'Happiest Season,' 'Ma Rainey,' 'Vida' and Elmo score GLAAD Media Award nominations

Sony's "The Craft: Legacy," Hulu's "Happiest Season" and Netflix's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," "The Old Guard" and "The Prom" were the wide-release films nominated for the 32nd GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday. The awards honor fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.

Emmy-winning television series "Schitt's Creek" along with the comedies "Big Mouth," "Dead to Me," "Love, Victor, "Sex Education," "Saved by the Bell" and "Superstore," and the dramas "Star Trek: Discovery," "Killing Eve," "The Umbrella Academy," "Vida" and "Supergirl" were also among the expanded lists of TV nominees announced on TikTok.

Six of the projects noted were produced by GLAAD's Vito Russo Award recipient Ryan Murphy, whose nominated works include "The Prom," "The Boys in the Band," "Circus of Books," "Hollywood," "Ratched" and "9-1-1: Lone Star."

Recording artists Adam Lambert, Brandy Clark, Halsey, Kehlani, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Pabllo Vittar, Peppermint, Ricky Martin and Sam Smith were also nominated, along with talk show hosts Trevor Noah and Lilly Singh, CNN's Jake Tapper and even "Sesame Street" star Elmo, who hosts "The Not-Too-Late Show."

"During an unprecedented year of crises and isolation, the nominees for the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards reached LGBTQ people with powerful stories and inspired countless others around the world with bold looks at LGBTQ people and issues,” GLAAD President and Chief Executive Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “As GLAAD continues to lead the fight for LGBTQ acceptance, this year’s nominees remind us that even in times of political and cultural division, diverse LGBTQ representation and visibility can enlighten, entertain, and create lasting change.”

The Hallmark Channel received its first nomination for its holiday film "The Christmas House," which was the network's first to star a gay couple. Streaming giant Netflix scored the most nominations of any network with 26. HBO Max followed with nine and Amazon, Hulu and HBO received four apiece. Disney+ and PBS each received three nominations.

Video games, comic books, print, broadcast and online journalism and several other media genres were among the 198 nominees listed across 28 categories on Thursday. The roster included two new categories: children's programming and breakthrough music artist. The latter category recognizes LGBTQ artists "who have achieved a breakthrough in the music industry during the eligibility period and whose songs, music videos, or live performances have made a significant impact on LGBTQ visibility and acceptance."

The organization, which started the GLAAD Media Awards in 1990, also expanded several categories from five nominees to 10 to acknowledge levels of diverse representation across media genres. The criteria used in the selection process analyze fair, accurate and inclusive representation of LGBTQ people and issues, boldness and originality, impact and overall quality, GLAAD said.

The winners will be announced in a virtual ceremony in April. Previous honorees including Murphy, singer Taylor Swift, screenwriter Janet Mock and actress Judith Light will be given their prizes on a separate date, the organization said.

A selection of the nominees follows. The full list is posted on the GLAAD website.

Film (wide release)

• "The Craft: Legacy" (Sony Pictures)

• "Happiest Season" (Hulu)

• "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (Netflix)

• "The Old Guard" (Netflix)

• "The Prom" (Netflix)

Film (limited release)

• "Ammonite" (Neon)

• "And Then We Danced" (Music Box Films)

• "The Boys in the Band" (Netflix)

• "The Half of It" (Netflix)

• "I Carry You With Me" (Sony Pictures Classics)

• "Kajillionaire" (Focus Features)

• "The Life Ahead" (Netflix)

• "Lingua Franca" (Array/Netflix)

• "Monsoon" (Strand Releasing)

• "The True Adventures of Wolfboy" (Vertical Entertainment)

Documentary

• "Circus of Books" (Netflix)

• "Disclosure" (Netflix)

• "Equal" (HBO Max)

• "For They Know Not What They Do" (First Run Features)

• "Howard" (Disney+)

• "Mucho Mucho Amor" (Netflix)

• "Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street" (Virgil Films/Shudder)

• "Visible: Out on Television" (Apple TV+)

• "We Are The Radical Monarchs" (PBS POV)

• "Welcome to Chechnya" (HBO)

Comedy series

• "Big Mouth" (Netflix)

