February 1, 2002 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE ∙11

on the airoff the press

Miller named 'Leader of the Year' for its beer ads

by John Graves

Commercial Closet columnist Michael Wilke (January 17) named the Miller Brewing Co., which has marketed to the lesbigay community since the mid-1970s, Leader of the Year for its portrayals of gays in his annual list of the best and worst portrayals of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in TV commercials.

Wilke says Miller Brewing Co. got the nod "for its unusual creative approach, informative research, far-reaching media exposure, and positive handling afterward" for "Switcheroo." The ad showed two women trying to pick up a handsome man in a bar who were surprised when his boyfriend appeared. It aired in national prime time and on sports programming last spring.

Wilke says Miller and its ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, developed the commercial after learning its consumers were open to diversity, and when press attention came, Miller spoke comfortably about it.

Other "Leaders" include Boston Brewing Co. (Samuel Adams), who ran an ad in which a hunky guy jumps back into bed after learning his girlfriend is actually a guy; Chupa Chups for its ad in which a motorcycle cop pulls over a young man, leans into the window and plants a kiss on him; video game maker Electronic Arts for The Sims Hot Date expansion pack, the first computer game that includes the possibility of same-sex romance—and its commercial, which gives a live-action example--and John Hancock Financial Services for "Class of '76," set at a high school reunion that mentions how many schoolmates came out.

Wilke says there were also many companies who were "Laggards" for airing commercials that relied on homophobia or stereotypes for humor. Other Laggards had good ads, but blew it by editing out gayness, making awkward statements about the ads, or dropping the commercial altogether.

Among these are Coca-Cola for a Minute Maid ad featuring rivals Popeye and Bluto becoming close friends. Olive Oyl is puzzled as they ride by her on a tandem bicycle.

The ad was cleverly vague on how close the two were. But, "Any intent to draw a [gay relationship] parallel would be wrong,” said Minute Maid spokesperson Dan Shafer. "Anyone who knows Popeye and Bluto understands that's not the case, there's no intent like that." Wilke said the company should have just issued a "no comment."

The full list of Leaders and Laggards can be seen at www.commercialcloset.org. AnOhioan at Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival this year might not have any LGBT standouts like the 2001 musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, currently available on video and DVD, or the documentary Trembling Before G-d, a look at the lives of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, but an Ohio-born filmmaker has still won an honorable mention for a gay-themed short.

Jamie Babbit, who made the popular 1999 queer flick But I'm a Cheerleader with Natasha Lyonne and RuPaul, brought her short film Stuck to the festival, and it was one of six to walk away with honorable mentions.

The seven-minute Stuck deals with two senior lesbians who, in the aftermath of hitting someone with their car, realize they have nothing in common anymore.

"I'm very excited and honored," Babbit, a Shaker Heights export, told Joanna Connors of Cleveland's Plain Dealer. "There were so many great shorts at the festival, and I am so happy to be among the honorable mentions. Now I just hope my film gets accepted into the Cleveland [International] Film Festival." Production halted on 'Ellen'

CBS has halted production of Ellen DeGeneres sitcom The Ellen Show after 18 episodes.

network is cutting short the seasons of a number of struggling shows.

The show has been removed from the schedule for the February sweeps period, one of two times when the networks use their ratings to determine advertising prices. The final five new episodes will air in March and April, according to a Variety report.

CBS said that the shortening of the season does not mean that the show is cancelled, and is in contention for the fall 2002 season, which will be announced in May.

Fox, ABC and WB also have cut back on orders for some of their shows in an effort to save money.

Elton John honored for AIDS work

The U.K. Coalition of People Living with HIV and AIDS has awarded Elton John with their Hero Award for his contributions to the fight against HIV and AIDS through the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

“I accept the Hero Award with gratitude,” John said in his acceptance speech, "but more importantly in the acknowledgment of the 30,000 positive people here in the U.K. today."

"As a gay man. I'm very lucky not to be infected. John told Britain's ITV News, My concern nowadays is that young people think they are invulnerable, but they're not."

John told ITV News the 1990 death of 18year-old Ryan White from AIDS complications inspired him to get involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

"It was a time in my life when I wasn't behaving very well," he said. "I played at his funeral and I looked like a 90-year-old man. That was when I decided to clean up my act.”

