Animal Protection Group's Annual Media Celebration Announces 50 Nominations in 17 News and Entertainment Categories
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — With six Genesis Awards nominations to its credit, CBS-TV leads the way as the nation's number one network in animal-friendly coverage. Presented by The Humane Society of the United States, The 22nd Genesis Awards, which takes place on Saturday, March 29, 2008, at The Beverly Hilton, honors the news and entertainment media for showcasing animal protection issues.
Spanning news, comedy and dramatic series, CBS comes out ahead in nine Genesis broadcast categories, with nominations for the top-rated CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News With Katie Couric, The Early Show, Sunday Morning and King of Queens. Following close behind is ABC-TV with four nominations, including Boston Legal, Grey's Anatomy, According to Jim and Nightline. CNN and NBC received two nominations each with Paula Zahn Now and Planet in Peril and NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams and The Today Show, respectively.
On the theatrical feature front, Paramount Pictures takes the top studio spot with two of the four movie nominations for Arctic Tale and Year of the Dog. The other two feature nominees are Walden Media/Samuel Goldwyn Films' Amazing Grace and Atlantis Alliance's Sharkwater.
In the Genesis Awards Outstanding Written Word categories, The New York Times is the frontrunner with four nominations, followed by the Los Angeles Times with two. Other major print nominees include: Newsweek, Chicago Tribune Magazine, People Magazine, National Geographic and Gourmet Magazine.
"The news and entertainment industries recognize that animal stories attract a large and devoted audience," says Beverly Kaskey, Senior Director of The Hollywood Office of The Humane Society of the United States. "The Michael Vick case gave unprecedented news coverage to dog fighting, but it also inspired a powerful episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. As for Boston Legal, in which social commentary abounds, animal issues formed the basis of several Genesis-nominated storylines."
Also being recognized for raising awareness of animal welfare is NBC's Heroes star and animal advocate Hayden Panettiere, who will be honored with The Wyler Award for drawing worldwide attention to the cruelty of Japan's whale and dolphin slaughter. The award, given to a celebrity who has made news on behalf of animals, is named after Genesis Awards founder Gretchen Wyler, the former Broadway headliner and animal activist, who died last year.
Adds Kaskey, "We feel Hayden is a very worthy successor to Sir Paul McCartney, last year's Wyler Award recipient. She's an inspiring example to her generation, using her compassion, courage and celebrity to help animals in a very effective way."
The Genesis Awards annually recognizes the major news and entertainment media for highlighting emerging issues or for bringing a fresh perspective to long-standing ones. The Genesis Awards does what few other awards shows do – it advocates for change and a desire to make a difference on behalf of animals.
The 22nd Genesis Awards is made possible in part by our corporate sponsors: BeKind.org, Market Development Group, Bombardier Skyjet, Prai Beauty Group, Cosmic Catnip, Nature's Miracle, Issimo International, TimeInc. and VegNews Magazine.
THE 22nd GENESIS AWARDS NOMINATIONS
FEATURE FILM
AMAZING GRACE Walden Media/Samuel Goldwin Films
YEAR OF THE DOG Paramount Vantage
DOCUMENTARY FILM
ARCTIC TALE Paramount Classics/National Geographic Films
SHARKWATER Atlantis/Alliance
SID CAESAR COMEDY AWARD
ACCORDING TO JIM
Guinea Pygmalion - ABC
THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW
Aloha Raffles - TBS
KING OF QUEENS
The Offensive Foul - CBS
DRAMATIC SERIES
BOSTON LEGAL multiple episodes - ABC
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
Lying Down with Dogs - CBS
GREY'S ANATOMY
A Change is Gonna Come - ABC
TV NEWSMAGAZINE – NATIONAL
60 MINUTES multiple episodes - CBS
NIGHTLINE
Pet Killings and
Savior of the Apes - ABC
TV NEWSMAGAZINE – CABLE/LOCAL/PBS/SYNDICATED
PAULA ZAHN NOW Michael Vick/dog fighting - CNN
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL Bred to Die and Faster Horses - HBO
INSIDE EDITION Horse Slaughter Investigation and Puppies Online - syndicated
NATIONAL NEWS FEATURE
CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC multiple segments - CBS
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS multiple segments - NBC
LOCAL NEWS SERIES
WAGA-TV FOX 5 (Atlanta) Fox Pens: Fair Hunt?
WKRN News 2 (Nashville) Dog Fighting in Nashville and Life of a Fighter
WKYC-TV (Cleveland) Pig Farm Abuse
LOCAL NEWS FEATURE
KHOU-TV (Houston) multiple segments
WOIO-TV19 Action News (Cleveland) Cleveland Clinic Whistle Blower and Ohio's Exotic Animal Auction
WTTG-TV FOX 5 (Washington) Faux Fur and Not Faux Fur
MORNING SHOW
THE EARLY SHOW Puppy Mills Exposé - CBS
SUNDAY MORNING Baghdad Zoo, Unleashed and Unforgettable Elephants - CBS
THE TODAY SHOW Is Fake Fur Really Fake? 2 Parts - NBC
TV DOCUMENTARY
NATURE multiple episodes - PBS
ORANGUTAN DIARY – Animal Planet
PLANET IN PERIL- CNN
WILD Revenge of the Elephants? – National Geographic Channel
BRIGITTE BARDOT INTERNATIONAL
60 MINUTES AUSTRALIA Marvels of the Deep
THE CAIRO CONNECTION – various countries
SABC 2 – 50/50 Selling Them Short (South Africa)
SEA TURTLES – GEO TV (Pakistan)
OUTSTANDING WRITTEN WORD
PERIODICAL
GOURMET MAGAZINE A View to a Kill by Daniel Zwerdling and The Occasional Vegetarian Letter from the Editor Ruth Reichl
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Still Waters: The Global Fish Crisis by Fen Montaigne
NEWSWEEK Slaughter in the Jungle cover story by Sharon Begley and Scott Johnson
PEOPLE MAGAZINE The Fake Fur Scandal by Charlotte Triggs
NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE FEATURE
CHICAGO TRIBUNE MAGAZINE Is Animal Liberation Going Soft? by Mick Dumke
LOS ANGELES TIMES MAGAZINE Out of the Hollywood Jungle by J.R. Moehringer
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE The Bears Among Us by Darcy Frey
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE New Tricks by Charles Siebert
SERIES OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
THE NEW YORK TIMES multiple articles on farm animals by Kim Severson
TULSA WORLD - puppy mill investigation by Omer Gillham
COLUMNIST
STU BYKOFSKY Philadelphia Daily News: I am an Elephant/ It's Time to Ban Foie Gras/Thanksgiving Turkeys
CLARK HOYT The New York Times The Danger of the One-Sided Debate
PATT MORRISON Los Angeles Times A Law for Bad Humans
BRIGITTE BARDOT INTERNATIONAL PRINT
THE INDEPENDENT (UK) 2-part series on Japan's dolphin slaughter by David McNeill and Jonathan Owen
THE JAPAN TIMES 3-part series on dolphin slaughter/human health hazards by Boyd Harnell
THE SUNDAY TIMES (UK) 2-part series on zoo animal taxidermy trade by Daniel Foggo and Hala Jaber
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.
