Today host Karl Stefanovic (pictured) was last night awarded the TV Week Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at this year’s presentation of the TV Week Logie Awards.
It is the Nine Network’s first Gold Logie win since Ray Martin last won the award in 1996.
Stefanovic’s Gold win comes on the back of an aggressive marketing campaign by Nine which encouraged viewers to send in SMS votes to get him over the line. Other nominees Rebecca Gibney, Jessica Marais, Chrissie Swan, Adam Hills and Asher Keddie were also promoted by their respective networks, but Nine’s “Vote for Karl” campaign was certainly the most prolific.
The Today host even mentioned the campaign in his acceptance speech.
The campaign attracted some criticism as being a “tacky” stunt as opposed to having talent judged on its own merits. Seven news chief Peter Meakin told Crikey, “Karl’s a really nice guy, I regard him as a mate. But I just think this was tacky.”
Stefanovic’s Gold was his second Logie on the night. Earlier in the evening he’d been awarded the Silver Logie for Most Popular Presenter, and in accepting that award made mention of his wife, remarking that ‘”she’s also got the best arse I’ve ever seen.” Not the most elegant of acceptance speeches.
The Nine Network also scored three Logies for last year’s Underbelly instalment, Underbelly: The Golden Mile, including Most Outstanding Drama and Firass Dirani walking away with the two New Talent awards.
Seven’s popular Packed To The Rafters won Most Popular Drama, and actor Hugh Sheridan was awarded Most Popular Actor.
The Seven Network was also awarded Most Outstanding Factual Program for the special Trisha And Krishna: The Quest For Separate Lives, and the long-running Better Homes And Gardens won Most Popular Lifestyle Program.
Seven News won the Logie for Most Outstanding News Report for its coverage of the New Zealand mine disaster.
Ten’s reality hit MasterChef Australia, which returned for its third season last night up against the Logies, not surprisingly won the award for Most Popular Reality Program. Ten also picked up awards for Bondi Rescue for Most Popular Factual Program, and Offspring’s Asher Keddie for Most Popular Actress.
Ten’s morning show The Circle won Most Popular Light Entertainment Program, while co-host Chrissie Swan (pictured, far right, with colleagues Denise Drysdale, Yumi Stynes and Gorgi Coghlan) may have missed out on the Gold but did take the Most Popular New Female Talent award.
ABC collected a number of awards this year. Richard Roxburgh won Most Outstanding Actor for his role in Rake, and Claire van der Boom won Most Outstanding Actress for her role in Sisters Of War. ABC3’s Dance Academy won Most Outstanding Children’s Program, and Spicks And Specks won Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program. The Four Corners story “Struggler’s Paradise” won Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report.
Jana Wendt appeared on stage to induct former colleague Laurie Oakes (pictured) into the TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame. There were congratulatory messages from Prime Minister Julia Gillard, opposition leader Tony Abbott, former prime ministers John Howard and Kevin Rudd and ABC presenter Kerry O’Brien.
Performer Eddie Perfect and comedy trio Tripod presented a moving tribute to those in the television and showbusiness industries that have left us over the past twelve months.
Other music performances on the night came from Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Jessie J.
Megan Gale, Andre Rieu and Rachel Griffiths were among the guest stars to hand out awards.
Credit to Shane Bourne for courageously taking on the role as host that invariably draws criticism, and succeeding to lead the night with good humour and without wearing out his welcome.
One aspect of the telecast that did wear out its welcome, however, was the “Logies Minute” segment which appeared at various stages of the night as advertorials for the telecast sponsors but came across as awkward and unnecessary and mostly went beyond their promised “Minute” of airtime. Said sponsors might have got more value by the network just running their commercials.
Across the five major capitals the awards presentation averaged a preliminary overnight rating of 1,323,000 viewers over four hours – including both the red carpet arrivals and the Awards themselves – while the return of Ten’s MasterChef averaged around 1,569,000 viewers over its 90 minutes.
Nine won the night overall with a rating of 28.2 per cent, followed by Ten (18.9%), Seven (18.7%), ABC1 (11.8%), SBS1 (3.6%), GO! (3.5%), GEM (3.3%), 7mate (3.1%), 7TWO (2.7%), Eleven (2.4%), One (1.7%), ABC2 (0.9%), SBS2 (0.6%), ABC3 (0.4%) and ABC News 24 (0.4%).
TV WEEK GOLD LOGIE – Most Popular Personality on TV
Karl Stefanovic (Today, Network Nine)
TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Popular Actor
Hugh Sheridan (Packed To The Rafters, Channel Seven)
TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Popular Actress
Asher Keddie (Offspring, Network Ten)
TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Popular Presenter
Karl Stefanovic (Today, Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR NEW MALE TALENT
Firass Dirani (Underbelly: The Golden Mile, Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR NEW FEMALE TALENT
Chrissie Swan (The Circle, Network Ten)
MOST POPULAR DRAMA SERIES
Packed To The Rafters (Channel Seven)
MOST POPULAR LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
The Circle (Network Ten)
MOST POPULAR LIFESTYLE PROGRAM
Better Homes And Gardens (Channel Seven)
MOST POPULAR SPORTS PROGRAM
The Footy Show (AFL) (Nine Network)
MOST POPULAR REALITY PROGRAM
MasterChef Australia (Network Ten)
MOST POPULAR FACTUAL PROGRAM
Bondi Rescue (Network Ten)
OUTSTANDING AWARDS
TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie
Underbelly: The Golden Mile (Nine Network)
TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Outstanding Actor
Richard Roxburgh (Rake, ABC1)
TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE – Most Outstanding Actress
Claire van der Boom (Sisters Of War, ABC1)
GRAHAM KENNEDY AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING NEW TALENT
Firass Dirani (Underbelly: The Golden Mile, Nine Network)
MOST OUTSTANDING NEWS COVERAGE
“New Zealand Mine Disaster” (Seven News)
MOST OUTSTANDING PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORT
“Smugglers’ Paradise” (Four Corners, ABC1)
MOST OUTSTANDING LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM
Spicks And Specks (ABC1)
MOST OUTSTANDING SPORTS COVERAGE
The Ashes 2010 First Test – Day One at the Gabba (Nine Network)
MOST OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
Dance Academy (ABC3)
MOST OUTSTANDING FACTUAL PROGRAM
Trishna & Krishna: The Quest For Separate Lives (Channel Seven)
TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS’ HALL OF FAME
Laurie Oakes
