Lansbury, Cavenaugh, Scaglione & More Join Point Foundation Honors Gala 4/27

Point Foundation announce that America Ferrera, Angela Lansbury, Ana Ortiz, Thomas Roberts, Leslie Uggams and Michael Urie will appear the NY Point Honors. Plus: scheduled performances by Vanessa Williams and "West Side Story" stars Matthew Cavenaugh & Josephina Scaglione!

Point Foundation (Point), the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit, today announced the recipients of its Courage, Inspiration and Legend Awards. Silvio Horta, Creator and Executive Producer of the ABC-TV series, Ugly Betty, will receive the Point Courage Award; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) will receive the Point Inspiration Award; and the inaugural Point Legend Award will be presented to play writer, librettist, screen writer, novelist and director, Arthur Laurents (Gypsy, West Side Story). The awards will be presented at Point's annual New York benefit, Point Honors, which will be held on April 27, 2009 at the Roosevelt Hotel, 45th and Madison in New York City.

The evening's festivities will be hosted by Susan Lucci and Cameron Mathison (ABC Daytime's All My Children).

The Point Courage Award recognizes an individual who has advocated for the future of the LGBT community and lives with the vision that investing in today's potential will produce a brighter tomorrow.

"Silvio's story of following his passion as a writer to not only find success, but to do so with personal integrity by creating real, colorful and honest characters with positive portrayals of LGBT people makes him a shining example of courage and hope to potential Point Scholars," said Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Point Foundation.

"To receive the Point Courage Award is a great, great honor," said Mr. Horta. "Point Foundation is a truly magnificent organization--it's unparalleled in its commitment to excellence. It does so much wonderful work granting scholarships to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students across America."

Students who are awarded the organization's prestigious scholarships, known as Point Scholars, are selected through a rigorous and highly competitive process that requires a record of demonstrated academic excellence, leadership skills and financial need. A number of these Point Scholars will attend the benefit.

The Point Inspiration Award recognizes a corporation that champions respect and inclusion of the LGBT community, and operates with the vision that the success achieved by talented young people is limited only by the resources and opportunities they are given to help them fulfill their potential.

"PricewaterhouseCoopers has proven to be a leader in diversity and LGBT support," said Jorge Valencia. "We are thrilled to present the Point Inspiration Award to PwC, one of the world's largest professional service firms, which - through its awareness, inclusive policies, resources and philanthropic contributions - has continuously made it clear that its LGBT employees and the community are worth the investment."

"PricewaterhouseCoopers is honored to be recognized by Point Foundation for our commitment to diversity," said Roy Weathers, Chief Diversity Officer. "At PwC, our commitment is about creating an environment in which all of our professionals have the support and tools they need to develop and advance. Gay or straight, who you are and how you're able to interact with your colleagues, your staff and your clients has a direct impact on your ability to perform at your best. That's why PricewaterhouseCoopers is dedicated to creating a work environment where everyone feels included. We take great pride in our firm's commitment, and hope to continue serving as a diversity leader in the community."

The Point Legend Award is presented to an individual who has, through the course of their lifetime, achieved greatness in their professional career and unapologetically supported the LGBT community.

"Arthur Laurents is in the history books as one of the greatest talents show business has," said Jorge Valencia. "We honor him not only for his amazing success, but for being an open, honest and proud gay man throughout his 70 year career." 

"I am very proud to be honored by an organization with the generosity of Point Foundation," offered Mr. Laurents.

The Presenting Sponsor for this event is Motorola. The Principal Sponsors are HBO, the Estee Lauder Companies Inc., the Palette Fund and Time Warner Inc. Media Sponsors are The Advocate, Genre, Metrosource Magazine, Next Magazine and People Weekly. Point's Benefit Committee for the gala is Jeffrey Epstein, Dan Osheyak and Shelley Fischel.

Point Foundation (Point) is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit. Point provides financial support, leadership training, mentoring and hope to LGBT individuals who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Point provides its scholars with the financial ability to attend the nation's foremost higher educational institutions and its donors and mentors with the rare satisfaction of directly investing their resources and time in future generations of leaders.

For more information about Point Foundation, please visit www.pointfoundation.org. Point Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization.

Mr. Horta has made a name for himself as one of Hollywood's brightest screen writing talents in a diverse array of genres and formats. Horta is currently the creator/executive producer for ABC/Touchstone's Ugly Betty. Prior to his launch of the series, he served as creator/executive producer of UPN's acclaimed sci-fi drama, Jake 2.0, and before that created and executive-produced the Sci-Fi Network original series, The Chronicle, which earned a Saturn Award nomination. Horta got his break in the industry a year out of NYU Film School with his screenplay for the box office hit, "Urban Legend," a satirical horror film starring Alicia Witt, Jared Leto and Rebecca Gayheart. A native of Miami, Florida, Horta grew up being forced to watch Spanish-language telenovelas with his Cuban-American family -- not knowing that decades later he'd be adapting Betty la Fea, one of the most popular telenovelas in the history of the genre, as Ugly Betty for American television.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 155,000 people in 153 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. "PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

PwC's efforts are led by a first-of-its-kind Partner Advisory Board comprised of nine openly gay partners, and the firm supports active LGBT employee groups in 12 major U.S. cities. For more than 13 years, PwC has provided full and equivalent insurance benefits for same-sex domestic partners. The firm ranks among the Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees in DiversityInc's 2008 listing and has scored 100% on the HRC's Corporate Equality Index for the past three years.

Mr. Laurents is the prize-winning author of musical plays such as West Side Story, Gypsy, Anyone Can Whistle, Do I Hear A Waltz?, Hallelujah Baby!, and Nick & Nora; and screenplays such as The Snake Pit, Rope, Caught, Anastasia, Bonjour Tristesse, The Way We Were, and The Turning Point. His plays include Home of the Brave, The Time of the Cuckoo, A Clearing in the Woods, Invitation to a March, The Enclave, Big Potato, Two Lives, The Radical Mystique, My Good Name, Claudia Lazlo, Attacks on the Heart, and Jolson Sings Again. He has directed plays and musicals for the theater, among them I Can Get It For You Wholesale, Invitation to a March, Anyone Can Whistle, The Enclave, The Madwoman of Central Park West, Birds of Paradise, three revivals of Gypsy (Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Patti LuPone) and La Cage aux Folles (1984). He is currently directing West Side Story opening on Broadway at the Palace Theatre March 19, 2009. His newest play, New Year's Eve, starts life at his favorite theater, the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ in April. He is the author of a memoir, Original Story By. His new book, Mainly On Directing Gypsy, West Side Story, and Other Musicals was published in March 2009.

Photo Credits: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.