ABC and CBS lead
GLAAD award nominees

ABC, whose hit show Grey's Anatomy has made headlines over an antigay slur used by an actor, led nominees for this year's awards from an organization that monitors depictions of gays and lesbians in the media.

The network landed eight nominations from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the group announced Sunday. CBS garnered five nods, NBC three, and PBS two. Among cable networks, CNN received four, Bravo and HBO three, and BBC America two.

Grey's Anatomy, a medical drama, is nominated for outstanding individual episode.

The show itself has received unwanted attention since actor Isaiah Washington used a slur to talk about castmate T.R. Knight in an on-set dustup in October with costar Patrick Dempsey and then used it again at this month's Golden Globes as he denied ever uttering it.

Washington apologized Thursday after the network admonished him.

Nominees for feature film in wide release include Little Miss Sunshine, The Night Listener, Running With Scissors, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and V for Vendetta.

Special prizes will go to singer Patti LaBelle, fashion designer Tom Ford, and tennis great Martina Navratilova.

The 18th annual GLAAD Media Awards--consisting of 42 categories--are split into four ceremonies, held in Los Angeles, New York City, Miami, and San Francisco in March, April, and May.

The awards ''recognize and honor mainstream media for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender...community and the issues that affect their lives.'' (AP)