JULY 23, 2006, LOS ANGELES – Members of the Television Critics Association bestowed four TCA Awards on NBC tonight, including Outstanding New Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Individual Achievement in Comedy and The Heritage Award.
In a ceremony introduced by Mary Lynn Rajskub from Fox’s hit series “24,” NBC was the top trophy earner. ABC and PBS came away with two awards per network; Fox and Disney Channel received one award each.
NBC newcomer “My Name is Earl” won Outstanding New Program and sophomore series “The Office” was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. The ABC series “Lost” was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Drama for the second year in a row, and ABC’s hot doctors led “Grey’s Anatomy” to a trophy for Program of the Year. In the Individual Achievement Categories, Hugh Laurie (“House”) won for drama for the second consecutive year, and Steve Carell (“The Office”) won for comedy.
PBS’s “Frontline” received its eighth (TCA) honor in the category of Outstanding Achievement in News & Information.
NBC’s “The West Wing” received the Heritage Award, which recognizes a long-standing program that has had a lasting cultural or social impact. Carol Burnett received TCA’s 2006 coveted award for Career Achievement.
Other winners included PBS’s “American Masters: Bob Dylan — No Direction Home” (Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Mini-series and Specials,) and Disney Channel’s “High School Musical” (Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming).
Among those on hand at Pasadena’s Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel to accept were Carol Burnett, Hugh Laurie, Steve Carell, Jason Lee, Jaime Pressly, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, John Krasinski, Ethan Suplee, Nadine Velazquez, Isaiah Washington, James Pickens, Chandra Wilson, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel , Aaron Sorkin and John Wells.
2006 TCA Award recipients are as follows:
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: “My Name Is Earl” (NBC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: “Lost” (ABC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: “The Office” (NBC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: “Frontline” (PBS)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING: “High School Musical” (Disney Channel)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: “American Masters: Bob Dylan — No Direction Home” (PBS)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Hugh Laurie, “House” (Fox)
HERITAGE AWARD: “The West Wing” (NBC)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Carol Burnett
The 22nd annual TCA Awards were held at The Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif. Founded in 1978, the Television Critics Association is composed of more than 200 reporters and columnists in print media from the United States and Canada.
VIPs ATTENDING AWARDS CEREMONY:
HUGH LAURIE
Robert Sean Leonard
Gabriela Salick
Katie Jacobs
Karen Kaplow
Larry Kaplow
Russ Smith
Vanessa Fourgeaud
Nancy Perkins
Ron Perkins
Heather Greenfield
CAROL BURNETT
Brian Miller (Carol’s husband)
Deborah Kelman
David Bean
Mary Keye Schilling
THE OFFICE
Steve Carell
Rainn Wilson
John Krasinski
B.J. Novak
Greg Daniels
Ben Silverman
Teri Weinberg
Melora Hardin
David Denman
Leslie David Baker
Brian Baumgartner
Kate Flannery
Angela Kinsey
Oscar Nunez
Phyllis Smith
Michelle Bowhan
Steve Sauer
Howard Klein
MY NAME IS EARL
Jason Lee
Nadine Velazquez
Jaime Pressly
Eddie Steeples
Greg Garcia
Marc Buckland
Tracey Raab
Bobby Bowman
Josh Pollack
GREY’S ANATOMY
Betsy Beers
Mark Gordon
Shonda Rhymes
Kate Walsh
Sara Ramirez
Isaiah Washington
James Pickens
Chandra Wilson
Krista Vernoff
Peter Horton
Kevin Brockman
Justin Chambers
TR Knight
LOST
Jack Bender
Brian Burk
Damon Lindeloff
Daniel Dae Kim
Mark Pedowitz
Steve McPherson
Hope Hartman
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL
Ashley Tisdale
Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Lucas Grabeel
Monique Coleman
Bill Borden
Gary Marsh
Michael Healy
Patti McTeague
Anastasia Lee
Barry Rosenbush
THE WEST WING
Aaron Sorkin
Thomas Schlamme
John Wells
Kristi Strupinsky
MARY LYNN RAJSKUB
David Lust
Christie Smith
David Surnow
FRONTLINE
Martin Smith
TCA GUESTS
Phil Piga (PBS)
Stephanie Aronson (PBS)
AMERICAN MASTERS: BOB DYLAN: NO DIRECTION HOME
Prudence Glass
Jessica Lacy
Kellie Spector
NBC
Rachel Filippelli
David Gardner
Liza Rindge-Peterson
NBC UNIVERSAL STUDIO
Angela Bromstad
Curt King
Jon Koa
Laura Lancaster
Shelley McCrory
Vernon Sanders
Mindy Kaling
Paul Lieberstein
PRESS
Frederick Brown (Getty Images)
Jesse Grant (Wire Image)
Phil McCarten (AP)
Beverly Garland
Gene Walsh