(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)Like so much this past year, the inaugural celebration will be like no other: pared down, distanced, much of it virtual. But for actor Christopher Jackson — the original George Washington in Broadway's “Hamilton" — performing in a virtual “ball” is a way of participating in an essential rite of American democracy. Miranda will contribute a classical recitation, joining musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi. The inaugural committee has made sure to blend this high-powered list with ordinary Americans and inspiring stories. And the “AAPI Inaugural Ball: Breaking Barriers” celebrated the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with planned participants including actors Kal Penn, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani and Chloe Bennet.

NEW YORK Randy Rainbow's first book is very much about Randy Rainbow. St. Martin's Press announced Wednesday that Rainbow's memoir Playing With Myself is scheduled for release late in 2021. The Emmy-nominated satirist, entertainer and host of the YouTube series The Randy Rainbow Show" plans to set the record straight" and let us see the world through his pink-rimmed glasses. Theres so much fake news out there about me lies and propaganda! the 39-year-old Rainbow said in a statement. According to his publisher, Rainbow will take readers through his life: from his childhood as the over- imaginative, often misunderstood son of a Donald Trump clone and the only boy in second grade carrying a purse, to his first job on Broadway ... at Hooters (dont ask), to the creation of his trademark comedy style which skewers the politicos of the day.