By Nicole Bitette / New York Daily News
Yance Ford just made history.
The director of the documentary feature “Strong Island” is the first transgender director to have a film nominated for an Oscar in the Academy Awards’ 90 years.
Ford, a Long Island native, created “Strong Island” in the wake of his brother’s murder by a white mechanic in Central Islip in 1992.
“My brother’s death picked up my life and put it down somewhere else,” Ford told Filmmaker Magazine in 2011.
“I had an image of myself in my mind as a working artist, and when he died, all of that changed.”
Ford joins fellow transgender Oscar nominees Anohni for “Manta Ray” from the documentary “Racing Extinction,” songwriter Angela Morley for “The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella” and “The Little Prince,” and visual effects artist Paige Warner.
Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD President and CEO, congratulated the LGBTQ-inclusive films nominated for this year’s awards.
“It’s a big day for LGBTQ-inclusive films at the Academy Awards. Films like The Shape of Water, A Fantastic Woman, Lady Bird, and Call Me by Your Name not only have complex, detailed, and moving portrayals, but prove that audiences and critics alike are hungry for stories which embrace diversity,” Ellis said in a statement.
“These important stories move the needle forward on LGBTQ acceptance at a time when media images are often the front lines for marginalized communities.”
As of press time, Ford had yet to comment on the nomination.
“Strong Island” is available on Netflix.
Streep and ‘Big Little Lies’
Meryl Streep is starring in season two of “Big Little Lies,” adding more woman power to the Nicole Kidman-Reese Witherspoon drama.
HBO said in a statement that Streep will play Mary Louise Wright, mother-in-law to Kidman’s character, Celeste.
Mary Louise comes seeking answers about last season’s violent death of her son, Perry, played by Alexander Skarsgard.
Kidman and Witherspoon star in and produce the series, which reaped Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards as best series. Kidman, Skarsgard and Laura Dern also collected multiple trophies.
Streep, the most-nominated actor in Oscar history, picked up her 21st nod for this year’s awards for her role in the newspaper drama “The Post.”
Major film stars have been lured to TV by the cable and programming boon, but Streep is the biggest catch yet — especially at a time in which the industry has been forced to pay heed to its treatment of women by the sexual misconduct scandal and pay parity criticism.
No air date has been set.
‘Murphy Brown’ revival
Candice Bergen is returning to TV in a revival of “Murphy Brown,” the agenda-setting 20th-century comedy.
CBS said in an announcement that it’s ordered 13 episodes of the sitcom for its 2018-19 season.
Diane English created the original series that starred Bergen as a hard-charging TV journalist. English will return as writer and executive producer for the reboot.
Bergen, who won multiple lead-actress Emmys for the original, will be an executive producer, CBS said. The 71-year-old actress will be reprising her role.
The series addressed hot-button social and political issues, drawing applause and the ire of critics including then-Vice President Dan Quayle. It ran for 10 seasons from 1988 to 1998.
The Associated Press provided the information on Meryl Streep and Candice Bergen.
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