Goodnight, Gracie…

 

This week the Beverly Hilton hosted the 38^th Annual Gracie Awards, which is the Alliance for Women in Media’s annual celebration of female on-air and behind-the-scenes talent in media. No one would accuse The Gracies (named after legendary comedienne Gracie Allen) of stinginess with the accolades, as the organization gave out 37 separate awards that took about two and half hours to present Tues night. But the show moved fast, mixing celebrity with inspiration-filled speeches by some of the lesser known honorees. Unlike most of these things, the Gracies felt a bit more egalitarian and real. No Foo Foo Frivolity here. Or at least a bit less than normal.

 

One highlight: Watching Melissa Etheridge perform acoustic versions of “Meet Me in the Back,” as well as the breast-cancer war song “I Run for Life,” was worth the price of admission. And her words about loving what you do and letting the rest work itself out seemed to hit home.

 

Lighter moments also surfaced. ABC News producer Megan Chuchmach came to the stage with her elderly mother, who chronically waved to the crowd (she really waved a lot), eventually prompting Amy Poehler to enthusiastically wave back at her from the Universal Television table. Several times. In accepting a Best Actor award for her role on NBC’s “Parks & Recreation,” Poehler thanked her on-screen flame Adam Scott, who she also called her “real life enemy.” He introduced her, but not before thanking the long and awards-crammed program for allowing him to “catch up on my clapping.” The cut-throat nature of the TV biz was also on display. In picking up her Best Supporting Actress award for her role on NBC’s “Go On” (which has since been cancelled), Julie White didn’t mince words. “They say fate is a cruel mistress,” she told the crowd. “Well, NBC is a terrible boyfriend.”

 

All in all, a fun evening. Here are some of the cable wins for the night:

 

Mika Brzezinski
Outstanding Host
MSNBC/Morning Joe

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Forgotten But Not Gone: Kids, HIV, and AIDS
Outstanding Children/Adolescent Non-Animated Program
Nickelodeon

Rory Kennedy
Outstanding Director – News/Non-Fiction
HBO/Ethel

Sandra Lee
Outstanding Host – Lifestyle Program
Food Network/Restaurant Remakes

Semper Fi: Always Faithful
Outstanding Documentary
MSNBC

Shaun Robinson
Outstanding Host – Entertainment/Information
BET Networks

Sheila Nevins
Outstanding Producer – News/Non-Fiction
HBO/God Is The Bigger Elvis

Super Soul Sunday
Outstanding Special or Variety
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network

Sutton Foster
Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role
ABC Family/Bunheads

The Cast of “Hot in Cleveland”
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Comedy
TV Land

The Cast of “Steel Magnolias”
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Drama
Lifetime

The Suze Orman Show
Outstanding Talk Show – Entertainment/Information
CNBC

Bomb Girls
Outstanding Drama
REELZCHANNEL

CNN Special Projects: Small Business Success
Outstanding Lifestyle Program
CNN

ESPN Outside the Lines
Outstanding Sports Program
ESPN

Gaza/Israel Conflict
Outstanding Breaking News Coverage
CNN

Giuliana & Bill
Outstanding Reality Show
The Style Network

India’s Unwanted Girls
Outstanding Hard News Feature
CNN

Ireland’s Abortion Standoff
Outstanding Talk Show – News
Al Jazeera English

Julianne Moore
Outstanding Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Drama  Special
HBO/Game Change

Lena Dunham
Outstanding Director – Entertainment
HBO/Girls

Lucy Hale
Outstanding Performance By a Female Rising Star
ABC Family/Pretty Little Liars

Married to the Army: Alaska
Outstanding Reality Show
OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network