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| Queen Latifah |
here! Networks is rolling out its red carpet for the 11th Annual Ribbon of Hope Celebration Dec. 1, at the Television Academy's Leonard Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood.
That little red ribbon, which has become a ubiquitous symbol of solidarity in the fight against AIDS and is often sported at every prestigious event from the Academy Awards to the Grammy's, takes center stage at the celebration on World AIDS Day to honor media companies, programs, producers and individuals who strive to provide HIV/ AIDS awareness.
A beefed up red carpet hosted by Ben Harvey, here! Networks' on-air personality, and actress
Elaine Hendrix, from
Bam Bam and Celeste and Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, promises to replace the
Joan and
Melissa Rivers show of Academy Awards gone by, jokes Ribbon of Hope producer
Cindy Peters.
"It's a sensitive and serious topic but we want to make the show entertaining and positive," Peters says. "In previous years it was a tiny little live performance with a podium and some pretty flowers. We want it to be the most visible it can be to send out the message."
This year, Ribbon of Hope awards its Special Achievement Award to
In the Life for 15 years of tireless efforts bringing HIV / AIDS news and reports to the LGBT community.
Other honorees include the HBO film
Life Support, starring
Queen Latifah and
Gloria Reuben, about an HIV positive woman who gives back to her community; BET's
106th and Park: World Aids Day Special; Lifetime's
Girl Positive, about a high school girl's hook-up with an HIV-positive boy and starring
Jennie Garth and
Andrea Bowen; Showtime's
3 Needles, a global view of the pandemic told through three stories, starring
Stockard Channing,
Lucy Liu and
Chloe Sevigny;
Ashley Judd and YouthAIDS TLC, a documentary about the actress' work with YouthAIDS; and here! Focus on HIV/ AIDS here! Networks.
The Ribbon of Hope Ceremony promises a terrific live show with celebrity presenters with its first-ever multi-media performance art piece and slide show, Peters says.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," Peters says, adding that the event's continual growth and celebrity cache helps to bring visibility to an issue that's often subverted beneath current politics. "It seems the issue has been at the bottom of urgent topics."
Still, she says that discussion about HIV / AIDS often spurs people to talk.
"The more people I reach out to the more I'm getting to hear a lot of personal experiences about the issue," she says.
Break out your Armani suits, your Vera Wang gowns and your Jimmy Choos and join here! in honoring courageous media that refuses to let the subject disappear.
"We're one world and one people and this disease is slowly killing us," Peters says. "The Ribbon of Hope Celebration lets people know it's not over yet."
