Sneak Preview: Behind the Scenes with ABDC’s Vogue Evolution
August 28, 2009
Yesterday, GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Team had the privilege of visiting the set of Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew and checking out Vogue Evolution as they rehearsed for the Bollywood themed episode that will air on Sunday.
Next week we’ll be posting video of the interview we conducted with Vogue Evolution. In the meantime, here are a few photos of the fab five to tide you over:
For this week's show, all crews must incorporate aspects of Bollywood into their dance
From left: Pony, Daeshaun, Prince and Leiomy (5th member Malachi was unable to attend the interview)
From left: Daeshaun, Entertainment Media Manager Jonathan Rosales, Pony, Leiomy, Director of Entertainment Media Taj Paxton, and Prince
Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock Opens Tomorrow Nationwide
August 27, 2009
Taking Woodstock, the latest film from director Ang Lee and screenwriter James Schamus, opens tomorrow in wide release. GLAAD’s Entertainment Media team screened the film and is pleased to report that Taking Woodstock follows in the LGBT-inclusive vein of Lee’s previous work.
Demetri Martin (l.) and Liev Schreiber (r.) in "Taking Woodstock"
The film tells the real life story of Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), a key figure in organizing 1969’s monumental Woodstock Festival. Elliot, who is gay, had been active in post-Stonewall riots in New York before returning to his parent’s home Bethel, NY. Through a series of events, Tiber helps bring Woodstock to Bethel where he meets thousands of colorful characters.
Among these is Vilma (Liev Schreiber), a transgender woman who is an acquaintance of Elliot’s ex-boyfriend and offers to work security. Though a few jokes are made, Vilma is not played for laughs and easily becomes one of the most likable characters in Taking Woodstock. Indeed, she develops a close friendship with Elliot’s elderly Jewish father that is quite touching. Elliot also finds romance among the visitors in town for three days of peace and music.
Lee, the director of gay cinema classics such as The Wedding Banquet and Brokeback Mountain (for which he won an Academy Award), and Schamus, a GLAAD Media Award Special Honoree in 2008, have again delivered a film that does an excellent job of portraying LGBT stories. Be sure to check it out this weekend in a theater near you.
Related Posts:GLAAD Releases Third Annual Network Responsibility Index
July 27, 2009
Today, GLAAD released its third annual Network Responsibility Index, a report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television. HBO ranked highest among all networks, while ABC led broadcast networks for the third year in a row.
"True Blood's" Lafayette helped make HBO the leader in LGBT representation among all networks evaluated
GLAAD reviewed all primetime programming — 4,901 hours — for inclusion of LGBT characters or issues on the five major networks (ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC) from June 1, 2008 to May 31, 2009. GLAAD also examined all original primetime programming — 1,212.5 hours — on 10 highly-rated cable networks (A&E, FX, HBO, Lifetime, MTV, Showtime, Sci Fi, TBS, TNT, and USA). Each hour was reviewed for on-screen LGBT representations. Based on the quantity, overall quality and diversity of these representations, a grade was assigned by GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Program to each network: Excellent, Good, Adequate, or Failing.
The full, detailed report can be downloaded here: http://www.glaad.org/nri2009
HBO received a Good rating and scored the highest rating of the 15 networks evaluated with LGBT characters on shows including True Blood, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Entourage that reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of the LGBT community. Of HBO’s 14 original series, 10 included LGBT content and 42 percent of the network’s total programming hours included LGBT representation. However, representation of the lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities was minimal.
"Grey's Anatomy's" Callie and Arizona helped keep ABC tops among broadcast networks
ABC and The CW ranked first and second among the five broadcast networks, just as they have every year since GLAAD began tracking for the Network Responsibility Index. However, the rankings among the remaining broadcast network shifted with CBS dropping to last place and Fox rising to third.
The 14th Annual GLAAD Where We Are On TV report on diversity will be issued in September. This analysis will examine LGBT inclusion as well as the gender and race/ethnicity of all scripted characters scheduled to appear during the upcoming season. With brand-new LGBT-inclusive shows such as Glee and Modern Family, we are optimistic that the 2009-2010 television season could see some marked improvement among the major networks. Continue checking glaad.org and glaadblog.org for the latest on the Network Responsibility Index and Where We Are on TV, as well as further news on the coming TV season.
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