By: Valerie Milano – Miami Beach, FL (Hollywood Today) 1/25/12

Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award Honorees with widow Lilly Tartikoff and NATPE president Rick Feldman

NATPE 2012 hosted the 9^th annual Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Awards Tuesday evening on a lovely warm night atop the Fountainebleau hotel in Miami Beach and then preceding into the Glimmer Ballroom.  These awards are the biggest event at NATPE and press are welcome to attend but there is a price for Attendees and Exhibitors.

Brandon Tartikoff was one of television’s greatest programmers and the awards were created to honor other professionals of vision and leadership in the spirit of Tartikoff.

Billy Bush hosted the show and began by thanking Joe Schlosser from NBC Universal and the clip of Tartikoff’s life was shown with his wife Lily making her traditional speech afterwards.

A particularly touching moment was Dick Ebersol, who earned the honor himself in 2011, presented to his friend Dennis Swanson who was responsible for creating “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and brilliantly running major local stations, among other accomplishments.  Ebersol calls him a friend as he was there for him when he lost his own son due to a plane crash. Chicago’s “Feelin’ Stronger Everyday” was playing as he approached the podium at which point he thanked his two bosses: Jack Abernathy and his wife, which gave the 200 audience members a good laugh.

Other highlights included Kevin Beggs of Lionsgate presenting to Matthew Weiner, creator of “Mad Men”, watching the video clip made by the cast and crew on his set without his knowledge. Weiner explained he wasn’t allowed to watch tv as a kid when his grades were bad and eventually turned a guilty pleasure into his life.  Jon Hamm ended the segment “You can take all of your Emmys and awards put them on top of your head” and pointing to his own face said, “It still won’t be this.”

Other distinguished winners were: Cecile Frot-Coutaz & Fernando Gaitan.