Bravo network's
hit show Project Runway and the independent
film Quinceanera won honors at the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's annual awards on
Monday, but it was singer Patti LaBelle and Oscar-winning
Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson who stole the show.
R&B diva
LaBelle received a special achievement award, presented by
Hudson, for championing gay and lesbian rights and
participation in the fight against AIDS.
"I didn't know
you were this nice," LaBelle told Hudson at GLAAD's
18th annual media awards. "I thought you were a bitch,"
she joked, noting that she had never met Hudson before their
joint appearance.
LaBelle spent
most of her acceptance speech praising Hudson, a losing
American Idol contestant won an Oscar last month
for her film debut, portraying a pop singer in the musical
Dreamgirls. In a passing-of-the-torch moment that
brought a cheering audience to its feet, the pair
launched into an a cappella rendition of "Nobody Knows
the Trouble I've Seen." Hudson appeared astonished by
LaBelle's tribute, saying "You are who I idolize."
GLAAD, created to
combat negative media depictions of gays, also
honored designer Tom Ford and comic Kate Clinton for their
achievement as gay role models. Project
Runway, about aspiring fashion designers, won
as outstanding reality TV show. The Bravo network is a
unit of NBC Universal, jointly owned by General Electric and
Vivendi.
Quinceanera, the story of a pregnant teenager
who is taken in by a gay cousin, was named best
limited-release film. HBO's All Aboard! Rosie's Family
Cruise, about entertainer Rosie O'Donnell's inaugural
chartered cruise for families with gay parents, won
the best documentary award. Details was honored for
magazine coverage.
O'Donnell gave a
nod to tennis legend Billie Jean King, subject of
another nominated documentary, saying "if it hadn't been for
Billie Jean King, there wouldn't have been a gay
movement." Also honored were the soap opera All My
Children, talk show The Oprah Winfrey
Show, news show Nightline, and print
media The New York Times, The Los Angeles
Times, The Washington Post, and columnist
Frank Rich.
Other celebrity
presenters included Oscar nominee Julianne Moore, Sex and
the City actress Cynthia Nixon, director John
Waters, pop singer Hilary Duff, and former basketball
professional John Amaechi, who recently came out as
the first openly gay National Basketball Association
player. Additional awards will be announced in
ceremonies in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The awards will
be aired on the cable network Logo on April 21.
(Reuters, Chris Michaud)
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