Entertainment category, Page 198
Ben Folds announces 2022 Pittsburgh tour stop
Singer/songwriter Ben Folds hasn’t performed in Pittsburgh since the start of the pandemic. But if the title of his current tour is any indication, Folds is very excited about being back in the ‘Burgh. Folds is bringing his “In Actual Person Live for Real Tour” to Heinz Hall on June...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Jan. 21-23
Boogie (some) more Southern rock fans, don’t flirt with disaster by missing Molly Hatchet at 7 p.m. Friday at The Lamp Theatre in Irwin. Formed in Florida in 1971, the band had its heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s, releasing the platinum-selling hit records, “Molly Hatchet” in 1978,...
Meat Loaf, ‘Bat Out of Hell’ rock superstar, dies at 74
NEW YORK — Meat Loaf, the heavyweight rock superstar loved by millions for his “Bat Out of Hell” album and for such theatrical, dark-hearted anthems as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light,” “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad,” and “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” has died....
Sports talk radio mainstay Jim Colony retiring from 93.7 The Fan
Not since legendary meteorologist Bob Kudzma left the KDKA-TV airwaves two decades ago has a New England native left such an impression on the Pittsburgh media landscape. Jim Colony, who brought a vast knowledge of sports, a self-deprecating sense of humor and a bit of a New England twang to...
Trafford’s Theatre Factory stages Tony, Pulitzer award-winner ‘Doubt’
Some dramatic themes are relevant generation after generation. So it is with “Doubt: A Parable,” according to Jeff Johnston, who is directing a production of the play opening Jan. 28 at The Theatre Factory in Trafford and running Thursdays-Sundays through Feb. 5. “This piece calls into question a lot of...
New Mo Willems ‘Pigeon’ book to be released in September
NEW YORK — An imprint launched last week by Barnes & Noble has signed up one of the country’s top children’s author-illustrators, Mo Willems, best known for his “Pigeon” picture books. Willems has a five-book deal with Union Square Kids, including for “The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!”, scheduled...
Pitt jazz week focuses on local music legend Erroll Garner
The 51st annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert will focus on a local jazz legend, the late Erroll Garner. Running Monday through Jan. 29, the event will feature performances by Pitt jazz students and faculty, a symposium on musicians’ rights, a virtual tour of the Erroll Garner Archive housed at...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native’s Zachary Quinto film gets Sundance screening; gorgeous ‘Gilded Age’ debuts
Most viewers first got to know Pittsburgh native Zachary Quinto as the sinister Sylar on NBC’s “Heroes.” He plays another dark, complex character in “Chaperone,” a 16-minute short film written/directed by Pittsburgh native Sam Max that’s now streaming through Jan. 30 as part of the virtual Sundance Film Festival. Max...
Greensburg native’s directorial debut will premiere Jan. 21 on NetflixVideo
A few years ago, Sujata Day would likely have described her directorial debut, “Definition Please,” in terms of the number of theaters and cities where it would be opening. And while the Greensburg native’s debut won’t be premiering in theaters, she could conceivably say it will be opening on 95...
Jon Stewart to receive Mark Twain lifetime award for comedy
Comedian, talk show host and political influencer Jon Stewart has been named the 23rd recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Award for lifetime achievement in comedy. The 59-year-old Stewart — born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz — rose to prominence as a standup comic and host of multiple failed talk shows...
Explainer: Microsoft’s Activision buy could shake up gaming
Microsoft stunned the gaming industry when it announced this week it would buy game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, a deal that would immediately make it a larger video-game company than Nintendo. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, said the deal would be good for gamers and advance...
Greensburg Art Center exhibition reveals artists’ ‘Ah-Ha!’ moments
The moment that inspiration strikes is explored in a new members’ exhibition at Greensburg Art Center. “Ah-Ha!” will open with a reception from 2-4 p.m. Saturday in the center at 230 Todd School Road, Hempfield. Organizers of the open show asked artists to submit works that reveal moments of inspiration...
