The Cove, which is a searing indictment of Japan’s dolphin slaughter, carried off the Genesis Outstanding Documentary Film award, adding this significant honor to a growing list of accolades. Keely and Pierce Brosnan presented the award to director Louie Psihoyos. Tying for Outstanding Feature Film were the Academy Award-winning Up and Hotel For Dogs, both of which offered meaningful messages about the importance of the human-animal bond.
Pierce Brosnan, Keely Shaye Brosnan, Louie Psihoyos (director of The Cove and Genesis Awardee) Photo Courtesy Long Photography/HSUS.
The Humane Society of the United States’ 24th Genesis Awards, presented on Saturday, March 20th at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. is the only awards show of its kind honoring the news and entertainment media for raising awareness of animal protection issues. This year’s event featured actress Kristen Bell and actor Michael Vartan introducing a special tribute to dogs, and was a banner night for dolphins and big cats.
Big cats had their moment in the Genesis spotlight when Melanie Griffith presented her mother, actress and animal advocate Tippi Hedren, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Recognized for her tireless advocacy on behalf of captive big cats, Tippi, who runs the Shambala Preserve, a sanctuary for discarded exotic felines in California, was given a standing ovation.
“From Oscar-winning films and documentaries to engaging TV news and entertainment programming, animal protection themes and concerns are more prevalent in the media than ever, proving that as a society we have become more attuned to the welfare of animals.”
- Beverly Kaskey, executive producer of The Genesis Awards and senior director of the Hollywood office of The Humane Society of the United States. In television, the popular, syndicated The Ellen DeGeneres Show took home the honor for Outstanding Talk Show for a segment highlighting the inhumane treatment of animals raised for food. And FOX’s primetime favorite Bones won the Outstanding Dramatic Series prize for an episode highlighting the factory farming of chickens. In other major TV categories, FOX’s Family Guy picked up the Sid Caesar Comedy Award for satirizing the double standards people apply to animals. And Animal Planet’s Whale Wars scooped the Genesis award for Outstanding Reality Series for a hard-hitting episode exposing the reality of whale slaughter. NBC’s TODAY, HLN’s Issues With Jane Velez Mitchell, and KCBS/KCAL-TV NEWS AT 11 (Los Angeles) were among the honorees in various TV news categories for their reporting on companion animals, circus abuse, and the mislabeling of real fur as faux.
Melanie Griffith, Tippi Hedren, Antonio Banderas
- Photo Courtesy Long Photography/HSUS
Among this year’s celebrity presenters and attendees were Antonio Banderas, Kristen Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Emily Deschanel, Jessalyn Gilsig, Ginnifer Goodwin, Melanie Griffith, Teri Hatcher, Tippi Hedren, Jon Lovitz, Maria Menounos and Moby. The 24th Genesis Awards will air on Animal Planet on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 28. 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 .
- Teri Hatcher
- Photo Courtesy Long Photography/HSUS
Award Recipients Included: BRIGITTE BARDOT INTERNATIONAL PRINT THE INDEPENDENT (UK)
multiple articles by Martin Hickman
For a prolific output of highly informative articles underscoring the connections between the myriad foods and products we consume and the abuse and exploitation of animals.
For a complete list of Award Recipients go to: Hsus.org
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