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“Las Culturistas” hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers and “Saturday Night Live’s” Ego Nwodim were among the winners of the fifth annual Ambies, the kudos handed out by The Podcast Academy to recognize audio entertainment.

Wondery, Audible, iHeart Media, Audacy, NPR, the CBC, Pineapple Street Studios, Higher Ground Productions and Crooked Media led the platforms and production banners that were honored across 28 categories. The awards were presented Monday evening at Chicago’s McCormick Convention Center as part of the annual Podcast Movement conference.

Podcast of the year honors went to “Hysterical,” the investigative story of a mystery ailment that spread through teenage girls in LeRoy, N.Y., a small town about 30 miles east of Rochester. The seven-part series hails from Wondery, Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios. “Hysterical” also won the laurel for best reporting for the work of host and producer Dan Taberski. “Las Culturistas” (iHeart/Big Money Players...

Tonight, The Podcast Academy (Tpa), the preeminent professional podcast organization, announced winners at its Fifth Annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies®) from the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, which was hosted by multi-hyphenate comedian Tig Notaro. Additionally, Ira Glass was honored with the esteemed Governors Award, which recognizes a podcast or individual for the compelling influence they’ve had on the industry; and Sam Sanders received the Impact Award, which recognizes an individual or podcast that has made a significant, positive effect on its listeners.

The Ambies celebrate excellence in podcasting and elevate awareness and status of podcasts as a unique and personal medium for entertainment, information, storytelling and expression. The ceremony highlighted 199 nominees across 28 categories with winners selected by every voting member of Tpa. A full list of the 2025 nominees may be found here.

Fifth annual Awards for Excellence in Audio winners Podcasts Detail Podcast of the year: Hysterical; Wondery,...

The fifth Ambie Awards, honoring the best podcasts of the year, had a recurring theme throughout Monday’s ceremony: standing up for truth.

“I just want to put in a word for the facts,” This American Life host and producer Ira Glass said during his speech accepting the Governors Award for his and his show’s influence on the medium. “We’re in a war over facts, and we have to stand up for them.

Presenter Ronan Farrow made a similar case in handing out the award for best news podcast, which went to the kid-focused The Ten News. “If we want to live in a reality-based world … and want truth to survive,” Farrow said, support for the kind of journalism the nominees in the news category do, as well as local media, is essential.

The Ambies, which took place Monday evening at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center, weren’t completely serious,...

The 2012 Hugo Awards were announced over the weekend. Here’s a brief list of what are probably the only ones most of us shall know:

Best Novel

Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)

A Dance With Dragons, George Rr Martin (Bantam Spectra)

Deadline, Mira Grant (Orbit)

Embassytown, China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey)

Leviathan Wakes, James Sa Corey (Orbit)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

Captain America: The First Avenger, screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephan McFeely; directed by Joe Johnston (Marvel)

Game of Thrones (Season 1), created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss; written by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, Bryan Cogman, Jane Espenson, and George R. R. Martin; directed by Brian Kirk, Daniel Minahan, Tim van Patten, and Alan Taylor (HBO)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, screenplay by Steve Kloves; directed by David Yates (Warner Bros.)

Hugo, screenplay by John Logan; directed by Martin Scorsese (Paramount)

Source Code, screenplay...

 

James Bacon wrote about Hollywood legends for so many years that he became a legend himself. The well-liked and highly trusted columnist used inventive tactics to get the big gossip scoops but always treated the stars with dignity and respect. Consequently, he enjoyed a level of trust with his subjects that would be almost unimaginable today. Bacon counted Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and many other superstars among his closest friends. Bacon, who died this week at age 96, was still actively writing about the Hollywood scene almost until the end of his life. Click here for more...

James "Jim" Bacon, the last of the colorful chroniclers of Hollywood’s Golden Era, died today of congestive heart failure in his sleep at his Northridge home. He was 96. In his many decades as a Hollywood journalist, columnist and author, Bacon traveled Vietnam battlefields with Bob Hope, sipped Jack Daniels with Frank Sinatra, hung out with John Wayne, and was a confidant of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, according to his official biography. Bacon was a reporter and Hollywood columnist for the Associated Press for 23 years, and a Hollywood columnist for Hearst’s now defunct Los Angeles Herald Examiner for 18 years. He received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 6, 2007. His last Hollywood column appeared on June 6th in Beverly Hills 213 where he had written for 10 years. He was the author of three best-selling books, two chronicling his Hollywood years, Hollywood Is A Four Letter Town (1976), and...

James Bacon, a friend and chronicler of the stars who worked for the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner during the course of his long career, died Saturday in his sleep of congestive heart failure at his home in Northridge, Calif. He was 96.

During his 75-year career as a newspaperman, columnist and author, Bacon was a confidant of Marilyn Monroe, hung out with John Wayne, knocked back drinks with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, traded cigars with Winston Churchill and met eight U.S. presidents.

He spent 23 years with AP, followed by 18 years at the Herald Examiner. Most recently, he wrote a weekly column, recalling memories from Hollywood’s glory days, for Beverly Hills 213, where his last column appeared June 6.

He also authored three best-selling books: “Hollywood Is a Four Letter Town,” “Made in Hollywood” and Jackie Gleason’s autobiography “How Sweet It Is,” which he co-authored.