SACRAMENTO — Citing reasons financial, emotional and political, hundreds of gays and lesbians around California took advantage of a new law Monday and began the process of registering with the state as domestic partners.
To some it seemed a giant step, to others a baby step, toward full recognition of their relationships.
“We are involved in a commitment with caring and loving and all the things I hear people say about their husbands and wives,” said Sam Catalano, a state employee who hummed the wedding march as he and his partner paid $10 to become registered couple No. 66 at the secretary of state’s office in Sacramento.
“But today I have gained one benefit, and those married couples have 1,400,” he said, citing federal studies that estimate more than 1,000 legal benefits of marriage.
Actually, the legislation signed into law last year by Gov. Gray Davis–AB 26 by Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco)–affords some same-sex couples two benefits: hospital visitation rights (which could otherwise be restricted to family members) and health insurance coverage for the dependents of government employees covered by CalPERS, the state retirement system.
With the new law, California became one of the nation’s pioneers in domestic partner policies. Twelve California cities and four counties, including Los Angeles, have their own policies giving health benefits to domestic partners, as do many corporations.
In Vermont last month, the state Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples are entitled to all benefits and protections related to marriage. And in October, France became the first European nation to legalize civil solidarity pacts.
Across the country, 30 states have enacted laws to prevent same-sex marriages from being recognized, a Californians will decide on such a proposal in the March 7 primary election.
Tens of thousands of couples are expected to register under the domestic partners law. Same-sex couples are eligible, along with heterosexual couples over age 62, who sometimes hesitate to marry because of potential cuts in their Social Security income.
State analysts have no estimate of how much the registrations will cost the state and local governments.
State construction supervisor Billie Norman has been with her partner, Beverly Thames, for 14 years. Every year she has applied to add Thames to her health plan. Every year her application has been rejected.
“I could marry a man tomorrow and they’d give me insurance for him,” Norman said, flashing one of the matching diamond engagement rings the two wear. “We’re stable, we’re homeowners, we’re civil servants. There ought to be recognition of that.”
The state registration program signals a social shift, Norman said, that inches her and Thames closer to the Elvis-themed wedding they hope to have someday. Similar domestic partner bills passed the Legislature in 1994 and 1998 only to be vetoed by former Gov. Pete Wilson.
In March, California voters will vote on Proposition 22, the Limit on Marriages Act spearheaded by state Sen. Pete Knight (R-Lancaster), which would bar California from recognizing same-sex marriages. No state currently permits same-sex marriage, but some have court cases or legislation pending that could change the situation.
Proposition 22 spokesman Robert Glazier said the campaign has taken no position on domestic partnership registration, but “if someone wants to change marriage in California, they should do it in a very upfront way, not through a back door.”
Members of the “No on Knight” camp that opposes the measure predicted that publicity about partnership registration will work in their favor, highlighting the discrimination they believe gays and lesbians face in California and “how the Knight initiative will further discriminate against them,” said campaign manager Mike Marshall.
A small line of applicants greeted secretary of state employees when they arrived at 8 a.m. Monday to open the special filings desk, which falls under the ironically named “Limited Partnerships” division. All through the day couples wandered in, many having just learned of the opportunity in news accounts over the weekend.
By day’s end, spokesman Shad Balch said 71 couples had registered in Sacramento and at four branch offices around the state and hundreds more had taken out applications.
Among them were retirees and young people, middle class and poor, outspoken and shy. One couple has lived together for 29 years, another for three. For some it was the first official documentation of their relationship, for others one of a series of acknowledgments: city registrations, commitment ceremonies and corporate benefit extensions.
Ken Day, Catalano’s partner, said many gay couples they know are reluctant to even bother with the paperwork, a simple one-page form that can be mailed to the secretary of state but must be notarized.
Some think “it’s unnecessary and derivative,” he said. Others, he said, rolling his eyes, think the very idea is “too heterosexual.” A few were not ready for the commitment, which hinges on a pledge of joint responsibility for living expenses.
