Ian Somerhalder Wins Wyler Award at Humane Society Genesis Awards

By Sara Tan Mar 25th 2012

A slew of celebrities turned out for the 26th Annual Humane Society of the United States Genesis Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Saturday, March 24, to support the nation's largest animal-protection organization. "Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder won the prestigious Wyler Award, while famous animal lovers like Rose McGowan, Michael Vartan, Kesha, Sophia Bush, Cloris Leachman, Kaley Cuoco, Bill Maher, Wilmer Valderrama, Wendie Malick and Jason Ritter were all in attendance, not to mention canine celebrity Uggie, the dog star from Academy-Award-winning film "The Artist."

"Thank you ISF [Ian Somerhalder Foundation] for waging war on the imbalances and injustices in the world and standing up for those who have no voice. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart," Somerhalder tweeted after receiving the honor. He also tweeted a photo of his award with a caption that read, "Sleeping next to me tonight."



The HSUS Genesis Awards pay tribute to the major news and entertainment media organizations, as well as writers, producers, actors and directors for their outstanding work that raises public awareness regarding animal issues. Although many celebrities were honored for their dedication to the cause, the night wasn't about them. It was about the animals they fight on behalf of every day.

The show kicked off with "Dancing with the Stars" host Carrie Ann Inaba inviting Uggie to co-present an award, followed by a performance from HSUS' spokesperson and singer Colbie Caillat. Among the winners of the evening were "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" for outstanding talk show; Gordon Ramsay for his fearless documentary on shark-finning; "The Colbert Report" for the Sid Caesar Comedy award; and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" for feature film of the year.

Earlier in the evening, Caillat told PawNation how excited she was to be a part of this inspiring evening.

"I'm really happy to be here. I've never been to the Genesis Awards before," said Caillat. "I love animals, so [being] involved with the Humane Society was just a perfect fit ... making people aware of what we can do to make changes and to stop cruelty to animals."

Grammy-Award-winning musician Moby was also in attendance.

"I think this is the eighth time I've been to the Genesis Awards. I've been a vegan for 25 years, and I've worked with the HSUS for decades. Not to sound like a cliché, New-Age hippie, but I love all animals unconditionally," said Moby.

To learn more about the Humane Society of the United States, click here, and check out a complete list of winners below.

THE WYLER AWARD
IAN SOMERHALDER

FEATURE FILM
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX/CHERNIN ENTERTAINMENT

FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
BORN TO BE WILD 3D
WARNER BROS. PICTURES, IMAX CORPORATION

SID CAESAR COMEDY AWARD
THE COLBERT REPORT - COMEDY CENTRAL

DRAMATIC SERIES
HAWAII FIVE-0 - "Lapa'au" - CBS

CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING
TEEN
NICK NEWS WITH LINDA ELLERBEE
"Dangerous Crossroads: Human Animal vs. Wild Animal" - NICKELODEON

PRE-SCHOOL
SID THE SCIENCE KID - "Save the Stump!"
PBS KIDS

TV NEWSMAGAZINE
20/20 - ABC

NATIONAL NEWS
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS

LOCAL NEWS FEATURE
KTLA NEWS AT 10 (Los Angeles)

LOCAL NEWS SERIES
WOIO-TV ACTION NEWS (Cleveland)

MORNING NEWS SHOW
TODAY - NBC

TALK SHOW
THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - SYNDICATED

TV DOCUMENTARY
GORDON RAMSAY: SHARK BAIT - BBC AMERICA

REALITY SERIES
ANIMAL PLANET INVESTIGATES: CAPTIVE HUNTING EXPOSED

BRIGITTE BARDOT INTERNATIONAL
THE MEDAN CONNECTION - CARTE BLANCHE M-NET SOUTH AFRICA
THE INDEPENDENT (UK)

OUTSTANDING WRITTEN WORD
MAGAZINE
VANITY FAIR - "Agony and Ivory"

SERIES OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

ONLINE AWARD
THE ATLANTIC.COM

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE AWARD
PRISM – "A Call to Compassion"

INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AWARD
PRITISH NANDY

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