Names and faces

LITTLE ROCK — Actor Joaquin Phoenix returned to David Letterman’s Late Show on Wednesday to apologize for his wacky appearance last year that turned out to be an elaborate piece of performance art. “You’ve interviewed many, many people, and I assumed that you would know the difference between a character and a real person, so - but I apologize,” Phoenix said. “I hope I didn’t offend you in any way.” No offense taken, Letterman replied. The chance to lob jokes at Phoenix was like batting practice, he said. Phoenix was clean-cut and shaven Wednesday, without the shaggy beard, unruly hair and sunglasses he wore on Feb. 11, 2009, when he told Letterman that he was giving up acting for a rap career. Describing that appearance Wednesday, Letterman said, it was “like you slipped and hit your head in the tub.” Instead, Phoenix was playing a role for filmmaker friend Casey Affleck. The fake documentary on Phoenix’s “career change,” called I’m Still Here, just hit theaters. At Letterman’s urging, Phoenix made clear that the talk-show host was not in on the joke. Letterman, who became a key part of the movie, said that “somehow I get the sense that I had been made fun of.” He told Phoenix that “now I want some money” and demanded $1 million for his role in the ruse. “We’ve made 75 cents on this movie,” Phoenix protested. “That’s not my problem,” Letterman said. Phoenix promised to “work it out” and asked to talk about it privately. “We’ll go to one of your screenings,” Letterman shot back.

Katy Perry won’t be appearing on Sesame Street after all. The children’s show says it won’t air a taped segment featuring the “California Gurls” singer and Elmo. The pop star - who is known for her risque outfits - wore a gold bustier top as she sang a version of her hit “Hot N Cold.” But some felt it was too revealing for a children’s show. Sesame Street said in a statement Thursday that in light of the “feedback we’ve received” after the bitwas aired on YouTube, they won’t include it on the show. While the show said it was still available on YouTube, it had been removed by the official Sesame Street YouTube channel. Other versions on YouTube have generated thousands of hits. A representative for Perry said Thursday that Perry enjoyed her time with Sesame Street and Elmo, and pointed out that the clip is still online on her website.