Bill Hader and Henry Winkler in a scene from ‘Barry.’
Photo: Isabella Vosmikova HBO
Bill Hader/Ted Danson to Be Honored
By BERNICE FOX
Special to Circling the News
Bill Hader’s HBO series, “Barry,” already has bagged Directors Guild and Writers Guild awards, as well as Emmys and Critics’ Choice awards for acting. Now the dark comedy about a hitman-turned-acting-student has been chosen for another top honor. “Barry” is getting a Peabody Award, given for excellence in electronic or digital media.
In announcing the Peabody, the judges say, “even as one of the quirkiest and entertaining series on TV, ‘Barry’ asks serious questions about emotional connection, the nature of violence, and the cost of doing whatever it takes to keep a secret.”
In addition to starring as the title character in “Barry,” Hader, who lives in the Palisades, writes and produces the series, along with directing some episodes.
A Palisadian leads the cast of another series being honored with a Peabody. Santa Monica Canyon resident Ted Danson stars in the NBC fantasy-comedy, “The Good Place.”
Judges heap praise on “The Good Place,” saying the show “keeps refusing to follow the formulas of broadcast network sitcoms, constantly renegotiating its format as our favorite contemporary morality play.“
A side note: supporting actress D’Arcy Carden has regular roles in both of these winning shows. Before her acting jobs filled her days, she was a nanny for Bill Hader’s children.
Darcy Carden with Ted Danson in ‘The Good Place.’
Photo: Colleen Hayes NBC
Now, back to the Peabody Awards.
Steven Spielberg and Rita Moreno
Photo: Twitter
Former Palisadian Rita Moreno is receiving the Peabody Career Achievement Award, described as an honor “reserved for individuals whose work and commitment to electronic media has left an indelible mark on the field.”
Of Moreno, the executive director of the Peabody Awards says, “we are delighted to celebrate her many contributions to entertainment and media, as well as her passion for children’s programming and important social issues.”
Moreno adds the Peabody to her EGOT: Emmys, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Her six-decade-plus career continues with a role in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming new “West Side Story,” which she’s also executive-producing. She was honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades in 1988.
This year’s Peabody Awards gala is Saturday, May 18, in New York City. A total of 30 programs will be honored.