Names and faces
▪ Annette Bening, a two-time Golden Globe winner who recently received her fifth Oscar nomination, was named Thursday as the 2024 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Since 1951, it has bestowed this award annually on women “who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.” The festivities, including a celebratory roast of Bening, will take place Tuesday night. “We’re absolutely thrilled to honor Annette Bening in this milestone 175th anniversary year for the Hasty Pudding,” said Josh Hillers, the organization’s president. “Hot off her Oscars nomination for Best Actress, we’re excited to present her with the most prestigious award in the entertainment industry.” Bening, 65, who also has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, earned her fifth Oscar nomination, this one for best actress, for playing the prickly long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad in the movie “Nyad.” Barry Keoghan, best known for his roles in “Saltburn” and “Dunkirk,” is the recipient of its 2024 Man of the Year Award. He will honored Friday night.
▪ A Texas cemetery has taken action to beef up its security efforts after a public feud between rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj led to an influx of social media attention. The cemetery’s address circulated on social media earlier this week, with some users linking it to the final resting place of Holly Thomas, Megan Thee Stallion’s mother. In a statement, the cemetery — The Times will not disclose its name — said it alerted local police officers and “increased [its] security personnel.” “We will continue to monitor the situation, as we take safety and security very seriously,” the statement continued. A representative for a local police department confirmed to The Times that more patrol officers have been ordered to perform “extra security checks” around the cemetery since Sunday. No acts of vandalism at the gravesite have been reported as of Wednesday afternoon. The March 2019 death of Megan Thee Stallion’s mother, who died after battling brain cancer, and her final resting place surfaced amid tension between the “Hiss” rapper and Minaj. Neither representatives for Megan Thee Stallion nor Minaj responded to The Times’ request for comment.