Names and faces

■ As Ivana Trump, the fashion model-turned-business leader and ex-wife of President Donald Trump, prepares for the October release of a new book about raising her children, she’s seeking approval from trademark officials to protect her name in various entertainment and business services. Ivana Trump filed a request with the U.S. trademark office in late June to safeguard her name for books, celebrity promotion services, television and radio shows, and motion picture production, according to government filings. The trademarks were filed as an “intent to use” and won’t be final until they’re proved to be in commercial use. Trump holds four active trademarks for jewelry, eyeglasses, wine and her website. She has abandoned numerous trademarks over the years in such categories as clothing, perfume and bottled water. Robert Clarida, an intellectual-property lawyer at Reitler Kalia & Rosentblatt listed on the trademark filing, declined to comment. The Trump family has a long history of filing trademarks to protect its name. Earlier this year, Ivana Trump signed a deal with Gallery Books, an imprint of CBS Corp.’s Simon & Schuster, to write a tell-all about raising her three children — Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka. She married Donald Trump in 1977. The couple divorced in 1992.

■ In the first Kennedy Center Honors during President Donald Trump’s administration, honorees will include two singers, a television writer, a dancer — and for the first time, a hip-hop artist. LL Cool J will be among five entertainers being honored at the 40th annual award ceremony for their lifelong artistic achievements. “To knock the door down for a new genre — the word is just ‘dope!’” he said. “To be able to come from the corner of Farmers Boulevard in Queens, banging on a garbage can, all the way to the Kennedy Center Honors, that’s a long journey.” Other recipients include groundbreaking television writer and producer Norman Lear, immigrant singer-songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, musician and record producer Lionel Richie, and dancer and choreographer Carmen de Lavallade. In keeping with tradition, the president and first lady, Melania Trump, will host a White House reception in December for honorees before appearing alongside them at the honors gala. But in an era of sharp political divides, the awardees appear to be divided on how best to respond to the honor — or whether to attend the festivities at all. Lear said he has already informed the Kennedy Center that he would forgo the White House reception, a rare move in the Honors’ 39-year history. However, Estefan, a seven-time Grammy Award winner, said she looked forward to speaking with Trump because it was “the perfect opportunity to make clear and express” her views.

LL Cool J

Trump