As a cultural institution, the Lodges occupy a peculiar place in the national bosom, alternately the object of praise and mockery. The host concert was once the biggest poisoned chalice in the industry, so bittersweet that few dared to drink it. As the sun set on the Gold Coast Convention Center, it was up to comedian Julia Morris to open the proceedings bravely.
Julia Morris at the Logies on Sunday. Credit: Chris Hyde / Getty Images
“There’s not a lot of song and dance, I’m too big,” Morris said. “What kind of night is ahead when they let a loose unit like me open the show. I used to look at the Lodges and think, why do the same seven people have all the work? But here’s the thing, now that I’m a d ‘I don’t want that to change.’
The much-loved comic did a kind hand, pointing to the gender pay gap and canceling out the culture. And perhaps because two years had passed between concerts, the usually hard-to-sell audience responded warmly. That sentiment, the positivity after two years of pandemic cancellations, seemed to be the recurring theme of the night.
The main winners of the night’s drama awards include ABC’s acclaimed dramas The Newsreader and Fairs, and actors Anna Torv (The Newsreader), Richard Roxburgh (Fairs), Colin Friels (Wakefield) and Heather Mitchell (Love Me).
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games (Set) won the award for outstanding sports coverage; presenters Tony Armstrong and Dylan Alcott announced the victory. “Having an indigenous man and a boy in a wheelchair up here on commercial television … we have a long way to go, but it’s huge,” Alcott said.
At one of the most anticipated moments of the night, the industry stopped to pay homage to television legend Bert Newton after the 83-year-old legend died in 2021. Invited to share her thoughts on her late husband, the wife of Newton, Patti, who came to the awards accompanied. by the couple’s daughter Lauren, she was greeted with a standing ovation when she took the stage.
Newton, who worked in each of the commercial networks, had an almost universal reverence for the industry. “I didn’t think I would be able to do that tonight, it’s still very raw,” Newton said. “I’ll never get over him not being here. But I know he’s with me.” In particular, Newton loved the Logie Awards, Patti said. “That was her baby,” she said. “She absolutely loved it.”
Ada Nicodemou a Velani; Jessica Mauboy to Mariam Seddiq, Simone Holtznagel to Mariam Seddiq to The Logies. Credit: Getty
In honor of Newton, the award for most popular presenter was renamed the Bert Newton Award. The nominees were Carrie Bickmore (The Project), Hamish Blake (Lego Masters Australia), Leigh Sales (7.30), Melissa Leong (MasterChef Australia), Sonia Kruger (Big Brother) and Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz). “It’s a step into Bert’s huge shadow,” Blake, who won, said in his acceptance speech.
The Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent was given to ABC News Breakfast sports host Tony Armstrong, who thanked the NIRS (National Indigenous Radio Service), which he credited with giving the show as AFL interlocutor who allowed him to get his job done. in the ABC.
The 32-year-old presenter also told his boss, ABC News Director Justin Stevens, that he might need a pay raise – “contract negotiations, mate,” he said – and thanked his mother Margaret, whom she described as a “superstar.” ”
The award for outstanding children’s program may not usually win a wide range, no doubt in a program in which Gogglebox Australia, Travel Guides and The Project won awards, but the 2022 winner is one of the most valuable television exports of Australia, Bluey of ABC. The series, produced by Brisbane-based Ludo Pictures, has been sold to more than 110 countries.
The cast of Neighbors at the Lodges 2022. Credit: Thomas Mitchell
The “in memoriam” segment acknowledged the deaths of actors Tom Long, Joy Westmore, Anne Phelan, Betty Bobbit, Dieter Brummer, David Gulpilil and Ben Unwin, speakers Clive James, Brian Henderson and Mike Raymond, television personality Jeanne Little , the news reader Kay Stammers. , executive Paul Fenn and David Leckie, producers Mark Ruse, Jill Covitz, Michael Gudinski and Gerald Stone, puppeteer Ernie Carroll and TV presenter Bert Newton.
The Golden Lodge for TV Week Hall of Fame was presented to sports broadcaster Bruce McAvaney. The 68-year-old, who received the Order of Australia Medal in June 2002 for sports broadcasting services, has been a major sporting event for decades, including the AFL Grand Final. the Melbourne Cup, the Summer Olympics and the Brownlow Medal.
In 2017, McAvaney revealed that he had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Accepting the Golden Lodge of the Hall of Fame, McAvaney described the world of modern sport as a “real-life drama, do or die.” It has been a privilege to be there, and to tell you about it. “