This year’s award goes to famed actress Jane Lynch, of “Glee” and “Julie & Julia,” who has lived an authentic life as an out lesbian while simultaneously achieving great success and visibility in television and film. Her authenticity and integrity are blazing a path not just for the artists who follow in her footsteps, but for young people everywhere who look up to her. She lives her life with openness to the unexpected, and by doing so met her soul-mate and became a parent long past the time she thought she ever would.

The awards will be presented on May 5 in San Francisco; tickets are available here. If you can’t be there in person, consider being there in spirit by participating in the NCLR campaign.

And, as if you needed another reason to go watch The Muppets Movie: USA Today reports that a Toy Story short, Small Fry, will accompany the film.  The short will focus on the most discarded of all toys, Happy Meal toys – aw – which leads Buzz Lightyear to discover a whole support group for these mini-me’s.  Jane plays the “narcissistic support-group leader Neptuna.”

Finally, we dug up this little behind-the-scenes video of Jane on the Healthy Choice commercial set.  Happy Friday, everyone!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anyway, Jane Lynch is nominated in the Best Actress in a Comedy (Television); other nominees are Tina Fey, Jane Krakowsi, Betty White, and – awesomely – Kristen Wiig for being the best thing on SNL outside special guest appearances by Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Justin Timberlake.  Yeah, we like that guy lots.

There also a category for “Best Viral Original” open for nominations.  We nominated the ”leaked” iPhone ad that Jane Lynch did with Kassem G last year; might we encourage you to do the same?

• Golden Globes, schmoden shobes.  Jane’s speech was, as we recall, awesome, but she and Lara had some pretty great one-liners at the benefit for the American Foundation for Equal Rights.  To wit:
  • “There are moments where I’m like, ‘I thought of the kid first!’” — Jane, on the unexpected parenthood discovery that she can put the kids’ needs first
  • “‘Rocket Man’ – If sang ‘Rocket Man’, I’d be over the moon,”  Lara Embry, on what song she hoped performer Sir Elton John would sing that night at the benefit.  Ha ha!
• Speaking of awards, Jane Lynch and the rest of the Glee cast are up for a few Screen Actors’ Guild Awards this Sunday on TNT.  As you can see from this other post we wrote, they will feast on salmon, lentils, a lovely blood orange salad, and thinly sliced lamb during the gala.  We usually don’t like lamb, but, damn, was that one delicious.
• Jane is on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter; the article is a fairly interesting look at the business and branding of Glee, including a few choice quotes who adamantly refuse to let Glee perform their songs.
• Here’s a headline we have carefully avoided during the short lifespan of this website: “Lynch Mob”, courtesy  Australia’s Herald Sun. We’ll let you have your own gut reactions.
• Over in Britain, the Daily Mail has an about Jane Lynch (which may or may not have been sourced from another interview – we can’t tell) that opens with Jane almost at 40 and putting quarters in for her laundry:  ”It struck me that I can’t be 40 and still doing my washing at the laundrette.”  She then vowed to get a washer and dryer by 40.  It’s interesting to see what people buy for themselves when they become (in their eyes) successful: Oprah bought towels, Ellen bought cars and real estate (smart), John Waters bought books without worrying about the price.  One day, folks, one day, we’ll all get there.
• Jane Lynch is in a Comcast commercial in which she has a house cat and a limo cat.  Yes, you read that right.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“I am nothing if not falsely humble,” Lynch said. “So I would like to share this tonight with Ian Brennan, one of our three writers. He created Sue Sylvester, and every heinous, insane line that comes out of my mouth was written by him. He’s a deranged young man… This is yours too (although I will be holding on to it).”

TV Guide left out the next part: “I think the great thing about Glee for me anyway, the greatest thrill, is that I get these 14 year old kids coming up to me vibrating out of their bodies, saying how happy Glee makes them. And when I have the time and I’m not eating and don’t want to be bothered, I’ll give them a moment of my time.”  Ha!

We’ll post the video as soon as we get our grubby paws on them. Here’s the best video we could find so far:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Anyway, you know how straight people triumphantly thank their wives and husbands when they win their Emmy, Tony, Oscar, Grammy, Golden Globe, People’s Choice Award, Etcetera Award?  And gay people sort of just mumble the name of their partner, or say the name of their partner as just another name in a long list of names, or, if they’re still closeted, just thank their agent?  Yeah, Jane Lynch doesn’t do that.  She loves her wife Lara and you damn well bet she didn’t mumble that part of her speech.  This is the people’s choice, people.  Well done.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Glee garnered 19(!) nominations in total, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Casting (Glee should win just for having the genius insight to hire Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester).

Now we are having memories of Gillian Anderson actually winning that Emmy.  Because she was so, so great as Dana Scully, and the Academy so rarely recognizes science fiction (see Battlestar Galactica, complete snubbery of).  Hopefully the Academy will come of their shell a bit, eschew the traditional comedy series format, and reward another good thing staring plainly at their ballot sheet.

Also, hey, Jane Lynch is going to be on Jay Leno tonight, along with Steve Carell.  She’s slated to be the “second guest,” but really, we’re just as excited for Steve Carell as well.  Remember the two of them in 40 Year Old Virgin?  Of course you do.  Here’s to hoping that Jane serenades him all over again.