Including Obama’s old Harvard professor Henry Gates.
The stars came out in Oak Bluffs Monday evening for a private screening of the movie Sparkle, set to open across the United States on Friday. Almost 200 invited guests filed into the threadbare Island Theater, leased just for the occasion.
The atmosphere was a mix of Hollywood premiere, Obama fundraiser, and Oak Bluffs summer fun. There were hugs all around for Attorney General Eric Holder, Obama senior advisor and seasonal Island resident Valerie Jarrett, Harvard professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, actor Chris Tucker, producer Debra Martin Chase, CBS morning show host Gayle King and Sony Corporation chief executive officer Michael Lynton.
Secret Service and FBI agents, assigned to protect Washington officials, moved discreetly through the crowd of moviegoers and celebrity gawkers attracted by the commotion.
Ms. Martin Chase, Mr. Lynton and his wife Jamie Lynton, and Ann Martin hosted the film and an after party at the restaurant Hooked just down the road in Hart Haven.
Ms. Martin Chase, a producer with an impressive list of movie credits (Cheetah Girls, Cinderella, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Princess Diaries, and most recently, Just Wright) produced the film, which stars Jordin Sparks and the late Whitney Houston in her final theatrical performance.
Jamie Lynton, wife of Michael Lynton, chief executive of Sony Corporation of America, is a powerhouse fundraiser for Mr. Obama.