• The private school that Barron Trump attends has joined other schools in calling for gun control. St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Md., and more than 100 schools in Maryland and the Washington area on Wednesday signed an open letter calling on Barron Trump's father, Republican President Donald Trump, and Congress to support gun control measures and to reject arming teachers. The White House has proposed arming educators. The schools support a "robust system of registration and background checks" with an emphasis on assault weapons. They also back stronger mental health services. The letter was published as tens of thousands of students walked out of their classrooms Wednesday to demand action on gun violence and school safety. The walkout was triggered by the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
• Singer Katy Perry kissed a contestant on American Idol and he did not like it. But Benjamin Glaze is downplaying some backlash aimed at Perry, who is a judge on the show. The 19-year-old took to Instagram on Wednesday to say he did not think he was sexually harassed. The singer from Oklahoma says he was uncomfortable when Perry kissed him on the lips as he auditioned during the show's two-night season opener on ABC. "I was uncomfortable in a sense of how I have never been kissed before and was not expecting it," he added. Glaze needed some water before singing Nick Jonas' "Levels," which Perry called "a bit rushed," Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan did not send Glaze to the next round, with Perry telling Glaze: "There are some people who are just out-singing you right now, so I don't think it'd be fair to put you in that kind of competition." Glaze had talked about the kiss in an pre-show interview and subsequent attention on the audition sparked criticism of Perry, ranging from calling it a "#HimToo" moment, to arguing that the exchange would have been considered assault had an older male judge kissed an unsuspecting 19-year-old girl.
• The answer: He played a boy who does nothing but watch TV and wears cowboy clothing in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The question: Who is Jeopardy contestant Paris Themmen? Themmen appeared on the game show on Tuesday. But he didn't tell Alex Trebek about his role as Mike Teevee when the host asked him about himself. Instead, Themmen said he was an "avid backpacker." However, some fans of the movie pointed it out on Twitter. Themmen has appeared on several food programs since his role in the film when he was 11 years old. Themmen finished the show in second place.
A Section on 03/16/2018