Las night was the 62nd annual Emmy awards and among the smiling couples and gorgeous gowns, an award was presented that had nothing to do with acting or writing or producing. George Clooney became the fourth recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, created in 2002 by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award was created, “to recognize the contributions made by Hope, for more than half a century, to the growth and development of radio and television as a family medium and as a platform for political and social commentary.” Previously, the award has gone to Oprah Winfrey in 2002, Bill Cosby in 2003, and Danny Thomas in 2004. Since then, no one has been awarded this prestigious honor until this year.

The Academy decided Clooney’s contributions to humanitarian efforts have become life-changing and impacting and that he has used his celebrity for good. According to the Birmingham Star, Clooney has gone above and beyond in order to bring attention to world issues. He advocated to stop genocide in Darfur and founded 'Not On Our Watch' with Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Jerry Weintraub to put a spotlight on preventing world injustices. This group was responsible for gathering the Hollywood community together to participate in America: A Tribute to Heroes in the wake of 9/11', 'Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope in 2005', 'A Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast' following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and finally, the 'Hope For Haiti Now' telethon in January of 2010.

There’s nothing better than seeing someone who has power and influence use it for more than just personal gain. George Clooney is one of the most influential faces in Hollywood and when he speaks people listen, so it’s great to see him speaking out on behalf of those who really need help. While accepting his award tonight, he informed everyone that, “I have offered to go to south Sudan and have a wardrobe malfunction… But it was pointed out to me that I'm 49, and the consensus was that it would just be upsetting. And kind of sad.” While I can’t say I would argue if he wanted to show up naked on television, I think his current approach might have a more lasting effect.

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