U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an unlikely national rock star. But “The Notorious RBG” is now the subject of a second film about her this year — in theaters on Christmas Day. On Saturday evening, the 85-year-old Brooklyn native appeared in person, expressing love for her hometown of New York to a sold-out audience at the event organized by the Museum of the City of New York with WNETTV. NPR legal correspondent Nina Totenberg led the question-and-answer session about Ginsburg’s quarter-century on the Supreme Court, and about her life. Totenberg asked Ginsburg what she thought of a marital sex scene in the new bio-pic, On the Basis of Sex, with Felicity Jones playing the young Ginsburg. It explores how her early legal battles changed the world for women. “What I thought of it is that Marty would have loved it,” the justice said with a laugh, referring to her late husband. The evening sponsored by a museum dedicated to New York and its history turned into Ginsburg’s love letter to the city she said she misses for its “tremendous variety” — in everything from food and ethnicity to music. What she misses most, Ginsburg said, is going to the Metropolitan Opera, whose stars she has befriended and invites annually to sing at a private Supreme Court gathering. “There’s no rival in the world” to the Met, she said. Sitting on the stage, Ginsburg exuded the kind of vitality that has kept her going to the gym, lifting weights — a routine she was forced to interrupt last month when she fractured three ribs in a fall. She was back to work within days. “And yesterday was my first day doing my whole workout routine,” the high-energy octogenarian said nonchalantly. Saturday’s conversation will air on public television stations beginning Jan. 2.
New York City police were concerned about Pete Davidson after he wrote “I don’t want to be on this earth anymore” on Instagram. And they visited the Saturday Night Live star to make sure he was OK. A police spokesman declined to say where officers met with Ariana Grande’s ex-fiance on Saturday. But his Instagram posting was deleted and NBC did not cancel its live show. On the show, Davidson introduced a performance of John Lennon’s song “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by musical guests Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson and Sean Ono Lennon. What alarmed Davidson’s fans and authorities was the tone of the entertainer’s post: “I’m doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don’t know how much longer I can last. All I’ve ever tried to do was help people. Just remember I told you so.” He added a heart emoji. Social media responded with words of love for the 25-year-old comedian and native New Yorker who first appeared on Saturday Night Live in 2014. Earlier this month, Davidson wrote on Instagram that he has spoken about borderline personality disorder, from which he says he suffers, “and being suicidal publicly only in the hopes that it will help bring awareness and help kids like myself who don’t want to be on this earth. No matter how hard the internet or anyone tries to make me kill myself. I won’t. I’m upset I even have to say this.” Davidson and Grande were engaged in June but broke up earlier this fall.
