CELEBRATING THE SOUTHERN BISCUIT; JANET IVEY GETS A GRACIE

Folks connected with Nashville Public Television have been getting plenty of kudos lately.

Maryann Byrd Fuzzell recently celebrated her two Emmy Awards for the documentary The Rise of the Southern Biscuit with a party on the 31st Floor of the Viridian in downtown Nashville. The documentary, produced by Byrdword Productions and presented by Nashville Public Television, won the Emmy for Best Cultural Documentary and Byrd Fuzzell won for Best Documentary Writer when the Mid-South Regional Emmy Awards, presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, were awarded at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Among those celebrating with Byrd Fuzzell were her husband and the party’s host Frank Fuzzell, NPT President and CEO Beth Curley, The Honorable Governor Winfield Dunn, Don Luna of the Beacon Light Tearoom, Chuck Dunn, George Clark and several principles from the film, including Chef Phila Hach, Miss Daily King, Reverend Ronald Williams, Lucy Sims, Vicky Shepherd, Cynthia Philips and Lenora Reese.

Check out the pictures on the NPT web site.

Meanwhile, Janet Ivey was named the winner of the esteemed Gracie Allen Award, for the superior writing, production and programming of her Emmy-award winning Nashville Public Television children’s series Janet’s Planet. Ivey, a resident of Hendersonville, will be formally recognized and awarded in New York in June.

Awarded by the American Women and Radio and Television (AWRT), the Gracie Allen Award is named for comedienne, star, activist and entrepreneur Gracie Allen, a pioneer for women in radio and television and one-half of one of the most prominent comedy teams in American history. “The Gracies” celebrates and honors programming created for, by and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the broadcast industry.

Amy Griffith at the Nashville City Paper interviewed Ivey last week about the award and what she has coming up.

Congratulations to Maryann and Janet.