Ang Lee, Alan Ball, David Sedaris

To mark the end of the Aughts, we gave readers the chance to name those they felt who had the biggest impact over the past ten years in a variety of pop culture areas. Over the next week we are going to be announcing the winners starting with the movie director, television writer and author. Up first, our only straight winner! 

Film Director: Ang Lee

Having made Brokeback Mountain (#1 in our 2009 poll of the greatest gay movies) alone likely would have been enough to earn Ang Lee this award, but the gay-friendly director also made Taking Woodstock, another gay-themed flick, just this year, as well as The Wedding Banquet back in 1993. Clearly, he loves telling our stories and we love him for doing so!

TV Writer: Alan Ball

While Ball, the creator of Six Feet Under and the TV adaptation of True Blood, racked up twice as many votes as Torchwood and Queer as Folk creator Russell T Davies, one has to wonder if the voting might not have been much closer if not for the death of Ianto Jones in this year's Torchwood: Children of Earth miniseries. 

Author: David Sedaris

Readers went for Sedaris by a wide margin, apparently preferring someone from the past decade who could make them laugh rather than think heavy thoughts. And given what the first ten years of the 21st century were like, can you really blame them? Interestingly, both authors had two books each on The Fifty Best Gay Books. 

Check back tomorrow for reader choices for best and worst movies!