Up for an award at The Seventeenth Annual Genesis Awards

[Pavan]

The Humane Society of The United States Announces Winners of The Seventeenth Annual Genesis Awards

- ABC Sweeps With 6 Wins, and DreamWorks' Oscar Contender 'Spirit' Races to Glory at The Only Awards Show Where Animal Issues Command The Spotlight.


LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- DreamWorks' 'SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON;' ABC's 'THE PRACTICE,' '8 SIMPLE RULES FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER,' 'WORLD NEWS TONIGHT WITH PETER JENNINGS' and 'NIGHTLINE;' WB's 'EVERWOOD;' music legend PETER GABRIEL; THE NEW YORK TIMES and syndicated newsmagazine show 'CELEBRITY JUSTICE' head the distinguished line-up of 23 winners of the Seventeenth Annual Genesis Awards, presented for the first time by The Humane Society of The United States (HSUS). The gala ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 15, 2003 in the International Ballroom of The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA.

The Genesis Awards, an international distinction bestowed upon members of the news and entertainment media for spotlighting animal issues with courage, creativity and integrity, will be handed out to this year's distinguished awardees by celebrity presenters that include Melissa Rivers, Eric Roberts, Amy Smart, James Cromwell, Shannon Elizabeth, Doris Roberts, Michelle Phillips, Chynna Phillips, Michael Feinstein, Wendie Malick, Matt Gallant, Charlotte Ross, AJ McLean, Catherine Oxenburg, Aisha Tyler, Steve Valentine, Linda Blair, Tippi Hedren, Karle Warren and many more. And as a tribute to her valiant work in providing a safe haven for Thailand's abused elephants, Sangduen "Lek" Chailert, founder of Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, will be Guest of Honor.

Guided by the philosophy that "Cruelty Can't Stand The Spotlight," The HSUS Hollywood Office, formerly The Ark Trust, Inc., is dedicated to increasing awareness of animal issues through the awesome power of the major media, which it honors and celebrates each year with the Genesis Awards. The show will be taped and edited for a two-hour special, airing on Animal Planet in May.

"Over the past seventeen years, I have watched animal-protection issues gain widespread attention in the news and entertainment media," says Gretchen Wyler, Vice President of The (HSUS) Hollywood Office and creator of The Genesis Awards. "Now, we have primetime comedies such as ABC's '8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter' touching on circus cruelty and companion animal adoption -- the effect this has on raising public consciousness of the treatment of animals is immeasurable."

A complete list of winners of the Seventeenth Annual Genesis Awards follows:

