Names and faces
■ Aretha Franklin was given a bit of posthumous R-E-S-P-E-C-T last week when a post office in her hometown of Detroit was named after the Queen of Soul. Members of Franklin’s family as well as postal and elected officials visited the former Fox Creek post office to celebrate. “Her legacy lives on in her music, in her family. But we have added to that list of her legacy — a post office with her name on it,” said U.S. Rep.
Brenda Lawrence, a Michigan Democrat and longtime Postal Service worker. Lawrence, who also was a friend of Franklin’s, introduced the congressional bill that brought the name change. Signed by former President Donald Trump in January, it sailed through Congress, said U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, also a Michigan Democrat. “Sometimes people wonder if Congress can come together,” Peters said to laughter during the dedication ceremony, adding, “Congress can come together when it comes to standing up and recognizing this amazing person.” The Aretha Franklin Post Office Building is about 5 miles east of downtown, not far from a concert amphitheater on the Detroit River that’s also named after the singer. Franklin died in 2018 at age 76 in her Detroit home. A number of the songs she recorded during a legendary career, including “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Respect,” are considered classics.
■ Will Packer will produce next year’s Oscars, the film academy announced last week. It’s a first for the man behind “Girls Trip” and marks the third time in as many years that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and broadcaster ABC have enlisted a new team. “What an honor!” Packer said. “The power, the beauty, the romance of the imagery in movies has always attracted me. I’m fully embracing the challenge of bringing an ode to one of the most iconic mediums in the world to life.” As founder and CEO of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, Packer has also produced or executive produced such films as “Night School” and “Straight Outta Compton,” as well as the television reboot of “Roots.” The Oscars have experienced declining ratings recently, with this year’s pandemic broadcast scoring less than half its previous low. But the show is returning to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and Packer is “already bringing a boundless energy and a focus on innovation to this year’s Oscars, to entertain the widest spectrum of fans,” said academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson. The 94th Oscars will be broadcast March 27.