Logies 2018: Winners, results and highlights from the award ceremony
AFTER Grant Denyer’s stunning Gold Logie win, the former host of Family Feud has made a surprising claim about the star-studded award show.
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AS his Gold Logie triumph was still sinking in, Grant Denyer called for the award to be an even playing field.
The Logies introduced a week of live voting which included campaigns such as the ABC’s Tom Gleeson rallying behind underdog Denyer, in a move which the former Family Feud host claimed was unfair.
“He hijacked my Logies campaign aggressively. It’s hard to know how much he impacted it,” Denyer said.
“I think it’s the wrong thing for the Logies. Reopening of voting is possibly the wrong thing to do.
“People have already voted and invested time. Making it a live competition to the finish line, I don’t think it’s the right way to do it.
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“I don’t think it should be an election campaign because there’s people who have an advantage. I have radio and television and not everyone has that. I get why they do it. It’s good hype and pumps the Logies up.
“It should be an awards without too much interference. It should be about excellence, not who has the loudest voice closest to the awards.
“It should be a level playing field.”
A humbled Denyer said he hadn’t checked his phone yet and was heading on holidays tomorrow.
Denyer’s wife Chezzi said she had to coax him into campaigning.
“He did not like the idea of voting being open all week,” she said.
“It’s been a full on campaign. I had to drag Grant through the whole process because he’s so humble.”
RATINGS SCARE FOR CHANNEL 9
A change of state and date did little to halt the slide in the TV Week Logie Awards, which was sensationally beaten by Seven’s House Rules last night.
Early figures have Aussie television’s night of nights, held at The Star Gold Coast, averaging 851,000 viewers across the five capital cities. The arrivals averaged 840,000.
The fact that such an expensive and high profile event couldn’t crack one million viewers should be a concern for Nine.
That House Rules was the highest rating entertainment show of the night, with 915,000 viewers across the capitals, will rub salt into the wound.
Last year’s Logies, hosted in Melbourne in April, averaged 972,000 viewers and the Logie Awards Arrivals averaged 864,000.
In 2016, the Logies averaged 1.019 million and the Arrivals averaged 1.050 million so the downward trend is clear.
GRANT DENYER’S EMOTIONAL WIN
Beating a more favoured field to steal this year’s Gold Logie, Denyer defied the fact his nominated show has been axed by Ten to emerge tonight’s surprise winner as Australia’s favourite TV personality.
“Family Feud came along for me in my life at a time I really wasn’t quite sure if I’d even wanted to,” he said, breaking down to tears in an emotional speech. “I wasn’t particularly in a very good place. I wasn’t very well. I was in a bit of a hole. I was a bit sad. I was a bit lost and Family Feud came along … in fact I was very unwell at that particular time and Family Feud gave me a ladder out of that hole and I am very lucky to have had it.
“It gave me my mojo back. It gave me some courage and I rebuilt myself. It gave me a new attitude and I figured out it is never too late to improve yourself, to be kind to other people and to know that you can always be a better you and you can have a much better positive influence on other people. So Family Feud, thank you very much, you saved me.”
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Denyer, who escaped a near fatal rally car crash last year, when his Porsche racer crashed into a tree, doing 180km/h, on a mountain course, outside of Melbourne.
His adventurous streak had helped build his national profile as Sunrise’s weather man and roving reporter for nine years — but that role also ended in disaster, when he landed awkwardly during a monster truck demonstration and fractured his back.
His recovery was plagued by anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, with Denyer and his producer wife, Chezzi seeking treatment for exhaustion in 2014 at a Thai clinic.
“To my beautiful wife Chezzi, we did it darls,” he sobbed to his partner and mother of their two daughters. “We bloody did it, holy crap. We’ve come a long way. I owe this to you. We are an incredible team and you’ve been there through my sides through the best and the worst. This is yours as much as it is mine.”
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His Logies campaigning was helped along by Hard Quiz comic Tom Gleeson, who saw the irony in Denyer winning after Feud was dumped — even though Gleeson’s own show was nominated in the same light entertainment category.
Denyer also called on his breakfast radio show audience in Sydney to vote, with his co-host and former Idol contestant Em Rusciano recording him a 007-style campaign song.
The Family Feud frontman will resurface on the network’s new prime-time shiny floor show, Game Of Games, but it was Feud’s axing which made for a few jibes during TV’s night of nights.
To finish, he surmised: “I’ve said Survey Says 30,000 times over the last four years so if it is okay as we bow out Family Feud for the final time … for the very last time, Survey Says thank you so much.”
BERT NEWTON UPSETS #METOO MOVEMENT
IT MAY not have been intentional but the #metoo movement took centre stage at Australian television’s night of nights.
From Dave Hughes’ opener where he referenced Don Burke to Bert Newton’s comments about the late Graham Kennedy and Don Lane mentoring, it was unavoidable.
