Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Ryan Seacrest announced he’s leaving “Live with Kelly and Ryan” this spring, saying he never expected to stay so long and thanking his co-host Kelly Ripa. Seacrest ends a six-year run alongside Ripa. His replacement will be Ripa’s real-life husband, Mark Consuelos, a frequent guest host. The show will be rebranded as “Live with Kelly and Mark.” “I’m going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share,” Seacrest wrote on Instagram. “When I signed on to host ‘Live’ in 2017 it was meant to be for three years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season.” Seacrest said he’ll stay busy shooting the new season of “American Idol,” his radio show on KIIS-FM and hosting “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” “Goodbyes are never easy, but we look forward to welcoming Ryan back regularly with open arms,” Michael Gelman, executive producer of “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” said in a statement. “Having him join the show is so special for us and we’re sure that viewers will feel the same.”
■ Rapper and actor Ice-T was honored with a recording industry star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Taking the mic to speak Friday on Ice-T’s behalf were “Law & Order” franchise producer Dick Wolf, “Law & Order: SVU” co-star Mariska Hargitay and Public Enemy rapper Chuck D. “Ice has appeared in more of my shows than anyone else on Earth,” Wolf said. “I’m now gonna show how old I am by saying, ‘Ice is the coolest guy I have ever met,’ and I’ve said that to him.” Wolf went on to praise Ice-T — real name Tracy Lauren Marrow — for his work ethic and his “universal appeal.” In the audience sat his wife, Coco, and their 7-year-old daughter, Chanel, who would later join her dad at the podium. “I never thought I would get a star. … The way my life was going, Shotwell) it was, ‘What can we come up in Hollywood and steal,’” Marrow said. Then came hip-hop and Marrow started telling his life stories on albums, including “Rhyme Pays.” He got a role playing a cop in Mario Van Peebles’ “New Jack City,” which piqued his interest in acting. His career grew from there, eventually leading to New York and “Law & Order: SVU,” in which he plays Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola. About the ceremony, he said he thought his friends were more excited about it than he was — and he thanked them, along with his music, film and TV colleagues. “Last but not least,” the entertainer said, “I want to thank … all the naysayers, all the people that wanted to end my career, now I’m on the Walk of Fame.”