Learn mandarin - Prime-time TV not gay enough: study

? ?



ENTERTAINMENT / Television






Prime-time TV not gay enough: study


(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-08-08 17:40



LOS ANGELES - Are U.S. television networks gay enough? Not yet, but ABC
is getting close, according to a gay-rights group.



Michael Urie speaks during the Outfest Ugly Betty Panel at Directors
Guild of America in Los Angeles, California, July 15, 2007. [Reuters]

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has given the
Walt Disney Co.-owned network the highest marks of any of the five major
broadcast networks in the group's first-ever report rating depictions of
gay, lesbian and transgender characters and issues on prime-time TV.

The study assigned grades of "excellent," "good," "fair" or "failing"
based on the number of "impressions," or occurrences, of gay characters,
discussions or themes counted during 4,693 hours of programming examined
from June 2006 through May 2007.

No network was rated as excellent. But ABC received a grade of "good"
with 171 hours of gay-inclusive TV last season, accounting for 15 percent
of its prime-time programming.

ABC shows also featured more regular characters who are gay, lesbian or
transgender than any of its rival broadcasters, led by the first-season
series, "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers & Sisters," according to the study,
released on Monday.

The character of Betty's office cohort, Marc, played by Michael Urie, was
depicted as coming out to his intolerant mother, while Alexis, played by
Rebecca Romijn, was revealed to have once been Alex -- making her the
first series regular transgender on a network comedy, GLAAD said.

"Overall, the approach that ABC takes ... can serve as a best-practice
model," the study found.

GLAAD said networks and their advertisers stood to gain from more
gay-friendly programming, as the gay community is generally more
affluent, highly educated and brand-conscious than the population at
large.

GLAAD noted that ABC, long known for its family-oriented,
middle-of-the-road sitcom hits like "Happy Days," also has a history of
landmark TV portraits of gay characters, dating back to 1977 and the
debut of "Soap," which featured Billy Crystal as Jodie Dallas.

ABC also made broadcast history when Ellen DeGeneres' TV alter ego came
out of the closet in 1997 on her sitcom "Ellen," becoming the first
openly gay lead character on prime-time network television.

More recently, producers of the ABC hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy"
fired actor Isaiah Washington from the show in June after he reportedly
made an anti-gay slur during a heated argument on the set with other cast
members.

But GLAAD spokesman Damon Romine said ABC received no extra points for
Washington's dismissal.

"This is all about representations on the screen," he said. "Our overall
concern is increasing the inclusivity of the networks and having our
lives be more visible."

The fledgling, youth-oriented CW network, formed from the merger of the
now-defunct WB and UPN networks, scored the second-highest marks from
GLAAD, rated as "fair" with 12 percent of its programming hours found to
be gay-inclusive.

The CW reality contest show "America's Next Top Model" accounted for
nearly all of that, the report said.

CBS, the nation's most watched network overall, and NBC also received
grades of "fair," with 9 percent and 7 percent of their programming
deemed gay-inclusive, respectively.

The study faulted CBS for casting gay and lesbian characters mostly as
victims and villains in its procedural police dramas without including
gays on any of the crime-solving teams.

"Since 'Will & Grace' left the air in May 2006, LGBT (lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender) impressions on NBC have been few and far between,"
the report said.

News Corp.-owned Fox, the most watched network among young adult viewers
most prized by advertisers, received GLAAD's lowest score, "failing," for
including gay and lesbian impressions in just 6 percent of its
programming.























Top Entertaiment News ?




* Accident injures 11 on Cruise film shoot
* Jessica Biel signs contract to strip in new movie
* "Superbad" rushes to super spot at U.S. box off
* Rapper Kanye West tops British singles charts
* Hundreds mourn death of entertainer Merv Griffin





Today's Top News ?




* 'Slim' hopes of survival for 181 trapped miners
* Sepat sweeps NW after killing 19
* Unsafe sex major cause of HIV infection
* Poll: Family ties key to youth happiness
* 15 killed as Sepat wreaks havoc





Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours








Learn Chinese, Chinese School, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet