Quick Takes: Gift to Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has scored an early holiday gift in the form of a $10-million pledge from the Country Music Assn. that will go toward the museum’s ambitious $75-million expansion campaign, officials announced Tuesday. It is the largest single gift in the nonprofit museum’s history.

The Hall of Fame is in the midst of efforts to more than double its size from the current 140,000-square-foot building to what is planned as a 350,000-square-foot facility that will include an 800-seat performance space that will be called the CMA Theater.

The CMA’s pledge brings the campaign to within $10 million of its fundraising goal. When the expansion plan was announced in late July, museum officials said they already had $56.8 million in donations and pledges in place. The project is expected to be completed early in 2014.

—Randy Lewis

Flight attendants target ’30 Rock’

The NBC sitcom “30 Rock” lost some flight attendant fans after actor Alec Baldwin was kicked off an American Airlines flight when he refused to turn off his phone.

The Assn. of Professional Flight Attendants requested Tuesday that the airline remove the show from all flights after last week’s incident at LAX.

Baldwin was booted off the flight because he refused to turn off his cellphone after the plane’s doors were closed for departure, the airline said.

Association spokesman Jeff Pharr said the union would retract its petition if Baldwin issued an apology to the attendants.

“30 Rock,” meanwhile, continues to air on some American Airline flights in accordance with its standard programming procedures, airline spokesman Tim Smith said.

—CNN

Star to appear in reading of ‘8’

George Clooney is throwing his star power behind the fight against Proposition 8 by signing on to appear in a reading of the play “8” in L.A.

The play, by Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, is scheduled to have a staged reading at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on March 3.

“8” is based on research and transcripts from Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, the 2010 federal court battle that dealt with the legality of Prop. 8, the controversial ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in California.

The judge in the case ruled that Prop. 8 was unconstitutional, but the decision has been appealed.

The reading of “8” will serve as a fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, an advocacy organization that has fought to overturn the initiative. Clooney is the first actor to be announced for the L.A. reading.

—David Ng

Producers to honor Jolie film

The Producers Guild of America will honor Angelina Jolie’s Bosnia war film, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” with a special award for its portrayal of social issues.

The guild said Tuesday that the movie — Jolie’s directing debut, which she also wrote and co-produced — would be given the 2012 Stanley Kramer Award.

Established in 2002 in memory of the Hollywood producer-director of such films as “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Inherit the Wind” and “The Defiant Ones,” the award is given annually to a movie producer whose work “illuminates provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion.”

Jolie and her co-producers said in a statement they were honored by the PGA award, whose past recipients include “Hotel Rwanda” and the global-warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

—Reuters

Rogen and wife chair benefit

Bruno Mars, Ty Burrell, Jack Black, Mindy Kaling and Patton Oswalt are among the entertainers who will appear at Hilarity for Charity, a benefit for the Alzheimer’s Assn. that is being chaired by actor Seth Rogen and his wife, Lauren.

The event is open to the public, with tickets starting at $150.

It will be held at Vibiana in downtown L.A. on Jan. 13 at 9 p.m.

For tickets and other information, go to alz.org

/hilarityforcharity.

Rogen, meanwhile, was announced Tuesday as the host of the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will be presented on the beach in Santa Monica on Feb. 25.

—From a Times staff writer

QB Brees to visit ‘Sesame Street’

Move over, Grover! One of the NFL’s top passers is heading to “Sesame Street.”

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is making an appearance on Thursday morning’s episode of the PBS children’s TV show. He visited the set a few months ago to record the segment, which costars the street’s furry red resident, Elmo.

—Associated Press