Billy Elliot, Will and Grace among Producers Guild nominees

The last of the major pre–Oscar award nominations were announced Monday, as the Producers Guild announced the contenders for the Golden Laurels, which will be presented March 3. Producers Gren Brenman and Jonathan Finn were nominated in the feature film category for the gay-friendly drama Billy Elliot, and they are up against the producers of Almost Famous; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Erin Brockovich; and Gladiator in that category. Other nominations of gay and lesbian interest include Sex and the City (out producers Darren Star and Michael Patrick King, along with John Melfi and Jenny Bicks) and Will & Grace (openly gay Max Mutchnick as well as David Kohan, James Burrows, and Tim Kaiser) in the episodic television comedy category and If These Walls Could Talk 2 (Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd) for the David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award for long-form television.