He talks about the film in a new interview with The Advocate. Here is a portion of the interview about the play 8 which he wrote based on the transcripts from the trial which successfully challenged California’s Proposition 8.

The Los Angeles production of 8 in March was a huge success. How much money has the show raised for AFER so far?

One million dollars in New York and 2.5 in L.A so 3.5 million dollars all together. If you go to 8theplay.com, you  can see where it’s being produced around the country. I gave that away. My poor lawyers! It’s royalty-free. It’s now just an educational outreach tool. We’ll see what the state of the case is in six months and if we go to the Supreme Court with it, we may do it again as a fundraiser. For now I think it’s time to educate the country on why this case is so historic.

I understand there’s a film adaptation in the works with Rob Reiner directing. What can you reveal about it?

Thankfully, there was some studio interest and through Rob Reiner’s company Castle Rock so we’re creating a film version of 8. It will have to be more personal. The play is built for a theater audience, who has to be patient listening to the legal arguments that unfold. With a film audience I think it’s important to personalize it more. It will still have all the legal arguments, but I want to delve more into our plaintiffs’ lives. They’re pretty remarkable. The more you get to know them the more unlikely their romance and the more lovely they seem. Rob and I went up Easter weekend and interviewed Chris and Sandy, the two lesbian plaintiffs for two days. I already loved them but after spending two entire days with them hearing their stories, I fell desperately in love with them. I’m very excited to bring their story to the big screen.

Hard to believe because at 60, she doesn’t look all that different from her days as the gorgeous superhero and her alter-ego Diana Prince.

The ageless Miss Carter opened a three-night gig at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood last night and I was a part of what looked to be a full house.

I have long known she could sing because, as a kid, I owned her hit single Toto (Don’t It Feel Like Paradise) that I used my allowance money to buy at the JC Penney in Huntington Beach.

Even though I was humming the song all damned day in anticipation of the concert, she did not include in her show! But I didn’t mind one bit because Lynda has a whole bunch of other things to sing in Body & Soul – a show that is an  eclectic mix of songs running the gamut from Motown to country to blues to gospel with lots of pop in between.

My absolute favorite number was a ballad version of the Supremes hit Stop! In the Name of Love which makes you realize there are some really good lyrics in that song! It’s an amazing and completely successful transformation of a pop classic.

I’m a sucker for ballads and Lynda does gorgeous renditions of Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me and Elton John’s Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. Then she reaches an entirely different level on Billie Holliday’s God Bless the Child.

Gorgeous stuff.

There is so much more then the show builds up to this blast of a rock and roll finale with songs including La Bamba.

It must be mentioned that Miss Carter has a first-rate band and trio of back-up singers. They have been together for six years and it shows.

I invited my friend Justino Aguila, a writer for Billboard, to come along with me to the show and we got to meet Miss Carter in her dressing room after the show. She could not have been more gracious and more beautiful.

I highly recommend you catch the show tonight or Saturday at the Catalina – you will have a wonderful time.

To buy tickets and to find out more information about Miss Carter’s music, here is a LINK to her website.

The two-time Tony Award winner has appeared in such Sondheim works as Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy and in last year’s filmed version of Company.

Rather than just bask in the tributes, LuPone performed Sondheim’s classic Anyone Can Whistle as well as Kurt Weill’s September Song.

“I shouldn’t be singing for my supper,” LuPone told guests. “However, I had a little too much to drink; the wine’s been flowing. I’m not as young as I used to be, so the voice. . . we’ll see what happens. What the hell.”

LuPone won her first Tony for Evita in 1980 and was nominated again for Anything Goes.

Prior to the tribute, Sondheim said in a statement: “There are few performers who can play both Mrs. Lovett and Fosca, Evita and Reno Sweeney, Nancy in Oliver! and Cora Hoover Hooper in Anyone Can Whistle, and still create roles for David Mamet.  In fact, there’s only one. Versatility of such a high caliber is rare indeed, and therefore it couldn’t be more appropriate that the recipient of this year’s Signature Theatre Sondheim Award is going to the best tuba player on Broadway: Patti LuPone.”

While he has also guest starred on The Good Wife and other shows, the greatest successes for this openly gay star have been on the stage.

He was nominated for a Tony Award for best actor in a musical for Spring Awakening.

Last year, he starred in Deathtrap on the London stage.

Now he will be taking the LA theater world by storm.

He and Alfred Molina will star in the L.A. premiere of John Logan’s two-person play Red at the Mark Taper Forum beginning in August.

Groff will play the role of Ken, a young assistant to modernist painter Mark Rothko (Molina). The drama deals with the sometimes contentious relationship between the two men as they work on a commission for the Four Seasons.

Red will open Aug. 12 and be directed by Michael Grandage.

Not only that, I think that Bea Arthur is still alive as well.

I could have sworn I saw both of them give one helluva show last night at French Market in West Hollywood.

Okay, we know both of these grand gay icons are no longer with us here on Earth but they do live on through the magnificent Peter Mac who headlines Judy Garland LIVE! in Concert each weekend and through the amazing DJ Schaefer who appears this weekend and next as Miss Arthur.

Peter Mac began appearing regularly as Miss Garland at French Market a few months back. His show changes every month or so which makes it ideal for repeat visits.

I attended last night which was the debut of The Lost Easter Special which continues this weekend with a performance tonight and two tomorrow then next Friday and Saturday.

It’s a special show that also features Alissa Cote as Lorna Luft, David Marker as Joey Luft and Glory Gale as Liza Minnelli.

The show is set in 1967 so Liza had just married Peter Allen (we all know how that turned out!) and Judy was about to star in Valley of the Dolls (we all know how that turned out!).

Miss Gale really captures the spirit of the late 60s Liza and there is one number where Peter Mac does a duet with her as the present-day Liza. So you have Liza singing with her future self. Peter Mac does Minnelli as well as he does Garland – splendidly – so this joyous duet is a real highlight of the evening.

Miss Cote is radiant as Lorna Luft, so happy to be performing with her mother and wanting her to be proud of her and the very tall Mr. Marker has some moments to shine as Joey Luft.

Then there is Mr. Schafer as a Bea Arthur who had just finished her Tony-winning Broadway run in Mame but not yet a TV star.

We have some wonderful “frenemy” moments between Bea and Judy then a stupendous duet of Bosom Buddies from Mame. That alone is worth the price of admission.

Now here’s another moment I won’t soon forget: The closing number before the encore has Judy gather her children around her and she sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow. She looks at the children with such love and they look at her the same way. Liza has tears in her eyes.

I was gone.

Was just about to cry a little when I thought, “Is this a legitimate feeling? I mean, I know she is no longer alive and that this is acting on a stage.” But damn if I could stop the flood of emotion.

I talked to a few other audience members after the show and they all felt the same wave of emotion. We really had been transported.

That’s why I feel like Judy Garland lives – through Peter Mac.

Tickets are on sale now at www.goldstar.com!! Come out for the fun with Judy with her kids and Bea Aurthur! More info at www.friendofjudy.com

He channels the great star so brilliantly that I felt like I was watching Judy Garland herself.

Great, great stuff and you can read my review of that show HERE.

So why am I returning to French Quarter Market – where Peter performs every weekend as Miss Garland – tonight?

Because it is a different show each month and this weekend is Judy Garland Live: The Lost Easter Special.

It’s described this way:  Everyone remembers Judy Garland’s classic 1963 CBS Christmas special BUT what about her “lost” Easter Special from 1967? While rummaging through her infamous trunk Judy stumbles upon the footage , so pristine you will feel like Judy and her kids are performing right in front of your eyes! That’s right her kids (now teenagers) Liza, Lorna and Joey are performing with her as well as her bosom buddy and everyone’s favorite Golden Girl, Bea Arthur. With Musical direction by Bryan “Mort Lindsey” Miller. Featuring songs from Judy’s Classic film “Easter Parade” as well as her signature hits. 2 WEEKS ONLY!

You will have extra opportunities to catch the show this weekend. In addition to the usual Friday and Saturday night performances, two more shows have been added for Easter Sunday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The new Peter Mac Showroom inside The French Market at 7985 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 104, West Hollywood, CA 90046. The room will open for dinner seating at 7 PM .  Show starts at 8PM.

Tickets range between $15 And $30 and can be purchased at BrownPaperTickets.com  or Goldstar.com .

More info is available at: FriendOfJudy.com or by calling: (310) 871-7563 or by emailing DJ@CabaretDesigner.com.

The year he began on Seinfeld – 1989 – he had won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical for Jerome Robbins’ Broadway.

He also appeared on Broadway in Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound, Kander and Ebb’s The Rink, and Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.

In addition, Alexander appeared opposite Martin Short, in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, as well as with Kelsey Grammer in the 2004 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

It’s just been announced that Alexander will be honored for his stage career with the Julie Harris Award for Lifetime Achievement at The Actors Fund at their 16th Annual Tony Awards Party.

The June 10 gala features the only approved live feed of the Tony Awards as they happen in New York.

Previous recipients of the Julie Harris Award have included Julie Harris, Gwen Verdon, Charles Durning, Rita Moreno, James Earl Jones, Tyne Daly, Lauren Bacall, Stockard Channing, Carol Channing, Liza Minnelli, Jerry Herman, Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Hal Holbrook.

Congratulations to Jason!

For more information visit www.actorsfund.org.

I guess both.

Attended opening night of the one-week-only engagement of Rock of Ages at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood and had one heckuva great time.

The cast is just aces and it was so great to meet some of them before the show and have them pose for a group shot specifically for Greg In Hollywood readers. The tall blonde in the back is Matt Nolan who plays Stacee Jaxx in this national touring production. Tom Cruise takes on the role in the upcoming movie version and I asked Matt who is better. He indicated that he is – because he’s taller!

Others in the cast include Dominque Scott, Shannon Mullen, Matt Banb, Justin Colombo, Stephen Michael Kane, Amma Osei, Phillip Peterson, and Katie Postonick.

What a gifted group and what an energetic show they put on with songs from Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake and more.

There were band members from Foreigner and Whitesnake in the audience last night.

Other celebs in attendance were Oscar winners Cloris Leachman and Marcia Gay Harden, Days of Our Lives star Eric Martsolf, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member Kyle Richards, and 21 Jump Street alum Richard Grieco.

I snapped these photos and did some interviews with some of the celebs but couldn’t manage to get in a word with Miss Leachman who was too busy clowning around with Martsolf on the red carpet. What a hoot!!

I just had to know what Grieco (pictured, left) thought of the movie version of 21 Jump Street starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill which finished atop the box office over the weekend.

‘I did see it,’ he said. ‘It’s a funny movie. I think Jonah and Channing did a great job and I was really pleasantly surprised, I really was.’

What a treat it was to see the talented Marcia Gay Harden who won an Oscar for Pollock , was nominated again for Mystic River and won a Tony Award for God of Carnage.

She really is one of the great actresses of her generation and elevates anything that she is in.

‘When this show opened in New York, we were doing God of Carnage down the street and we knew a lot of people in it. But we didn’t get to see them,” Marcia told me. “I know it’s an exciting show so we thought we thought we’d come out here for the opening.’

When Martsolf arrived, he was immediately greeted by two members of the band Foreigner who were in the red carpet just ahead of them. He posed for so many photos with them that I assumed they were old friends.

He told me the real story.

“Turns out that Foreigner’s base player, his wife is a devoted fan of Days of Our Lives. So basically you have a guy – me – who has listened to Foreigner throughout his childhood. I just met them and I’m blown away.”

“My best friend in the world had bought me tickets to see them at the Hollywood Bowl for my 40th birthday and now I’m on the carpet with them and they’re like, ‘Can we get a picture with you?’ Freaked me out. It’s literally one of those moments that you just love.”

Okay, a little about the show. It is set in 1987 on the Sunset Strip and a small town girl meets a big city dreamer at the legendary rock club in LA where they both work. They fall in love to some of the greatest songs from the 80s.

It is just non-stop music and fun. I sang Foreigner’s Don’t Stop Believin all the way way home!

One funny thing did happen. My friend Mark and I had terrific orchestra seats and were seated next to a couple who I would guess to be in their 80s. The show starts off with an energetic rock number – very loud – and midway through that first number, the man was fast asleep and he appeared to sleep much through the entire first half.

We chatted with them at intermission but didn’t have the heart to tell him we caught him napping!

Trust me, you won’t nap during this show. It is only playing through March 25 so get your tickets now! You can go online at www.BroadwayLA.org or call 1-800-982-2787.

The trailer is part of a fundraising campaign that has just kicked off and will run through April 16. The more money raised, the more cities the production can play in. You can help make future tour cities happen by contributing today to the limited time online pledge drive.

Here is more background about the play and the documentary:

Terrence McNally’s Corpus Christi is a retelling of the Jesus story, with Jesus as a gay man living in 1950s Corpus Christi, Texas.  The show originally opened at the Manhattan Theatre Club in NYC, 1998 to intense protest and bomb threats. Deemed by religious zealots as “blasphemous,” the shock and controversy it created before it opened easily overshadowed McNally’s original intention in creating the piece: inclusive love for all people.

108 Productions has seen international acclaim since its revival tour of the play in 2006.  It continued to sell-out audiences for months at Los Angeles’ Zephyr Theatre and went on to tour across America. In Europe, the play was an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression nominee at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was awarded the Intercultural Dialogue Award at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in 2008.  Following, the company celebrated the show’s 10th anniversary Off-Broadway at the Rattlestick Theatre, benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation and New York’s Gay Community Center.

In the feature documentary, Corpus Christi: Playing With Redemption, anti-gay religious groups meet “the gay Jesus play.” The film follows the troupe, playwright, and audiences across the U.S. and around the world on a 5-year journey of Terrence McNally’s passion play, where voices of protest and support collide on one of the central issues facing the LGBT community – religion based bias.  Challenging issues of civil rights, marriage equality and separation of church and state, this production has become a remarkable vehicle of positive change for a community struggling to find its voice.  Meanwhile, the company of actors finds itself on a journey that would forever change their lives.

Director Nic Arnzen states: Our mission is simple:  We aim to change the story on religious bullying and homophobia in all ages and walks of life, by first learning to love the Self.  As the Rick Santorums and Kirk Camerons of the world continue preaching ignorance and hate, our voices will get louder from a place of love.  Let your voice be heard today.  Join us in this movement and help us bring this film out into the world.  Just $5 will make a huge impact!

Here is a LINK to the site where you can purchase tickets and learn more.

Here is Ricky Martin, looking oh-so handsome, during his first curtain call during the first night of previews for Evita.

Martin’s return to Broadway has him in the role of Che. He last appeared on The Great White Way in 1995′s revival of Les Miserables.

“I’ve felt emotions onstage that I never felt before, it has strengthened me as a person and as an artist,” the singer said at a press conference this week.

Martin added that he has come to “another place mentally, physically, and spiritually right now, and it’s been a great journey. I’m here to grow and to learn. It’s been a fascinating trip.”

What a wonderful night at the theater earlier this week.

Caught the opening night performance of Monty Python’s Spamalot which kicked off a one-week engagement at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood.

I invited my journalist pal Mariel Garza as my guest and she was the perfect choice because she really knows her Monty Python and was able to appreciate the show at an entirely different level than I was.

And I enjoyed this hilarious telling of the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table plenty!

We had terrific seats, just two rows behind Jane Lynch who was accompanied by her wife Lara Embry and their young daughter.

I’ve interviewed Jane many times but had never mentioned to her that I saw her perform in The Real Live Brady Bunch at a theater in Westwood back in 1992 (She played Carol Brady).

She got a kick out of that and said she was looking forward to a rare night out at the theater with her family.

“We don’t go to plays a lot,” Jane said. “My daughter loves plays so we’re thrilled to be here tonight. I used to do a lot of sketch comedy here in LA for free.”

Inside the theater, we were two seats away from me was Dancing With the Stars pro Louis Van Amstel. Since the new cast was just announced that morning, I asked Louis which celebrity he had been paired with and was surprised to find out that he would not be participating. I wanted to find out more but the show was about to start.

Before the lights went down, I spotted Olympic great Greg Louganis on the other side of our row, actor Chris MacDonald in the row in front of us and actress Beverly DeAngelo who came over to greet Jane Lynch.

I spent some time covering the red carpet before the show and enjoyed chatting with the great JoAnne Worley (pictured, left) who told me she had just finished filming a guest spot on ABC’s The Middle.

JoAnne,  a terrific live performer best known for her years on Laugh In, is always a fun guest star. When I spotted actress Lea Thompson on the red carpet a short time later, I thought about when JoAnne guest starred on Lea’s Caroline in the City sitcom in a hilarious episode involving a celebrity sandwich.

Members of the Spamalot cast also did a quick appearance on the red carpet. The cast was led by Arthur Rowan as King Arthur, Brittany Woodrow as The Lady in the Lake as well as cast members Michael J. Berry, Adam Grabau, Jacob L. Smith, Kasidy Devlin, Thomas DeMarcus, James David Larson and Joe Beuerlein who all have multiple roles in the production.

Lending some old-fashioned movie star glamour to the proceedings was the always impeccable Anne Jeffries who, believe it or not, is 89 years old.

She was a Broadway star in the late 40s and early 50s then starred in the TV comedy series Topper in the mid-50s. She later had a recurring role on Falcon Crest and played socialite Amanda Barrington for many years on General Hospital.

I’ll tell you, Miss Jeffries should give lessons in how to handle yourself like a star to a lot of today’s younger actresses – starting with Lindsay Lohan.

It was also great to see the multi-talented Sam Harris on the red carpet.

I had not seen Sam in awhile and could not help but notice that he was looking quite slim! He told me he has lost 25 pounds! And he was gorgeous before!

Sam is a Broadway veteran who first came to fame as the winner of the original Star Search competition in the early 80s. He’s also BFFs with Liza Minnelli.

I did a nice little interview with Sam that I will share down the road.

Anyway, Mariel and I had the most terrific time at the show, had our picture taken on the red carpet on our way out and sang all the way to the car.

The show runs through March 4.

For tickets and more information, go to www.BroadwayLA.org.

I am tardy with this review but wanted to quickly post it now in case you don’t yet have plans for the night. When a friend had to cancel our plans last week, I grabbed another friend at the last minute and we headed over to French Quarter Market in West Hollywood to see Peter Mac perform Judy Garland LIVE! In Concert.

I didn’t know much about the show just that the publicist had invited me and I had a hole in my dance card. My friend Mark and I ended up having an absolutely smashing time.

Peter Mac is a sensation as Judy Garland who would have been 90 years old this June had she lived. He channels the great star in her great early 60s period when she had a variety series on CBS and was giving sold out concerts.

Peter has three costume changes and looks smashing in each and sings the hell out of such Garland classics as Trolley Song, The Man That Got Away, Swanee, Somewhere Over the Rainbow and I’ll Plant My Own Tree from Valley Of The Dolls which Garland recorded but never filmed since she was replaced by Susan Hayward.

Trust me, this is not some drag show. This is a tribute concert and it is first-rate. What elevates it into a very special evening is the between-the-songs patter which takes place as if Judy were still with us in 2012. Mac has all the great stories and tells them brilliantly – just like you imagine the great star would if she were holding court.

And keeping with the Judy is still with us theme, Mac also does a terrific medley of two more contemporary songs that Garland would have been perfect for: I Will Survive and I Am Changing (from Dreamgirls).

Mac opened the show at French Quarter Market on Jan. 27 and 28 and is appearing each weekend. The show is expected to change each month which makes return visits quite appealing. The March show will still include many Garland standards but it is titled Judy Garland Live In Concert: THE SONGS THAT GOT AWAY so you will hear more in the vein of I Will Survive and I Am Changing.

Brian Miller is the musical director and a nice foil for Miss Garland – I mean Peter Mac – to play off of.

Trust me, this is such a treat. The showroom is currently in the back of the popular restaurant and seating begins at 6:30 p.m. prior to the 8 p.m. show. You can order your dinner and drinks and just relax. The show will be moving to a bigger showroom towards the front of the restaurant after Gay Pride Weekend in June.

The show is attracting other talented people as audience members. Actress Mila Kunis (pictured at top with Peter Mac) showed up a few weeks ago and Geri Jewel of Facts of Life fame was there last Friday. The night I attended,  in attendance TV and Broadway actress Melissa Bailey; screenwriter Greg Glienna (Meet The Parents and Relative Strangers); recording artists Darci Monet and Michael Vaccaro; and cabaret artist Greg Stikroth.

French Market Restaurant is located at 7985 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood CA 90046. The room will open for dinner seating in the private Showroom at 6:30 PM.

Show starts promptly at 8 PM.  Tickets can be purchased for $15 at the door. For tickets and more information go to FriendofJudy.com.

I will be sitting down with Peter Mac for an interview soon so stay tuned!
Here is video from the show via BoyCulture.com:

Boy, the all-star cast of next month’s benefit performance of Dustin Lance Black’s play 8 really is shaping up to be a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Mr. Bacon himself, Glee star Chris Colfer and Oscar-nominated actor John C. Reilly are the the latest additions to the cast of the play chronicling the historic trial in the federal constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8.

The one-night only performance, directed by Rob Reiner, will take place at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Saturday, March 3.

Already announced as part of the cast: George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, Martin Sheen, Matt Bomer, Campbell Brown, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Cleve Jones, Christine Lahti, Matthew Morrison, Rory O’Malley, Yeardley Smith and George Takei.

Proceeds will benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group behind the lawsuit which resulted in the courts declaring California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

“People need to witness what happened in the Proposition 8 trial, if for no other reason than to see inequality and discrimination unequivocally rejected in a court of law where truth and facts matter,” said Black.  “I’ve built my career around exposing and uncovering ‘the real story.’  The goal of ‘8’ is to show the world that marriage equality is a basic constitutional right and that those who would deny this basic freedom from loving, committed couples have only vitriol and baseless hyperbole to fall back on.  The facts are on our side and truth always finds the light.  We are doing all we can to help speed that process along.”

Clooney and Sheen will play plaintiffs’ lead co-counsel David Boies and Theodore B. Olson. Lahti and Curtis will play plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, a lesbian couple together for 11 years. Morrison and Bomer will play plaintiffs Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo, a gay couple together for more than a decade.

Lynch will play prominent opponent of marriage equality Maggie Gallagher, co-founder and former chairman of the National Organization for Marriage. Reiner will play Blankenhorn, founder and president of the Institute for American Values.

Reilly will play United States District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who found Proposition 8 unconstitutional after presiding over the historic twelve-day public trial.  Bacon will play Charles J. Cooper, the lead attorney for the anti-marriage proponents of Proposition 8. And Colfer will play Ryan Kendall, who testified about his experience being sent by his parents to so-called “reparative therapy” as a teenager.

I do so happily because whenever I see Coco perform, I always have the best time.

This is smart, outspoken, honest, brilliant comedy.

The show is of There Comes a Time in. It’s a reflection of drag performer Clinton Luepp’s 20 years as the brilliant storyteller/ monologist/singer that is Coco.

It will be back at The Renberg Theatre March 2,3 and 4 and tickets are a steal at $25.

I’m going to be going again and I’m taking friends!

Saw the show last spring and I’m not sure if Coco has tweaked any of the material but if not, it’s fine with me because the whole thing is a riot with a few touching moments in there too.

Some of my favorite lines from the show were:

“Let’s face it, I feel old. Time rolls on … Rolls on like a f*****g steamroller. Some of us get more steamrolled than others.”

Coco also has trouble with all the modern technology from iPads to DVRs: “The Wizard of Oz came on once a year and that’s when you watched it and if you missed it, well tough sh*t Dorothy!”

On today’s reality stars: “These people are not celebrities. Elizabeth Taylor was a celebrity, Snookie is not. Is she an Ewok? … Those Jersey Shore people are horrible, horrible people!”

On now openly-gay celebs like Ricky Martin and Lance Bass who came out after their made their millions: “That’s not brave! You know what brave is? THIS (gesturing toward herself) is brave!”

I’ll say!

Ditto Darren Criss.

But the current Broadway production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre has a new injection of star power this week with Nick Jonas and Michael Urie joining the cast.

Beau Bridges joined the cast when Criss began his highly successful three week run this month. Other cast members include Rose Hemingway, Rob Bartlett, Mary Faber, Ellen Harvey and Michael Park.

Go to BroadwayWorld.com to see photos from opening night.

Entertainment Weekly reports that with the Glee star in the lead, the show took in $1.3 million per week for a haul of more than $4 million.

Aside from Daniel Radcliffe’s final week in the show, an anomalous nine-show week that grossed $1.9 million, the revival had the three most lucrative weeks of its 11-month run with Criss in the leading role.

The ticket sales have consistently been at or near the production’s potential gross.

Kurt, Rachel, Finn, Mr. Scheuster and all the rest of the gang must be so proud!!!

It was announced today that they will be joined in the cast by Jane Lynch, George Takei, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Martin Sheen and Christine Lahti.

Black, who won the Academy Award in 2009 for his screenplay for the film Milk, based 8 on the actual words of the trial transcripts, first-hand observations of the courtroom drama and interviews with the plaintiffs and their families.

The performance will benefit the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER). A previous one-night benefit in New Yo starring Morgan Freeman, Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, and Cheyenne Jackson, among others, raised more than $1 million.

The Los Angeles performance will be directed by Rob Reiner.

Towleroad.com broke the news exclusively this morning.

This is shaping up, already, as the best looking cast in the history of Los Angeles theater!

Darren began his three-week run on Tuesday at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and will perform in the lead role through Jan. 22 when Nick Jonas takes over. Daniel Radcliffe left the production on New Year’s Eve after nearly a year.

Also new to the cast is three-time Emmy winner Beau Bridges who is returning to Broadway for the first time in 38 years in his first musical as J. B. Biggle. Bridges will be with the production for months through Sunday, July 1, 2012.

Continuing cast members include Rose Hemingway as Rosemary Pilkington, Tammy Blanchard as Hedy La Rue, and Christopher J. Hanke as Bud Frump.