Wordle up: Online word game is viral brain teaser
Mary Briggs calls herself a “wordy.” “I just love words,” said Briggs, of North Huntingdon. “I have always been an avid reader because my parents constantly read to me when I was a child. When I get up every morning, I make coffee and read several newspapers, then I do...
Former AG William Barr’s memoir to be published March 8
NEW YORK — Former Attorney General William P. Barr has a memoir coming out March 8 titled “One Damn Thing After Another,” and billed by his publisher as a “vivid and forthright book” of his time serving two “drastically different” presidents, Donald Trump and George H.W. Bush. “Barr takes readers...
Book review: An imperialist repents in ‘Gangsters of Capitalism’
“Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire” by Jonathan M. Katz (St. Martin’s Press) Plenty of U.S. veterans of the country’s 21-century “forever wars” — men and women who lost buddies and limbs to roadside bombs and suffer psychic scars — struggle...
‘Pretty Woman’ musical headed for Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center
Broadway regular and Tony Award nominee Adam Pascal will tread the boards of the Benedum Center in “Pretty Woman: The Musical,” coming Feb. 1-6 as part of the PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series. The national touring cast also features rising Broadway star Olivia Valli, playing the role of Vivian Ward...
‘This Is Us,’ ‘black-ish’ salutes set for Paley TV festival
LOS ANGELES — “This Is Us,” “black-ish” and “Better Call Saul” are among the shows to be saluted at the Paley Center for Media’s annual TV festival, returning to live events after two years of pandemic-caused virtual editions. The trio of shows, all set to end this year, will be...
Pittsburgh Opera presents dark, fairy tale-based ‘Rose Elf’
Pittsburgh Opera is traveling to the land of make-believe for its next production. “The Rose Elf,” based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “The Elf of the Rose,” opens Friday at the Bitz Opera Factory, the opera’s headquarters at 2425 Liberty Ave. While it is currently sold out, the...
‘Yellowjackets’ creators break down ‘heartbreaking’ finale — and your fan theories
Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, the married writing duo behind Showtime’s “Yellowjackets,” started with a simple idea: What if a girl’s sports team was in a plane crash and had to survive? What materialized is a compelling and unnerving coming-of-age tale —a chilling remix of “My-So-Called Life,” “Now & Then,”...
Heinz History Center hosting annual ‘Treasures in the Archives’ event
The images alone are enough to make viewers feel like they’ve just opened a time capsule. There’s a photo of a group of doctors and nurses operating on a patient at Shadyside Hospital somewhere between 1890-1910; A photo of Gus Miller shows him operating his legendary Oakland newsstand in 1917....
Here’s how you can watch Betty White’s tribute movie
Betty White’s enduring legacy needs no introduction. On what would have been her 100th birthday, her story will be properly honored on the big screen in “Betty White: A Celebration.” Screening in theaters Monday, the film was previously titled “Betty White: 100 Years Young — A Birthday Celebration.” After her...
Storm forces Evanescence to cancel Pittsburgh show
A Pittsburgh tour stop by the rock band Evanescence is among the cultural casualties of the major winter storm in Western Pennsylvania. The group’s concert, scheduled for Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus, has been canceled. Evanescence performed Sunday in...
Celine Dion cancels stop at PPG Paints Arena as health woes continue
Celine Dion has canceled the Pittsburgh stop of her “Courage World Tour,” the singer announced Saturday on her website. Dion was expected to perform at PPG Paints Arena on April 20. According to the post, the songstress is dealing with health issues and recovery is taking longer than expected. Dion...
Personal collection of Westmoreland Glass Co.’s head decorator will be up for auction
Whenever someone in Kathy Brown’s family had a birthday or special occasion, she knew Uncle Ernie would have a special, hand-painted piece of glass for them. “When my cousin got married, he created something for everyone’s place setting,” said Brown, a Mt. Pleasant resident. “He painted a very special vase...
‘Walk the line’ to The Palace in Greensburg for Johnny Cash tributeVideo
He wears the clothes and he sings the songs, but James Tamelcoff isn’t trying to be the Man in Black. He just fronts Cash Unchained: The Ultimate Johnny Cash Experience, coming to The Palace Theatre in Greensburg at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 22. “I’m not going to get up onstage and...
