Announcing the 2008 AfterElton.com Visibility Awards

The best comedies know when to be broad and funny, but also when to play it subtle and straight; by modulating the tone, the funny parts are that much funnier, and the touching parts are that much more moving. There is no better balancing act on television right now than Ugly Betty, which is by turns hilarious and heart-rending. The banter between Marc and Wilhelmina (and Marc and Amanda and Marc and, well, everyone) has never been funnier. But then the show gets serious, throwing in a scene like the one where Betty realizes the object of her affection just wants to be her friend. “I should have known when he said I was beautiful, he meant on the inside,” she tells Daniel, speaking for everyone who has ever had their heart broken — which is to say, anyone who has ever lived. Ugly Betty is, hands down, the most skillfully produced comedy on TV right now — and I haven’t even gotten to the part about how wonderfully gay-inclusive it is.

It’s got the openly gay Tim Gunn, a fabulous former gay winner named Christian Siriano, and seven out of eight male participants in its latest season were gay men. So is it any surprise that AfterElton.com readers voted to give Project Runway its Favorite Reality Show award? Bravo, the show’s network, wasn’t able to accept this award in person, but we just know they’re thrilled by the honor, and we accept the award on their behalf, swathed in our favorite Project Runway design.

Photo credit: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

You either “get” Kathy Griffin, or you don’t. Gay and bisexual men (mostly) get her. Could anyone have predicted from her stint on the lackluster TV show Suddenly Susan that Griffin would emerge as such a hilarious comedian? But breakout entertainers such as Griffin aren’t just talented; they’re uniquely suited to the moment in time when they break out. A big part of Griffin’s gay appeal is her, er, unusual relationship with the gay male community — something that is perfectly showcased on her sublime Bravo reality show, My Life on the D-List. But could such a “gay” perspective have aired on any channel even ten years ago? Kathy Griffin, this is absolutely your moment in time — but thanks for making us feel like we’re part of it.