“Speaking of young talent, Graham Kennedy was always the sort of man who nurtured young talent,” Newton told the celebrity-packed audience, many of whom sat open mouthed in shock as he spoke. “He enjoyed giving young people a chance on television, he was a great mentor, he mentored a lot of young people.
You knew if you went to his dressing room it was locked, he will be inside doing some mentoring. Don Lane was a mentor too. He did a hell of a lot of mentoring.”
Many online took offence, asking on social media if Newton was referring to his deceased colleagues as sexual predators. Other said it was in ill taste given the Me Too movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal that has engulfed Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry.
When asked by News Corp about the comments, Newton played the statements down.
“It was totally innocent so far as I am concerned,” he said. “In fairness these days, everything is jumped on. I am not that sort of person. I didn’t mean anything untoward.”
HUGHESY’S HILARIOUS OPENER
Comedian Dave Hughes shocked the audience by his reference to Don Burke, who has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by several women.
In his stinging opener, where he said “I love Don Burke” multiple times, Hughes roasted Channel 7 for their reported Gold Coast snub and the Barnaby Joyce Sunday Night special, as well as Brisbane bikini model Davina Rankin for her controversial Married at First Sight appearance and Karl and Peter Stefanovic’s “Ubergate” scandal.
JULIA MORRIS’ BIG PERFORMANCE
Later actor and TV host Julia Morris lightened the mood on the Me Too topic with a version of rap hit You Can’t Touch This, referring to various body parts.
More broadly, the night signified a changing of the guard of sorts as the Gold Coast took ownership and hosted the 60th annual TV Week Logie Awards.
RAY MEAGHER’S EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE
Long-time Home and Away favourite Ray Meagher took out the Most Popular Actor category, dedicating his award to his late co-star Cornelia Frances, who passed away in May following a battle with cancer.
Meagher, who has played Alf Stewart on the Channel 7 soapie for 30 years, had never previously won the silver Logie despite being nominated twice before.
“It’s so close and still a bit raw,” he said adding that he had visited her once a week while she was in hospital and palliative care.
“She lived life to the full. If there is a heaven she is propped up at the bar with a glass of champagne watching us so that’s what that was about.”
Meagher also joked that he pulled a “Steven Bradbury” to beat fellow nominees Aaron Jeffery, Erik Thomson Luke McGregor and Rodger Corser.
BIG WINNERS OF THE NIGHT
Held at The Star on the Gold Coast, a diverse raft of stars walked the red carpet for the lavish event including boxing champ Jeff Horn, NCIS star Wilmer Valderrama, Rachael Finch, Carrie Bickmore, Asher Keddie and Kerri-Anne Kennerley.
After dissing the awards and not attending, Hugo Weaving won the Most Outstanding Actor gong while Most Outstanding Actress went to Pamela Rabe for Wentworth.
Jessica Marais was a notable absentee, withdrawing from the event to seek treatment at a Sydney mental health facility, but won the Logie for Most Popular Actress with Love Child co-star Miranda Tapsell accepting the award on her behalf.
“Jess sends a huge thanks to Scout (her daughter), her family and friends for all their love and support,” Tapsell said.
The first award of the night was earlier handed out to The Block for Most Popular Reality TV program, with Scotty Cam and Shelley Craft accepting the statue.
“This award is for all those people that work behind the scenes so hard for Shelley and I to be up here,” Cam said.
Beating out former Bachelor turned Living Room presenter Matty Johnson, Love Child’s Sophia Forrest and Home and Away favourite Sam Frost and Sophie Dillman, CRAM! star Dilruk Jayasinha won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent.
“I don’t even know who I am either,” he joked.
Later, he said hit back at his naysayers: “I’m here and you’re not so suck it.”
Backstage he said of his win: “It’s surreal, it’s unbelievable, it’s ridiculous.”
It was a big night for Network Ten, with their popular panel show Have You Been Paying Attention? scooping the Most Popular Comedy Program gong and The Living Room winning Most Popular Lifestyle Program.
“The biggest reward for us tonight was having Barry Du Bois with us tonight,” Dr Chris Brown said, referencing his co-host, who is currently receiving treatment for his battle with cancer.
Foxtel’s Wentworth beat Doctor Doctor, Home and Away, Love Child and Offspring to the punch for Most Popular Drama, while Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie was won by Romper Stomper.
Most Outstanding Drama also went to Foxtel’s Wentworth.
It was also a jam-packed night for entertainment with Grammy Award-winning UK chart topper Jess Glynne performed her hit I’ll Be There, Brisbane singer-songwriter Conrad Sewell sang his popular song Healing Hands and Kelly Rowland teamed up with her winner of The Voice Sam Perry for a mash-up of Survivor and When Loves Takes Over.
Originally published as Logies 2018: Winners, results and highlights from the award ceremony