• "Dead to Me" (Netflix)

• "Everything's Gonna Be Okay" (Freeform)

• "Harley Quinn" (HBO Max)

• "Love, Victor" (Hulu)

• "Saved by the Bell" (Peacock)

• "Schitt's Creek" (Pop)

• "Sex Education" (Netflix)

• "Superstore" (NBC)

• "Twenties" (BET)

Drama series

• "9-1-1: Lone Star" (Fox)

• "Killing Eve" (BBC America)

• "P-Valley" (Starz)

• "Ratched" (Netflix)

• "Star Trek: Discovery" (CBS All Access)

• "Supergirl" (CW)

• "The Umbrella Academy" (Netflix)

• "Vida" (Starz)

• "The Wilds" (Amazon)

• "Wynonna Earp" (Syfy)

TV movie

• "Alice Júnior" (Netflix)

• "Bad Education" (HBO)

• "The Christmas House" (Hallmark Channel)

• "The Christmas Setup" (Lifetime)

• "Dashing in December" (Paramount Network)

• "La Leyenda Negra" (HBO Latino/HBO Max)

• "The Thing About Harry" (Freeform)

• "Uncle Frank" (Amazon Studios)

• "Unpregnant" (HBO Max)

• "Your Name Engraved Herein" (Netflix)

Limited or anthology Series

• "Dispatches from Elsewhere" (AMC)

• "The Haunting of Bly Manor" (Netflix)

• "Hollywood" (Netflix)

• "I May Destroy You" (HBO)

• "Little Fires Everywhere" (Hulu)

Reality Program

• "Deaf U" (Netflix)

• "Legendary" (HBO Max)

• "Queer Eye" (Netflix)

• "RuPaul's Drag Race" (VH1)

• "We're Here" (HBO)

Children’s programming

• "Challenge of the Senior Junior Woodchucks!” — "DuckTales" (Disney XD)

• "Dogbot" — "Clifford The Big Red Dog" (PBS)

• "Nancy Plays Dress Up" — "Fancy Nancy" (Disney Junior)

• "The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo" (HBO Max)

• "Summer Camp Island" (HBO Max)

Kids & family programming

• "Craig of the Creek" (Cartoon Network)

• "Diary of a Future President" (Disney+)

• "First Day" (Hulu)

• "Kipo and The Age of the Wonderbeasts" (Dreamworks Animation/Netflix)

• "The Loud House" (Nickelodeon)

• "Mary Anne Saves the Day" — "The Baby-Sitters Club" (Netflix)

• "Obsidian" — "Adventure Time: Distant Lands" (HBO Max)

• "The Owl House" (Disney Channel)

• "She-Ra & The Princesses of Power" (Dreamworks Animation/Netflix)

• "Steven Universe" (Cartoon Network)

Music artist

• Adam Lambert, "Velvet" (More Is More/Empire)

• Brandy Clark, "Your Life Is a Record" (Warner Records)

• Halsey, "Manic" (Capitol)

• Kehlani, "It Was Good Until It Wasn't" (Atlantic)

• Lady Gaga, "Chromatica" (Streamline/Interscope)

• Miley Cyrus, "Plastic Hearts" (RCA)

• Pabllo Vittar, "111" (BMT/Sony Music Brasil)

• Peppermint, "A Girl Like Me: Letters to My Lovers" (Producer Entertainment Group)

• Ricky Martin, "Pausa" (Sony Latin)

• Sam Smith, "Love Goes" (Capitol)

Breakthrough music artist

• Arca, "KiCk i" (XL)

• Chika, "Industry Games" (Warner Records)

• FLETCHER, "The (S)ex Tapes" (Capitol)

• Keiynan Lonsdale, "Rainbow Boy" (Keiynan Lonsdale)

• Kidd Kenn, "Child’s Play" (Island Records)

• Orville Peck, "Show Pony" (Columbia/Sub Pop)

• Phoebe Bridgers, "Punisher" (Dead Oceans)

• Rina Sawayama, "Sawayama" (Dirty Hit/Avex Trax)

• Trixie Mattel, "Barbara" (Producer Entertainment Group/ATO Records)

• Victoria Monét, "Jaguar" (Tribe Records)
  
  

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.