Genesis Awards 2011

Who: VN Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria and VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen

What: The Humane Society of the United States' annual awards ceremony for the media and entertainment industry

Where: The Century Plaza, Los Angeles, Calif.

When: Saturday, March 19, 2011

Why: To celebrate reporters, entertainers, and animal advocates who keep animal issues in the media spotlight

The Scoop: Twenty-five years ago, former Broadway actress and animal-activist Gretchen Wyler founded the Genesis Awards. At the time, a few awards were given out. Now, the awards have grown to include feature films, reality TV, talk shows, and TV news. The Genesis Awards honors journalists, media, and entertainers who lend their creative skills, celebrity status, and hard work toward awareness of animal issues. It's hard to believe that this phenomenal evening of star power has already been around for a quarter century, and even harder to believe that there was ever a time when it didn't exist.

It was my first time attending, and I was so excited to meet some of my favorite animal advocates, particularly Genesis award-nominee Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog. Stilwell is a staunch supporter of animal shelters and adopting rather than buying a companion animal, which is a cause close to my heart.

Davis, accepting her Wyler award

Top winners of the night include former Sex & the City star Kristin Davis, who was honored with the prestigious Wyler award (named after Genesis Awards founder, Gretchen Wyler) for bringing media attention to the plight of orphaned baby African elephants who are abandoned after their parents are poached for their ivory tusks. Davis graciously thanked the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for its work on behalf of elephants, including caring for a 250-pound baby elephant Davis and her friend rescued while on safari in South Africa. Other winners include HBO's True Blood for their dog-fighting storyline (dog star Dusty made a special guest appearance on stage), How to Train Your Dragon for feature film (to which supervising animator Gabe Hordos, credited his adopted cat for helping him create such a lovable dragon), and the The Oprah Winfrey Show for a show covering dolphin slaughter. Stephen Colbert gave a tongue-in-cheek virtual acceptance speech for winning the Sid Caesar Comedy Award for a segment on bull-fighting. He quipped, "I want to thank you for this honor and also congratulate you for honoring me."

While most of the animal segments covered upsetting issues like puppy mills, factory farms, horse slaughter, and other forms of inhumane treatment, I was thrilled to see wonderful advocates being honored from local news reporters to top stars like Davis. Presenters included the ever-lovely and vegan Emily Deschanel, Tricia Helfer, Betty White, James Cromwell, and Ed Asner. It was a treat to meet HSUS President Wayne Pacelle, hard-working HSUS directors, and fellow animal advocates.

The delicious main course we wish we were still eating.

Our vegan meal was prepared by vegan celebrity chef Tal Ronnen and our main entrée featured chantrelle-dusted Gardein chicken, broccolini, and chantrelle-stuffed ravioli topped in a beurre blanc sauce. We nearly died. A fantastic after-party featured a silent auction benefitting HSUS, and I was fortunate enough to win my bid on a gorgeous olive green Vaute Couture coat. A veritable vegan spread awaited us with cupcakes, quesadillas, even Tofutti cream cheese-stuffed jalapeño poppers. Elizabeth and I chatted with Brendan Brazier, Carolyn Scott-Hamilton, the gals at Compassion Over Killing, and Gardein's R&D chef, Jason Stefanko.

Animal Planet will air the awards ceremony on April 30 at 7pm EST/PST with an encore on May 1. Pacelle sums up the night the best when he said, "At the end of the day, I'm hopeful because ... there are millions of others who share our passion." I couldn't have said it better myself.

Don't miss our photo gallery from the glitzy evening, and you can see the official photos from HSUS on Flickr.

Kristin Davis photo courtesy of HSUS/Tim Long/Long Photography

October Marathon Surprise, Part 3

Who: VN Publisher/Editor in Chief Joseph Connelly
What: A new live raw Italian bistro + the “Whale Wars” premiere party
Where: Sal Anthony’s City Gardener and The Maritime Hotel, New York, NY
When: October 28, 2008
Why: New restaurant to try + launch celebration of the new Animal Planet conservation adventure series

The Scoop: Ah, the luxury of waking up in The City and not having to get anywhere. I’m already here. The rain last night combined with the sounds of Manhattan do not necessarily equate to a good night’s sleep, but lack of shuteye is obviously a sub-theme of this trip, one that must be shaken off for the cause of blog journalism. Blournalism? No.

Still feeling quite well-nourished from last night’s Pure Food and Wine excursion, and with the weather a bit wet yet, it was a good day to stay in and catch up on my homework. These journalistic tales don’t just write themselves, you know.

