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Red Carpet Arrivals & Complete list of The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at the JW Marriott LA Hotel

Los Angeles, Saturday, April 20, 2013 - GLAAD Media Award recipients were announced in 10 of this year’s 33 media categories at the 24^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka and Wells Fargo, and locally by Delta Air Lines, at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles 900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90015 on Saturday night.

The celebrities and guests gathered for the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles were Jennifer Lawrence and Harvey Weinstein presented the Advocate for Change Award to former President Bill Clinton. Charlize Theron and Leonardo DiCaprio presented entertainment attorney Steve Warren with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.

The event was hosted by Drew Barrymore and featured an exclusive performance by Kelly Rowland. Additional special guests included Betty White, Chris Evans, Scott Evans, Tobey Maguire, Alex Pettyfer, Elle Fanning, Brad Goreski, Darren Criss, Logan Lerman, Mae Whitman, Eric Dane, Stephen Chbosky, Kirsten Dunst, Naya Rivera, Ali Larter, Alex Newell, Matt Bomer, Sara Ramirez, Andrew Rannells, Justin Bartha, Cloris Leachman, Shannon Woodward, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Linda Perry; Kat Graham, Trevor Donovan, Chaz Bono, Maria Menounos, Kyle Richards, and Wilson Cruz, among many others!

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Awards presented on stage, and the individuals that accepted the awards (accepters tentative):

• Advocate for Change Award:  Bill Clinton  (presented by Harvey Weinstein and Jennifer Lawrence)
• Stephen F. Kolzak Award:  Steve Warren  (presented by Leonardo DiCaprio and Charlize Theron)
• Outstanding Film – Wide Release:  The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Summit Entertainment)  [accepted by: writer and director Stephen Chbosky with Logan Lerman, Johnny Simmons and Mae Whitman]
• Outstanding Comedy Series:  The New Normal (NBC)  [accepted by: co-creators Ryan Murphy and Allison Adler with Andrew Rannells, Justin Bartha, Georgia King, Jayson Blair, NeNe Leakes]
• Outstanding Individual Episode:  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Me What to Do” Raising Hope (Fox)  [accepted by: show creator Greg Garcia with Cloris Leachman, Shannon Woodward]
• Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series:  American Horror Story: Asylum (FX)  [accepted by:  show creator Ryan Murphy]
• Outstanding Daily Drama:  Days of Our Lives (NBC)  [accepted by: Freddie Smith]

The following is a list of other award recipients announced at the 24^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles.

• Outstanding Talk Show Episode:  “At Home with Neil Patrick Harris, His Fiancé David Burtka, & Their Twins” Oprah’s Next Chapter (OWN)
• Outstanding Los Angeles Theater:  The Children by Michael Elyanow

SPANISH-LANGUAGE

• Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Episode:  “Confirma su identidad como mujer” Showbiz (CNN en Español)

• Outstanding TV Journalism Newsmagazine:  TIE: “Los transexuales buscan su identidad en medio de ignorancia y prejuicios” Encuentro (CNN en Español) and “La vida en rosa” Aquí y Ahora (Univision)

• Outstanding Newspaper Article:  “Gays y padres excelentes” by Pilar Marrero (La Opinión)

Additional awards were presented in New York on March 16.  The final awards will be presented in San Francisco on May 11 at the Hilton San Francisco – Union Square where Adam Lambert will receive the Davidson/Valentini Award and the San Francisco Giants will receive the Corporate Leader Award.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives. GLAAD Media Award nominees were published, released or broadcast between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012.

More information about the upcoming GLAAD Media Awards event in San Francisco may be found athttp://www.glaad.org/mediaawards.  To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.

About GLAAD:  GLAAD amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, visit www.glaad.org.

Source: GLAAD
Photos by Rodrigo Vaz/RodrigoVaz.com/LoveShots for Diversity News Magazine.

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Betty White’s 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special Airs Tuesday, February 5 on NBC

Betty White’s 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special Airs Tuesday, February 5 on NBC (8-9 p.m. ET).

Seven-time Emmy Award winner Betty White will be celebrating her 91st birthday in style as a star-studded line up of special guests pays tribute to one of the world’s most beloved entertainers in “Betty White’s 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special.

(Note: Click on the pictures to view them regular size)

Blake Shelton, Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Sean Hayes, Rico Rodriguez, Lily Tomlin and Sarah Silverman will honor America’s comedy sweetheart, along with Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. Also on hand to deliver birthday wishes will be Vicki Lawrence –reprising her popular title role from “Mama’s Family” — Katie Couric and White’s “Hot in Cleveland” co-stars “Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick, as well as Zachary Levi, Larry King and Kate Flannery.

The evening will include special performances – including Shelton singing a tailor-made musical number for the birthday girl – as well as comedy and clips that perfectly capture the irreverent tone, spirit and comedic flair that are the hallmark of White’s extraordinary career.

At 91 years old, White is one of the funniest and busiest actresses in Hollywood, currently starring on NBC’s “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers” and TV Land’s “Hot in Cleveland.”  With a career that has spanned more than 60 years, the star of classic series like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Golden Girls” has created unforgettable roles in television and film.  She has also authored seven books and won numerous awards, including those for her lifelong work for animal welfare.

“Betty White’s 2nd Annual 90th Birthday Special” is produced by Brad Lachman Productions and Universal Television, with Brad Lachman and Jon Macks serving as executive producers.

About Betty White:
Betty Marion White Ludden (born January 17, 1922), better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedian, singer, author, and television personality. With a career spanning over nine separate decades, she is best known to contemporary audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Since the death of co-star Rue McClanahan in 2010, she is now the only living Golden Girl. She currently stars as Elka Ostrovsky in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland for which she has won two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards. She also currently hosts the practical-joke show Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.

White has won a Grammy as well as seven Emmy Awards (six for acting), receiving 21 Emmy nominations^[2] over the course of her career, including being the first woman ever to receive an Emmy for game show hosting (for the short-lived Just Men!) and is the only person to have an Emmy in all female performing comedic categories. In May 2010, White became the oldest person to guest-host Saturday Night Live, for which she also received a Primetime Emmy Award. White also holds the record for longest span between Emmy nominations for performances – her first was in 1951 and her most recent was in 2012, a span of 61 years – and has become the oldest nominee as of 2012, aged 90. She has made regular appearances on the game shows Password and Match Game and played recurring roles on Mama’s Family,Boston Legal, The Bold and the Beautiful, That 70′s Show, and Community.

Photos credit to: Justin Lubin & Rick Floyd/NBC
Sources: Wikipedia, NBCUniversal, Inc. and EPK.TV/NBC

Betty White, Chaz Bono, Josh Hutcherson Attend the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards Red carpet arrivals in LA

Legendary TV Personality and Actress Betty White, Ellen DeGeneres, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Joshua Jackson, Kim Wayans, Sara Gilbert and Jason Mraz joined the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) as it honored advocate and author Chaz Bono, actor Josh Hutcherson and the best in television and film last night at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles held on Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 4:30 pm at Westin Bonaventure located at 404 S. Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, CA 90071.

Cher and Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Chaz Bono, and Benicio Del Toro presented the Vanguard Award to Josh Hutcherson.

Also at the event, Jennifer Tyrrell, a mother from Ohio who was ousted last week as a scout leader from the Boy Scouts of America, spoke onstage with her partner, Alicia, and their four children.  Celebrities and special guests signed Tyrrell’s Change.org petition calling on the Boy Scouts of America to end its ban on LGBT scouts and scout leaders. In only five days, the petition has received over 110,000 signatures.

Cher surprised her son, Chaz Bono, by joining Bono’s stepmother, Rep. Mary Bono Mack, in presenting him with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.  The Stephen F. Kolzak Award is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality.

In her remarks, Cher praised her son, “I’m here because Chaz has the most courage of almost anyone I know.  The other day I was having a big meltdown (like you do) and Chaz said, ‘Are you going to come to the [GLAAD event],’ and I went ‘Chaz, you know, I’m not doing well right now’ and…he texted me and said ‘I turned into a very understanding, smart man and you can call on me.’  And it made me feel so good, like I could lean on someone.  It touched my heart.”  Addressing Bono directly, Cher said, “You are the most courageous person I know and you really deserve this award, so come up and get this award!”

In his acceptance speech, Bono discussed the role GLAAD has played in his life.  “This truly means so much to me, because not only did I work at GLAAD, I think I learned everything that I value and that I do now as an activist from the time I spent at GLAAD.  I learned here to use the greatest activist tool that we have at our disposal, and that is the media.”  Bono continued, “For my personal journey since I transitioned, GLAAD has been there for me every step of the way.  From when it first came out that I was transitioning, GLAAD was right there, out front in the media.  And really everything that I’ve done since then, they have been a partner for me to be able to go to when Million Moms is coming out against me or Keith Ablow is telling people that me being on Dancing with the Stars is somehow going to be damaging to children.  They have really been a partner for me all the way.”

Also at the event, actor and director Benicio del Toro presented the Vanguard Award to actor Josh Hutcherson.  Del Toro directed Hutcherson in the short film 7 Days in Havana.  The Vanguard Award is presented to media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Accepting his award, Hutcherson thanked his friends from the Straight But Not Narrow campaign with which Hutcherson is actively involved, “I want to thank my best friends Avan Jogia, Andre Pochon and Heather Wilk for starting Straight but not Narrow.  It’s an amazing organization.  We wanted to create a place where straight people felt safe coming out and saying ‘It’s okay to be gay.’  And I didn’t know one, so we decided we were going to make one and we have.  It’s gaining momentum and it means the world to me.”  Hutcherson continued, “I want to thank GLAAD and everybody tonight who shared their story with us, and really showed us that the work that we’re doing makes a difference.  That’s why I’m up here.  I’ll make hopefully a million more movies but this is what I want to do with my life, just changing the world and hopefully changing what people think.  So, this is to everybody who’s ever had a struggle in life being yourself.  I think that the most beautiful thing a human being can do is just be who you are inside.  So please, everybody, just be yourselves and encourage everyone else to do the same.  Thank you.”

Tim and Tracy Rodemeyer, along with their daughter Alyssa, spoke onstage to the over 400 young adults in attendance, in memory of their 14-year-old son Jamey who died by suicide in the fall of 2011 after posting an It Gets Better video on YouTube.

Other special guests include: Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland); Ellen DeGeneres (The Ellen DeGeneres Show); Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family); Max Adler, Grant Gustin (Glee); Joshua Jackson (Fringe); Mark Deklin, Miriam Shor (GCB); Sara Gilbert (The Talk) and musician Linda Perry; Kim Wayans (Pariah); Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries); singer Jason Mraz;Molly Shannon (Casa de mi Padre); Trevor Donovan (90210); LGBT advocate and writer Perez Hilton;Brooke Elliott, Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva); Gilles Marini (Switched at Birth); Guillermo Diaz (Scandal);Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter (Resident Evil); Kyle Richards, Lisa Vanderpump (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills); Marissa Jaret Winokur (Retired at 35); Tabatha Coffey (Tabatha Takes Over); Laura San Giacomo (Saving Grace); Travis Wall (So You Think You Can Dance); Peter Marc Jacobson (Happily Divorced); writer LZ Granderson; Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato (Becoming Chaz, Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys); Freddie Smith (Days of Our Lives); Michelle Paradise, Angela Featherstone (Exes & Ohs); Lady Bunny, Raven (RuPaul’s Drag U); Reza Farahan (Shahs of Sunset); Jamie Clayton (Hung);Madison Hildebrand (Million Dollar Listing); Washington State Rep. Maureen Walsh; decorated Air Force veteran Lt. Col Victor Fehrenbach; and GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Award recipients announced Saturday in Los Angeles.

• Stephen F. Kolzak Award:  Chaz Bono (presented by Cher and Rep. Mary Bono Mack)
• Vanguard Award:  Josh Hutcherson (presented by Benicio Del Toro)
• Outstanding Film – Wide Release:  Beginners (Focus Features)
• Outstanding Documentary:  Becoming Chaz (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network) [accepted by: directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and Chaz Bono]
• Outstanding Comedy Series:  Modern Family (ABC) [accepted by: Jesse Tyler Ferguson]
• Outstanding Individual Episode:  TIE: “Prom” Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime) [accepted by: producer Josh Berman and Brooke Elliott] and “Beards” Hot in Cleveland (TV Land) [accepted by: Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, Betty White and episode guest stars Gilles Marini and Laura San Giacomo]

This year, over 500 youth from Southern California were able to attend the event at no cost through GLAAD’s Young Adults @ the GLAAD Media Awards initiative.

Additional awards were presented in New York on March 24, and the final awards will be presented in San Francisco on June 2 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.  Glee‘s Dianna Agron will host the June event, and it will feature a special performance by Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère.  A complete list of award recipients announced at the New York event may be found here: www.glaad.org/mediaawards/recipients

About The GLAAD Media Awards:
The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.  The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues that build support for equality.

About GLAAD:
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit http://glaad.org or connect with GLAAD athttp://glaad.org/connect.

Sources: BWR Public Relations & GLAAD.
Videos credit to: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards
Photos credit to: Rodrigo Vaz for Diversity News Magazine and Diversity News Publications. For photos licensing contact: Steven Escobar at editor@diversitynewsmagazine.com or editor@diversitynewspublications.com (C) 2012 Rodrigo Vaz and Diversity News Publications. All Rights Are Reserved.

Editor’s Note: Even thought we only received media credentials to cover the red carpet arrivals, we still providing you some information courtesy of GLAAD and BWR Public Relations of what happen during Dinner and Show.

Josh Hutcherson to receive the Vanguard Award at 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by Ketel One & Wells Fargo

Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Mraz to perform; Chaz Bono to receive Stephen F. Kolzak Award; Ellen DeGeneres, Betty White, Wendie Malick, Joshua Jackson, and Kim Wayans among special guests.

On Monday, April 16, 2012 The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, announced it will honor LGBT equality advocate and actor Josh Hutcherson at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards presented nationally by Ketel One and Wells Fargo. Hutcherson will receive the Vanguard Award at the Los Angeles ceremony on April 21, 2012 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, presented locally by Delta Air Lines. As previously announced, advocate, author and speaker Chaz Bono will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.

GLAAD also announced that Jason Mraz, longtime LGBT advocate and Grammy Award winner, will perform at the ceremony.  Mraz recently filmed a PSA for the Human Rights Campaign’s “Americans for Marriage Equality” initiative.

A live stream of the red carpet is available at http://glaad.org/live. Please visit http://glaad.org/mediaawards for a full list of nominees.

GLAAD Media Awards will be presented onstage in the following categories: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Documentary Outstanding Film- Wide Release, and Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character).

On Saturday, April 14, 2012, GLAAD’s Board of Directors elected media veteran Herndon Graddick as GLAAD’s new President. He will speak at the GLAAD Media Awards. Herndon is a media veteran who has worked as a Supervising Producer at E! Networks, the day-of-air news division director at Current TV, and a producer at CNN. He currently serves as GLAAD’s Vice President of Programs & Communications. For more information visit http://glaad.org/meetherndon.

Ellen DeGeneres will open the event on April 21.  Other special guests include:  Betty White, Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland); Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family); Joshua Jackson (Fringe); Mark Deklin, Miriam Shor (GCB); Tori Spelling (Tori & Dean: Home SweetHollywood); Kim Wayans (Pariah); Molly Shannon (Casa de mi Padre); LGBT advocate and writer Perez Hilton; singer and Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham; Trevor Donovan (90210); Brooke Elliott, Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva); Gilles Marini (Switched at Birth); Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced); Guillermo Diaz (Scandal); Kelly Osbourne (So Undercover); Milla Jovovich (Faces in the Crowd); Ali Larter (The Asset); Travis Wall (All the Right Moves); Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato (Becoming Chaz); Mike Mills (Beginners); and decorated Air Force veteran Lt. Col Victor Fehrenbach.  Additional guests for the April 21 Los Angeles event to be announced.

Josh Hutcherson will receive the Vanguard Award, which is presented to media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Nineteen-year-old actor and advocate Josh Hutcherson leads the next generation in the movement for LGBT equality.  In 2010, Hutcherson starred as the son of a lesbian couple in the critically acclaimed film The Kids Are All Right, which received a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film Wide Release, two Golden Globe Awards, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.  Hutcherson currently stars as Peeta Mellark in the blockbuster film The Hunger Games. Hutcherson is one of the founders of the LGBT ally organization Straight But Not Narrow (SBNN), and has remained outspoken about why equality for LGBT people is important.


In an interview withSamaritanMag.com, Hutcherson said, “We just launched [SBNN], and it’s a very exciting time for us and it hits close to home for me. I have a lot of gay friends in Los Angeles. My roommate’s gay and I lost two uncles when I was young to AIDS, so it’s an important cause in my family.” Earlier this year, Hutcherson and fellow SBNN co-founder, actor Avan Jogia, met with Gay-Straight Alliance leaders at the GSA Network to film a video discussing the importance of GSA clubs in schools.  In March, Hutcherson made a surprise appearance at a high school in Los Angeles where he spoke to GSA members about about the importance of being an ally for LGBT young people. “Emerging as a leader in a new generation of equality advocates, Josh Hutcherson has consistently used his platform to help young people understand that no one should face discrimination simply because of who they are,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “Josh’s commitment to achieving equality for every American is a message he carries in his work both on screen and off, earning him the honor of being GLAAD’s youngest-ever Vanguard Award recipient.”

Nominees for the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced in January and are available here: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in Los Angeles on April 21, 2012 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites; and in San Francisco on June 2 at San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Glee’s Dianna Agron will host the show in San Francisco, with a special performance by Cirque du Soleil’sMystère. Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal) will receive the Golden Gate Award.

Facebook and Wells Fargo will receive special awards at the event. To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards. The GLAAD Media Awards fund GLAAD’s work to bring stories of LGBT people and issues to Americans. Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco bring together more than 5,000 advocates and allies to raise nearly $3.5 million for the organization’s work.

About GLAAD: The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD at www.glaad.org/connect.

Source:  www.glaad.org
Photo credit to:  Wikipedia
Graphic logo credit to: www.glaad.org

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Josh Hutcherson for his award recognition.  Also Diversity News Magazine & Diversity News TV representatives Daniela Hubbard, Rodrigo Vaz and Esteban Escobar aka Steven Escobar have been approved by GLAAD &      BWR Public Relations and they will be covering the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 21, 2012.

Chaz Bono to receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards Presented by Ketel One & Wells Fargo

Ellen DeGeneres, Josh Hutcherson, Betty White, Wendie Malick, Joshua Jackson, Kim Wayans and Kate Beckinsale among special guests, with performance by Jason Mraz.

On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 GLAAD, the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today announced it will honor LGBT equality advocate, author and speaker Chaz Bono at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards presented nationally by Ketel One and Wells Fargo.  Bono will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the Los Angeles Ceremony on April 21, 2012 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, presented locally by Delta Air Lines.

Ellen DeGeneres will open the show and guests will enjoy a performance by Grammy Award-winning singer and LGBT equality advocate, Jason Mraz. Other special guests include:  Betty White, Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland); Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games); Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family); Joshua Jackson (Fringe); Kate Beckinsale (Underworld: Awakening); Kim Wayans (Pariah); Molly Shannon (Casa de mi Padre); Trevor Donovan (90210); Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced); Brooke Elliott, Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva); Gilles Marini (Switched at Birth); Ali Larter (The Asset); Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato (Becoming Chaz); Mike Mills (Beginners); and decorated Air Force veteran Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach.  Additional honorees and guests for the April 21 Los Angeles event to be announced.

Chaz Bono will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality.
Chaz Bono has consistently advocated for LGBT equality.  In 2009, Bono revealed that he is transgender, and in 2011 he shared his life in the documentary Becoming Chaz, which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award and three Emmy Awards.  Also in 2011, Bono competed on the thirteenth season of ABC’s hit show, Dancing With The Stars.  Bono has written three books including Transition, which is his groundbreaking account of his transition from female to male.  In 1996, Bono became the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Day spokesperson, and later served as GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Director where he tackled several high-profile campaigns around LGBT issues in Hollywood.  He has contributed as a writer-at-large to The Advocate and has spoken at dozens of universities and LGBT events.  He continues to promote change by creating awareness and discussions about fairness and equality for the LGBT community.  Previous Stephen F. Kolzak honorees include Wanda Sykes, Rufus Wainwright, Melissa Etheridge, Bill Condon, Todd Haynes, Alan Ball, Ellen DeGeneres, Sir Ian McKellen and NBC Chairman of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt.
“Chaz has opened the door for countless others, reshaping the way Americans think about transgender people today,” said Mike Thompson, Acting President of GLAAD. “His bold leadership in sharing his story as a transgender man, as well as his tireless work to secure equality for every American, embodies the values of GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award.”
Nominees for the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced in January and are available here: http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees.  The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives.

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in Los Angeles on April 21, 2012 at the Westin Bonaventure; and in San Francisco on June 2 at San Francisco Marriott Marquis.  Glee‘s Dianna Agron will host the show in San Francisco, with a special performance by Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère.  Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal) will receive the Golden Gate Award.  Facebook and Wells Fargo will receive special awards at the event.

The GLAAD Media Awards fund GLAAD’s work to bring stories of LGBT people and issues to Americans.  Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco bring together more than 5,000 advocates and allies to raise nearly $3.5 million for the organization’s work.

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.

About GLAAD:
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD at www.glaad.org/connect.

Source: GLAAD
2011 Photos credit to: Rodrigo Vaz and Daniela Hubbard for Diversity News Magazine.

Actress Betty White to be Inducted into National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame April 14-19 in Las Vegas

On March 16, 2012, The National Association of Broadcasters announced that film and television star Betty White will be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during a special breakfast at the 2012 NAB Show in Las Vegas Convention Center located at 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89109, on Tuesday, April 17 in Las Vegas.

With a career that has spanned more than 60 years, the seven-time Emmy Award winner has created unforgettable roles in television and film, authored seven books and won numerous awards.

“Betty White is admired by generations of audiences,” said NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith. “She has remarkable energy and an incredible ability to connect with viewers. Betty’s contributions to television and entertainment as a whole are extraordinary. Our Hall of Fame would be incomplete without her.”

White’s first comedy series, “Life with Elizabeth,” brought her first Emmy Award in 1952, followed by a daily NBC talk/variety show called “The Betty White Show.” She was a recurring regular with over 70 appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jack Paar,” and appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show” and “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” She also subbed as host on all three talk shows. White was a regular with Vicki Lawrence on “Mama’s Family,” as sister Ellen, a role she created with the rest of the company on “The Carol Burnett Show.”

Her recurring role as “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens in the classic series “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” brought two Emmys for Best Supporting Actress in 1974-75 and 1975-76. She received her fourth Emmy for Best Daytime Game Show Host for “Just Men.” Nominated seven times for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Rose Nylund in “The Golden Girls,” White won the Emmy the first season in 1985, and later appeared in the spin-off “The Golden Palace” for one season. She earned her next Emmy Award as Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series on “The John Larroquette Show.”

White was nominated for an Emmy in 2011 for her portrayal of “Elka,” the snarky but lovable caretaker on the TV Land series “Hot in Cleveland,” in which she stars alongside Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick. White also won back-to-back Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Comedy Series in 2011 and 2012.

When she hosted NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 2010, it was one of the highest-rated episodes in the show’s history, and earned her an Emmy Award for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, bringing White’s Emmy total to seven awards. White is also Executive Producer and Host of the NBC series Off Their Rockers, which is set to air April 4th.

In addition to charming sports fans with her role in the popular Snickers commercial shown during the 2010 Super Bowl, White has guest-starred on “Ally McBeal,” “That ’70s Show,” “Boston Legal,” and received Emmy nominations for guesting on both NBC’s “Community” and “The Middle.” She was also nominated for an Emmy as a guest actress on “Suddenly Susan.”

Her numerous television movies include “Chance of a Lifetime,” “Stealing Christmas,” “Annie’s Point” and “The Lost Valentine,” for which she received yet another Emmy nomination. White also hosted the New Year’s Day Tournament of Roses Parade for 20 years, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for 10 years. Her big-screen credits include the Warner Brothers hit “The Proposal,” with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, as well as “You Again,” “Bringing Down the House,” “The Story of Us,” “Lake Placid” and “Hard Rain.”

As previously announced, Garry Marshall, legendary Hollywood actor, director, writer and producer, will also be inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame during the NAB Show Television Luncheon, sponsored by WideOrbit, on Monday, April 16. This is the first time two individuals have been inducted for television into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Previous NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame television inductees include Bob Newhart, Bob Barker, NBC’s” Meet the Press,” Regis Philbin, “The Tonight Show,” “Saturday Night Live,” Ted Koppel, “M*A*S*H,” “60 Minutes,” “The Today Show” and “Star Trek,” among others.

About NAB Show:
NAB Show, held April 14-19 in Las Vegas, is the world’s largest electronic media show covering filmed entertainment and the development, management and delivery of content across all mediums. With more than 90,000 attendees from 151 countries and 1,500+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for digital media and entertainment. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, the NAB Show is home to the solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways. Complete details are available at www.nabshow.com.

About NAB:
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.

Source: The National Association of Broadcasters
Photo credit to: The National Association of Broadcasters

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