Entertainment category, Page 289
Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard lead Americana AwardsVideo
Singer songwriter Brandi Carlile has had a productive year and that’s led her to be the leading nominee at the Americana Honors and Awards for her roles as a solo artist, a member of the group The Highwomen, as a producer and as a songwriter. In the nominations announced Monday...
Drake tops BET Awards nods; show to air on CBS for 1st time
Drake is the leading nominee at the 2020 BET Awards, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary later this month. BET announced Monday that Drake is nominated for six honors, including video of the year and best male hip-hop artist. For both best collaboration and the viewer’s choice award, Drake is...
Concerts to benefit Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank rescheduled to Butler drive-in
A benefit concert for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has been rescheduled. Rockers Gene the Werewolf, the Hawkeyes and the Clarks will now perform June 27 at the Starlight Drive-In along North Main Street Extension in Butler. It was originally booked as a two-night performance with Gene the Werewolf...
George Floyd’s death hastens shift in police pop culture portrayals
NEW YORK — Gary Phillips, a prize-winning crime novelist from Los Angeles, grew up on TV shows that showed a world nothing like the one he lived in. “I watched them all, ‘Dragnet,’ ‘Adam 12,’ ‘The Wild, Wild West,’ ‘Mannix,’ ‘Cannon,’ ‘Peter Gunn’ reruns and on and on. Now these...
12-year-old Pittsburgh-area singer gets her shot on ‘America’s Got Talent’Video
Another young Pittsburgh-area singer is getting ready to show the country what she’s got. Ashley Marina, 12, of Kennedy Township will perform on “America’s Got Talent,” airing 8 p.m. Tuesday on NBC. She is a two-time finalist in the Williams SING-OFF Competition, through which area students are chosen to perform...
North Huntingdon singer hits No. 1 on country radio chart
When Ashley Puckett of North Huntingdon released her debut album, “Never Say Never,” this past Valentine’s Day, she didn’t expect recognition to come so quickly. The 28-year-old’s single, “Bulletproof,” secured the No. 1 spot on the country radio chart in the June 12 issue of New Music Weekly magazine. The...
Episode of UK sitcom ‘Fawlty Towers’ pulled over racist slurs
One of the most memorable episodes of one of the most popular British sitcoms of all-time has been withdrawn from a U.K. streaming service because of numerous racial slurs. UKTV, a streaming service owned by the BBC, confirmed Friday that it was temporarily removing the 1975 “Fawlty Towers” episode “The...
Kelly Clarkson seeks divorce from husband of nearly 7 years
Kelly Clarkson has filed for divorce from her husband of nearly seven years, Brandon Blackstock. The singer, talk show host and judge on “The Voice” filed court papers to end the marriage under her married name Kelly Blackstock on June 4 in Los Angeles. The 38-year-old Clarkson and the 43-year-old...
Chris Paul, JJ Watt to appear in Amazon’s ‘Regular Heroes’Video
NFL star J.J. Watt, NBA player Chris Paul and country singer Brad Paisley will appear in an Amazon series that highlights everyday people who are supporting their community during the coronavirus pandemic. Paul will make a guest appearance on the fifth episode of “Regular Heroes” on Friday. He has been...
Holland Taylor portrays larger-than-life ex-Texas governor in ‘Ann’
Although actress Holland Taylor has played everyone from Nancy Reagan to a tabloid queen, she says she never thought she’d aced it. “I never felt that I was a master,” she says. “I have felt that I was a member of the wedding, pretty much.” While most people know her...
Review: ‘Artemis Fowl’ is a regrettable fairy taleVideo
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Disney quickly scrambled to cancel or postpone the theatrical releases of their highest profile titles. But with Kenneth Branagh’s “Artemis Fowl,” an adaptation of Irish author Eoin Colfer’s fantasy novels, the mouse house decided to dump it onto Disney+ two weeks after it was slated...
