THE HUNGER GAMES' Josh Hutcherson Receives Vanguard Award by GLAAD Today

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, announced it will honor LGBT equality advocate and actor Josh Hutcherson at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards presented nationally by Ketel One and Wells Fargo. Hutcherson will receive the Vanguard Award at the Los Angeles ceremony on April 21, 2012 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, presented locally by Delta Air Lines. As previously announced, advocate, author and speaker Chaz Bono will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.

GLAAD also announced that Jason Mraz, longtime LGBT advocate and Grammy Award winner, will perform at the ceremony. Mraz recently filmed a PSA for the Human Rights Campaign's "Americans for Marriage Equality" initiative.

A live stream of the red carpet is available at http://glaad.org/live. For a full list of nominees, visit http://glaad.org/mediaawards.

GLAAD Media Awards will be presented onstage in the following categories: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Documentary Outstanding Film- Wide Release, and Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character).

On Saturday, April 14, 2012, GLAAD's Board of Directors elected media veteran Herndon Graddick as GLAAD's new President. He will speak at the GLAAD Media Awards. Herndon is a media veteran who has worked as a Supervising Producer at E! Networks, the day-of-air news division director at Current TV, and a producer at CNN. He currently serves as GLAAD's Vice President of Programs & Communications. For more information visit http://glaad.org/meetherndon.

Ellen Degeneres will open the event on April 21. Other special guests include: Betty White, Wendie Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland); Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family); Joshua Jackson (Fringe); Mark Deklin, Miriam Shor (GCB); Tori Spelling (Tori & Dean: Home SweetHollywood); Kim Wayans (Pariah); Molly Shannon (Casa de mi Padre); LGBT advocate and writer Perez Hilton; singer and Vampire Diaries star Kat Graham; Trevor Donovan (90210); Brooke Elliott, Josh Berman (Drop Dead Diva); Gilles Marini (Switched at Birth); Fran Drescher (Happily Divorced); Guillermo Diaz (Scandal); Kelly Osbourne (So Undercover); Milla Jovovich (Faces in the Crowd); Ali Larter (The Asset); Travis Wall (All the Right Moves); Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato (Becoming Chaz); Mike Mills (Beginners); and decorated Air Force veteran Lt. Col Victor Fehrenbach. Additional guests for the April 21 Los Angeles event to be announced.