: Earth Rescue, "Circus of
Abuse-Elephants, Trainers and Tragedy," Outdoor Life
Network
News Series: KING-TV, Seattle for a seven-part series on
slaughterhouse violations
News Feature: KARE-TV, Minneapolis, "Bitter Pill"
Reality Programming: Wild Rescues, multiple segments,
Animal Planet
Children's Programming: Nick News with Linda
Ellerbee, multiple segments, Nickelodeon
Children's Programming, Animated: The Wild
Thornberrys, multiple episodes, Nickelodeon
Periodical: Atlantic Monthly, "From the Leash to the
Laboratory" by Judith Reitman
Cartoonist: Cathy Guisewite, Cathy
Brigitte Bardot International Award: A Bas Le Rodeo,
France and Germany, "Arte Reportage"
Ark Trust International Award: Daily Express, United
Kingdom, "Terrible Despair of Animals Cut Up in the Name of
Research" by Lucy Johnston and Jonathan Calvert
Television Commercial: Land Rover, "Dog," GSD&M
Advertising
