Celebrity gossip and sightings in and around CT, February 2023

February's celebrity news was headlined by Beatle Paul McCartney stopping into Pepe's Pizza and Beyoncé's Grammy win for song partially recorded in Westport.

Here are some of the famous people who visited or made the news in and around Connecticut in February:

Paul McCartney at Frank Pepe's Pizza and Yale

New Haven

INDIO, CA - OCTOBER 15: Musician Paul McCartney performs during Desert Trip at the Empire Polo Field on October 15, 2016 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Beatles icon Sir Paul McCartney visited Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana on Feb. 16 in New Haven after his event at the Yale Schwarzman Center. McCartney took to the stage at Yale's Woolsey Hall to talk about his life and recent book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present." During the Yale event, the musician said that he feels a magical and mysterious nature to songwriting. Interest in the event was so high, it crashed Yale's ticketing system on Feb. 8.

Beyoncé song recorded in CT leads Grammy award wins

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Host Trevor Noah speaks with Nile Rodgers and ‎Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, winners of the Best R&B Song award for “Cuff It,” during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/FilmMagic)

Timothy Norris/FilmMagic

Nile Rogers, producer on Beyonce's Renaissance album and owner of Le Crib studio in Westport, accepted Beyonce's award for "Best R&B Song" on her behalf at the Grammys. The winning song, "CUFF IT" was recorded in part as Rogers' Westport studio. Whether or not Beyonce herself recorded in Connecticut is unknown, but the studio is credited on the album and Rogers is credited on the track directly, according to the Grammys website.

Weslyan's Lin-Manuel Miranda won his fourth Grammy with "We Don't Talk About Bruno" and former Connecticut resident Stephen Sondheim, won a Grammy for "Best Musical Theater Album."

Sheryl Lee Ralph performs at Super Bowl LVII

Waterbury

Entertainer Sheryl Lee Ralph performs "Lift Every Voice", often referred to as the Black national anthem, prior to the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz.

Charlie Riedel/AP

Emmy award-winner, Sheryl Lee Ralph sang "Lift Every Voice and Sing" before kickoff at Super Bowl LVII Feb. 12. The Waterbury-born actor sang the hymn, known as the "Black National Anthem" and a gospel choir accompanied Ralph as she belted the lyrics of the tune in a black and red jumpsuit. 

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" was written by former NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900 and was used as a rallying cry during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, according to the NAACP.  Ralph was the first Black person to perform the song on the field before the Super Bowl. 

SAG Awards 2023 winners and nominees

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis and Paul Dano have ties to CT.

Photos by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards recognized the best television and film performances of 2023 on Sunday. Often considered a forerunner of the Oscars, the ceremony presents accolades voted on by actors themselves. 

Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Mike White and Meredith Tucker were among the actors with Connecticut connections that either won or were nominated at the 2023 SAG Awards.

Cyndi Lauper nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 1: Cyndi Lauper attends MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Joni Mitchell at the MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom on April 1, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Award-winning singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper was nominated for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame early February. Lauper, her husband, actor David Thornton and their son were long-time residents of North Stamford on Saddle Hill Road where they resided for over 30 years before moving to New York City.

While living in Connecticut, Lauper wrote several albums before creating the music for "Kinky Boots" on Broadway in 2010. She wrote the music for the Broadway show in a small wood-paneled loft above the garage. The "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" singer has won a total of two Grammy's and has been nominated for 16. One of those nominations was for "best musical theatre album" for "Kinky Boots" in 2017.

Celebrity connections in this year's Super Bowl commercials

Clueless star, Alicia Silverstone, featured on Rakuten's Super Bowl LVII commercial.

Contributed by Rakuten

As many were excited to watch the Eagles go against Kansas City during Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, others looked forward to the commercials. Kevin Bacon, Christian Siriano and Martha Stewart are among that the recognizable celebrities with Connecticut connections that were featured in Super Bowl commercials.

Jonathan Majors in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'

New Haven

This image released by Disney shows Paul Rudd, left, and Jonathan Majors in a scene from "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." (Disney/Marvel Studios via AP)

Jay Maidment/AP

Yale University graduate Jonathan Majors stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his portrayal of Kang the Conqueror in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," which premiered Feb. 17. He plays the villain in the film. Majors made his entrance into the MCU in 2022's "Loki" series on Disney+, where he played the mysterious He Who Remains, a variant of the character of Kang.

Majors attended the Yale School of Drama and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2016. While attending Yale, Majors starred in five different plays produced by the School of Drama. Majors was also featured in productions by Yale Repertory Theatre and Yale Cabaret. 

Justin Paul's 'La La Land' songs head to Broadway

Westport

Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul with the award for Best Original Song for City of Stars from La La Land in the press room at the 89th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA. (Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)

Ian West - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

The Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globes winner "La La Land" is headed to Broadway, Deadline announced early February. The movie, which stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, is anchored by music from composer Justin Hurwitz and lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the latter of whom is a Westport native.

Paul attended the Music Theatre of Connecticut School of Performing Arts, Coleytown Middle School and Staples High School. Paul was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but was raised in Connecticut from a young age. 

Chazz Palminteri at Tony's at The J House

Greenwich

Tony Capasso of The J House in Riverside poses with actor/producer and Bedford, N.Y. resident Chazz Palmiteri.

Contributed photo / Tony Capasso

Actor Chazz Palminteri and wife Gianna spent Valentine's Day at Tony's at The J House in Riverside. Palminteri is best known for "Modern Family," "Bullets Over Broadway" and "A Bronx Tale," co-starring Robert De Niro.