Cherry Jones on gay marriage, Sarah Paulson in new “Cupid” and “The Spirit” videos

Last night, we got to see the first lesbian president of the United Stated on 24: Redemption, the two-hour prequel to the return of the series 24 in January. OK, so the character wasn’t a lesbian, but she was played by Cherry Jones, so that kinda counts. (I haven’t watched the movie yet – it’s saved on my DVR for the Thanksgiving break.)

New York magazine recently interviewed Cherry about her role on 24, and asked her about Prop. 8:

You’ve been out of the closet as a lesbian for a very long time and have a partner. Thoughts on Proposition 8? In another four or five years, the people who voted for it will be really ashamed of themselves. I remember for the first time Bob Dole said “gay marriage” on the Senate floor. Obviously he was against it, but the fact that he said it in my lifetime, I couldn’t believe. I think we’re hurtling toward tremendous change.

Have you and your partner had a commitment ceremony? No, we have not had a commitment ceremony. I’ve never needed to get married. Marriage, to me, is a religious ceremony between people and their individual faiths. As far as my nation and my sexuality are concerned, I just want the rights of every civil marriage in this country. I have tremendous appreciation for the leaders of this movement.

When The Advocate interviewed Jones just before the election, she elaborated more on her relationship with actor Sarah Paulson:

Well, I have one other question to ask you, and I suspect you might not answer, but maybe I’ll get lucky. Since you are a New Yorker and you’re right across the border from Massachusetts and Connecticut, will we hear wedding bells in your future anytime soon? Oh. Oh, no. Sarah and I are in a fluid relationship, which pretty much precludes marriage. [Sarah Paulson interrupts in the background.] Oh, Sarah just said, “Fluid makes it sound like it’s an open relationship.”

Yeah. I was going to ask you to elucidate, because I had that same reaction. Well, it is not an open relationship, but we’re not ready for marriage.

So, we’ll call it self-defined. [Laughs] Self-defined is a wonderful way of putting it.

In the latest Sarah Paulson news, ABC has just released the first promo for the mid-season romantic comedy Cupid, starring Paulson and Bobby Canavale – watch it here.

Here’s a bizarrely composed Cupid cast shot (why do they all look like their heads are too big for their bodies here?) I’m one of the few dozen people who liked Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, so I’m glad Sarah will be back on TV. Although Cupid looks like predictable sitcom fare to me, the original version did have a passionate fan following, and the fact that Sarah’s character is promoted so heavily in the trailer is enough to get me to check it out when it debuts in January.

In the meantime, Sarah has a smaller role in the upcoming graphic novel action movie The Spirit, which opens nationwide on Christmas Day. Last week, MTV debuted a “Women of The Spirit” featurette, with comments from Paulson and the other women in the film (Eva Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, Paz Vega, etc.). I’m over the tired guy-juggling-too-many-hot-women shtick (even if he is an action hero), but the lighting is cool! And so is this poster for the film, one of several interesting women of The Spirit posters: 24? Cupid? The Spirit? Which of these are you planning to watch?

And is 24: Redemption worth watching, or would I be better of just marathoning Studio 60 on DVD over the break? (I’m a sucker for that Harriet and and Jordan subtext.)