Entertainment category, Page 168
Review: History of movie academy favors facts over melodrama
“The Academy and the Award: The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” by Bruce Davis (Brandeis University Press) Film historians and others digging for a deeper vein of Oscar knowledge than mere trivia will turn up many nuggets in “The Academy and...
The king gets confused as ‘House of the Dragon’ dances on the edge of war
King Viserys Targaryen has made a lot of bad moves during the first season of “House of the Dragon.” His latest bad move wasn’t exactly his fault, but it certainly fit right...
Nikki Finke, sharp-tongued Hollywood columnist, dies at 68
NEW YORK — Nikki Finke, the veteran reporter who became one of Hollywood’s top journalists as founder of the entertainment trade website Deadline.com and whose sharp-tongued tenacity made her the most-feared columnist in show business, has died. She was 68. Finke died Sunday in Boca Raton, Fla., after a prolonged...
Kanye West’s Twitter, Instagram locked over offensive posts
NEW YORK — Kanye West’s Twitter and Instagram accounts have been locked because of antisemitic posts from the rapper, now known legally as Ye. Spokespersons for Twitter and Instagram parent company Meta said Sunday that Ye posted messages that violated their policies. In a tweet sent late Saturday, Ye said...
Local haunted attractions range from the super-scary to family-friendly
If there was any doubt the holiday season begins with Halloween, one need look no further than the investment of time, energy and money being put into ways to amuse area residents with spooky haunted houses and spine- tingling scare zones. From Kennywood Park in West Mifflin to Castle Blood...
Allman Brothers Band to release live recording of 1971 Pittsburgh debut
Many a classic rock fan made the trip to Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood to see plenty of now-legendary bands perform at the former Syria Mosque. The 1916 building, with its multicolored facade and sphinx statues out front, hosted everyone from Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry to Bob Dylan and Simon &...
Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos hit milestone on ‘GMA’
NEW YORK — During a getting-to-know-you dinner shortly after being named co-hosts of “Good Morning America” in 2009, George Stephanopoulos told Robin Roberts that he didn’t really want to do the job. Nearly 13 years later, they’re passed an improbable milestone without public notice. They’re now the longest-serving pair of...
Judy Tenuta, brash ‘Goddess of Love’ comedian, dies at 72
LOS ANGELES — Judy Tenuta, a brash standup who cheekily styled herself as the “Goddess of Love” and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, died Thursday. She was 72. Tenuta died Thursday afternoon at home in Los Angeles, with her...
What’s so controversial about the new Anthony Bourdain book? Plenty, it turns out
A new biography about the late chef and TV personality Anthony Bourdain, who took his own life while filming CNN’s “Parts Unknown” in 2018, has been raising hackles well in advance of its Oct. 11 publication date — especially among those who knew Bourdain best. The Times dipped into “Down...
‘Amsterdam’ review: A true-life plot against America, starring Christian Bale and some seriously wrong-headed storytellingVideo
David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” is very plush in the looks department. Enjoying the costumes and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki’s lighting and some of Russell’s shot designs will get you through it. But only if you don’t have to listen to it, or track it, or believe in the people on screen....
Silent films to live on in movie theater lobby card project
CONCORD, N.H. — “Missing Millions” is a 1922 silent film with a darkly prescient title — like the vast majority from that era, the movie all but vanished in the ensuing century, survived mostly by lobby cards. The cards, scarcely bigger than letter paper, promoted the cinematic romances, comedies and...
French writer Annie Ernaux awarded Nobel Prize in literature
STOCKHOLM — French author Annie Ernaux, who has fearlessly mined her own biography to explore life in France since the 1940s, won this year’s Nobel Prize in literature Thursday for work that illuminates murky corners of memory, family and society. Ernaux’s books probe deeply personal experiences and feelings — love,...
TV Talk: Western Pa. natives behind live-action ‘Monster High’Video
Now streaming on Paramount+ and premiering at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 on Nickelodeon, “Monster High The Movie” takes the 12-year-old Mattel fashion doll franchise, already adapted into an animated series, and brings it to live-action life as a movie musical directed by TV veteran Todd Holland (“Wonderfalls”), a Kittanning native...
Longtime Pittsburgh ‘Soul Show’ returns to airwaves this weekend
WYEP’s loss is WZUM’s gain. WZUM, an independent nonprofit jazz radio station, announced it will begin airing the “Soul Show,” with its longtime host Mike Canton returning to the airwaves and producing the show as well. The “Soul Show” will be broadcast Saturdays from 2-5 p.m., after the MCG Jazz...
Terrifying true ghost stories inspired by complicated real women
“A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts” by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes; Kensington (368 pages, $16.95) —— Seeing isn’t always believing. A figure in an old gown is glimpsed at the top of the stairs, a face looms briefly from the shadows. But everyone...
Illustrator Alex Ross has new ‘Fantastic Four’ book out just as Marvel universe takes a next big step. Coincidence?
EVANSTON, Ill. — Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. But what happened to good pop culture conspiracies? Like, Paul McCartney is dead. Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing. Walt Disney was frozen. Lewis Carroll was Jack the Ripper. Katy Perry is JonBenét Ramsey. Political conspiracy has overtaken pop culture conspiracy,...
In Loretta Lynn’s voice, the unflinching truth about love, motherhood and women’s livesVideo
Loretta Lynn had a voice made for telling the truth. High and flinty, with a bone-deep coal-country drawl that refused to fade even as she ascended to a queenly position in the Nashville star system, her singing sliced through polished arrangements like a sharpened blade. It could embody both the...
Greensburg Civic Theatre’s ‘Play That Goes Wrong’ promises big laughs
If calamity befalls Greensburg Civic Theatre’s upcoming production, they’ll know they did it right. Organized chaos is the goal when you’re presenting something called “The Play That Goes Wrong.” The award-winning comedy will be staged at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Greensburg Garden &...
Oscar winners chop off their hair for protesters in IranVideo
PARIS — Oscar-winning actors Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche, as well as other French stars of screen and music, filmed themselves chopping off locks of their hair in a video posted Wednesday in support of protesters in Iran. “For freedom,” Binoche said as she hacked a large handful of hair...
‘Health issues’ prompt postponement of Alan Jackson concert at PPG Paints Arena
The Alan Jackson concert scheduled for Saturday at PPG Paints Arena has been postponed. According to a statement from show organizers, the country music star has been dealing with “health issues” stemming from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease for the past decade. The genetic condition causes nerve damage and has affected Jackson’s balance...
Angelina Jolie details Brad Pitt abuse allegations in court filing
LOS ANGELES — A court filing Tuesday from Angelina Jolie alleges that on a 2016 flight, Brad Pitt grabbed her by the head and shook her then choked one of their children and struck another when they tried to defend her. The descriptions of abuse on the private flight came...
Depeche Mode announces 1st album, tour since Andy Fletcher’s death
LOS ANGELES — Depeche Mode will return next year with a new album, “Memento Mori,” and an accompanying tour of North America and Europe. The announcement comes only a few months after the group’s co-founder and keyboardist Andy Fletcher died at 60 in May. The album will be Depeche Mode’s...
Loretta Lynn, coal miner’s daughter and country queen, dies at 90Video
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Loretta Lynn, the Kentucky coal miner’s daughter whose frank songs about life and love as a woman in Appalachia pulled her out of poverty and made her a pillar of country music, has died. She was 90. In a statement provided to the Associated Press, Lynn’s family...
31 key horror movies from the last 31 years
The air is crispy, the leaves are turning and jack-o’-lanterns are starting to show up on front porches. October has arrived. Which means horror movie season is officially here. It’s the best time of the year to sit back with a scary movie, or a whole lot of them, the...
Ed Sheeran bringing Mathematics Tour to Acrisure Stadium next summer
Pop star Ed Sheeran will bring his “+ - = ÷ x Tour” (pronounced “The Mathematics Tour”) to Acrisure Stadium on July 8 with special guests Khalid and Rosa Linn. This will be Sheeran’s first show at the newly renamed stadium, but he’s played Heinz Field as opener for Taylor...
