When the stars come out

Jodie Foster is hardly the first celebrity to acknowledge that he or she is gay, but she may be the biggest so far and she did it on a big stage — the Golden Globes awards show, which was televised worldwide Sunday night and watched by some 20 million viewers. It may not have been breaking news for a roomful of Hollywood power brokers and stars — or for anyone who follows the entertainment industry closely — but it was no doubt a significant moment for the many moviegoers who generally believe, in the absence of any information to the contrary, that actors' sexual orientations parallel those of the characters they play on screen.

January 15, 2013