Names and faces
■ A 16-year-old “American Idol” contestant has dropped out of the singing competition after a video circulated of him sitting next to someone wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood. Caleb Kennedy, a Roebuck, S.C., native who had advanced into the Top 5, apologized for the video on Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday, saying “it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way.” Kennedy’s mother, Anita Guy, told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal that the video was filmed when Kennedy was 12 and had been taken out of context. She said Kennedy had been imitating characters from the film “The Strangers: Prey at Night.” “It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that’s how it looks. Caleb doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races,” Guy said. In a statement on social media, Kennedy said: “There was a video that surfaced on the internet, and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down.” “American Idol” will continue with its final four contestants, with one set to be eliminated Sunday.
■ Actor Phylicia Rashad is returning to her alma mater as the new dean of the Howard University College of Fine Arts. The longtime performer and Tony Award winner, who rose to cultural prominence as Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” graduated magna cum laude from Howard, a private university in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1970. Provost Anthony K. Wutoh called the appointment a “full circle moment” and said in a statement that Rashad’s “passion for the arts and student success makes her a perfect fit for this role.” Rashad’s return to campus represents a reemergence of the fine arts college; the College of Fine Arts was merged into the College of Arts and Sciences in the late 90s. Rashad, in a statement, said it was a “privilege” to play a role in “reestablishing the College of Fine Arts.” Howard University President Wayne Frederick said Rashad “will play an instrumental role in ensuring an auspicious beginning for this reestablished institution.” Howard Fine Arts alumni include actors Taraji P. Henson and the late Chadwick Boseman, as well as Bradford Young, the first Black cinematographer to be nominated for an Oscar for 2017’s “Arrival.” Rashad won the 2004 Tony award for best actress in a play for her role in “A Raisin in the Sun.” Her sister, actor, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen, is also a Howard alum.