Entertainment category, Page 196
Stage Right presents Pittsburgh-area playwright’s new musical
Sometimes family is where you find it. That’s one takeaway from “Local Singles,” a Stage Right musical production coming this weekend to The Lamp Theatre in Irwin. With book, music and lyrics by Pine resident Nick Navari, “Local Singles” follows a group of young people looking for connections through a...
New Tears for Fears songs ‘plumb the depths of our souls’
Creating the first Tears for Fears album of new material in 17 years didn’t initially go too well. The duo went into the studio with an array of songwriters to try and tease out a modern hit single. But they ended up with a bunch of songs that sounded like...
Review: ‘Scoundrel’ is a portrait of a con-man killer
“Scoundrel: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Women Who Loved him, the Conservative Establishment, and the Courts to Set Him Free,” by Sarah Weinman (Ecco) In 1957, a 15-year-old girl named Victoria Zielinski never returned home after visiting a friend. Her body was found the next day in a sand...
Gary Brooker, frontman of rock band Procol Harum, dies at 76Video
LONDON — Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman who sang one of the 1960s’ most enduring hits, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” has died. He was 76. The English rock band said Brooker died at his home on Saturday. He had been receiving treatment for cancer. A statement posted on...
Screaming Trees singer, Seattle icon Mark Lanegan dies at 57
Mark Lanegan, the singer whose raspy baritone and darkly poetic songwriting made Screaming Trees an essential part of the early Seattle grunge scene and brought him an acclaimed solo career, died Tuesday at age 57. “Our beloved friend Mark Lanegan passed away this morning at his home in Killarney, Ireland,”...
The Foo Fighters make a horror movieVideo
For anyone who found the band tensions that reverberate in “The Beatles: Get Back” too tame, the Foo Fighters have made a movie in which arguments over recording an album lead to a trail of dead bodies — and, no, this isn’t Yoko’s fault, either. “Studio 666,” a horror-comedy starring...
Penn Township native returns to Pittsburgh as ‘Hamilton’ company manager
“Awesome” is an adjective often used to describe “Hamilton,” the widely acclaimed song-and-rap Broadway musical about American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The same word can be used to summarize the nature of the undertaking to get the touring version of “Hamilton” from city to city. One of the company managers...
Tom Holland’s latest adventure ‘Uncharted’ tops box office
Tom Holland might be without his Spider-Man suit in “Uncharted,” but his latest action-adventure is still doing good business at the North American box office. The video game adaptation starring Holland and Mark Wahlberg is on its way to earning $51 million over the long Presidents Day weekend, according to...
Stage Right founders move on to new Westmoreland Performing Arts group
The founders of Greensburg’s Stage Right performing arts school and theater company have moved on to a new opportunity. Tony and Renata Marino have launched a new venture — Westmoreland Performing Arts, a company offering acting, dance and voice classes to students ages 4 to 18, along with a class...
Jimmy Buffett returns to Pavilion at Star Lake this summer
Parrot Heads rejoice! Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band will be back performing at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown on July 16 as part of Jimmy Buffett’s Life On the Flip Side Redux Tour 2022. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Jimmy Buffett back to Western...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Feb. 18-21
Choice of concerts Music lovers can place their bets on a concert trifecta this weekend at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg: • Country singers Tracy Byrd and Aaron Tippin, 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $58.50-$78.50. • Pittsburgh’s “King of Cool” Donnie Iris, with The Cruisers and special guests Joe Grushecky...
Comedy, cabaret to highlight all-live Pittsburgh Humanities Festival
The tagline for the Pittsburgh Humanities Festival is, “Smart talk about stuff that matters,” but that doesn’t mean it’s a series of esoteric talks by a group of stuffy academics. “We’re more liberal than some about our definition of the humanities, and that’s deliberate,” said Randal Miller, director of dance...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 19-21
We’ve reached the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Undie Run Cupid’s Undie Run Pittsburgh is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Hundreds of people are expected to participate in a 1-mile run on the North Shore while wearing underwear, costumes or tutus. McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon on...
Oscar-nominated shorts upend expectations at Pittsburgh’s Harris Theater
The 2022 Oscar Shorts program opens Feb. 25 at the Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, with films showing through March 17. Separate screenings will feature the animated, documentary and live-action short films from around the world that have been nominated for Academy Awards, to be announced March 27. The Harris is...
South Fayette teen’s song to debut on Pittsburgh radio on Friday
As a 14-year-old, Aleia Snider of South Fayette was excited to be meeting “American Idol” standout Gabby Barrett after one of Barrett’s performances at the South Hills Village Mall a few years ago. “I her her through my dad (Star 100.7 FM DJ) Bubba Snider,” she said. “After hearing that...
What do you give Yoko Ono on her birthday? A tribute albumVideo
NEW YORK — Ben Gibbard wasn’t necessarily looking for music by Yoko Ono when he went record shopping a few decades ago. He was just browsing in the “O” section and stumbled on a copy of her 1973 album “Feeling the Space.” “It wasn’t super-expensive and I was like, ‘Yeah,...
Saying goodbye to ‘Arthur’: How it became TV’s longest-running animated series for children
The average aardvark lives for about 20 years. Arthur Read, the most famous of those mammals, has defied those odds and inspired several generations of young viewers in the process. On Monday, “Arthur,” the longest-running animated series for children in TV history, concludes its 25-season run. While the characters will...
Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett say Stadium Tour is happening this summerVideo
“It’s on.” Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx announced in a video released Thursday that The Stadium Tour with co-headliners Def Leppard and special guests Poison and Joan Jett is happening this summer. The mega concert featuring the four rock acts was first announced in 2019 and set for the summer...
Folklore expert: Original ‘Bambi’ was not a children’s story
The novel on which the Disney movie “Bambi” was based dealt with loss, loneliness and racism. If you thought it was rough to see Bambi’s mother die in the 1942 Disney film, you should read the original story. Before it became an animated classic movie for children, “Bambi” was a...
Book review: Political scientist who studies civil wars worries that U.S. is headed toward one
SAN DIEGO — Barbara Walter, a political scientist at UC San Diego, has been studying civil wars for 30 years. She understands the script they follow: how they ignite, how they escalate, how they end. The storm clouds she sees gathering now are over the United States. “If you were...
Country stars Jason Aldean, Gabby Barrett coming to Star Lake for concert
Country singer Jason Aldean’s Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour has an Aug. 26 date at the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown. Pre-sale tickets will be available at 10 a.m. Thursday with the code “CURTAIN,” with public ticket sale starting at 10 a.m. Friday, both at ticketmaster.com. Munhall native Gabby...
Allison Gollust, Jeff Zucker’s secret relationship at CNN, resigns after investigation
LOS ANGELES — Allison Gollust, the CNN executive whose relationship with Jeff Zucker led to his resignation as the cable network’s president, is leaving after an internal inquiry found violations of news standards, parent company WarnerMedia said. Gollust’s resignation Tuesday followed the conclusion of an investigation concerning ex-anchor Chris Cuomo...
Decades after forming Prince cover band, CAPA alumni lead tribute concert at Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Once up a time nearly four decades ago, Dwayne Fulton of Pittsburgh and his Creative and Performing Arts High School classmates Brian Edwards and Stan Howard started a band with the lofty goal of covering music by funk and R&B legend Prince. In the 1980s, Howard changed his first name...
Appreciation: Ivan Reitman was the genial maestro of American movie comedy
A few weeks ago, during one of those late nights when YouTube becomes a rabbit hole for the sleep-deprived, I found myself seeking out random clips from, of all things, “Kindergarten Cop.” That 1990 action-comedy directed by Ivan Reitman, who died this weekend at 75, is not what I’d call...
Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes to host Oscars
LOS ANGELES — After three years without a host, the Oscars are making up for lost time with three hosts for this year’s awards: Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are set to host the 94th Academy Awards, producer Will Packer said Tuesday. Reports say that each actor will...
