Documentary icon Sheila Nevins — who holds the all-time record for most Emmy wins by an individual (31), thanks to her long run as president of HBO Documentary Films — had to skip Thursday night’s Television Academy Hall of Fame event, after being diagnosed with COVID and pneumonia. Instead, Nevins sent her acceptance speech via video, and kicked off her thank-yous with a special shoutout: Dr. Finally, I got tested, and lo and behold, they said — and they were right — ‘you’re lucky you got the vaccine because you’re going to be over this in five to eight days.’ And it’s true.
This is the eighth day, and I’m testing negative. Fauci.” Nevins was one of six honorees at the Hall of Fame this year, which also included late “60 Minutes” correspondent Ed Bradley, actor Ted Danson; “South Park” co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and “Hacks” star Jean Smart. The event took place at the JW Marriott L.A.
Live in downtown Los Angeles — where the TV Academy is set to kick off its annual Televerse conference on Friday. After her Fauci reference, Nevins wasn’t done. She also had pointed things to say about several of her co-honorees: In the case of Smart, “it’s really quite astounding.
Smart, funny, respect for age, beautiful, and most importantly, after so many seasons, able to earn the same amount of money that the men earn.” In the case of Bradley: “I remember those days at ’60 Minutes’ when people could say what they want to say and do what they wanted to do,” she said. You were a great newsman, a great reporter.” She thanked “South Park” creators Parker and Stone “for allowing the oligarchy to be punched through animated characters who don’t seem to matter, when, in fact, they can really say Americans are getting fucked.” In the case of late “60 Minutes” anchor Bradley, who died in 2006, his widow, Patricia Blanchet, accepted the award on his behalf. And toward the end of her speech, she acknowledged the troubling times at CBS News, where Bradley was based all those years on the newsmagazine.
Let us heed Scott Pelley’s warning that CBS News is on fire, and indeed, so are so many of the institutions upon which we rely to uphold our democracy. Let us pick up Ed’s baton and speak truth to power. Let us walk his walk and better safeguard all that is at risk, that we hold so dear in our sacred democracy.” As CBS News’ Leslie Stahl said in her opening tribute to Bradley, “Ed was that the man you saw on television was exactly the man I knew off camera, and he covered a story with compassion.
It was because Ed cared so deeply about the powerless. If he covered a story that filled you with joy, it was because Ed himself was so funny and loved to laugh.” For Parker and Stone, Thursday’s ceremony had a bit of serendipity: It was 29 years to the day that “South Park” premiered on Comedy Central — Aug. 13, 1997. Stone started by thanking his family, “because I’ve missed a few birthdays.
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