Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Queen Elizabeth II highlighted the importance of staying in touch with friends and families during the coronavirus pandemic in a message broadcast on Sunday. Britain’s monarch also touched on the role of technology in keeping people connected amid the global pandemic, in her royal address before Commonwealth Day, which is today. “The testing times experienced by so many have led to a deeper appreciation of the mutual support and spiritual sustenance we enjoy by being connected to others,” the queen said in her audio message. People have become used to “connecting and communicating by our innovative technology” that allows them to “stay in touch with friends, family, colleagues, and counterparts,” she said. Online communication “transcends boundaries or division, helping any sense of distance to disappear.” The queen also paid tribute to the front-line workers helping in the fight against covid-19 in Commonwealth nations. She made no mention of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan — the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — which aired Sunday evening in the U.S., and today in the U.K.
■ Comedian Sarah Silverman has apologized to influencer Paris Hilton for a joke she made in 2007 right before the latter was scheduled to check in to jail. After making a crude joke about Hilton’s jail sentence while hosting the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, Silverman said Thursday on her podcast that she regretted her words instantly and did not realize at the time that the hotel heiress was in the audience. Hilton went to jail for violating parole after pleading no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving. “I said some very hardcore jokes about her,” Silverman said. “The crowd went bananas. And while I was thrilled at the success of my monologue, I remember spotting her in the audience. … I remember seeing that look on her face, and my heart sank. Because there was a person under there.” Silverman also recalled writing a letter after the show apologizing to Hilton for the routine. On her own podcast last week, Hilton said she never heard from the comic after the ceremony. “I regretted the jokes, not years later but kind of immediately,” Silverman said. “So here I am, 14 years later, telling you, Paris, that I am really sorry.” On her podcast “This Is Paris,” Hilton thanked Silverman, saying she appreciated the gesture and understood where she was coming from. “She was so genuine, and so sweet, and it really moved me,” Hilton said. “I felt emotional hearing it.