A half-day spent on VN duties and email in the lobby of the famous landmark Hotel Chelsea, where the wireless is fast and free, felt both necessary and responsible. I might be in The City That Never Sleeps, though this doesn’t mean that My Work Ever Stops. Besides, a little labor also grants permission for another night of play. What a night it was.

My accomplice for the evening was Farm Sanctuary’s Development Director Samantha Ragsdale, who was as anxious as I to eat at Sal Anthony’s City Gardener. Although Samantha is as well connected as any vegan New Yorker, no one can know it all, and prior to my suggestion not only had she never dined at Sal’s, she’d never even heard of it. Yet another October surprise.

Walking over to join Samantha for dinner, she texted that she was running a tad late at work. With a few minutes to kill, I jumped into a Goodwill store and while flipping through the CDs stumbled across a (veg icon) Paul McCartney record, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” that I did not own. I do now. And it’s an import, to boot … or maybe just a boot. Yes, I may have found a bootleg for $1.99. Score.

Arriving at Sal’s after a day of digestion with no nourishment other than half a bottle o’ GT's Organic Raw Gingerade Kombucha, I was prepped and ready for my second raw meal in as many nights. Following Monday’s Pure Food and Wine experience, I had no expectations, having already scaled the Everest of Live Food. The distinctions between the two establishments offered a rather unique perspective that was only enhanced by their proximity to one another. Sal’s is literally around the corner from Pure.

PF&W is an elegant, tastefully appointed, linen-tablecloth dining establishment with a clientele that includes ex-Presidents, recognizable morning news anchors, and famous foul-mouthed shock jocks. In contrast, Sal’s has the look and feel of a NY neighborhood deli, complete with paper menus, plastic cups, and various food selections on display in a glass front counter.

Just as you can’t judge a magazine by its cover, looks can be deceiving here as well. The test would be not a comparison between the two dining experiences, which would be unfair to both, but simply whether the food at Sal’s was tasty and nourishing. Was it ever.

Samantha and I shared a huge slice of Raw Pizza ($4.75) and a large bowl of Zucchini Spaghetti Primavera ($9.50). The pizza was a quarter-acre-sized triangle wedge of “flat bread” heaped with fresh pesto-spiced tomatoes. Yummy. The “pasta” consisted of noodles o’ zucchini mixed with more fresh tomatoes, pine nuts, greens, and Italian seasonings. Double yum. The ample portion-sizes coupled with the 100-percent-organic cuisine makes Sal’s a true find for New York as well as for raw, vegan food. And a bargain.


Sal’s also offers a delectable display of desserts, which called out to us. Raw, fresh (made while we ate dinner) Strawberry Cheesecake ($5.50)? How about Chocolate Mulberry Balls ($2)? Super Food Chocolate Bar ($3)? Yes, any weight I lost in Sunday’s marathon was returning with a vengeance. Too bad I’m leaving Manhattan tomorrow.

We chatted with Sal before leaving, who explained that he owns the largest restaurant in Little Italy, but that this is where is passion now lies. A very interesting character, rest assured you will be hearing more about him soon.

But onto the second half of our double feature. We walked westward on 17th to the dashing Maritime Hotel, where the folks at Animal Planet were hosting a little media party for our friends at the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The former have made a television series about the latter, “Whale Wars,” which is coming to the airwaves on Nov. 7. The entire North Cabana was decked out with banners and videos of Sea Shepherd, including the mirror in the men’s room! Quite an impressive party. There was also a large spread of vegan food, an open bar, and presentations by Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson and Animal Planet GM Marjorie Kaplan. We had a sneak peek of the program, which some of you may already have seen as a preview in your local multiplex.


After the festivities Samantha and I lounged around with Johnny, Kristine, Kim, Alex, Shannon, and Tim from Sea Shepherd. This 31-year old organization does so much with such a small, tight staff; a true role model of efficiency. We also learned that the production crew from Animal Planet will be back out on the ship when Sea Shepherd returns to the Antarctic this winter to once again confront the Japanese whaling fleet. Look for season two of "Whale Wars" next year, and be sure to tune into the seven-part series this November and December.

The night was still fairly young (by New York standards) so we decided to go for a cup of tea at a local joint not too far from the Maritime. Unfortunately this not-so-nice place was closing up shop when we got there and wouldn’t even sell us a pastry take-out. So I’m not gonna mention its name.

Travel commitments and expo obligations will delay the last three installments of “October Marathon Surprise” until next week, so please do check back next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday when we conclude this series. You’ll hear all about Katie and me attending an art exhibition, the Boston Veg Food Festival, and maybe, just maybe, one final Marathon Surprise.