Arts & Entertainment
Ellen DeGeneres to be honored by Hollywood Foreign Press
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced on November 4 Ellen DeGeneres will receive the Carol Burnett Award at the next Golden Globe Awards.
DeGeneres, a three-time Golden Globe nominee, is the second recipient to be honored with the accolade (the first was Carol Burnett herself) and will accept the honor at the annual Golden Globes presentation on Sunday, January 5, 2020. The ceremony will air live coast-to-coast on NBC.
Lorenzo Soria, President of the HFPA, said, “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to honor Ellen DeGeneres with the Carol Burnett Award. From her sitcoms, to stand-up, to becoming a household staple on daytime television, she is a pioneer who has captivated audiences for nearly 25 years with her undeniable charm and wit. In addition to her television success, she’s an advocate and philanthropist, lending her voice to those who don’t have one, and spreading kindness and joy through the power of her platform. We look forward to celebrating her achievements at this year’s ceremony.”
According to HFPA, the Carol Burnett Award is chosen by the organization’s Board of Directors to be presented annually “to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to the television medium on or off the screen.” As the television landscape It was established to celebrate television’s “new Golden Age,” as the landscape of the medium “continues to evolve with more thought-provoking programming, diverse roles and best in class content.” Equivalent to the Motion Picture Academy’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, the new top honor was first introduced at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
It’s not the first time DeGeneres has been recognized with an award. Her groundbreaking sitcom “Ellen” earned her multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations. She received an both an Emmy and a Peabody Award in 1997 for writing the critically acclaimed “Puppy Episode,” in which her character came out as gay to a record 46 million viewers.
Her hit syndicated talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” has earned a total of 63 Daytime Emmy Awards so far. In addition, DeGeneres has won 12 Teen Choice Awards, she is a 21-time People’s Choice Awards winner, the winner of a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and, most recently, the winner of her fourth Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Host for “Ellen’s Game of Games.”
In November 2016, DeGeneres was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the nation’s highest civilian honor – presented by President Obama.
DeGeneres is also widely known for her humanitarian efforts.
The Ellen Fund, established in 2018, supports global conservation efforts for critically endangered species. The first initiative of the fund is to build The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, with the goal of permanently securing the future of wild gorillas in Rwanda by building on successful field conservation efforts while empowering the people living near the gorillas to thrive in relationship to their ecosystem.
DeGeneres also helped raise awareness of the anti-bullying issue with a PSA titled, “Be Kind.”
Overall, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” has raised over $95 million for various causes.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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