CNN HEROES AIRS ON THANKSGIVING…HONORING EVERYDAY PEOPLE THAT DO EXTRAORDINARY WORK.
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper hosted the Kodak Theatre ceremony that was attended by about 4,000 people and will air on CNN at 9 p.m. EST Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, and on CNN International and CNN en Espanol.
Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood and Maxwell performed, and other presenters included Nicole Kidman and George Lopez.
The awards show, which is unusual for a TV news network, was created in 2007 after CNN producers and correspondents talked about meeting many unsung heroes, said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide.
“We do something that’s not done — shine a light on everyday people that do extraordinary work,” Walton said before the event.
The 10 finalists were selected from more than 9,000 submissions by a panel that included former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Turner. The winner was chosen online by the public, with nearly 3 million votes cast.
