Quick Takes: Anderson Cooper: ‘I’m gay’

Anderson Cooper has made it official: He’s gay. The host of “AC360” and “Anderson” has never publicly confirmed that detail about his private life before, but he’s never denied it, either. Cooper’s sexual orientation has long been an open secret, but it took an Entertainment Weekly cover story about gay celebrities to prompt the newsman to finally come out.

Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan, another openly gay newsman, wrote to Cooper asking for his reaction to the story and published the response on his blog, The Dish, on Monday morning.

In the email, Cooper states, “The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.”

He also discusses his reasons for keeping these facts obscured for so long. He writes, “I’ve always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly.”

But Cooper has rethought that stance and admitted that by keeping facts about his personal life private, he has inadvertently created a public perception that he’s “uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid.”

By coming out, he’s hoping to dispel all those misperceptions, or as he says, “I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.”

—Patrick Kevin Day

A solid start for ‘Spider-Man’?

With the premiere of “The Amazing Spider-Man” on Tuesday, Sony Pictures has six days to prove that a reboot of its marquee superhero can still ensnare moviegoers into its web.

The Marc Webb-directed film, which stars Andrew Garfield as the web-slinger, cost a hefty $230 million to produce. Because July 4 falls on a Wednesday this year, Sony is opting for the unusual strategy of opening the film on a Tuesday to take advantage of the holiday crowd.

Expectations among people who have seen pre-release audience surveys are that the film will collect $130 million to $150 million by Sunday — a solid but not fantastic start. A Sony representative said the studio expects a softer opening of $110 million to $120 million.

Overseas, “The Amazing Spider-Man” — the fourth film in the $2.5-billion franchise — launched last weekend in 13 foreign countries, collecting a strong $50.2 million.

Hoping to capitalize on the projected success of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” Sony has already scheduled a sequel for 2014.

—Amy Kaufman and Ben Fritz

HBO renews ‘The Newsroom’

This just in: HBO has renewed “The Newsroom” after just two airings.

Aaron Sorkin’s drama starring Jeff Daniels as the hard-bitten anchor of a struggling cable news network drew 2.1 million total viewers for its first airing at 10 p.m. Sunday.

That makes it among HBO’s most-watched drama premieres in recent years. “Game of Thrones” — the fantasy that has become a big hit for HBO — delivered 2.2 million for its series premiere in 2010. And the vampire hit “True Blood” bit into just 1.4 million in 2008.

In the same announcement, HBO renewed “True Blood” for a sixth season. In addition, the network ordered a fourth season of eight episodes of its comedy series “Eastbound & Down.”

—Scott Collins

New McNally play in Ojai

The Ojai Playwrights Conference on Aug. 8-12 will feature a new play by Terrence McNally and appearances by Stephen Adly Guirgis and Father Gregory Boyle.

McNally’s play “And Away We Go” will be the closing workshop production of the conference, one of the country’s top centers for new play development. McNally is a multiple Tony Award winner whose best-known plays include “Master Class,” “Love! Valour! Compassion!” and “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.”

Guirgis is returning to the conference as a writer-in-residence. He will join Boyle on stage for a special event (Aug. 8) featuring former gang members who work at Boyle’s Homeboy Industries in downtown L.A.

—David Ng

Stolen Dalí is returned by mail

The case of a pilfered Salvador Dalí painting has been resolved swiftly, if somewhat mysteriously. Dalí’s “Cartel de Don Juan Tenirio” was mailed back to the New York gallery from which it was stolen several weeks ago.

The parcel, which the gallery received on Friday, was mailed from Greece, according to the New York Post. The culprit remains unknown and the return address on the parcel is believed to be fake.

A surveillance video captured an unidentified man in the gallery around the time the painting was believed to have been taken from a wall. The gallery is the Venus over Manhattan, located in the Upper East Side neighborhood of New York.

The painting has an estimated value of $150,000.

—David Ng

Briefly

“30 Rock” star Alec Baldwin married his yoga-instructor sweetheart Hilaria Thomas on Saturday at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York and two days later shut his Twitter account.