The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has demanded an apology from "Today" critic Gene Shalit, for comments it describes as "defamatory, ignorant and irresponsible."

What set off the group's outrage was Shalit's review of Brokeback Mountain that aired on Thursday. In it, he described Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) as a "sexual predator" who "tracks Ennis (Heath Ledger) down and coaxes him into sporadic trysts." GLAAD charged Shalit Friday with promoting 'defamatory anti-gay prejudice to a national audience.'

GLAAD contends: "Shalit's bizarre characterization of Jack as a 'predator' and Ennis as a 'victim' reflects a fundamental lack of understanding about the central relationship in the film and about gay relationships in general.

A 'Today' show producer has promised to take the group's concern to Shalit, GLAAD says on its Web site. Neither Shalit nor NBC has commented on the controversy.

The actors of Brokeback Mountain earned four Screen Actors Guild nominations last week, more than any other film, in addition to its seven Golden Globe nominations, (one of which was for Ledger) cementing the film's position as a front runner for the Oscars.