Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Actress Jennifer Coolidge was roasted Saturday before being honored as the 2023 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Since 1951, Hasty Pudding Theatricals has bestowed the award annually on women “who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.” Coolidge, who saw a career resurgence following her Emmy-winning role in the HBO series “The White Lotus,” headlined a parade through the streets of Cambridge Saturday afternoon. Her other credits include roles in “American Pie,” “Legally Blonde,” “Seinfeld,” “2 Broke Girls” and “Nip/Tuck.” Coolidge later got emotional, recalling how her late father who went to Harvard would have loved to have witnessed this moment. “I never saw it coming. It blows away any sort of movie or television show I have ever done,” she said. “My dad went here. I wish he was here.” Producers roasted Coolidge with several zingers about her career, poking fun at her lack of serious roles.
■ As Missy Elliott was honored Thursday night for her musical achievements, some in the audience were moved to tears by her speech during a pre-Grammy event that also paid homage to Dr. Dre and Lil Wayne. Elliott praised music executive Sylvia Rhone, who also received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. “She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” the four-time Grammy winner said of Rhone, the Epic Records CEO who was the only African American and first-ever woman to be chairman and CEO of Elektra Entertainment Group. “She never told us ‘no,’” continued Elliott, who recently became the first female rapper to receive a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination. “She never told me, ‘You need to lose weight.’ She never told me, ‘You need to change your records.’” Chloe Bailey performed Elliott’s “One Minute Man” and sang a rendition of Aaliyah’s “One In a Million,” a song Elliott produced with Timbaland. Ciara and Tweet hit the stage to perform Elliott’s hits, while Busta Rhymes also performed in honor of Rhone. The honors were dished out in Los Angeles at an event hosted by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective.