Live blog: all the action from the 2016 TV Week Logie Awards
WALEED Aly silenced his critics at the Logies last night. In his speech, he surprised viewers with a humble admission.
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WALEED Aly has taken home the Gold Logie at the 2016 TV Week Logie Awards, dedicating his win to “everyone with an unpronounceable name”.
Met with a standing ovation from the audience, the 37-year-old host of The Project was quick to acknowledge the debate that had surrounded his nomination.
“There’s nothing wrong with the picture,” he said. “If you are in the room I’m sure there’s an Instagram filter to return things to normal. It will be fine. This is happening.”
He acknowledged the efforts of his fellow nominees, Carrie Bickmore, Scott Cam, Lee Lin Chin, Essie Davis and Grant Denyer.
“Each nominee brilliantly distils some separate piece of Australia,” he said. “If you step back and look at those pieces assembled it’s a spectacular mosaic and we should be celebrating that fact.”
Saying he thought he’d have more luck winning an “AFL grand final” than a Gold Logie, Aly thanked his wife Susan and admitted he had a “dirty little secret”.
“If she had my job she’d be much better at it than me,” he said. “She’s sharper, wittier, funnier and infinitely more charming and likeable and I’m really glad she doesn’t have my job because otherwise I’d definitely wouldn’t have it.”
Aly also took the opportunity to dedicate his win to those with an “unpronounceable name”.
“It matters to them for a particular reason,” he said. “That reason was brought home ... not so long ago actually when someone who is in this room, and I’m not going to use the name they use in the industry, came up to me, introduced themselves and said to me, ‘I really hope you win. My name is Mustafa. But I can’t use that name because I won’t get a job’.
“He’s here tonight. And it matters to people like that that I am here. I know it’s not because of me. I know that.”
An emotional Aly wrapped up his speech by saying: “If tonight means anything, it’s that the Australian public, our audience, as far as they’re concerned, there is absolutely no reason why that can’t change.”
FOR A FULL LIST OF WINNERS SEE BELOW
It wasn’t the only impassioned speech of the night. Earlier in the evening, veteran actress and presenter Noni Hazlehurst was ushered into the Hall Of Fame — becoming only the second woman in the award’s 32-year history to receive the honour. It was a fact Hazlehurst acknowledged in her acceptance speech.
“I fear that our hearts are growing cold,” she said. “The fact that I’m only the second woman to be given this honour is merely a reflection of the prevailing guard. As the suggestion has been made in some quarters the eligibility of esteemed colleagues Waleed Aly and Lee Lin Chin going for Gold is questionable. Things are changing. They’re changing slowly.
“The great thing about glaciers if you’re not on them you go under. I’ve been riding that glacier for 40 years. And I’m staying on top of it. Graham Blundell once wrote about me and said no-one does ordinary and vulnerable like Noni Hazlehurst.
“But then I thought, ‘It’s OK’. Because, in fact, we’re all vulnerable and we’re all ordinary. Although, a lot of our energy is spent trying to prove the opposite.”
Described by Cate Blanchett in a prerecorded video package as “one of the most fearless actors that I ever had the pleasure to work opposite,” Hazlehurst spoke about her broad career in the Australian entertainment industry as both an actress and a presenter.
“Forty-three years is a long time and yet it seems like an instant,” she said. “So much so that this is something of a shock. I’m very honoured and very humbled and I thank you.”
It was a more thoughtful moment in a night that started with gags and F-bombs.
Host Dave Hughes set the tone for ceremony with his opening monologue — skewering everything from celebrity chefs and Rolf Harris to the Nine Network’s Beirut bungle.
First, his old The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore copped a cheeky jibe.
“She will hit the dance floor, absolutely. She will be shaking her baby maker,” he said, catching the audience off guard. “There’s a line and you don’t know when you’ve crossed it. It is tough to know where the line is. I don’t know these days.”
“Crossing the line” seemed to be a theme for the opening monologue, with the host quickly turning his aim to the Nine Network’s recent Beirut bungle.