FILM
Feature Film: 'Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron' (DreamWorks)
For a magnificent family feature that captures the heart and soul of a brave mustang, compelling us to understand his quest to live in freedom.
TELEVISION
Dramatic Series: 'The Practice' - "Small Sacrifices" (ABC)
For daring to unmask the ugly reality of American factory farming, forcing the audience to recognize that our 'civilized' society is not above reproach.
Family Series: 'Everwood' - "Deer God" (WB)
For a thoughtful and poignant depiction of male bonding, realized through the preservation -- as opposed to the destruction -- of wildlife.
Comedy Series: '8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter' (ABC)
For demonstrating a keen awareness of animal issues, and having the courage and creativity to integrate them into entertaining storylines with intelligence and compassion.
News Feature: 'World News Tonight With Peter Jennings' - Multiple Segments (ABC)
For consistently spotlighting a wide range of pressing animal issues, including the unpredicted harm done to whales by whale-watching, and a 'look at the argument for the legal representation of animals.
Network Newsmagazine: 'Nightline' - "Land Grab: The Corridors of Power" (ABC)
For illuminating the visionary work of Conservation International, a group of influential men, committed to the creation and financing of wildlife "corridors" to ensure the preservation of countless species.
Syndicated Newsmagazine: 'Celebrity Justice' - "Cruelty On Catalina?"
For revealing the shocking and little known practice of hot-iron branding seals for marine research; and for boldly showing the cruel treatment of animals used for food.
Cable Documentary: 'Vanishing Giants' (National Geographic Channel)
For focusing on the horrific suffering of Thailand's working elephants, forced into a life of inhumane servitude as pawns in the tourist industry.
Cable Documentary Series: 'National Geographic Explorer' - "America's Big Cat Crisis" and "Jane Goodall: Chimps in Crisis" (MSNBC)
For drawing attention to the growing and dangerous trend of keeping exotic cats as companion animals; and for an alarming assessment of the continuing threat to wild chimpanzees.
Television Movie: 'A Ring Of Endless Light' (Disney Channel)
For bringing to center stage the devastating effect of illegal driftnets that randomly trap and kill thousands of dolphins through a captivating tale about the sublime connection between children and animals.
Children's Programming - Television Movie: 'Kermit's Swamp Years' (Starz)
For a highly entertaining condemnation of class room dissections with the inimitable Kermit and his Muppet friends taking on the teacher, and "speaking" out on behalf of frogs everywhere.
Children's Programming - Series: 'Braceface' -"Vanity Fur" (ABC Family)
For a timely anti-fur statement about cruelty in fashion, embracing themes of loyalty and friendship, moral conviction and personal empowerment.
Reality Programming - 'Animal Cops' (Animal Planet)
For a hard-hitting series about companion animal abuse at its worst, interwoven with life-affirming moments when grateful animals are delivered into the safety of caring hands.
Brigitte Bardot International: Arte-Reportage -"Les Mustangs"
For an unsettling investigation into the Bureau of Land Management's wild mustang round-ups and adoption programs which fail to prevent thousands of horses from winding up in Canadian slaughterhouses.
Doris Day Music Award: 'Animal Nation' - Peter Gabriel - from "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" (Paramount/Nickelodeon)
For an enlightened and beautiful lyric, expressing the undeniable link between all living creatures and man's blindness in the face of the animal intelligence we refuse to see.
Local News Service: KATU-TV News (Portland) - "Inside The Cage"
For an uncompromising 3-part expose of the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, citing the physical and psychological suffering of the animals used in experiments behind closed doors.
Local News Feature: KCAL 9 News (Los Angeles)
For shattering the myth of the "Happy Cows" commercials by revealing the real conditions endured by hundreds of thousands of dairy cows; and for featuring undercover footage of the brutality inflicted on Carson and Barnes circus elephants.
Periodical: US News & World Report - "Cruel and Usual" by Michael Satchell
For a momentous in-depth feature, laying bare the horrendous and shameful conditions of America's roadside zoos and the inadequate regulations that permit them to exist.
Newspaper Magazine Feature: New York Times Magazine - "Power Steer" and "An Animal's Place" by Michael Pollan
For two landmark stories calling for radical improvements in the treatment of farm animals: one following the unnatural diseased-prone life of the typical food animal, and the other for exploring the complex debate over animal rights.
Series of Newspaper Articles: Tallahassee Democrat - "Animals Destined for Death" by Kathleen Laufenberg
For a series of sobering articles and images, chronicling the heart-
breaking consequences of dog and cat overpopulation as witnessed in our animal shelters.
Editorial: Tulsa World -Multiple editorials by Janet Pearson, supporting the initiative to ban cockfighting
For emphatically condemning cockfighting, thus informing and propelling public opinion toward a vote in favor of the initiative to ban this gruesome blood sport in Oklahoma.
Cartoonist: Dan Piraro - 'Bizarro'
For a prolific and inspired collection of humorous cartoons, speaking a thousand incisive words on behalf of animals.
Commercial: Kodak - "Animal Shelter" - (Ogilvy& Mather)
For producing a truly precious "Kodak Moment," encouraging pet adoption, proving that a major advertising campaign can sell both a product and a heart-warming animal-welfare message.
Winners are selected from material released in 2002. Entries are submitted by those in the news and entertainment industry or by "people's choice," with finalists voted upon by the 17-member Genesis Awards Committee.
Gretchen Wyler and Robert Halmi, Sr. are the executive producers and Paul Flattery is the producer of the special. Corporate underwriting is provided by Veterinary Pet Insurance, and sponsors include Hallmark Entertainment, Mastercard, AmercianFone, Delta Airlines and JAMI Charity Brands
The schedule for the evening is as follows:
5.00 p.m. No-host cocktails
6.30 p.m Gourmet Vegan Dinner
7.30 p.m. Welcome and Introduction
8.00 p.m Awards Presentation and TV Special taping

For ticket information, call (818) 501-2275 or go to www.GenesisAwards.com