The Genesis Awards

“From the first Genesis Awards, in 1986, when Magnum, P.I. was recognized for the line, ‘It’s wrong to kill dolphins,’ it’s truly amazing, 25 years later, to look at the variety and caliber of today’s Genesis Award honorees, all of whom explore animal protection issues in greater depth and with tremendous creativity,” says Beverly Kaskey, executive producer of the annual Genesis Awards and senior director of the Hollywood office of The Humane Society of the United States. “Tonight is a milestone for The Genesis Awards but, more importantly, it’s a milestone for all animals and their place in the social and cultural fabric of our daily lives.”

It was a winning night for all animals as the news and entertainment media were honored for their reporting and portrayals of animal protection issues in 17 major award categories at The Humane Society of the United States’ 25^th Anniversary Genesis Awards on Saturday, March 19, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Los Angeles, Calif.

Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report won the Sid Caesar Comedy Award for satirizing bullfighters.  HBO’s True Blood picked up Outstanding Dramatic Series for a unique storyline about a shape-shifter abused through dogfighting. The Oprah Winfrey Show took the Outstanding Talk Show award for two animal-themed shows spotlighting Japan’s dolphin slaughter, elephant poaching for ivory, and pet overpopulation. DreamWorks Animation’s box office champion How To Train Your Dragon received Outstanding Feature Film for its inspiring message about tolerance and respect for all living creatures.  And the honors for Outstanding Feature Documentary went to The Elephant in the Living Room for its fascinating and disturbing look at exotic pet ownership.

The documentary opens in Los Angeles and New York on April 1.