ROAD TO THE MEDIA AWARDS: Judge David Young

Judge David Young will be presenting at the South Florida GLAAD Media Awards on April 12th.  

He recently did a Q & A with Ramon Johnson over at the Gay Life section of About.com, offering insight into his experience of the courtroom -- plus his tip on how he's managed a 13-year relationship with his partner!  Enjoy the interview excerpt below, then head over to About.com for the full text.

------------------------------------------------------------

You’re an openly gay judge on national television. What does that mean to you?
     Having a voice and being a role model for GLBT youth and their parents is crucial. It’s the only way we’re going to demystify the stereotype that we’re all a bunch of leather queens or that we ride in gay pride floats wearing boas with our rear ends sticking out. Some of us do that and God bless them for doing it, but there are others of us who are lawyers and doctors and hold positions of power in all spheres of government and business.
     I think it’s a wonderful opportunity if GLBT kids can watch me on a daily basis and say, “Hey I can do this. I will do this. Look at Judge David. His sexual orientation has never been an obstacle for him.”  We need role models. Anything is possible if you work hard for it. One’s sexual orientation should not be an impediment to success.

The CW's First Gay Geek!

Last night, on the Season Five premiere of The CW's reality competition series, Beauty and the Geek, viewers were introduced to Greg, a self-proclaimed "Gaysian" who was upfront about his orientation with the cast from the very beginning.

This is Beauty and the Geek's first gay geek, which isn't too surprising, as past seasons of Geek have been about pairing beauties with geeks in (potentially) romantic couples. However, Season Five has a twist, in which the gorgeous, dim-witted gals will compete against the nerdy smart guys. It's men vs. women, and the winner is anyone's guess.

The CW has a strong track record of including LGBT people in its reality series (Think America's Next Top Model and The Pussycat Dolls: Girlicious) so we're happy to see that the opportunity to include a gay contestant on yet another unscripted show was not missed.

Of course, the girls immediately take to the sweet-natured Greg, affectionately calling him "Greggy" and letting him sleep in their rooms. In a tender scene, Greg opens up to Leticia and Cara. He begins crying as he wails, "I don't know if I'm, like, geeky enough to be a geek. All the other geeks are, like, so smart, and I'm, like, the artistic gay guy."

Clearly moved, Cara, an aspiring soap star, tells the camera, "He's not just a gay guy and he's not just a geek. He's Greggy, and he should be proud of who he is."

Ne'er a truer word spoken, Cara.

Greggy just may have the win in the bag. "Geeky enough" or not, Greg certainly was smart enough to befriend the ladies right off the bat. After all, it's the girls who decide which of the geeks will be eliminated, and unless he really fouls up, Greg's not going anywhere.

Logo Produces Hate Crimes PSA

The folks over at Logo have brought together a wide range of talents - including Ashanti, Andre 3000, Sara Bareilles, Janet Jackson, T.R. Knight and Portia de Rossi - to speak out against hate crimes in a new public service announcement. The PSA was produced in the wake of the murder of 15-year-old Lawrence King, a gay teen in Oxnard, California, by fellow student Brandon McInerney, who is being charged with a hate crime. MTV Networks will be carrying the PSA, its latest contribution in a long history of hate crime education (did you know that back in January 2001, MTV replaced 18 hours of programming with nothing but names and stories of hate crime victims?).

You can view the ad now by clicking here.

GIRLS ROCK!

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of checking out a new documentary called Girls Rock! Though it was not new information to me that girls did indeed rock, the subject matter was certainly intriguing.

Two male filmmakers, Arne Johnson and Shane King, spent a week in Oregon at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, a place where young women ages 8 - 18 gather to learn not only how to play music and write songs with fellow campers, but also take self-defense classes, talk about overcoming negative body image, and other very cool self-esteem-building activities.

Founded in 2001, the camp has grown from a tiny day camp held on the Portland State University Campus to a four-session behemoth with its own facilities and wait-listed attendance. All adult mentors attend the camp on a volunteer basis and work day and night to ensure the campers get the best week possible.

Girls Rock! follows four campers' first Rock Camp experience. Palace (pictured) is 7 years old and has an excellent scream of a voice. Amelia, 8, is a creative genius who doesn't shy away from noise rock. Laura, 15, is a free spirited young woman who vacillates between loving and hating herself -- and ultimately gives an incredible end-of-week performance. And Misty, 17, has overcome battles with drug addiction and eating disorders to learn the bass and feel comfortable up on stage.

The film features interviews with a ton of musicians, notably out rockers Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) and Beth Ditto (The Gossip).

Girls Rock! is making its very limited nationwide tour. For cities and dates, please click here and support independent filmmaking!

ROAD TO THE MEDIA AWARDS: Ilene Chaiken

The end has come for the women of The L Word. Showtime has announced it will renew one of its longest-running dramas for what will be its sixth and final season. Set in Los Angeles, the series follows a group of lesbian and bisexual women as they navigate romance, friendships, family and careers.

"The L Word has been a truly groundbreaking series, setting new standards for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender visibility on television through its portrayal of a unique and compelling group of women," says GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "We applaud the cast and creative team for the sense of fun and drama that they bring every season in their depictions of both the day-to-day lives of LGBT people and the challenges and struggles faced by our community."

"It has been a privilege to do this series and tell these stories and have these characters in my life and to share them with the show's passionate fans," Ilene Chaiken, creator and executive producer of The L Word said in a statement. "I am thrilled that Showtime has given us this final opportunity to conclude this journey we have all taken together."

Chaiken is being honored at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco on May 10 with the Davidson/Valentini Award, an honor given to an openly gay media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community.

Hot on the heels of Showtime's hit gay series Queer as Folk, the network debuted The L Word in 2004, making it primetime's first lesbian drama on television. It has garnered four GLAAD Media Award nominations and one win, for Outstanding Television Drama. Showtime has ordered eight final episodes, set to go into production in early summer for a 2009 premiere.

The Season Five finale airs March 23, 2008 at 9 PM ET/PT on Showtime.

PALEYFEST '08

From March 14 to 27, the Paley Center for Media will be presenting its 25th Anniversary PALEYFEST at the Cinerama Dome of the ArcLight in Hollywood, California. Events will include panels on Mad Men and GLAAD Media Award-nominated Dirty Sexy Money; a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion (the actresses playing Tara and Willow, seen at right, will both be there! Will anyone talk about the comic book?); and an appearance by out choreographer Bruno Tonioli in a panel devoted to Dancing with the Stars. There will also be a Pushing Daisies panel, where perhaps an audience member can inquire about the mystery gay character! Maybe another audience member can inquire at the Gossip Girl panel about future on-screen appearances by Blair’s gay dad...

Find all details about PALEYFEST here: http://www.paleycenter.org/festivals/paleyfest2008/index.htm

Scroll down to our previous blog posting for details on other LGBT-inclusive Spring programs from the Paley Center.

Road to the Media Awards: Sarah Silverman, GREEK, and Kyle XY

Spring programs at the Paley Center have been announced, and GLAAD Media Award nominees are among those featured!

The cast and creative team behind GLAAD Media Award-nominated The Sarah Silverman Program (Outstanding Comedy Series) will be on hand to discuss the show April 21 at 7 PM. For details, click here.

GLAAD Media Award-nominated programs GREEK (Outstanding Drama Series) and Kyle XY (Outstanding Individual Episode in a series w/o a regular LGBT character) will also get their own dedicated panels. Hear the cast and creators of GREEK at 7 PM on April 28 and the cast and writers of Kyle XY at 7 PM on April 7. For details on either of those two events, click here.

Tickets may be purchased in series subscription packets for a pre-selected grouping of three events (for instance, The Sarah Silverman Program is featured in a comedy series which also includes events for George Carlin and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) for $65 starting March 8 at noon, or tickets to individual events may be purchased for $25 starting March 14 at noon. If you are a member (or choose to become a member!) of the Paley Center, you will get a reduction in ticket cost and will be able to access tickets earlier than the general public.

Once tickets go on sale, you can obtain them by visiting paleycenter.org or by calling 310.786.1091 from 12:00 to 5:00 pm daily. Tickets will also be available at the front desk, Weds to Sun, 12:00 to 5:00 pm. The Paley Center for Media is located in Los Angeles, at 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills.