Entertainment category, Page 154
‘Fame,’ ‘Flashdance’ singer-actor Irene Cara dies at 63Video
NEW YORK — Oscar, Golden Globe and two-time Grammy winning singer-actress Irene Cara, who starred and sang the title cut from the 1980 hit movie “Fame” and then belted out the era-defining hit “Flashdance … What a Feeling” from 1983’s “Flashdance,” has died. She was 63. Her publicist, Judith A....
‘Bad Axe’ film puts thumb on America’s tension pointsVideo
DETROIT — When the world shut down in 2020, New York City-based filmmaker David Siev came home to Bad Axe, the small town in Michigan’s Thumb where he was born and raised, and started filming his family. At first, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was documenting. But over a...
Netflix nights still come wrapped in red-and-white envelopes
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Netflix’s trailblazing DVD-by-mail rental service has been relegated as a relic in the age of video streaming, but there is still a steady — albeit shrinking — audience of diehards like Amanda Konkle who are happily paying to receive those discs in the iconic red-and-white envelopes....
Commentary: ‘Star Wars’ has always been political. ‘Andor’ made it must-see TVVideo
Despite what some people — and at least one giant media company — might have you believe, “Star Wars” has always been political. “It is a period of civil war,” explains the opening scrawl of George Lucas’ 1977 space opera, now formally known as “Star Wars: Episode IV — A...
TV Talk: Local TV stations set holiday programs
This year, broadcast networks have gone all-in on holiday programs, including CBS’s new animated special “Reindeer in Here” (9 p.m. Nov. 29) and three CBS holiday movies (8:30 p.m. Dec. 4 and 18, 9 p.m. Dec. 11), PBS’s 2022 “Call the Midwife” holiday special (9 p.m. Dec. 25, WQED-TV) and...
High-flying balloon characters star in Macy’s Thanksgiving paradeVideo
NEW YORK — Throngs of spectators lined the streets of New York on Thursday as colorful, high-flying balloons helped usher in the holiday season during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The annual tradition, which dates back nearly a century, packed streets as a procession of giant inflatables and floats streamed...
Movie top 10 for the holidays: From a new ‘Scrooge’ to an old Christmas romance you’ve never seen
Our stockings runneth over with streaming holiday options whose titles, on Netflix and Hallmark and elsewhere, tend to blur into a single, extended holiday viewing option we’ll call “Countdown to Falling for Christmas with You on a Holidate on Mistletoe Farm All the Way.” Someone should make that one, and...
Justin Hartley embarks on new chapters after ‘This is Us’
On NBC’s “This is Us,” Justin Hartley played Kevin Pearson: A man whose dreams of playing college football were derailed injury — so he decided to try acting, and ended up a big star. Hartley’s own story has some strong parallels. He loved to play sports growing up but realized,...
Area institutions offer deals, discounts on Museum Store Sunday
In between Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, there’s another opportunity to score some holiday gift deals. Museum Store Sunday is an annual event in which art, nature, culture, science and history institutions around the globe offer deals and discounts on their merchandise, including many items developed exclusively for those...
Disney finally gets break in China with theater release for ‘Avatar 2’
Walt Disney Co.’s “Avatar” sequel has been given a release date in China, according to people familiar with the matter, a boon in a key market for the entertainment giant as it looks to move beyond this week’s management upheaval. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a follow-up to the 2009...
Buffy Sainte-Marie shines despite sabotage in new documentary ‘Carry It On’Video
The coffeehouse musicians that were the dominant force in the U.S. during the folk-heavy 1950s and early ’60s have been experiencing a mini-renaissance lately. It started with excitement over Joni Mitchell’s return to the stage, then Bob Dylan’s new museum and book and now a documentary spotlighting one of the...
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ leads Spirit Award noms
The multiverse-hopping adventure film ” Everything Everywhere All At Once ” had a leading eight nominations for the Film Independent Spirit Awards with nods for best feature, best director, best lead actor for Michelle Yeoh, supporting actors Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis and breakthrough for Stephanie Hsu. The...
Famed ‘Goonies’ house for sale in OregonVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Good news for fans of “The Goonies:” the old Victorian home featured in the film is on sale in Astoria, Oregon, and potential buyers are considering making it more accessible to the public. “We have a few interested parties right now,” said realtor Jordan Miller, the listing...
Cartoonists honor ‘Peanuts’ creator in funny pages
NEW YORK — Cartoonists across the nation are celebrating the 100th birthday of “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz as only they can — with cartoons. More than 75 syndicated cartoonists have tucked tributes, Easter eggs and references to “Peanuts” in Saturday’s funny papers to honor the creator of Charlie Brown,...
Taylor Swift ticket trouble could drive political engagement
Some of Taylor Swift’s fans want you to know three things: They’re not still 16, they have careers and resources and, right now, they’re angry. That’s a powerful political motivator, researchers say. Look what Ticketmaster made them do. It started Nov. 15, when millions crowded a presale for Swift’s long-awaited...
Review: ‘Devotion’ is a quiet tale of allyship amid heroicsVideo
There must be something about actor Glen Powell that casting directors associate with the heavens. He’s played astronaut John Glenn in “Hidden Figures,” voiced a NASA official in the animated film “Apollo 10 1⁄2” and has two roles this year as a hotshot Navy aviator. Here he is in “Devotion,”...
Bob Dylan publisher sorry for $600 book’s replica autographs
NEW YORK — Bob Dylan’s publisher is offering refunds for a $600 special edition of his new book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” acknowledging that the allegedly “hand-signed” copies were not individually inscribed. “To those who purchased THE PHILOSOPHY OF MODERN SONG limited edition, we want to apologize,” Simon &...
Disney taps ex-CEO Bob Iger to return
BURBANK, Calif. — The Walt Disney Company has tapped its former CEO Bob Iger to return to head the company for two years, firing his successor Bob Chapek in a move that stunned the entertainment industry. Chapek is leaving after the company posted lower than expected earnings in the last...
Behind the Art: Fort Ligonier namesake rendered by renowned portraitist
On the wall opposite the entrance to the Fort Ligonier art gallery is the painting of a white-wigged soldier on horseback, apparently in the thick of battle. “Most visitors naturally assume it’s George Washington,” said Julie Donovan, the fort’s director of marketing and public relations. But it’s not. Rather, it’s...
‘Power Rangers’ star Jason David Frank dies at 49
NEW YORK — Jason David Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver on the 1990s children’s series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died. He was 49. Justine Hunt, Frank’s manager, said in a statement Sunday that Frank passed away. She did not name the cause of death or...
Out & About: Southwestern Pennsylvania arts council hosts 27th annual show
For the 27th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, juror Paula Burleigh said she chose “artworks that asked me to find unexpected delight in the ordinary.” Her choices included works in various media by 53 regional artists, revealed during a Nov. 12 opening reception...
Western Pa. arts, cultural organizations rebuild post-pandemic programs, audiences
During the covid-19 pandemic shutdowns, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust President and CEO Kevin McMahon frequently reassured colleagues that things would be OK. “Even in the darkest days of the pandemic, I said, ‘We’re resilient; we’re gonna make it through this,’ ” he said. “Of course, there were moments when I got...
Review: The tender hunger of young love in ‘Bones and All’Video
Part horror film, part coming-of-age tale, part romance, the adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’ young adult novel “Bones and All” is a small marvel, unsettling and heartbreaking in equal measure. Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s first project filmed in the United States, the film avoids many of the traps that befall international...
How ‘The Menu’ got the horrors of high-end fine dining right
One of the world’s most anticipated restaurants will debut this week, but it’s even more ephemeral than a pop-up. In fact, the waterfront dining room and the meticulously prepared tasting menu have already dematerialized. To experience Hawthorne, you’ll have to visit a movie theater. The fictional restaurant at the center...
After 13 nominations, Diane Warren finally gets her Oscar
LOS ANGELES — Diane Warren was in the recording studio with Sofia Carson to work on her new song “Applause” when she got an unexpected phone call earlier this year. It was David Rubin, the former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and he had some...
