"Glee" co-creator Ryan Murphy didn't hesitate when given a chance to pay tribute to his American idol, legendary TV producer Norman Lear, at the 40th International Emmy Awards.
Lear's
sitcom "All In the Family" — and its spinoffs "Maude" and "The
Jeffersons" — mixed humor with an honest examination of the key social
issues of the day — racism, sexism, even abortion, rape and
homosexuality. Decades later, Murphy is following the path blazed by
Lear with his shows, "Glee" and "The New Normal."
Murphy and Lear are to receive honorary awards at Monday night's International Emmy Awards
Gala. A total of 38 nominees from 15 countries will compete for awards
in nine categories. British television productions received a leading
seven nominations, including best actor and actress nods for Jason
Isaacs, the villainous Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, in the
crime mystery "Case Histories" and newcomer Joanna Vanderham in "The
Runaway."
"I remember watching his shows when I was young and
being moved by them," Murphy said of Lear from his production office in
Los Angeles. "The way he tackled social issues so directly and opened a
conversation about things no one wanted to talk about was fascinating to
me.
"I try to do the same in my work, most recently with the
'Obama Mama' episode of 'The New Normal,' which was inspired by 'All in
the Family.'"
In that Sept. 25 episode of his new NBC sitcom,
about a gay male couple and the surrogate hired to carry their child,
there's a heated discussion at a dinner party over whether to support
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney reminiscent of Archie Bunker's debates with
his liberal son-in-law Mike, whom he called "Meathead." Ellen Barkin's
character Jane Forrest, the surrogate's ultraconservative grandmother,
is prone to making racist and homophobic remarks much like the
curmudgeonly working-class Bunker.
At Monday night's ceremony,
hosted by Regis Philbin at the Hilton New York Hotel, Murphy will be
presenting the 40th Anniversary Special Founders Award to Lear, now 90,
and "MASH" star Alan Alda. The organizers wanted to mark the milestone
anniversary by honoring a producer and performer who had groundbreaking
shows on the air in 1972 when the International Emmys were first
presented.
"Each of them is an iconic person in the history of the television
business ... who were part of that incredible vanguard of a new kind of
socially relevant, often in-your-face, television programs that really
did change the medium," said Bruce L. Paisner,
president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences, which presents the International Emmys honoring excellence in
television programming produced outside the U.S.
"'MASH' very cleverly used the Korean War as a stand in for social commentary on the Vietnam War. ... 'All in the Family' — as well as everything that Norman did — was a new approach to addressing social issues on television," said Paisner.
To
complete the circle, Jessica Lange, the star of Murphy's gothic
contemporary TV series "American Horror Story," will present him with
the honorary 2012 International Emmy Founders Award.
"In terms of being at the cutting edge of changes in our society, Ryan Murphy
may be the most significant producer in the industry today. He is
trying very hard to change the way people think in ways that get people
to be more inclusive and tolerant," said Paisner.
"Every once in a
while a producer comes along who manages because he's a great
storyteller to change the terms of the national discussion for the
better. Norman Lear was certainly one and Ryan Murphy is another one," added Paisner, noting the recent election in which voters in three states approved same-sex marriage.
With
"Glee," Paisner noted, Murphy also created a novel format mixing music
with drama/comedy, which has had an influence abroad. Singapore's
"The Kitchen Musical," a music-dance-drama about a young girl fresh out
of a Parisian culinary school who goes to work in her father's famous
restaurant, received two nominations.
Brazil had five nominations, all for TV Globo productions, while Argentina's
four nominations included acting nods for Dario Grandinetti and
Cristina Banegas in the miniseries "Television por la Inclusion."
Paisner
said the International Emmys have come a long way since 1972 when about
100 people gathered in a New York hotel for a modest ceremony that
handed out two International Emmys for fiction and non-fiction programming.
Now, the academy presents International Emmys
in 20 categories with separate ceremonies for news and current affairs,
digital productions and children's television. More than 1,000
television industry representatives from around the world are expected
for Monday's gala.
Monday's
ceremony will also honor Kim In-kyu, president and CEO of the Korean
Broadcasting System, with the honorary 2012 International Emmy
Directorate Award.
Post a Comment