“I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! Did quite well, no doubt about it. Did so well, Channel Nine decided to do their own version with 60 Minutes in Beirut,” he joked. “(I’m) Sitting on the table with the Channel Nine execs tonight, so that will be awkward.”
Pointing out My Kitchen Rules judge Colin Fassnidge, Hughes took issue with Australia’s fascination with international celebrity chefs.
“Good old Colin Fassnidge, Irish chef. We love an overseas chef here. Do you know Jamie Oliver? You met him. Can you tell him to stop trying to tell Australia how to eat healthy, mate,
yeah? Have a few less pies yourself, you chunky bastard, yeah. A little bit less yoghurt on it, Jamie.”
The comedian and broadcaster also reflected on the new found fame with youngsters that came with his role as host of Australia’s Got Talent this year. Of course, it was all a setup for a Rolf Harris joke.
“This is what happened to me when I was doing Australia’s Got Talent. Like, an eight-year-old lad ran up and goes, ‘Dave Hughes, my sister loves Australia’s Got Talent’. I said ‘Great’. She ran up, a little six-year-old girl and said, ‘Can she get a photo?’ I said, ‘No worries.’ I take a photo with his sister. I said, ‘Do you want one as well?’ He goes, ‘No, I’ll be right.’ Gave me the look like, ‘Back off Rolf Harris.’ Anyway, may have crossed another line there.”
Gold Logie nominee and SBS newsreader Lee Lin Chin scored a massive round of applause after being pointed out by Hughes.
“SBS meant a lot to me growing up in the country with no girlfriend, no internet,” he joked.
And it didn’t take long for Hughies opening monologue to be one-upped. When Peter Helliar and Kitty Flanagan hit the stage, nothing was off limits. But first, Kitty wanted to clear up an issue.
“I’m actually not here to present an award. I’m actually just up here to ask people to stop trying to order food and drinks from me,” she said. “I’ve clearly made an error with the outfit. I’m not actually wait staff. But table 47, yes, Ita (Buttrose), I will bring you one more round of Jaegar bombs and then I’m cutting you off. It’s a long night, pace yourself woman, pace yourself.”
Talking about Ky Baldwin, the young winner of the Graham Kennedy Breakthrough Star of Tomorrow award, Helliar offered advice.
“My advice, your first Logies, don’t drink with Stefanovic, don’t dance with Bickmore, and don’t accept a lift home from the 60 Minutes crew, OK?”
The riffing went on — you can check out the rest of their gear here.
The funny pair then awarded the Logie for Most Outstanding Comedy Program to Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell.
The comedian and host wrapped up his acceptance speech in true Micallef style: “Like many of you here this evening, we aren’t carpenters, cooks and contest winners so we cannot accept this Logie. We refuse it, but we will keep the trophy as a symbol of our defiance. Thank you.”
Crossing to Shane Jacobson in the crowd, the Kenny star caught up with Gold Logie nominee Lee Lin Chin. After telling her that, as a kid, he called SBS “Sex Before Soccer”, he asked the newsreader why it’s taken so long for a personality at the network to be nominated.
“I think it’s time to stop the jokes,” she replied to cheers.
“It does feel fantastic and particularly for SBS. I think we’ve arrived, don’t you agree?”
When Jacobson referred to the message Chin tweeted out after last year’s Logies that snowballed her entire Gold Logies campaign, she washed her hands.
“I deny all responsibility for initiating this,” she said.
Tim Minchin picked up the gong for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor for his role in The Secret River — about early convict colonists in New South Wales.
“(It) was often very upsetting to tell and if it was upsetting to tell and if it was upsetting for me, I can only imagine what it was like for Trevor Jamieson and Angus and the rest of the indigenous cast,” he said in a video acceptance speech. “I think it’s incredibly important we keep telling the story of the true history of Australia. It’s extremely complicated and painful and it’s hard to know how to tell a story respectfully and how to make sure we amplify the right voices, but I do know that ‘let’s get over it and move on’ doesn’t cut it and never has in any culture in the history of the world.”
