By: The Seattle Lesbian—
The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA), comprised of over 100 critics and entertainment journalists nationwide, Monday unveiled its first-round picks for the best in movies and television of 2014. The nominations come across 25 categories, from mainstream to LGBTQ-centric, including four newly-added runs such as Film Director of the Year, TV Director of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
GALECA’s mission to honor content “from mainstream to gaystream” has led to an unusually wide variety of nominations and winners since its inception in 2009. The organization’s previous choices for Film of the Year: 12 Years a Slave, Argo, Weekend, I Am Love, and A Single Man. [pullquote]GALECA’s mission to honor content “from mainstream to gaystream” has led to an unusually wide variety of nominations and winners since its inception in 2009. The organization’s previous choices for Film of the Year: 12 Years a Slave, Argo, Weekend, I Am Love, and A Single Man.[/pullquote]
This time, the showbiz satire Birdman has the edge with four nominations in the movie categories, including Film of the Year and Michael Keaton for Film Performance of the Year – Actor. Just behind are The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game and the fact-based crowd-pleaser Pride, about blue-collar miners and LGBTQs standing united for a cause. Annie, Tammy and Maleficent are among the titles vying for Campy Flick of the Year.
In TV categories, the transgender-comes-out-to-their-family dramedy, Transparent, leads with five nominations, including nods for star Jeffrey Tambor and creator Jill Soloway (for TV Director of the Year). The Normal Heart, Orange is the New Black and the new, breakneck drama How to Get Away with Murder (for TV Drama of the Year, star Viola Davis and Campy TV Show) are also well-represented.
LGBTQ-specific categories for TV and film have their own surprises, as do GALECA’s notions for Visually Striking Film of the Year (such as the Scarlett-Johansson-starrer Under the Skin) and “unsung” productions (the group gave TV’s wistful-youth comedy Please Like Me some love).
Other nominees: Taylor Swift, Gina Rodriguez, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Lisa Kudrow, Jack Falahee, Meghan Trainor, and Neil Patrick Harris (the latter is up for Wilde Artist of the Year…James Franco won the title last year).
One winner is known already: George Takei, Star Trek icon and LGBTQ-rights activist, has been named Timeless Star. GALECA has previously awarded such luminaries as Lily Tomlin and Sir Ian McKellen their version of a career achievement honor.
This season’s winners will be announced next Tuesday, January 20, with the group’s annual, free-wheeling Winners Toast set for Sunday, March 1, in Los Angeles.
For more information, visit galeca.com. GALECA can be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/DorianAwards and the smitten are also welcome at facebook.com/dorianawards.
