Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ The sunny days of Sesame Street will now shine over the series’ first Asian American character, who will debut during a forthcoming special. Ji-Young, a 7-year-old Korean American muppet performed by Sesame Workshop puppeteer Kathleen Kim, will debut in “See Us Coming Together: A Sesame Street Special,” a Thanksgiving show celebrating diversity among the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Kay Wilson Stallings, Sesame Workshop’s executive vice president of creative and production, said in a news release that the special is part of the series’ mission to empower children and families of all races to value their unique identities. “‘See Us Coming Together’ continues Sesame Street’s proud legacy of representation with an engaging story that encourages empathy and acceptance and uplifts Asian and Pacific Islander communities,” Stallings said. The special will follow JiYoung through a “Neighbor Day” celebration where she will be joined by other notable celebrities of Asian descent, including tennis star Naomi Osaka, action actor Simu Liu and others. The show will also tackle anti-Asian racism as part of the Sesame Workshop’s ongoing effort to support families in discussions about race. Ji-Young told the Associated Press that her name has special meaning. “In Korean, traditionally the two syllables they each mean something different and Ji means, like, smart or wise. And Young means, like, brave or courageous and strong,” she said. “But we were looking it up and guess what? Ji also means sesame.”
■ The Rolling Stones likely won’t get no satisfaction from Roger Daltrey’s new comments about the band. Daltrey, the longtime frontman for The Who, compared the Stones to pub performers in a new interview with the Coda Collection. “But as a band, if you were outside a pub and you heard that music coming out of a pub some night, you’d think, ‘Well, that’s a mediocre pub band!’” Daltrey said with a laugh. Daltrey, 77, did have high praise for the Rolling Stones’ frontman, Mick Jagger. “You’ve got to take your hat off to him,” Daltrey said. “He’s the No. 1 rock ’n’ roll performer.” The Stones, who have won three Grammys and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The English band’s eight No. 1 hits on Billboard’s U.S. Hot 100 chart include “Paint It Black” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Daltrey’s remarks about the Stones follow comments made by former Beatles rocker Paul McCartney in an interview with The New Yorker that was published last month. “I’m not sure I should say it, but they’re a blues cover band, that’s sort of what the Stones are,” McCartney said. “I think our net was cast a bit wider than theirs.”