Names and faces

A Los Angeles newscaster apologized to Samuel L. Jackson for confusing him with fellow actor Laurence Fishburne during a live TV interview. KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin was interviewing Jackson on Monday about the film RoboCop when he asked the actor whether his recent Super Bowl commercial had gotten a lot of reaction. When Jackson asked, “What Super Bowl commercial?” Rubin realized his mistake and began to apologize. “You’re as crazy as the people on Twitter,” Jackson, who was doing the interview by satellite from Atlanta, told Rubin. “I’m not Laurence Fishburne. We don’t all look alike. We may be all black and famous, but we don’t all look alike.” As Rubin, who is white, tried to apologize, a smiling Jackson continued. “I’m the ‘What’s in your wallet?’ black guy,” he said of his commercial for a credit-card company. “He’s the car black guy. Morgan Freeman is the other credit-card black guy. You only hear his voice, though, so you probably won’t confuse him with Laurence Fishburne.” Fishburne, as the character Morpheus from the Matrix movies, appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Kia automobiles. Jackson and Rubin eventually got back to talking about RoboCop, with Jackson telling Rubin how highly he regards his co-stars Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman. “You do know who they all are though, right?” he teased. “Just in case they have some of them on the show. Do some work. Do some research. Make sure you don’t confuse them with those other white actors.”

Ray Davies and Donovan are among the 2014class of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The organization announced Tuesday that “Midnight Train to Georgia” writer Jim Weatherly and English songwriter Graham Gouldman also made the cut. Mark James, the writer of “Always on My Mind” - covered by Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson - rounds out the list of five inductees. The new class beat out top acts that were also up for nomination, including Madonna, John Mellencamp, Sade, Nile Rodgers and Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Davies, the Kinks lead singer and chief songwriter, penned the band’s hits “You Really Got Me,” “Tired of Waiting for You” and “All Day and All of the Night.” Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan’s hits include “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow” and “Atlantis.”