Former ABC News Breakfast host Lisa Millar and chef and presenter Poh Ling Yeow are among this year’s nominees for the 65th Gold Logie, announced on Monday.
Comedians Hamish Blake and Julia Morris, A Current Affair host Ally Langdon, and presenter Sonia Kruger will also vie for the title of most popular personality on Australian television, along with the longest-serving female actor in an Australian soap, Lynne McGranger, who recently announced her retirement from Home and Away after more than 32 years.
Still administered by TV Week magazine, the Logies have historically been an unusual awards event, with a mix of popularly voted awards – which celebrities have always actively campaigned to win – and peer-voted awards.
That system was overhauled last year and now the awards in the “best” categories (formerly called “most outstanding”) are determined by a combined score, 50% of which is peer assessment and audience data supplied by the broadcasters and 50% is by public vote.
The Gold Logie, Bert Newton, Graham Kennedy and the new Ray Martin award for most popular news or public affairs reporter awards remain solely determined by popular vote.
At the announcement of the nominees at the Sydney Opera House on Monday, presenter Tara Rushton momentarily forgot to announce the final nominee Sonia Kruger, who was waiting in the wings to be called to the stage.
“I am never going to live this down, I’m surrounded by my idols,” said Rushton, apologising.
After the announcement, Blake told reporters that as the only male nominee, he actually didn’t want to win.
“It would not be a great look if I won, so figure out your favourite lady, and get right behind her,” he said.
Guy Montgomery, the host of Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee on the ABC, is nominated for the Graham Kennedy award for most popular new talent, alongside Hailey Pinto for Home and Away, Jenny Tian for Taskmaster Australia, Kate Miller-Heidke for The Voice, Kylah Day for Territory, and Sofia Levin for MasterChef Australia.
Blake, Morris and Kruger are also nominees in the Bert Newton award for most popular presenter, along with Australian Idol’s Ricki-Lee, the ABC’s Zan Rowe and one half of former Woodies tennis powerhouse duo Todd Woodbridge, for his coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Australian Open.
Langdon is joined by ABC journalists David Speers (Insiders) and Sarah Ferguson (7.30), Michael Usher (7News), Peter Overton (9News) and 60 minutes report Tara Brown, for her 60 Minutes reporting on Belle Gibson, as nominees for the Ray Martin award.
The Netflix series Territory dominates the Silver Logies category for best actor and actress in a drama, with Anna Torv, Michael Dorman, Robert Taylor and Sam Corlett all in the running. Kaitlyn Dever and Alycia Debnam-Carey are Silver Logie nominees for another Netflix series, Apple Cider Vinegar, which also draws inspiration from the Belle Gibson scandal.
Apple Cider Vinegar is in the running for best miniseries or telemovie, along with Stan’s Critical Incident, Paramount+’s Fake, Binge/Foxtel’s How to Make Gravy, Nine’s Human Error and the ABC’s Plum.
Streaming platforms also dominate the best drama category with the ABC’s Return to Paradise and The Newsreader the only free-to-air nominees.
The network that hosts the Logies, Seven, dominates the best news coverage category, with its reports on Cyclone Alfred, Melbourne protests and the assassination attempt on Donald Trump all nominees, along with the ABC’s coverage of scandals in the childcare sector, Nine’s Courage & Science report and its 2024 Gold Walkley winning expose on the CFMEU, Building Bad.
Voting for nominees opened at 9am on Monday and will continue until 7pm on 1 August. The winners will be announced in Sydney on 3 August.
With Australian Associated Press
