Bill Murray was honored by co-stars and collaborators Sunday night as he received the Mark Twain P rize for American Humor in a ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington. After he was presented with a bust of Mark Twain, Murray handed it to a man in the first row of the audience and urged the crowd to pass it around. Known for living outside the Hollywood bubble, the 66-year-old actor admitted he was uncomfortable sitting in a box with his family while people spoke warmly about his body of work. “It’s really hard to listen to all those people be nice to you for two days,” Murray said. “You just get real suspicious.” Murray thanked his brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, for helping him get his start in improvisational theater, saying, “My brother had more guts than anyone I ever knew.” There were plenty of laughs at Murray’s expense in an evening that took on the tone of a gentle roast. Jimmy Kimmel, Aziz Ansari, Sigourney Weaver and Steve Martin were among those who ribbed Murray for being aloof, unpredictable and difficult to reach — and somehow still lovable. The event also featured a tribute from former Late Show host David Letterman. Murray got his break on Saturday Night Live and starred in some of the most successful comedies of the 1980s and 1990s before transitioning into more dramatic roles. He’s become a folk hero in the social-media era by turning up unannounced at wedding receptions, kickball games and house parties. He’s also a regular at Chicago Cubs games and celebrity golf tournaments.
With their red, white and blue tutus and Taylor Swift T-shirts, Rachel Emling and Mikala Crews were everything Formula One wanted at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas: young fans who would travel across the country for a mix of pop stars and fast cars. Tens of thousands packed into the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday night for Swift’s only concert of the year at Formula One’s only race on American soil. Drawing people like Emling and Crews, NASCAR fans from Jacksonville, Fla., was exactly what race organizers hoped for. “It’s cool,” said the 20-yearold Emling, who said they would return for Sunday’s race. “We like racing.” The concert was a big opportunity for the singer, as well. Swift’s face was splashed all over publicity efforts for a race that promoters hoped would draw 250,000 over the weekend, just as Swift is rumored to be close to releasing a new album. Swift dazzled fans with a set that ran about 90 minutes, full of hits from her previous albums. The only stumble was a cold she said she got three days earlier. At one point, she stopped between songs to blow her nose. She acknowledged the international makeup of her crowd, which danced and sang throughout her set. “This show is really important because we have people from all over the world,” she told the crowd. “Thank you for that.”
A Section on 10/24/2016