Two more gay channels coming

Plans are already underway to create two more new cable networks to compete with the yet-to-be-launched one under development by MTV Networks and Showtime.

According to Multichannel News correspondent Linda Moss, MDC Entertainment plans to launch ALT1-TV, a digital entertainment network targeting both lesbigay and straight viewers, in the first quarter of next year.

ALT1-TV is co-founded by Michael Arlington, a former member of the programdevelopment team at Saban Entertainment, the folks that brought you the Mighty Morphing Power Ranger. Developers include veteran TV producer David McKillop, who has done projects for the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, and Mitchell Galin, executive producer of the Sci Fi Channel production Dune: The Miniseries.

Victor Siegel, a consultant working with ALT1-TV told Moss the network is well along in the process of securing funding to be used to produce its first pilot programs, which Siegel says will presented to advertisers as a cost-effective way to reach lesbian and gay viewers.

Triangle Television Network of Palm Springs, Calif. also plans to launch a lesbigayoriented cable channel late next month. Priced at $9.95 per month, Triangle's initial offerings will include movies that have run at gay film festivals, series and original shows such as Good Morning Gay America.

Triangle executive vice president Dick Weiner told Moss they are in negotiations with AT&T Broadband and will meet later this month with Time Warner, Cox, Adelphia, Comcast and Charter Communications.

GLAAD decries TG killer-of-the-week

GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is upset about the January 17 episode of the NBC cop series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in which Paul Millander, a vicious serial killer the CSI team has hunted since the first episode, is revealed to be transgendered.

In the episode, "Identity Crisis," detectives discover Millander is a female-to-male transsexual who saw his father murdered when he was a young child.

CBS had green-lighted the show for a full Now turned serial killer, Millander ritual22-episode season a few months ago, but theistically murders his own victims the same ·

way his father was killed thirty years earlier.

The episode ends with Millander returning to his childhood home, murdering his mother, and then killing himself.

"With this episode, CSI continues a longstanding Hollywood tradition of portraying sexual minorities as dangerous criminals and homicidal maniacs," said a GLAAD statement. "Transgender characters have now become the easy choice when Hollywood needs a lurid story line or an easily demonized villain. Transgender lives are routinely exploited for sensationalistic shock value or crude humor in popular entertainment."

"Female-to-male people are almost entirely invisible in mainstream culture. This is only the second female-to-male transgender character ever to appear on TV--the first was on a 1999 episode of L.A. Doctors. To have the second female-to-male character presented as a vicious, matricidal serial killer is profoundly disturbing and deeply offensive." Landers lambastes homophobia

Syndicated advice columnist Ann Landers took a stand against homophobia once again

Lavender Haze

on January 24, when she responded to a California reader.

"My nephew is getting married and has asked our 9-year-old daughter to be in the wedding party," the woman wrote. "I know the bride-to-be has several gay friends... My husband and I are deeply religious and do not approve of gays. Should we allow our young daughter to attend?”

"Of course your daughter should attend the wedding," Landers replied. “Make no mention of the sexual orientation of any of the guests. To poison your daughter's mind against any segment of society would be wrong, wrong, wrong."

"P.S." Landers added, "I hope you are able to overcome your own prejudice and enjoy the evening. If you feel you cannot do so, stay home, and do everyone a favor."

John Graves is the producer and host of Gaywaves, a lesbian-gay public affairs show on Cleveland's WRUW 911 FM Fridays at pm, and at http://radio.cwru.edu. Dave Haskell. Jim McGrattan and Kim Jones also contributed to this column.

EVE MUZIC

Michelle Malone struck a Jimi Hendrix pose while working the crowd at Club 202 in Columbus on January 26. Operating on three days on the road without sleep, Malone still left the crowd satisfied with songs like "Hello," "Mexico," "Super Ball," "Teen Lament” and a cover of the song "Our Lips Are Sealed."

-Heather Gmucs

We are pleased to announce the creation of CBF Services LLC

Specializing in Bookkeeping, Tax and Computer services for Individuals and Small Business.

Visit our web-site at www.CBF-Services.com, for more detailed information on the services we can provide, or call us at 2.16-961-1761, to arrange an appointment.

Gay-owned and operated

CBF

SERVICES LLC