Another lesbian—this time Jane Lynch—hosts the Emmys
by Donalevan Maines
Photo by Williams & Hirakawa/FOX
It’s nice that producers finally figured out who still watches award shows.
These days, to be considered for the hosting job, it seems that you have to be a lesbian (see Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Lynch), a gay man (see Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes), or at least Ryan Seacrest (see Kathy Griffin).
Lynch, who won last year for her portrayal as Coach Sue Sylvester in Glee, hosts the Emmy Awards ceremony when it’s broadcast September 18 on Fox.
Out actors Chris Colfer (as Glee’s gay Kurt Hummel) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (as Modern Family’s gay dad Mitchell Pritchett) square off for best supporting actor in a comedy series, with Colfer already taking home this year’s Golden Globe. A gay man winning for playing a gay character? Someday you won’t have to be William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman) or Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) to nab an Oscar in a gay role!
Alan Cumming, a Tony Award winner for Broadway’s 1988 revival of Cabaret, is up again for supporting actor in a drama series as The Good Wife’s Eli Gold.
Someday, out actors will be nominated in leading roles.
For now, should we be content that Ryan Seacrest scored another nomination in the category of outstanding reality-competition host? Or that Emmy showed some love for gay faves Pee-wee Herman, Lady Gaga, Jim Parsons, Nathan Lane, Matt LeBlanc, Bette Midler, and OutSmart cover-girls Kathy Griffin and Kristin Chenoweth?
Seacrest also returns as host of E!’s red carpet arrival show, another indication of how Hollywood understands that gay fans are award-show bread and butter, insisting that celebrities answer burning questions like “Who are you wearing?” while sweating out stinging critiques from the likes of Cojo and Joan Rivers.
Another Joan—the late Miss Crawford and her Oscar-winning role in the 1945 film noir Mildred Pierce—will be on the minds of high-camp fans after HBO’s miniseries retelling picked up 21 nominations, including major bids for out director Todd Haynes, Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet as the long-suffering mother, and Evan Rachel Wood as ungrateful daughter Veda. IMHO, Veda should have been beaten with wire hangers, and it’s just not enough that the actress had to wear a merkin and go full frontal. (You’ll recall that, as Wood’s mom in the 2003 film Thirteen, Holly Hunter rode the full monty to an Oscar nomination.)
Nominated for outstanding nonfiction special is Becoming Chaz, the documentary about Sonny and Cher’s daughter’s transition to male, which screened in January at the Sundance Film Festival before its TV premiere in May on OWN.
Also of note is the best miniseries or movie nod for HBO’s Cinema Verite, which fictionalized the making of An American Family, the 1973 PBS documentary series that caused jaws to drop over the coming-out of son Lance Loud.
Have I missed anything? If so, it’s because our cup runneth over. When nominations were announced on July 14, Emmy delighted discerning viewers of many persuasions by singling out Friday Night Lights, Boardwalk Empire, and Parks & Recreation, along with heartthrob Timothy Olyphant, Mirielle Enos, Kathy Bates, Louis CK, Johnny Galecki, Christina Hendricks, and others often criminally overlooked.
For the complete list of nominations, visit www.emmys.com.
Donalevan Maines is a regular contributor to OutSmart magazine.
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