Among the many rights the state accords to married people but the new law does not extend to same-sex couples are Social Security benefits, inheritance provisions and health coverage after the death of the state employee. It does not give them any of the tax benefits of marriage, and they will not have the right to make medical decisions for each other.
Nor does the law untangle the complicated and expensive arrangements that gay and lesbian couples with children make to share health benefits with, and legal responsibility for, their children.
California Youth Authority counselor Cathyann Intemann spent $4,700 to adopt her partner’s daughter so she could count her as a dependent for her state health benefits. The couple rejoiced on learning Sunday that the new law would take effect in time to cover their second child, due this spring.
Intemann’s partner is a stay-at-home mother who estimated that she pays at least $3,000 a year for her own health insurance. “The bottom line is this saves us money in our household,” Intemann said.
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How to Register
The secretary of state’s office recommends that domestic partners mail registration forms to the Sacramento office, P.O. Box 944225, Sacramento, CA 94244-2250. Both partners’ signatures must be notarized and a fee of $10 enclosed. Forms are available at county clerks’ offices and online at https://www.ss.ca.gov, and can be filed in person at the secretary of state’s offices in these cities:
* Fresno: 2497 West Shaw Ave., Suite 101
* Los Angeles: 300 South Spring St., Room 12513
* San Diego: 1350 Front St., Suite 2060
* San Francisco: 455 Golden Gate, Suite 7300
In recent months, movie theaters have seen the likes of Elvis Presley, Billie Eilish, BTS and Michael Jackson take on the big screen. Whether it’s in the form of a concert film, a documentary or a biopic, music-based theatrical releases have delighted audiences — and both major studios and record labels are taking note.
Paramount Pictures and Warner Music Group are joining forces to make movies featuring top talent on Warner’s roster, the companies announced Thursday. The multi-year, first-look deal will feature some of Warner’s most recognizable artists like Madonna, and the late David Bowie and Frank Sinatra — as well as contemporary pop stars like Charli XCX and Dua Lipa.
Together, the companies hope to combine WMG’s vast music catalog and Paramount’s theatrical experience to create more music-themed live-action and animated films.
“Every artist deserves to tell the stories behind their life and music in their own creative way, and we’re excited to partner with our incredible talent and world-class filmmakers to bring these stories to the big screen, growing their audiences around the world,” Robert Kyncl, WMG’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
WMG will work with its production partner, Unigram and Paramount to develop each project in conjunction with the artists or their estates. The collaboration aims to give music artists more latitude when their work is used in feature films or when storylines are based on them.
Unigram co-founder Amanda Ghost said the deal “finds new ways to empower iconic artists and to bring their creative worlds to the screen with music as a central character.”
The announcement comes after Paramount celebrated the premiere of the Billie Eilish concert movie “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour” at the Westwood Village Theater on Wednesday night. The 3-D feature, co-directed by Eilish and James Cameron, is set to hit theaters this weekend and follows her most recent stint of performances.
Music continues to be a huge draw for movie theaters as the industry navigates rough waters amid hopes of a durable postpandemic recovery. Major releases like the box-office-topping biopics like “Michael,” and documentaries like “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” continue to draw sizable and enthusiastic theater audiences.
In recent years, Paramount also helped bring movies like the Bob Marley biopic “One Love” (2024) and Elton John’s “Rocketman” (2019) to theaters.
Earlier this week, movie theater chain AMC revealed its theaters will begin rolling out a new kind of immersive concert experience in June. The concept will feature acts like Paris Hilton and Kim Petras performing on a remote stage as the show is beamed into theaters around the country. Though unlike a typical livestream, new technology allows artists to see, hear and respond to the theater audience, in effect turning the local AMC into a virtual concert venue.
Earnings Call Insights: OmniAb, Inc. (OABI) Q1 2026
“OmniAb delivered a very strong start to the year, largely driven by advancement of our partner programs,” said President, CEO & Director Matthew Foehr, adding, “The progression of these programs gives us a growing line of sight
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Shivon Watson Screen Time Reporter
13:38, 06 May 2026
British actress Lucy Punch has kept her relationship largely out of the public eye.
As one of the UK’s brightest talents, the 48-year-old has often let her craft take centre stage and is now widely recognised for her role as Amanda in her BBC comedic series, Amandaland.
Playing a charismatic mother of two, the spin-off to BBC’s Motherland, focuses on Amanda’s struggle to raise two teenagers as she downsizes from Chiswick to South Harlesden.
Away from the spotlight, actress Lucy has two children of her own who she shares with a famous artist. As series two of Amandaland gets underway, we’ve taken a closer look inside her relationship.
Lucy previously spoke about her long-term relationship with artist Konstantinos ‘Dinos’ Chapman, with whom she shares two children.
Originally from London, Dinos, 63, was one half of the renowned British visual art duo The Chapman Brothers, working alongside his brother Jake. However, the pair split in 2022, and Dinos has since pursued his work independently.
Speaking to The Guardian in 2022, Dinos shared his take on their split. He said: “Nothing about our practice was amicable. It was never a love-in. It was always tinged with a certain seething disdain for each other so I guess at some point that reached critical mass, and we decided to go our separate ways.”
According to reports, Lucy and her partner reportedly met in Hollywood, where they later decided to reside permanently with their two children.
Reflecting on how they balance their busy schedules, Lucy previously told The Times: “We don’t have normal jobs so we can, in a very mismanaged, chaotic way, divide up childcare.”
Speaking of making a home in Laurel Canyon, in LA, she continued: “I’ve always got one foot out the door, wherever I am. I never got round to getting a green card. I’m on these rolling visas, which is ridiculous. I have a home there and I have two American children. But I can’t commit to anywhere. I get itchy feet. I like being a little bit here and a little bit there.”
Lucy and Dinos have two sons, whose names have not been disclosed. In 2025, Metro revealed the two boys were aged seven and three.
Like many Los Angeles residents, Lucy and her family were forced to leave their home in January 2025 as wildfires spread across the city.
Sharing insight into how her family dealt with the chaos, the actress said one of her sons treated the experience as if it were a holiday, thanks to how much fun they’d had while away.
In a rare remark about her children, the star told The Independent how she kept them occupied while wildfires swept through areas near their Los Angeles home. She said: “Meanwhile, we’d been looking at our phones, going ‘help’ and crying.
“It’s such a small window when you’re a kid, so I’m just trying to make it magical until they’re confronted with teenagerdom and the reality of life.”
Amandaland series two airs Wednesday, 6 May 2026, on BBC One at 9PM and BBC iPlayer
MOVIE hardman Jason Statham and his model partner Rosie Huntington-Whiteley have bought a £20million beachfront “forever home” — and are spending another £5million renovating it.
The actor, who has two children with fiancée Rosie, bought the six-bedroom mansion in the South of England, Land Registry records reveal.
The contemporary new-build is set on 20 acres and has its own private beach, enormous tree house, boating lake and wild swimming pond.
Building work has been going on for some time, with experts estimating a further £5million is being spent.
Public records show Jason, 58, who has amassed a £90million fortune from movies including the Fast and Furious franchise, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, paid £20million for the site in 2024.
He has always been upfront about his life goals, saying: “I just want to work hard, make money and eat with good people and love the same woman over and over again.”
Several high-profile celebrities also own homes in the area. Jason also has extensive properties in Hollywood and Cornwall.
The couple, who have a home in London, met at a party in 2009 and got engaged in 2016.
Rosie, 39, has a £30million fortune via fashion collaborations with M&S and Burberry, and acting roles in Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Mad Max: Fury Road.
She recently revealed she was moving to the countryside.
Rosie said: “I’ve been dreaming of this since I left home.
“It will be mud and kids climbing trees.” The couple were approached for comment.
