Watch The 12th Annual Golden Moose Awards (2012)
February 13, 2012
By OutdoorChannel.com
Don't miss this exciting night! TUNE IN THURSDAY FEB 16 AT 8:30PM ET AND SUNDAY FEB 19 AT 3PM ET
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- When it comes to winning a Golden Moose Award, Joe Mantegna sums it up best.
Mantegna is a well-known face. He’s won a Tony Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Italian Film Festival and he’s immortalized in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He starred in the Godfather Part III, hosted Saturday Night Live and has a long list of achievements in the acting world.
When he accepted the Best Shooting Sports Golden Moose Award for the Outdoor Channel Show “MidwayUSA’s Gun Stories,” his words carried a special meaning to the show hosts and producers in the room.
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“This is an award that I truly covet because of the passion that surrounds it,’’ Mantegna said. “When you bring passion to television, that is a whole new ballgame. I’m on the Walk of Fame with people who make a living portraying heroic people. In Washington D.C., there is a wall with names of people who gave up their lives by being heroes.
“Telling their stories to this (Outdoor Channel’s) audience is special.”
Mantegna was just one of many who received recognition for their work in outdoor television. Presented by MidwayUSA, Outdoor Channel’s 12th Annual Golden Moose Awards (GMAs) honors the best in the genre. Hosted by Michael Waddell, the 2012 GMAs were filmed during the National Shooting Sports Foundation 's (NSSF ) annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show and Conference (SHOT Show) in January.
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The popular outdoor television awards extravaganza presented producers and on-air talent from Outdoor Channel's industry-leading programming with 24 awards, including a "Lifetime Achievement" award and several "Fan Favorite" accolades.
“To see this show grow like this, it fills me with hope for hunting and the Outdoor Channel,’’ said Jim Shockey, a multi-nominee.
The audience was a virtual Who’s Who of outdoor television celebrities. Each of the awards was preceded by video clips from the nominees creating the drama. Always the jokester, Waddell tied things together with his down-home charm and sense of humor.
“This is like the Oscars of outdoor programming,’’ he told the audience. “I know we scare the cornbread heck out of Las Vegas. I haven’t seen this many armed Americans since we were in Bin Laden’s home.”
In an exclusive 90-minute television presentation, Outdoor Channel viewers will experience all the drama of the evening with backstage footage, red-carpet interviews and acceptance speeches of all 24 winners who took home the coveted Golden Moose Awards.
“We had a great time at the Golden Moose Awards, and we’re proud that two shows sponsored by MidwayUSA won awards,” said MidwayUSA Founder and CEO Larry Potterfield. “ ‘MidwayUSA’s Gun Stories’ was really a fun show to be part of; I think viewers enjoyed seeing the history behind some great, great guns. The fact that it won for Best Shooting Show and Best Educational Show says a lot about what Outdoor Channel viewers want to watch. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation's ‘Team Elk,’ presented by MidwayUSA, does a great job showing what western elk hunting is all about. It’s an honor that viewers chose it as Fan Favorite in a New Show.”
Here’s a list of awards and honors presented during the broadcast:
