GLAAD Media Awards: April 2008 Archives

As actor Jason Lewis prepares for the big screen premiere of Sex and the City, he'll be making a pit stop to present at the San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday, May 10. This isn't Jason's first time at the rodeo; he presented at the Los Angeles GLAAD Media Awards in 2007 (right, with GLAAD President Neil Giuliano), hot on the heels of his turn as a closeted soap actor on Brothers & Sisters.

Jason is featured in the new issue of Los Angeles Confidential, on sale now. The glossy mag is either so cool or so infrequent that they don't bother to give it a date or number, but it's the "Style & Design 2008" issue with Hilary Duff on the cover.

In regards to his Brothers & Sisters storyline, the actor said in the interview, "In terms of playing gay for the first time, I was supported by a really good story. It felt very much like a human issue and not a sexual issue."

Asked if he's gay, Jason says he's not and quickly rallies as an ally: "In the world we're living in, gay people are still horribly discriminated against. Why does anybody need to be so affected by someone else's happiness? Some of these people show up 20 years in a row at the county clerk's office [to get married] knowing they're going to be turned down. That's dedication and love...These are decent people."

And so are you Jason!

To find out more about the San Fran GLAAD Media Awards, click here.

And to see just how much of an ally Jason really is, check out this star turn!

here! Networks has renewed the GLAAD Media Award-nominated DL Chronicles for a second season.

According to press materials, the anthology series is the first television show to center on the “DL” phenomenon in the gay community. The DL (short for “down-low”) refers to straight men of color who live their everyday lives as heterosexuals, often married to women, but engage in discreet gay sex and gay relationships on the periphery.

Season Two will premiere on the network in late 2008 and feature 5 new episodes.

To ensure you can catch all the steamy scenes, click here to order here!TV.

And to catch a glimpse of showrunners Quincy Lenear and Deondray Gossett at the San Francisco Media Awards on May 10, buy a ticket! We hope to see you there!

GLAAD Media Award honoree James Schamus (Focus Features) is teaming once again with Chinese director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, The Wedding Banquet) to make yet another gay-inclusive film.

This venture is based on a memoir written by gay author Elliot Tiber entitled Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life. In the '60s, Tiber was a Greenwich Village interior decorator and a part-time Catskills hotel manager who ultimately issued the permit for the legendary 1969 Woodstock music festival.

"Elliot's exuberant and heartfelt story is a perfect window onto the Woodstock experience," Schamus told Daily Variety. "It explores an inspiring historical moment when liberation and freedom were in the air."

Here at cineQUEER, we're excited for the film and for Schamus' sure-to-be-eloquent speech at the San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards. Tickets are on sale now for the May 10 ceremony.

The online TV mag MediaBlvd just published an extensive interview with GRΣΣK's Paul James. Our regular readers know we've already fawned over the actor, who plays gay fraternity brother Calvin on the ABC Family drama.

However, the fact that a mainstream outlet is reporting on the fact that Calvin is one of the few gay characters on television today is noteworthy. You can -- and should -- read the entire interview here.

Paul will be a presenter at the GLAAD Media Awards on April 26, live on stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Wanna see him in person? All you have to do is buy a ticket! 

In a candid interview with E!'s Marc Malkin, GLAAD Media Award honoree Janet Jackson talked about the upcoming Media Awards, her take on gay marriage, and the crush-worthiness of Alicia Keys.

Though you should definitely read the story in its entirety, here's a few Q&As to whet your appetite:

What's a good Janet drag queen?
They really study you. They truly study you. But you know, they pour it on more, which I absolutely love. They give more than I do and I love that. The first time I went to the Baton in Chicago and saw this show, I was with some of my [female] dancers. Afterward, I said to my dancers, "We've gotta pull up because these bitches are hitting it. They're giving so much femininity and we look like boys onstage." The next night we had a show and we were trying our hardest to ooze with that feminine touch.

Do you remember the first time someone told you there are rumors out there that you're gay?
I don't remember the first time, but it's been forever. Someone once said to me, "Doesn't that bother you?" And I was like, Why should it bother me?

Let's talk about gay marriage…
I think it should be legalized. I think it's about finding your soul mate. It's finding that person you connect with. But most people don't get it right. Look at me! The thing is, I don't know if I ever will or won't get married again. I'm very happy where I am. I just think I jinx marriages, but that's not going to stop me from loving.

The 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are this Saturday in Los Angeles! Watch Ellen DeGeneres present the Vanguard Award to Ms. Jackson onstage -- tickets are still available!

Los Angeles GLAAD Media Award honoree Rufus Wainwright is The Advocate's cover boy for this month's Green Issue.

Rufus is certainly doing his part to "go green," as he is launching a nationwide eco-campaign called Blackout Sabbath. Designed to raise awareness of how much electricity we use, the Sabbath calls for all of us to turn off the power on June 21, 2008 for 12 hours, from noon to midnight.

The musician was inspired to create this grassroots movement from his experience with the 2003 New York blackout. On his blog, he writes, "I found it incredibly invigorating, spiritual and practical at the same time: we all had to pay attention to each other."

To find out more about Blackout Sabbath, visit the blog.

To see Rufus in person at the GLAAD Media Awards on April 26 in Los Angeles, you can purchase tickets here.

And go green, already!

A lot has been written about the historic story happening on As the World Turns, but the April 22 issue of SoapOpera Digest actually talks to the two guys behind Luke and Noah, or "Nuke" as fans know them. Van Hansis (Luke) and Jake Silbermann (Noah) sat down for an extensive interview to talk about their onscreen love affair, offscreen friendship and the diehard fans who want to see more passion between the boys. The interview was actually too long for the pages of SOD and flowed over to the mag's website, so check this bonus out for tales of their first audition (Van didn't want Jake to get the role!), their first public outing together at the GLAAD Media Awards in 2007, and my lunch  with the actors a year ago — where I told them they were on the brink of something groundbreaking.

Van also reveals an acting technique sure to be stolen by many daytime actors to come: "Eyes, mouth, eyes, mouth." Meaning, that's where his own eyes dart when he's in a romantic situation, as evidenced in this photo from Nuke's first clinch. Hey, the guy must know what he's doing, he got a Daytime Emmy nomination last year — and we'll find out April 30 if Van and Jake make the Emmy cut this year. Fingers crossed!

OUT.com features an interview (by our good friend Shana Krochmal) with Paul James, the actor who plays gay college student Calvin on GRΣΣK, a nominee for Outstanding Drama Series at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. Paul explains how a show with such inclusive representation ended up on ABC Family, a network with conservative broadcasting roots:
Paul will be a presenter at the GLAAD Media Awards on April 26, live on stage at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Be sure to check out Paul and the show when it airs on Bravo, date TBA.