Oprah the talk of Int'l Emmys

Kudocast spreads wealth across the globe

By ELIZABETH GUIDER

See Winners

In a growing sign that production values have greatly improved around the globe, a record number of diverse broadcasters took home prizes at the 39th annual Intl. Emmy Awards Monday in New York.

Adding glitz to this year's affair was Sen. Hillary Clinton's presentation of the Founder's Award to Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey's talkshow is seen around the world, and her charitable ventures also have a global component.

The presence of Winfrey and Clinton on the red carpet and at the gala dinner brought the widest media coverage ever to the event, now in its 39th year.

In accepting her award, Winfrey said to Clinton, "I hope you do us the privilege of running for office." The remark drew loud applause from the 1,000-plus attendees.

Winfrey also said that it's "amazing grace" to have traveled the road from "a colored girl" in Mississippi to the stage of the international Emmys -- and she was thankful every day to have "not just a job, but a platform to change people's lives." Her show is currently in 150 countries abroad. And, she quipped, hopefully in even more after tonight.

A number of foreign-based media crews also showed up to film the winning contestants for consumption back home.

Denmark, which has nabbed the best drama prize three out of the last four years, took trophies in both the drama and the miniseries categories -- for crime drama "The Eagle" and a mini about local hero Hans Christian Andersen -- while Germany copped the top doc nod for a show about the bombing of Dresden.

France, Canada and, for the first time, China went home happy with prizes in other categories.

The awards were recently expanded to include actress and actor as well as reality series.

The BBC landed two accolades, for arts program and reality show, but the days when the Brits dominated the winners' podium seem to be over.

The I-Academy, which is the global arm of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, has gone to great lengths to encourage a wider swathe of its foreign membership to submit entries -- and has set up judging panels on several continents.

"This year's winners are representative of the growing excellence in worldwide programming, and the I-Academy is proud to be the platform for recognizing outstanding achievement in the international television community," I-Academy prexy-CEO Bruce Paisner said.

The star-studded gala was hosted for the second year with wacky aplomb by British comedian and talkshow host Graham Norton. Stars and celebs making presentations during the three-hour taped show at the Hilton Hotel included Danny Glover, Bebe Neuwirth, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Vivica A. Fox, Jack Wagner and Roger Bart.

The I-Emmy Directorate Award, presented by actress Helen Mirren, went to Brit net ITV for 50 years of excellence in commercial broadcasting in the U.K.; CEO Charles Allen accepted on behalf of his company. That award is given to orgs or individuals in management, news, programming and/or international relations for contributions to international television.

The Intl. Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) award was presented to the winning broadcaster, Egyptian TV, by UNICEF ambassador Danny Glover. This special award is co-presented yearly by the I-Academy and UNICEF.

Founded in 1969, the I-Academy is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with more than 500 members from 70 countries and 350 companies.

And the winners are...

DRAMA SERIES
"The Eagle"
DR - Denmark

COMEDY
"The Newsroom"
100 Percent TV - Canada

TV MOVIE/MINISERIES
"Young Andersen"
DR - Denmark

DOCUMENTARY
"The Drama of Dresden"
ZDF - Germany

ARTS PROGRAMMING
"Holocaust: A Musical Memorial Film from Auschwitz"
BBC - U.K.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR
Thierry Fremont in "Dans la tate du tueur" (Murder in Mind)
TF1-France

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS
He Lin in "Slave Mother"
China Movie Channel - China

CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE
"Dark Oracle"
Shaftesbury Films - Canada

NON-SCRIPTED ENTERTAINMENT
"Top Gear"
BBC - U.K.