Posted on 07/22/2003 4:36:16 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
Les Moonves, CBS chairman and chief executive officer, award-winning journalist Linda Ellerbee and out entertainment reporter Steve Kmetko will be among the headliners at “Out in the Spotlight,” NLGJA’s 2003 national convention at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.
As its name suggests, the Sept. 11-14 event will draw on the image of its host city. “It’s all about location, location, location,” said Martha E. Flores, who along with Scott Gutman, is co-chair of the 2003 event.
“With the convention being in the heart of Hollywood, we will take our cue from our location to set the tone. The convention will examine the blending of entertainment and news as part of the action-packed four days, brimming with hot topic plenaries, press briefings, development programming and pure fun.”
Among the slated speakers, Moonves will take part in “Gay Images in Prime Time,” a plenary organized by Philadelphia Inquirer TV columnist Gail Shister that will also include “Six Feet Under” executive producer Alan Poul.
Peabody Award-winner Ellerbee, executive producer, writer and host of “Nick News” on Nickelodeon, will moderate an interactive plenary in which she will pose scenarios “ripped from the headlines” to a changing panel of journalists chosen at random from the audience. Ellerbee was scheduled to take part in the women’s dinner last year at the Philadelphia convention, but had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency.
Also scheduled to speak are the openly gay Kmetko, former co-anchor for E! News Live, and John Puerner, publisher of The Los Angeles Times, which has been supportive of the event both with funding and volunteers.
The convention, expected to draw some 500 attendees, will focus on multicultural and multilingual themes, as well as broadcast and new media career development.
Among the plenaries and workshops in the works by NLGJA members are:
David Jefferson, Newsweek Los Angeles bureau chief, is creating a plenary featuring high profile journalists from media serving ethnic minority communities, who will discuss what’s unique in their coverage of LGBT issues.
Judy Wieder, Liberation Publications senior editorial director, and Bruce Steele, Advocate editor-in-chief, are putting together a session on asking public figures tough questions –– like those about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Out magazine executive editor Bruce Shenitz will be spearheading a discussion on whether the gay press has gotten too successful for its own good.
Another must-see event, organizers say, will be a workshop by Los Angeles Times fashion writer Michael Quintanilla called “Confessions of a Former Disco Maniac.”
“You’ll want to mark it in your program book and get yourself to ‘Confessions of a Former Disco Maniac,’ ” said Robin Stevens, co-chair of convention programming. “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll think about your profession in a new light, and you’ll understand why Quintanilla’s an underground sensation in the journalism world.”
Both at the hotel and off-site, conventiongoers will find a range of activities available to them.
The two-year-old Renaissance Hollywood Hotel is within walking distance of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and within easy access to the Universal City entertainment complex and the famed intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
The hotel also has a rooftop pool and deck for those who want to soak in the sunny weather. “September in Los Angeles is just about as perfect as it gets,” Flores said.
After hours, conventiongoers will be offered a laundry list of entertainment opportunities that will keep NLGJA members “talking for years,” Stevens said.
In addition to opening night men’s and women’s events, there will be a gala reception with special guests and a “not-so-silent” auction, including more television, movie and celebrity items than in the past, Stevens said.
But the one social event not to miss, according to Flores, is the annual Excellence in Journalism Awards ceremony at the Hollywood History Museum, which contains a collection of everything from the set for Hannibal Lecter’s prison cell to costumes from the musical, “Moulin Rouge.”
For additional mixing and mingling, there are plenty of gay hot spots in nearby West Hollywood.
“The fact that we’re going to be at the nexus of entertainment and media on the West Coast is going to make it very exciting,” said Doug Stewart, co-chair of convention programming.
The weekend, organizers say, promises to be an all-around satisfying trip for NLGJA members who attend. “It will be the red carpet event for journalists on all fronts –– social, professional and educational,” Flores said.
Les Moonves, CBS chairman and chief executive officer, award-winning journalist Linda Ellerbee and out entertainment reporter Steve Kmetko will be among the headliners at “Out in the Spotlight...”
So nice that you're OUT in the spotlight, Les. And since you're OUT, let's shine the spotlight of truth on the snake that you are.
Among the slated speakers, Moonves will take part in “Gay Images in Prime Time,” a plenary organized by Philadelphia Inquirer TV columnist Gail Shister that will also include “Six Feet Under” executive producer Alan Poul.
Do we smell an agenda here on the part of Moonves? Anybody here doubt that CBS will SMEAR Ronald Reagan bigtime? BTW, whenever you see the word "plenary" used it is ALWAYS by FAR LEFT organizations.
And so is Les Moonves. Have you seen pre-op pics of him?
It looks like my prediction about Les Moonves back in July was right on the mark.
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