Pitt presides over star-filled ‘8’ debut
Martin Sheen commanded the stage with his impassioned portrayal of an attorney arguing for gay-marriage rights; Jane Lynch inspired instant response as a vehement same-sex marriage opponent; Brad Pitt dazzled as a judge.
It was all part of the star-studded West Coast premiere of “8,” a play about the 2010 federal court fight against Proposition 8, the gay-marriage ban that California voters approved in 2008.
The performance Saturday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles also featured George Clooney, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christine Lahti, George Takei, John C. Reilly, Chris Colfer, Matthew Morrison, Matt Bomer and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.
The play by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black made its Broadway debut last year in similar starry fashion.
Relying largely on transcripts from court proceedings, “8” introduces viewers to the couples who challenged the California initiative, the attorneys who argued their case and a bumbling witness who spoke out against them.
One couple has two children together; the other wants to start a family; and a witness testifying in favor of the same-sex marriage ban said under oath that marriage equality was best for couples, kids and the country.
Last month, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier judge’s decision that found California’s proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
Oprah lands Houston’s family
Oprah Winfrey has landed an interview with Whitney Houston’s daughter and other family members for a TV special that will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
“Oprah’s Next Chapter” will feature an interview with 18-year-old Bobbi Kristina Brown, Houston’s only child. It will also include Patricia Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and manager, as well as the singer’s brother Gary. It is scheduled to air March 11.
The superstar was found dead in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 11. An exact cause of death has yet to be determined.
Winfrey was one of the guests invited to Houston’s funeral in Newark, N.J., last month.
Houston was 48 years old. Her daughter turns 19 Sunday.
The birthday bunch
Actor James Noble (“Benson”) is 90. Actor James B. Sikking (“Hill Street Blues,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.”) is 78. Actor Dean Stockwell is 76. Singer Eddy Grant is 64. Comedian-magician Penn Jillette is 57. Guitarist John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is 42. Actor Kevin Connolly (“Entourage”) is 38. Actress Eva Mendes is 37. Actor Jake Lloyd (“Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace”) is 23.