• On Thursday, rapper Nicki Minaj -- known for her racy lyrics, avant-garde fashion choices and unselfconscious celebration of her physical assets -- posted on Twitter that the principal of her alma mater, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts in Manhattan, had turned down her offer to speak there. "I wanted to go back to my HS and speak to the students but the new principal declined," Minaj, 31, wrote. "That school changed my life and I wanted to pay it forward to the students there now." Both LaGuardia students and Minaj's fans reacted with anger and disbelief on Twitter. Others derided the principal, Lisa Mars, and some posted her phone number and email address. By Friday afternoon, Minaj's fans had left 150 comments about Mars, many of them unprintable, on the website ratemyteachers.com. The city Department of Education said Minaj had not been rejected out of prudishness. A spokesman said that MTV had asked to film Minaj's appearance when after-school programs would be in session. The spokesman said the department and the principal felt that it would be a disruption and proposed a weekend date instead, but Minaj and MTV had declined because of her schedule. A representative for Minaj declined to comment.
• Bart and Lisa Simpson, Chief Wiggam and son Ralph, bartender Moe and Apu from Kwik-E-Mart went to the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate 25 years of The Simpsons. Those characters are performed by three actors -- Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith -- who hosted the world premiere of "The Simpsons Take the Bowl" at the legendary concert venue Friday. The program featured music, stars and reminiscences from TV's longest-running scripted show. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, which featured several members wearing tall, blue Marge Simpson wigs, performed as classic clips from the show's past 25 seasons played on big screens above them. The 26th season of The Simpsons begins Sept. 28. Other guests appearing during the two-hour program included show creator Matt Groening, former Simpsons writer Conan O'Brien, comedian Jon Lovitz, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. Azaria embodied several of The Simpsons characters he brings to life with his voice, including Moe and Apu, Disco Stu, Professor Frink and Duff Man. While portraying the beer-boasting Duff Man, a group of women dressed as Duff cheerleaders stepped on stage and fired T-shirt cannons into the crowd.
A Section on 09/14/2014