Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ For Prince fans, the one- year anniversary of his death f ro m an accidental drug overdose was a time for sadness and celebration. A year ago Friday, the music superstar was found dead at Paisley Park, the suburban Minneapolis recording complex where he lived. Fans from around the globe were flocking to Paisley Park, now a museum, for a four- day celebration that includes performances by Prince’s former band- mates and panel discussions. Fans who didn’t want to pop for a $549 ticket to get into Paisley Park could head to a street party outside First Avenue, the club Prince made famous in “Purple Rain.” And the Minnesota History Center is staging a special exhibit of Prince memorabilia, including his iconic “Purple Rain” costume.
■ Chelsea Clinton stayed away from politics and stuck to the subject of childhood obesity Friday at a Variety magazine event honoring prominent women and their charity work — except for her last line. Responding to a pointed quip hours earlier from emcee Vanessa Bayer, a Saturday Night Live cast member, that none of the honorees’ mothers was president of the United States, Clinton reminded her that maybe not, “but someday, someone’s [mother] will be.” The line got one of the biggest cheers of the afternoon. Honored at the Variety Power of Women: New York awards along with Clinton, who spoke of her work with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, were actresses Blake Lively, Jessica Chastain and Audra McDonald; TV personality Gayle King; and business leaders Tina Knowles- Lawson and Shari Redstone. There were several references to Bill O’Reilly and his firing by Fox News Channel after he faced several sexual-harassment allegations, which he denies. Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox anchor whose sexual-harassment lawsuit against then-Fox Chairman Roger Ailes triggered Ailes’ downfall and set the stage for O’Reilly’s, received an ovation at the start of the event and a thank you from Lena Dunham at the podium. “When you work in a corporate infrastructure, the challenge of coming out about sexual harassment is so massive,” said Dunham, who was introducing Chastain. “And to see a woman who surmounted that and bravely made space for other women to do the same is just deeply inspiring.” Clinton said nothing about a possible future in politics, but King brought it up anyway. “I’ll resist the urge to say Chelsea 2024,” King said at the podium. “I won’t say it.”