Primetime newcomers "Glee" and "Modern Family" have been honored with 2010 Peabody Awards, as has CBS's "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."
Several other entertainment shows also snagged the prestigious Peabody this year, including HBO's "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" and "In Treatment," Sundance Channel's reality documentary "Brick City," PBS's "Endegame" and an episode of PBS's "American Masters" devoted to Jerome Robbins.
The Peabody committee called "Glee" "dependably tuneful and entertaining," while "Modern Family" was noted for maintaining "an old-fashioned heart." CBS's Ferguson was singled out for making "late-night television safe again for ideas." Ferguson's interview with Desmond Tutu was specifically honored.
Ferguson is not the first late-night host to get a Peabody. His boss, David Letterman, was honored for his old NBC "Late Night" show, while Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" have also won.
The 69th annual Peabody awards will be handed out in May. The awards are handled by the University of Georgia and recognize "distinguished achievement and meritous service" by broadcast, cable, radio and Web producers and journalists.
This year's nominating committee was comprised of a mix of academics, critics, and editors, including the Hollywood Reporter's Elizabeth Guider, TV Newsday editor Harry Jessell, IMDB TV editor Melanie McFarland, the AP's Frazier Moore and omnipresent quote chimp Tim Brooks.
The full list of Peabody winners follows:
COMPLETE LIST OF RECIPIENTS OF THE 69th ANNUAL PEABODY AWARDS
Modern Family (ABC)
This wily, witty comedy puts quirky, contemporary twists in family ties but maintains an old-fashioned heart.
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: An Evening with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (CBS)
As this fascinating, often funny interview attests, the Scottish-born Ferguson has made late-night television safe again for ideas.
Noodle Road: Connecting Asia’s Kitchens (KBS1 TV)
The who, where, what, why and how of Asia’s culinary staple, rolled into one visually delicious hour.
A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains (ABC)
A powerful documentary shot in the hollows and house trailers of Appalachia reminds us that not all critical problems lie in “developing” nations.
SesameStreet.org
Big Bird and company display prodigious adaptability on this delightfully educational, interactive site.
BBC World News America: Unique Broadcast, Unique Perspective (BBC America)
A nightly newscast like none the United States has ever had, it places our actions and concerns in a global context.
The Cost of Dying (CBS)
Steve Kroft’s report addressed inconvenient truths about the cost of end-of-life medical care with courage and compassion.
Independent Lens: Between the Folds (PBS)
A beautiful documentary about the art of paper folding, it makes you gasp at the possibilities – of paper and of human creativity.
Glee (FOX)
Dependably tuneful and entertaining, the musical dramedy that revolves around the motley members of a high-school choral club hit especially high notes with episodes such as “Wheels,” about the daily struggles of a wheelchair-bound singer.
The OxyContin Express (Current TV)
With tales of drug-dealing MDs in Florida and Appalachian “pill-billies,” the documentary makes clear the enormity of the prescription-drug epidemic.
npr.org
A whole lot of things considered, from “South Park” to North Korea, make this one of the great one-stop websites.
