Cloud Atlas,' 'Smash,' Frank Ocean Among GLAAD Award Nominees

Los Angeles, Wednesday, January 16, 2013 - GLAAD, the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, announced today the nominees for its 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. By recognizing and honoring media for outstanding images of the LGBT community, the GLAAD Media Awards serve as a benchmark for the media industry and complement GLAAD's work to bring LGBT images and stories to Americans.

Among the nominees: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Ezra Miller, Logan Lerman and Emma Watson; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson; Cloud Atlas, starring Ben Whishaw and James D'Arcy; NBC's new hit shows The New Normal and Smash; Glee, Modern Family; the documentary How to Survive a Plague; The Amazing Race with the Fabulous Beekman Boys; an interview with Bishop Gene Robinson on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; Oprah's hour-long visit with Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka; CNN's Anderson Cooper 360; MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry; and Frank Ocean for his Channel Orange album. The list also includes GLAAD's first nomination for a PG-rated animated film, ParaNorman, which also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.

Spanish-language nominees include Titulares Telemundo for their interview with openly gay boxer Orlando Cruz, news programs Primer Impacto and Encuentro, and People en Espa�ol

"Images and stories from the LGBT community continue to push support for equality to historic levels," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. "This year's nominees enlighten and entertain, but also reflect a new American landscape where a growing majority accept and value their LGBT family, colleagues and friends. Now more than ever, viewers not only accept gay and transgender characters and plot lines, they expect them - just as they both accept and expect LGBT people to be a valuable part of their everyday lives."

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 16, 2013 at the New York Marriott Marquis; in Los Angeles on April 20 at the JW Marriott; and in San Francisco on May 11 at the Hilton San Francisco - Union Square. Special Honorees for each city will be announced in coming weeks.

GLAAD announced 120 nominees in 25 English-language categories, and 33 Spanish-language nominees in 8 categories. In the English-language categories, cable networks earned 21 nominations, while broadcast networks garnered 17 nominations.

A complete list of GLAAD Media Awards nominees may be found here. Additional facts and figures about this year's 153 nominees may be found on the GLAAD website.

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories from the LGBT community and issues that build support for equality.

The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards nominees were published, released or broadcast between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. Over 85 volunteers serving on seven nominating juries considered nearly 1,000 media projects for nomination. Each year, the GLAAD Media Awards in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco bring together more than 5,000 supporters to raise nearly $3.5 million for the organization's work.

More than 100 corporate partners are showing their support, including National Presenting partners Ketel One Vodka and Wells Fargo, New York and Los Angeles Presenting partner Delta Air Lines, and San Francisco Presenting partner Southwest Airlines. GLAAD is also grateful to the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Platinum Underwriter corporate partner Anheuser-Busch, Inc. as well as Underwriter corporate partners: Allstate Insurance Company, Caesars Foundation, Disney-ABC Television Group/ESPN, New York Marriott Marquis & Renaissance Hotel, and PwC. For a full list of corporate partners and information on how to become a corporate partner, purchase tickets and place a tribute in the tribute book, please visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards.