Alumni in the News: August 9, 2021

Amanda Peet ’94 interviewed actress Sandra Oh in The Cut’s July/August cover story, “Sandra Oh Is Speaking,” posted on August 2. Peet’s new show, The Chair, premieres on Netflix on August 20; she is the creator, executive producer, writer and showrunner.

Beto O’Rourke ’95 wrote an opinion essay posted on CNN on August 2, “Texas Offers American’s A Stark History Lesson.” O’Rourke discusses voting rights and making democracy more inclusive.

Phillip Lopate ’64 was interviewed for the July 29 New York Times column By the Book: “Phillip Lopate is No Fan of ‘The Catcher in the Rye.’” “Holden Caulfield irritated me massively,” says the essayist, novelist and editor, most recently, of The Contemporary American Essay. “I never gave it a second chance.”

Annie Tan ’11, a special-education teacher in Brooklyn, was included in The New York Times article “As Delta Variant Spreads, N.Y.C. Parents Worry About Coming School Year,” which ran on July 28. Tan urged the city to ramp up efforts to get children over 12 vaccinated before the start of school.

Patrick Radden Keefe ’99 wrote the July 14 New York Times Opinion essay “How Did The Sacklers Pull This Off?”. Radden Keefe’s newest book, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, was included on President Obama’s summer reading list, which was shared on CNN on July 10.

Also on July 14, Spectator reported that the Atlanta Braves had drafted Liam McGill ’20, a four-year catcher for the Lions. McGill was the 277th pick in the ninth round of the MLB Amateur Draft.

Nominations for the 73rd annual Emmy Awards were announced on July 13; Kate McKinnon ’06 is nominated for Supporting Actress, Comedy for Saturday Night Live; it is her ninth Emmy nomination and she has two previous wins. Lucia Aniello ’04 is nominated for Writing for a Comedy Series (with Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky), and Directing for a Comedy Series for the pilot episode of the HBO Max show Hacks. In the Directing category, she joins Susanna Fogel ’02, who is nominated for The Flight Attendant episode “In Case of Emergency.”

On July 9, President Biden announced he had selected Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti ’92, SIPA’93 as his ambassador to India, pending Senate confirmation. Garcetti said in a statement that he is “honored to accept” the President’s nomination. “I have committed my life to service — as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant, and if confirmed, next as an ambassador. Should I be confirmed, I’ll bring this same energy, commitment, and love for this city to my new role and will forge partnerships and connections that will help Los Angeles,” Garcetti said.

Darryl Pinckney ’88 was featured in the July 7 New York Times story “5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Symphonies.” Pinckney shared a clip of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic.

The National Theatre in Washington, D.C., announced the inaugural Brandon Victor Dixon [’03] Awards for excellence in high school musical theater on July 1. Dixon, a Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award nominee, is lending his name to an award for the first time.

Anita Lo ’88 received the Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Merite Agricole from French Consul General Jeremie Robert in New York on June 2. Robert praised Lo for her dedication to the French culinary arts and for being “a pioneer who paved the way for more diversity and more women in the field of cuisine.”

Marva Brown ’03, a Brooklyn-based attorney, is running for Kings County Civil Court Judge (District 2).