Julianne Moore Fights to Change Name of High School Honoring Confederate General

Julianne Moore

ANDREW H. WALKER/GETTY

Julianne Moore wants to make a change. 

The Still Alice actress has teamed up with her former classmate, producer Bruce Cohen, to fight for a new name for their Virginia high school, currently named after a Confederate general. 

The one-time classmates created a change.org petition calling for J.E.B. Stuart High School to be renamed for civil rights leader and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. 

"When our school was founded in 1959, it was named after Stuart, a Confederate General, to protest the 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling that ended the segregation of public schools," reads the petition. "Today, this school is attended by a diverse group of students who should not have to attend a school that bears the name of a man who fought to keep African Americans enslaved." 

It continues: "No one should have to apologize for the name of the public high school you attended and the history of racism it represents, as we and so many alumni of Stuart have felt the need to do our whole lives." 

By Monday evening the petition had drawn nearly 29,000 signatures.

General salutes cadets with a song at West Point graduation

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Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, right, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a graduate of John S. Burke High School in Goshen and West Point, hands a traditional dollar along with a diploma to a graduate at West Point's graduation ceremony on Saturday. For more photos, go to recordonline.com. DAWN J. BENKO/FOR THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD
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• Class of '15 profile
  Graduates: 995
  
  
  Women: 162
  
  
  Black: 97
  
  
  Hispanic: 87
  
  
  Asian/Pacific Islanders: 66
  
  
  Native Americans: 10
  ...
  » Read more
• By Michael Randall
  Times Herald-Record

  
  Posted May. 23, 2015 at 5:58 PM
  Updated May 23, 2015 at 6:12 PM 
  
  

  WEST POINT – Gen. Martin E. Dempsey was not your typical West Point graduation speaker.

  His speech Saturday morning was relatively brief. It was free of political commentary and observations. And he not only sang, he got the graduating cadets to join him.

  “Start spreading the news,” Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began.

  “I’m leaving today,” the cadets replied in chorus.

  After a second rendition of those familiar opening lines of “New York, New York,” Dempsey proclaimed, “All right, you’re ready.”

  While making a point a short time later, Dempsey again employed music, this time a line from “Uptown Funk,” a song by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars: “Don’t believe me, just watch.”

  “Yes, the chairman just rhymed Bruno Mars at your graduation,” Dempsey said.

  Dempsey, a 1970 graduate of John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen and a member of West Point’s Class of 1974, also offered some serious observations to the graduates as they prepared to take their oaths and become second lieutenants in the Army.

  “As the guy who currently occupies one end of the Long Gray Line, let me offer you the highest compliment of our profession: Well done,” Dempsey said.

  Just as the graduates were repeatedly challenged during their four years at West Point, Dempsey said, they’ll face more of the same in their Army careers.

  “Those second lieutenant bars only weigh a few ounces, but the weight of what they represent is profound,” Dempsey said.

  After the traditional hat toss, graduates celebrated the conclusion of four tough years of academic, military and physical training by gathering with families and friends.

  “I feel awesome. It’s a surreal feeling,” said Michael Ugenyi of Atlanta, whose next stop will be Fort Bliss in Texas for field artillery training.

  “I feel relieved,” said Christmas Linzy of Houston, who also will be getting field artillery training, but at Fort Bragg, N.C. “I’m excited, and I’m a little bit nervous. I’m just grateful I had this opportunity, and for all the people who supported me. Lord knows, it wasn’t easy.”

  West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr. predicted that the Class of 2015 will “respond to the call of duty” like its predecessors from 50 and 100 years ago.

  The class of 1915 included future generals Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley, and the class of 1965 included future West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Daniel Christman, who was one of several members of that class in attendance Saturday.

  “They had no idea what history had in store for them. But they rose to the challenge,” Caslen said.

Bruno Mars Asked to Perform, 'Curate' Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show

Bruno Mars performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show at MetLife Stadium on February 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey

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The NFL has invited back Bruno Mars for next year's Super Bowl 50 halftime show, a source has confirmed to Billboard. 

The "Uptown Funk" singer was on the big stage just two years ago for Super Bowl XLVIII with special guests Red Hot Chili Peppers, followed by Katy Perry last year.

Super Bowl 2016 is Six Months Away! Vote For the Halftime Show Performer

This time around, a source confirmed, Mars was asked to "curate" the halftime show, meaning we could probably expect some impressive guests to join him, if he agrees.

Mars' previous halftime performance drew 115 million viewers, according to Nielsen -- making it the second highest viewership for the halftime special, following only Perry's last year (which saw 121 million viewers). 

Director of media events for the NFL Sarah Moll talked to Billboard in December last year about booking the Super Bowl halftime special. She said then that the initial conversation to book Mars for Super Bowl XLVIII got going because she was a "huge fan" of his. 

Katy Perry Nominated for an Emmy for Super Bowl Halftime Performance

"Myself and our producer, Ricky Kirshner, were both personal fans of Bruno and had seen him in concert and knew what he could do," she said. "And it was a lot of just telling folks here and getting folks excited about Bruno and taking them to shows and letting them see what he could do. And that's kind of what got it going."

While Moll said her being a fan alone is not the decision-maker in booking talent for the massive event, and ultimately it's decided by the league's commissioner and its executives, "I like to think that I have somewhat of a say and I know I do have somewhat of a say. I definitely let my personal opinions come out, you have to."

Super Bowl Halftime Show Performances: A Timeline

She also said her greatest accomplishment for 2014 was booking Mars for the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime special, breaking the halftime record of the time in so doing. She added, "But I look at it really is Super Bowl XLVIII as a whole and the day really encompassed music from the beginning of the day all the way through halftime."

Reps for Mars and the NFL had not responded to Billboard's request for comment at time of publishing.

American singer-songwriter and producer

Bruno Mars, byname of Peter Gene Hernandez   (born October 8, 1985, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.), American singer and songwriter who was known for both his catchy pop music—which often featured upbeat lyrics, blended different genres, and had a retro quality—and his energetic live performances.

He was the son of Pete (“Dr. Doo-Wop”) Hernandez, a Latin percussionist of Puerto Rican extraction from Brooklyn, and Bernadette Hernandez, a Filipina vocalist and hula dancer. He was nicknamed Bruno when he was a toddler and began entertaining in Honolulu at the age of four as an Elvis Presley impersonator with his parents’ band, the Love Notes. He had a small role as Little Elvis in the 1992 film Honeymoon in Vegas (billed as Bruno Hernandez). As a young teenager, he appeared in a local revue impersonating Michael Jackson, and he taught himself to play piano, guitar, bass, and percussion. After graduating from high school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a musician. About that time he took the stage name Bruno Mars.

Mars signed with the record company Motown in 2004. Although no recordings resulted, the relationship did pave the way for Mars’s introduction to songwriter Philip Lawrence. Mars, Lawrence, and sound engineer Ari Levine began writing and producing songs for other artists under the name the Smeezingtons, creating new music with a vintage feel. Popular songs produced by the Smeezingtons included “Long Distance” (2008) for contemporary rhythm-and-blues singer Brandy, “Right Round” (2009) for hip-hop MC Flo Rida, and “Wavin’ Flag” (2009) for Somalian Canadian rapper K’Naan; the latter became the theme song for the FIFA World Cup 2010 in association football (soccer). Mars was a cowriter and coproducer for Cee Lo Green’s huge 2010 hit “Fuck You!” He contributed his soulful tenor vocals to the Smeezingtons-penned singles “Nothin’ on You,” together with hip-hop artist B.o.B, and “Billionaire,” along with rapper Travie McCoy. The latter songs led in 2009 to Mars’s signing with the label Elektra.

In 2010 Mars released the four-song EP It’s Better if You Don’t Understand, followed five months later by the album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, which introduced the hit singles “Just the Way You Are,” “Grenade,” “The Lazy Song,” and “Liquor Store Blues.” The album made him a star and garnered him his first Grammy Award, for best male pop vocal performance (for “Just the Way You Are”). Unorthodox Jukebox appeared in December 2012, two months after he debuted its breakout single, “Locked out of Heaven” on TV’s Saturday Night Live. The album, which also included the hit songs “When I Was Your Man” and “Treasure,” won the Grammy for best pop vocal album. In 2014 Mars performed at Super Bowl XLVIII’s halftime show.

32 Interesting Facts About Bruno Mars

Source: Tumblr

Bruno Mars is more than just a fedora-wearing, ex-Elvis impersonator who was born Peter Hernandez, he is a Grammy award-winning singer and is as funny as they come. Check out some interesting facts about Bruno Mars.

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1. Bruno Mars’ real name is Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez.
   
   

   Source: Tumblr
2. He was was born on October 8th 1985 in Wakiki, Hawaii.
   
   

   Source: Pixabay
3. Mars said in a GQ interview that his father nicknamed him after professional wrestler, Bruno Sammartino.
   
   

   Source: Wikipedia
4. He has also said that he bore a resemblance to the wrestler when he was chubby as a child.
5. Growing up, his nickname was “Little Elvis” and did shows around the island.
   
   

   Source: YouTube Screenshot
6. He was interviewed by Pauly Shore for his Elvis impersonation and it was already clear what a star he was going to be.
7. Bruno Mars is of Puerto Rican and Filipino descent.
8. He comes from a musical family. His mother is a hula dancer and his father is a percussionist.
9. At age 4, Bruno joined his family’s band “The Love Notes” and performed with them 5 days a week.
10. He also comes from a large family and is one of six children. He has a brother Eric, and four sisters: Jamie, Presley, Tahiti, and Tiara.
11. His sisters have their own musical group, The Lylas, and will star in their own reality television show about the recording of their debut album.
    
    

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12. Mars left Hawaii for Los Angeles with dreams of launching his career as a performer. after he graduated from high school. Those dreams got put on hold, however, when The Smeezingtons, the songwriting/production team he founded with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, suddenly took off. The trio began crafting major hits for a diverse roster of talent, including Flo Rida's "Right Round", Travie McCoy's "Billionaire", and K'Naan's "Wavin' Flag", which was the theme song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
13. He has written hit singles for B.O.B., Flo Rida, Cee Lo Green, and Travie McCoy.
14. Since his career began, Mars introduced his all-male band, The Hooligans, a band that includes guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, and horn players. They serve also as dancers and background singers.
    
    

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15. It took 3 years for his manager to convince Atlantic Records to sign him.
16. Not only is he a talented singer, but he also plays the drums, keyboard, bass, and guitar.
    
    

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17. One of Mars sillier songs, “The Lazy Song” has over 450 million views on Youtube and is one of the most viewed Mars music videos.
18. While performing, he only requests two items for when he’s back stage: wet wipes and a bottle of wine.
    
    

    Source: Wikipedia
19. He loves his tattoos. He currently has 4: His mother name (Bernadette) over a heart, the words "Pete's Boy" in homage to his father, a ship's anchor on his right forearm and an image of a gypsy on his left forearm for good luck.
    
    

    Source: Tumblr
20. His mother died of a brain aneurysm in Hawaii in June 2013.
    
    

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21. Mars said he was heavily influenced by Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, R.Kelly and James Brown.
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23. He co-wrote Cee Lo Green‘s popular song, “F*** You" which was promoted as "Forget You."
24. Mars and singer Adele are the only artists to ever have a number-one song that only featured piano and vocals.
25. He has been nominated for 14 Grammy Awards.
26. Mars won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Just the Way You Are" at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
27. He has also won awards such as Song of the Year and Best International Artist among others.
    
    

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28. Bruno was arrested for cocaine possession in Las Vegas in September of 2010. He was carrying 2.6 grams and pleaded guilty but the charge has since been wiped from his record after completing some community service.
    
    

    Source: Mugshot
     
29. His favorite color is maroon.
30. Bruno Mars said his favorite food is Chicken Adobo, which is the national dish of the Philippines.
    
    

    Source: Wikipedia
     
31. He is 5 ft 5.
    
    

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32. He was named Billboard's Artist of the Year and has been nominated for four Grammys in 2014.
    
    

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33. Bruno Mars is performing at the half-time show at the Super Bowl in 2014.