Entertainment category, Page 286
Bonnie Pointer, early member of Pointer Sisters, dies at 69Video
LOS ANGELES — Bonnie Pointer, who in 1969 convinced three of her church-singing siblings to form the Pointer Sisters, which would become one of the biggest acts of the next two decades, died Monday. The Grammy winner died of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, publicist Roger Neal said. She was...
Washington County native wins big on ‘Press Your Luck’Video
When Emily Dowler was in kindergarten, she thought she wanted to be a game show host when she grew up. Well, the Washington County native and Pittsburgh resident became a big winner on a game show instead. Dowler brought home more than $400,000 in cash and prizes on the season...
Pittsburgh Irish Festival canceled over crowd size concernsVideo
The Pittsburgh Irish Festival has been canceled, due to “the difficulties of navigating the covid-19 global pandemic,” organizers say. Instead, the 30th anniversary of the festival will take place from Sept. 10-12, 2021. This year’s festival originally was scheduled for Sept. 11-13 at the Lots at Sandcastle in West Homestead....
Lawyers: US not investigating Prince Andrew in Epstein probe
Attorneys representing Britain’s Prince Andrew say they’ve been assured by the U.S. Department of Justice that he is not a target in the investigation of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The firm, Blackfords LLP, said U.S. authorities requested the help of the son of Queen Elizabeth II for the...
Pitt-Greensburg art show welcomes artists of all skill levels
Amateur and professional artists are invited to submit work for the fourth annual Art Show @ Pitt-Greensburg, taking place Sept. 25-Oct. 8 in conjunction with the 2020 Blue & Gold Celebration at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The exhibit will be available for viewing during normal operating hours at...
Review: ‘The King of Staten Island’ loses focus but captures Pete Davidson’s charismaVideo
Comedy impresario Judd Apatow has a penchant for a specific filmic formula: lightly biographical star-driven vehicles that are lengthy hangout movies with some flimsy conflict laid on top to keep things moving. The best of these capture the essence of a performer, like the Adam Sandler vehicle “Funny People,” while...
Obamas, Beyonce, Taylor Swift among those to deliver speeches during YouTube virtual ceremonyVideo
President Barack Obama said in a commencement speech Sunday that the nationwide protests following the recent deaths of unarmed black women and men including George Floyd were fueled from “decades worth of anguish, frustration, over unequal treatment and a failure to perform police practices.” Obama along with his wife, Michelle,...
JK Rowling’s tweets on transgender people spark outrage
LOS ANGELES — “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling is facing hefty backlash after she posted a series of tweets about transgender people. Rowling drew outrage Saturday on Twitter when she criticized an opinion piece from Devex that used the phrase ” people who menstruate.” “I’m sure there used to be...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust bringing back summer TGIS concerts
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s popular TGIS summer concert series will return on June 18, at a new location to accommodate social distancing protocols. Normally held in the courtyard of The Palace Theatre in downtown Greensburg, the concerts will move about 2 miles north to the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center,...
Abby Lee Miller issues apology amid ‘Dance Moms’ co-star’s claim of racist comments
Abby Lee Miller has apologized on social media for racially insensitive “words.” The former Penn Hills reality star put up a statement Thursday on Instagram. “I genuinely understand and deeply regret how my words have effected and hurt those around me in the past, particularly those in the Black...
Gabrielle Union files complaint against NBC, ‘America’s Got Talent’
Gabrielle Union filed a complaint Thursday with the state of California against NBC and the producers of “America’s Got Talent,” the latest move in a fight over her allegations that she was fired for objecting to an on-set environment that tolerated racism. The complaint filed with the Department of Fair...
CNN, Sesame Street to team up for town hall Saturday discussing racism
CNN and “Sesame Street” are joining forces to present a family-oriented town hall program that aims to address racism in America. According to CNN, the 60-minute special “Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families” will air Saturday at 10 a.m.. Big Bird...
Racist comments trigger another firing for Rochester, N.Y., radio duoVideo
Disclaimer: People in this story are quoted in their attempt to use an abbreviated version of a racial slur; they did not use the slur, itself. A Rochester, N.Y., radio duo with a history of bigoted on-air comments were fired Wednesday over an exchange in which they advocated for the...
Universal takes 1st steps reviving Orlando theme park bizVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — With masks on their faces and temperature checks at entrances, Harry Potter fans and roller coaster lovers streamed back into Universal Orlando Resort this week in one of the first major steps toward reviving Florida’s theme park industry, which was left temporarily moribund by closures to stop...
Duchess of Sussex speaks out on racial divisions in U.S.Video
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has shared her sadness about racial divisions in the United States, telling students at her former high school that she felt moved to speak out because the life of George Floyd mattered. Meghan told graduates at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles that she...
Jeannette gallery plans reopening, anniversary exhibition
You Are Here art center in Jeannette will reopen to visitors beginning June 12. Regular hours will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday and noon-3 p.m. Sunday. “Printed Matters,” an exhibition of contemporary printmaking that was on display prior to the covid-19 shutdown, will continue in the gallery until June 27....
Review: New novel explores race, identity, belonging
A new novel explores the construct of race in the diverging lives of light-skinned black twins, one of whom transitions into a life as a white woman. “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett is beautifully written, thought-provoking and immersive. It follows Desiree and Stella, who hail from the town of...
Cannes announces lineup for a festival canceled by covid
From an empty movie theater in Paris, organizers of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday announced the films that would have played at there in May had it not been canceled by the pandemic. The selections were an exercise in what-might-have-been for Cannes, the premier international film festival that for...
AMC Theatres warns of ‘substantial doubt’ about its future
The AMC Theatres chain says it has “substantial doubt” it will be able to remain in business after closing all of its locations during the coronavirus pandemic. In the first quarter ending March 31, AMC reported revenue of $941.5 million, down from $1.2 billion in the same quarter last year....
Amy Grant has open heart surgery to fix heart condition
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A publicist for Amy Grant says the contemporary Christian singer had open heart surgery on Wednesday to fix a heart condition she has had since birth. Doctors discovered Grant had a heart condition called partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) during a routine checkup. Velvet Kelm, her...
Run the Jewels release new album ‘RTJ4’ early
Run the Jewels have dropped “RTJ4” early. The hip hop duo, made up of Killer Mike and EL-P, announced Wednesday that the new album was released, two days prior to its original release date. “We hope it (the album) brings you some joy. Stay safe and hopeful out there and...
New season of ‘Dirty John’ explores scorned wife-turned-killer Betty BroderickVideo
“Dirty John” creator Alexandra Cunningham didn’t want to change the true story of Betty Broderick’s brutal 1989 murder of her ex-husband and his new wife. But her version tells the tale of what led her to that. The second season of the true crime anthology series, which premiered Tuesday on...
The Westmoreland to host virtual jazz concert
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will share a recording of RML Jazz’s concert at Seton Hill University at 7 p.m. June 10. As spring comes to an end and with the official start of summer only a few weeks away, RML Jazz’s concert recording will pair with a curated...
Lea Michele apologizes for being ‘difficult’ on ‘Glee’ set
Former “Glee” star Lea Michele has apologized for being “unnecessarily difficult” on the set of the musical TV show after a co-star accused Michele of making her time there “a living hell.” Michele issued a statement saying that while she didn’t recall any incident or judged anyone by their background,...
Nickelodeon pauses programming in honor of George Floyd with ‘I can’t breathe’ messageVideo
Nickelodeon stopped its programming Monday evening for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while airing a black screen with a message that said “I can’t breathe” in an attempt to bring awareness to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis a week before. Floyd, 46, was a black man who died...
