Supporting Star

Supporting star is not oxymoronic. Let's get that out of the way at the beginning. Dads often star in the role of supporting player. Some cases are easier to imagine than others.

It's easy enough to see how a dad puts his kids in the glow with (say) £4,000 of houselights. Although past mishaps (broken ribs, crashing through the roof, etc.) do let father of two Phil Burton take some star turns in the Christmas tale as well.

And when you put a dad on stage, as Stephen Belber has done with his new play, "Geometry of Fire," it's not that much of stretch to figure out how a father can support but also confront his Iraq vet son.

What becomes more of a stretch is the argument in favor of support accepted by a Miami judge ed in favor of two men who promise to support their son. Florida law was found to be discriminatory in not allowing two gay men to adopt a child together. The case is headed up the judicial ladder although fathers Mike Federau and Curtis Mellon aren't planning to go anywhere without being able to help 9-year-old Austin Federau. The men are making the boy a star as well as also creating a bit of celebrity for themselves.

Still, perhaps the most unlikely situation of a dad starring in a supporting role has come in the kitchen. Journalist Emily Weinstein has admitted in print that without her father, she would never have been able to reel in the great white shark of Thanksgiving baking, pumpkin pie with a dash-of-vodka-crust.