Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi Honored By Humane Society

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi will receive The Wyler Award, one of The Humane Society of the United States' most prestigious honors, at The 23rd Genesis Awards on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Given to a celebrity or public figure who has made news on behalf of animals, the award is named after the late Genesis Awards founder Gretchen Wyler, the Broadway headliner and animal activist.

"Ellen and Portia stand up for their beliefs, and they have had a major impact in spreading the message about animal protection," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "They had a particularly significant role in helping to pass Proposition 2, and they helped make the case to the people of California and to the rest of the nation that all animals deserve humane treatment, including animals raised for food."

The host of her own hit talk show, the multi-Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen has used her distinctive comic and compassionate voice to raise awareness of many issues of humanitarian, environmental and animal welfare concern. Portia, who shares those values, has appeared in many socially significant TV series, including FX's Nip/Tuck, Fox's Arrested Development and Ally McBeal, and she will soon be seen in ABC's Better Off Ted.

"As executive producer of the annual Genesis Awards, I am delighted that we are able to recognize Ellen and Portia at an event where their efforts and compassion will be enthusiastically applauded," said Beverly Kaskey, senior director of The Humane Society of the United States' Hollywood office.

As joint recipients of the 2009 Wyler Award, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi follow in the footsteps of former Wyler Award honorees Sir Paul McCartney and Hayden Panettiere.

Presented by The Humane Society of the United States, the annual Genesis Awards honors the news and entertainment media for showcasing animal protection issues. This year's 58 nominations in 19 categories for works aired or published in 2008 will be announced later this month. The 23rd Genesis Awards is dedicated to ending the Canadian seAl Hunt.

Among those serving on The 23rd Genesis Awards honorary committee are Rosanna Arquette, Sean Astin, William Baldwin and Chynna Phillips, Jillian Barberie, James Cromwell, Emily Deschanel, Harrison Ford, Kyle MacLachlan, Bill Maher, Maria Menounos, Kevin Nealon, Patti Page, Hayden Panettiere, Mickey Rourke, Alicia Silverstone, Amy Smart, Amber Tamblyn and Robert Wagner.

The 23rd Genesis Awards is made possible in part by our corporate sponsors: Market Development Group, BeKind.org, Poker Stars.net and Prai Beauty Group.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization - backed by 11 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting animal cruelty - On the web at humanesociety.org http://www.humanesociety.org/