Names and faces

Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly has apologized for incorrectly stating that no Republicans were invited to participate in a ceremony last week marking the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for civil rights and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In fact, Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor were invited but did not attend. O’Reilly had made the incorrect claim Wednesday, the day of the ceremony. “The mistake - entirely on me,” O’Reilly said. “I simply assumed that since all the speakers were liberal Democrats, Republicans had been excluded. So here’s the tip of the day: Always check out the facts before you make a definitive statement and when you make a mistake, admit it.” O’Reilly said the Republicans made a mistake, too. He said they should have been there.

Supporters and critics of Dave Chappelle flooded social media sites with comments this weekend, after he was heckled at a show in Connecticut and refused to perform his set. The comedian was the headliner Thursday night at the Funny or Die Presents The Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival, which is touring the country and also features. Fans said Chappelle came out and told a few jokes but stopped because of the heckling. Video posted online shows Chappelle spent 25 or so minutes sitting on a stool on stage responding to the hecklers, joking about the situation and even reading the first few sentences of an audience member’s book. He was booed as he walked off the stage of the Comcast Theatre, and some fans demanded their money back. Chappelle blamed the hecklers for ruining the show. He noted his contract mandated that he be on stage for 25 minutes. “Hey man, I wanted to do a better show, too,” he said, apparently responding to a person in the audience. “It wasn’t my fault. Quite noisy in here.” Chappelle called his experience a nightmare and joked he was going back to television, “where it’s safe.”

Front Section, Pages 2 on 09/01/2013

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