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to reopen with new precautions
CLEVELAND — The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is reopening, but fans better practice social distancing by staying at least “two Stratocasters apart” and bring their credit cards, officials announced Thursday. Rock’s shrine will reopen on June 15 after closing on March 14 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Visitors...
Lady Antebellum changes name to Lady A
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Grammy-winning country group Lady Antebellum is changing its name to Lady A, with members saying they are regretful and embarrassed for not taking into consideration the word’s associations with slavery. The band, made up of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, made the announcement Thursday on...
City of Pittsburgh plans 6 summer drive-in movie nightsVideo
Cinema under the stars is coming to Pittsburgh with the new Dollar Bank Drive-In Movie Night series, presented by the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events. Registration is full for the first screening of “The Lorax,” set for Saturday night in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Zoo &...
‘Live PD’ dropped by A&E on heels of ‘Cops’ cancellation
LOS ANGELES — A&E Network has canceled the police reality series “Live PD” following weeks of protests inspired by the death of George Floyd and a report that a crew from the show filmed the arrest of a black man who died after he was restrained by police. A&E Network...
JK Rowling responds to critics over her transgender comments
LOS ANGELES — “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling said she refuses to “bow down” to criticism about her recent comments on transgender people. Rowling published a lengthy post on her blog website Wednesday in response to the backlash and her concerns over “new trans activism.” She has been under hefty...
Harry Styles postpones Pittsburgh show, tour; new dates announced
Harry Styles won’t be playing Pittsburgh this year. He announced Wednesday afternoon that his PPG Paints Arena show and “Love On” tour will now happen next year. This summer we were excited to be bringing Love On Tour to North America. However, due to the ongoing threat from Covid-19 we...
‘Legendary’ heralds loud, proud ball culture
FX’s fictionalized hit show “Pose” introduced many to the underground world of ballroom culture, in which historically black and Latino LGBT youths compete in elaborate performances on a runway. Now “Legendary” on HBO Max is serving up real ballroom battles to the mainstream, with competitors in eight “houses” vying to...
HBO Max removes ‘Gone With the Wind,’ will add historical contextVideo
HBO Max has temporarily removed “Gone With the Wind” from its streaming library in order to add historical context to the 1939 film long criticized for romanticizing slavery and the Civil War-era South. Protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death have forced entertainment companies to grapple with the appropriateness...
Mon Valley-based music academy hosts online Sunday concerts
The Allies band will take the virtual stage at 2 p.m. Sunday for a concert sponsored by the Mon Valley Academy for the Arts and its Power of Music affiliate. The music can be heard on MVAA’s Facebook page. An MVAA board member also will host a Facebook watch party,...
What makes an American a patriot? Spike Lee has some answersVideo
Spike Lee was just 10 when Muhammad Ali, in 1967, refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War. It wasn’t his fight, Ali said then. The Vietnamese “never lynched me.” Ali’s stand, and the subsequent vitriol that came his way, made an enormous impression on Lee. His latest film, “Da...
Grammys make awards changes, address conflicts of interest
The Recording Academy is making changes to several Grammy Awards categories, including the often-debated best new artist title, and having nomination review committee members sign disclosure forms to prevent conflicts of interest. The new rules announced Wednesday will affect the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, which will air live on Jan....
4 ‘Vanderpump’ regulars ousted over slurs, racial profiling
Four cast members are not returning for another season of Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules” — two over their racist social media posts, and the others after they racially profiled a coworker. Bravo released a statement Tuesday confirming that Stassi Schroeder, Kristen Doute, Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni would not return to...
‘Cops,’ on air for 33 seasons, dropped by Paramount Network
LOS ANGELES — After 33 seasons on the air, “Cops” has been dropped by the Paramount Network as protests against police proliferate around the world. “Cops is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a spokesperson for the cable...
‘Bubba Show’ gives canceled high school musicals a showcase
Hundreds of students were disappointed when spring high school musicals were canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic, but a few of them have been able to share their songs over the airwaves, thanks to the “Bubba Show” on 100.7 Star. Since May 20, one young performer has been featured each...
