Janet Jackson accepted the Vanguard Award at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, April 26, 2008. © 2008 Michael Caulfield

Los Angeles, Sunday, April 27, 2008 – Sally Field, T.R. Knight, Rachel Griffiths, Matthew Rhys, Garry Marshall, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Sofia Vergara and Zoe Saldana were among the dozens of celebrities who joined the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) as it honored Janet Jackson, Rufus Wainwright, and Herb Ritts, and presented awards for Outstanding Drama Series, Comedy Series, and Reality Program last night in Los Angeles at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.

At the ceremony, Ellen DeGeneres presented Janet Jackson with GLAAD's Vanguard Award, honoring media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"To everyone at GLAAD and everyone in this room, I would just like to say that I hope I can always walk worthy of this award that I have both in my hand and my heart," Jackson said in her acceptance speech.

Also at the event, Sharon Stone presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Rufus Wainwright.  The Stephen F. Kolzak Award is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for the LGBT community.

"I'd like to thank GLAAD so much for allowing the world to see us as we are – as human beings – and to fight for us when we are being defamed and maligned," Wainwright said accepting his award.  "And also to allow gay people, who think that everything's fine, to actually realize that it's not, and that there is a lot of work to do."

GLAAD also honored Herb Ritts with a posthumous Pioneer Award.  The Pioneer Award is given to an individual, group, or media outlet that made a significant contribution to the development of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-inclusive media images prior to the creation of the GLAAD Media Awards.  Tom Ford presented the award, and Cindy Crawford accepted on behalf of the Herb Ritts Foundation.

"Herb Ritts clearly understood the power and importance of positive LGBT images in the media," Crawford said accepting the award.  "He once said, 'The more the public can see examples of people of the same sex together, the more the barriers will be broken.'  I know how much it would have meant to Herb to be here himself to receive this honor from GLAAD, in his hometown, basking in the love and respect of his community."

Previously GLAAD announced an exclusive agreement with Bravo, its new broadcast partner, which will telecast the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.  The announcement was made jointly by GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano and General Manager of Bravo Media Frances Berwick.  The national media advocacy organization has presented the GLAAD Media Awards annually since 1990, but this will be the first televised airing of the celebration on a fully distributed national cable network.  GLAAD will provide details about the upcoming broadcast date in the near future.

Kathy Griffin opened the show by inviting her mother, Maggie Griffin, onstage to quiz her about her knowledge of the LGBT community.  Later in the show, Grammy Award-winning singer Joss Stone performed two songs for the near-capacity crowd of 2800 in the Kodak Theatre.

Other guests and presenters at the event included: Portia de Rossi; Billy Baldwin, Candis Cayne (Dirty Sexy Money); Jennifer Beals, Laurel Holloman, Ilene Chaiken (The L Word); Adamo Ruggiero, Lauren Collins (Degrassi: The Next Generation); Paul James, Jacob Zachar, Amber Stevens, Zach Lively, Max Greenfield, Patrick Sean Smith (Greek); Gabrielle Christian, Maeve Quinlan (South of Nowhere); Tuc Watkins, Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives); Steve Agee, Laura Silverman, Jay Johnston (The Sarah Silverman Program); Jack Mackenroth, Rami Kashou, Nick Verreos (Project Runway); Rex Lee; Leslie Jordan; Bryan Batt; Sharon Lawrence; Jay Manuel; Jackie Warner, Jesse Brune (Work Out); Michelle Paradise, Megan Cavanagh, Angela Featherstone, Marnie Alton (Exes and Ohs); Calpernia Addams, Andrea James (TransAmerican Love Story); Wilson Cruz; Todd Holland; Scotch Loring; and former NBA player John Amaechi.

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Awards recipients announced Saturday in Los Angeles.  Additional awards were presented in New York on March 17, and in South Florida on April 12.  The remaining awards will be presented in San Francisco on May 10 at the San Francisco Marriott.

• Vanguard Award:  Janet Jackson  (presented by Ellen DeGeneres)

• Stephen F. Kolzak Award:  Rufus Wainwright  (presented by Sharon Stone)

• Pioneer Award:  Herb Ritts  (presented by Tom Ford, and accepted by Cindy Crawford on behalf of the Herb Ritts Foundation)

• Outstanding Drama Series:  Brothers & Sisters (ABC)  [Accepted by: Executive Producers Alison Schapker, Monica Breen, and Producer David Marshall Grant, with Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Matthew Rhys, Ron Rifkin, and Balthazar Getty]

• Outstanding Comedy Series:  Ugly Betty (ABC)  [Accepted by: Executive Producer Silvio Horta, with Michael Urie, Becki Newton, and Christopher Gorham]

• Outstanding Reality Program:  Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List (Bravo) [Accepted by: Kathy Griffin, Jessica Zajicek, Tiffany Rinehart, and Tom Vise]

It was also announced that Avenue Q won the award for Outstanding Los Angeles Theater Production.

More than 100 corporate sponsors are showing their support, including National Presenting sponsors ABSOLUT® VODKA and IBM and Los Angeles Presenting Sponsors AT&T and Harrah's Foundation.  GLAAD is also grateful to the event's Platinum Underwriters MTV Networks and Time Warner.  Allstate Insurance Company, Ken Alpert & Andrew Petronio KA Design Group, American Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, Inc./Bud Light, Atlantis Events, Comcast, Coors Brewing Company, HMS Media, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, University of Phoenix, and Terry K. Watanabe support the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards as Underwriter Sponsors.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.

About Bravo
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been an NBC cable network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com.