RESPECT LOS ANGELES, October 2008 - HONOREES

Darren Star

Darren Star is the Creator and Executive Producer of three of the last decade's most popular television phenomenons: Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, and the three time Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning HBO comedy series Sex and the City. In each series, Star's multi-dimensional characters, interesting settings and layered plot lines hooked viewers and became significant elements of contemporary pop culture.

Star is currently enjoying the great success of the Sex and the City film, based on his award winning work on the Sex and the City series. He brought the project to HBO and wrote the groundbreaking pilot for the series, as well as many of the show's best loved episodes. Star personally cast all four women, putting together one of the most legendary and lauded ensembles in television.

Star attended the University of California in Los Angeles, where he majored in creative writing. At 24, he sold his first screenplay, Doin' Time on Planet Earth. While writing other screenplays, including If Looks Could Kill, for Warner Brothers, Star was asked by FOX to create a series set in the world of high school in Beverly Hills. The result, Beverly Hills, 90210, became one of the longest running primetime series in television history. Following the success of "90210," Star created and executive produced the hugely popular Melrose Place.

Star's other critically acclaimed TV credits include creating and executive producing NBC's Miss Match starring Alicia Silverstone, Fox's Kitchen Confidential and The Street and WB's Grosse Pointe, among many others. Most recently, Star served as executive producer on ABC's Cashmere Mafia. He is currently working on a project for HBO.

Darren Star was honored in 2002 by the Human Rights Campaign and was the Honorary Chair for GLAAD's 11th Annual ABSOLUT© Hamptons event in 2007. In addition, Darren's hit series Sex and the City was nominated for the GLAAD award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004 and was the winner of the category in 2004.

Disney/ABC Television

The Disney-owned ABC Television Network has a long, distinguished history of LGBT inclusiveness, broadcasting a number of TV 'firsts' including: the first series featuring gay characters (Soap), the first gay couple shown in bed (thirtysomething), the first LGBT leading character and openly gay TV star (Ellen), and the first marriage between two gay "series regular" characters (Brothers & Sisters).

Disney-ABC has proudly supported GLSEN from its inception, as well as other LGBT organizations including GLAAD, The Trevor Project, HRC and The Point Foundation, while continuing to lead the way in the representation of the LGBT community. ABC News regularly features talent and stories from the LGBT community. ABC Daytime and Primetime feature LGBT characters who are integral parts of some of the network's most popular shows, including All My Children, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Gray's Anatomy, and Dirty Sexy Money.

GLAAD's 2008 Network Responsibility Index shows that ABC continues its leadership in LGBT-inclusive content, stating "ABC has raised the bar through its consistent and rich LGBT inclusion, and has the highest percentage of transgender-inclusive house of any broadcast network." The report notes that in addition to broadcasting the most LGBT impressions during primetime, ABC "consistently offers the most fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the five broadcast networks."

Lance Bass

Lance Bass is the ultimate multi-hyphenate: singer-actor-producer-writer-entrepreneur-philanthropist. Best known as a member of the phenomenally successful pop group *NSYNC, he has also made a name for himself in a variety of other areas. He executive produced and starred in the Miramax film On the Line, and he has made guest appearances in the film Zoolander and several television shows. Bass continues to flex his producing muscles with his production company, Lance Bass Productions. He recently executive produced Randal Kleiser's romantic comedy Lovewrecked, starring Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Jonathan Bennett. Additionally, Bass is currently promoting his memoir, Out of Sync, for Simon Spotlight Entertainment.

As a member of *NSYNC, he has sold over 50 million records worldwide. The group holds the all-time record for most album sales in a single day (over 1 million) and in a single week (2.4 million) for its 2000 album, No Strings Attached. Bass has also won a number of awards, including People's Choice, American Music Awards, MTV Video Awards, Kids' Choice Award, and a host of Grammy nominations. He was also inducted into the MS Musicians Hall of Fame, making him the youngest person ever to receive this honor.

Bass remains active in various philanthropic efforts, most particularly The Lance Bass Foundation, created to meet the health and educational needs of children, and GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. Lance has recently focused his energy into ensuring that GLSEN's mission reaches a national audience. This past spring, Lance publicly supported the 2008 Day of Silence by filming a public service announcement that reached hundreds of thousands of youth and allies across the country.