Julia Morris dropped the first F-bomb of the night Or the first few.
Taking to the stage to present the Silver Logie for Best Presenter, the comedian and actress first gave a nod to her massive flub last year, when she accidentally announced the winner before listing the nominees.
“I don’t just want to be ‘old funny guy’,” she told the audience. “I also want to show you all that, there are times when I can be serious.”
After talking about the qualities that make up a good presenter, she decided to show off her outfit to the crowd. She gave a spin, followed by a pratfall.
“Oh f*ck. Oh, God. Oh, dear. Oh. Oh. F*ck,” she said as she threw herself on the floor. Pulling herself up with smeared makeup, she went on to award Waleed Aly for Best Presenter.
When Craig McLachlan took to the stage to present the gong for Best Supporting Actress, he taught us a lesson: If a joke isn’t working, let it die and move on. Don't keep digging hoping you find gold. You won’t.
His presenting partner, Love Child’s Miranda Tapsell, didn’t quite know how to react when her awkward bit with the actor kept dragging on. Between the cliche jokes about his age difference with the young actress and talking about the times he won a Logie himself, it never seemed to end. Eventually, they awarded the Best Supporting Actress Logie to Celia Ireland for her role in Wentworth.
Despite many other things happening during the ceremony, it didn’t take long for Julia Morris to grab the spotlight and spin it back on her. The comedian brought down the house later in the evening with an enthusiastic, if at times off-key, performance of I Need A Hero.
The performance was beat up earlier in the night, when Shane Jacobson spoke to Morris in the audience. Bringing up her first ever television appearance on New Faces in 1985, footage was played of Morris singing Bonnie Tyler’s ‘80s hit.
“You know what, I tied first and then I lost the tie-breaker to a girl’s marching band,” Morris explained of her talent show attempt. “So I never got to sing the song again because you got to sing the song again in the grand final.”
But 31 years later, she was finally given another chance at musical glory.
Taking to the stage, Morris gave a rousing and, as expected, over-the-top, rendition of the song. It went for about 30 seconds — but it was more than enough.
And viewers were nothing but appreciative of Lady JMo’s efforts.
“Only in Australia can you have a televised awards ceremony with a karaoke component,” @Madaferrari wrote.
“It's been like 10 minutes and I still can't fathom that @Ladyjmo just broke out into ‘I need a hero’,” @maddzzzzz_ added.
@AntonEnus commented: “Talk about a trouper! No rehearsal, no preps, @Ladyjmo gets up on national TV & belts out a number. You’re my #Logies2016 hero.”
Looks like we could already have the host of the 2017 Logie Awards.
WINNERS
Best Reality Program
The Block
Best Actor
Erik Thomson, 800 Words
Best Entertainment Program
Family Feud
Most Outstanding Comedy Program
Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell
Silver Logie for Best Actress
Jessica Marais, Love Child.
Best Drama Program
Home & Away
Best New Talent
Adam Dovile, Better Homes & Gardens
Most Outstanding Sports Coverage
KFC T20 Big Bash League
Most Outstanding Supporting Actor
Tim Minchin, The Secret River
Best Presenter
Waleed Aly, The Project.
Best Lifestyle Program
The Living Room
Best Factual Program
Gogglebox
Best Supporting Actress
Celia Ireland, Wentworth
Best Sports Program
The NRL Footy Show
Most Outstanding News Coverage
Parramatta Shooting, Seven News
Most Outstanding Entertainment Program
The Gruen transfer
The Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie
The Secret River
Best News Panel or Current Affairs Program
The Project
Most Outstanding Drama
Glitch
Most Outstanding Actor
Alex Dimitriades, The Principal
Most Outstanding Actress
Deborah Mailman, Redfern Now: Promise Me
Gold Logie for Best Personality
Waleed Aly
Originally published as Live blog: all the action from the 2016 TV Week Logie Awards
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