Events Calendar

Glee writer/producer Ian Brennan and scholars Jack Halberstam and Julia Bess Himberg will discuss the representation of sexual identity in modern media. Over the last two decades, there has been a marked increase in the portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in mainstream media, especially in the realm of narrative television. Characters on shows like Glee, True Blood, The Good Wife, Outlaw, Boardwalk Empire, The Office, Modern Family, Will & Grace and 30 Rock could not have existed in 1992. Does this increase reflect a growing social acceptance of the diversity of sexual identity in modern America, or is it simply a marketing tool used by content providers to attract audiences via what may be considered controversial? If it does reflect a change in societal perceptions, what role has the media played in this change? Through a viewing of media clips and interactive conversation, we will explore the changes that have taken place in film and television over the last twenty years and how these changes may reflect—and predict—social change.
 
Ian Brennan is an award-winning television writer, actor and producer best known for his work on the television show Glee. Brennan has performed off Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre, Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theater, as well as at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and Goodman Theatre. Brennan conceived the idea for Glee based on his own experiences in his high-school show choir and wrote the first draft of the script, which was immediately picked up. The show has since won much critical acclaim. With Glee’s other producers and writers, Mike Novick, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, Brennan received nominations for the Writers Guild of America Awards and the Primetime Emmy Awards. Brennan has won two British Academy of Film and Television Arts TV Awards and two American Film Institute TV Awards. (Wikipedia)
 
Jack Halberstam is a professor of English, gender studies and American studies and ethnicity at USC and the author of four books, including Skin Shows: Gothic Horror and the Technology of Monsters, Female Masculinity and The Queer Art of Failure. Her forthcoming book, Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender and the End of Normal, will be published in 2013. (Official website, Twitter)
 
Julia Bess Himberg received her MA and PhD from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Her dissertation, Producing Lesbianism: Television, Niche Marketing and Sexuality in the 21st Century, examined the cultural, political and economic dynamics at play in the production of contemporary lesbian images on television. Her areas of scholarly interest include television history and theory, media industry studies, production studies, feminist theory, gender studies, lesbian and gay studies, queer theory and consumer culture. Her work on TV advertising and the militarization of U.S. public culture has been published in The Hummer: Myths and Consumer Culture. (Bio)
 
Related Event:
 
The Daughters of Thelma & Louise
Saturday, September 29, 5 p.m.
Norris Cinema Theatre/Frank Sinatra Hall
For more info, click here.
 
Organized by Tom Abrams and Jennifer Warren (Cinematic Arts).