Entertainment category, Page 298
Elton John-led streaming concert raises $8 millionVideo
The Elton John-led starry benefit concert that featured Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys on Sunday has raised nearly $8 million to battle the coronavirus. The musicians performed from their homes for the hourlong event that aired on Fox and iHeartMedia radio stations. The money will go to Feeding...
Learn about Irish playwrights via PICT free webinar series
The lives of influential Irish playwrights will be explored in a five-week interactive online webinar series presented by PICT Classic Theatre. “The Irishing of English Theatre” will begin at 2 p.m. Fridays beginning April 3, and will be presented by Alan Stanford, artistic and executive director of the Pittsburgh-based theater...
‘Strega Nona’ author Tomie dePaola is dead at age 85
CONCORD, New Hampshire — Tomie dePaola, the prolific children’s author and illustrator who delighted generations with tales of Strega Nona, the kindly and helpful old witch in Italy, died Monday at age 85. DePaola died at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, according to his literary agent, Doug...
Amazon Prime, Netflix, more streaming services offer free trialsVideo
Every day is a new challenge in keeping kids — and adults — entertained during the continuing coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. So now is not the time to feel bad about being glued to the television, with all the free content being offered at least temporarily by subscription services. On March...
New at home this week: ‘Onward,’ Nina Simone and ‘The Talk’Video
Epic adventures, exotic locales and cocktails mixed to order by bartenders — they may be largely off limits for the moment, but not on a device near you. This week’s fresh offerings include a recently-released Pixar animated tale, a marathon of James Bond films and new music from country star...
Fred Rogers Center pairs with guitar maker for fellowship program
The name of a prominent musical instrument maker will grace a newly established fellowship in children’s music at the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College. A grant from Fred and Dinah Gretsch and their family has endowed The Gretsch Fellow in Children’s Music...
Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, more sing from home to raise funds for virusVideo
Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Dave Grohl opened their doors — literally — as the musicians performed from their homes for an hour-long benefit concert to raise money for those affected by the coronavirus crisis. Keys kicked off the Sunday event — which also honored health professionals and...
‘Hamilton’ returning for PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh seasonVideo
The 2020-21 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh season will mark the return of the megahit Tony Award-winning musical “Hamilton.” In addition, it will feature the Pittsburgh premiere of the 2019 best musical winner: “Hadestown.” Presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Broadway Across America, the season also will feature the 2019...
Sesame Workshop enlists Elmo, Cookie Monster on hand washingVideo
Elmo, Rooster and Cookie Monster are doing their part to help keep kids safe as the coronavirus pandemic grinds on. The beloved Sesame Street Muppets are featured in some of four new animated public service spots reminding young fans to take care while doing such things as washing hands and...
John Prine in critical condition with covid-19 symptoms
NEW YORK — The family of John Prine says the singer-songwriter is critically ill and has been placed on a ventilator while being treated for covid-19-type symptoms. A message posted on Prine’s Twitter page Sunday said the “Angel from Montgomery” singer has been hospitalized since Thursday and his condition worsened...
Country singer Joe Diffie dies of coronavirus complicationsVideo
NEW YORK — Country singer Joe Diffie, who had a string of hits in the 1990s with chart-topping ballads and honky-tonk singles such as “Home” and “Pickup Man,” has died after testing positive for covid-19. He was 61. Diffie on Friday announced he had contracted the coronavirus, becoming the first...
Artist transforms Uptown tiger into ‘Tiger King’ portrait of Joe Exotic
Pop culture is a big part of Jeremy Raymer’s art, and he knows the value of having a finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist. So when a friend mentioned the old tiger’s head, painted on a wall near the intersection of Moultrie Street and Tustin Street behind the...
Singer-songwriter Jan Howard dies at 91
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer-songwriter Jan Howard, who had a No. 1 country hit “For Loving You” with Bill Anderson and wrote hits for others like Kitty Wells’ “It’s All Over But the Crying,” has died at age 91, according to the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry, of which she was...
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood to perform requests on live special
LOS ANGELES — Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood will be taking viewer requests during a live prime-time show this week filmed at their home. CBS will air the special, “Garth and Trisha: Live!” on Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern. In an announcement Sunday, CBS says the country stars will...
Longtime soap opera actor John Callahan dies at 66
LOS ANGELES — Actor John Callahan, known for playing Edmund Grey on “All My Children” and also starring on other soaps including “Days of Our Lives,” “Santa Barbara” and “Falcon Crest,” has died. He was 66. His ex-wife and former “All My Children” co-star Eva LaRue announced his death on...
Report: ‘Juwanna Mann’ star Miguel Nunez arrested for allegedly shoplifting groceries
Police say the man who played the lead role in “Juwanna Mann” shoplifted groceries from a Los Angeles supermarket earlier this week. According to TMZ, Miguel A. Nunez Jr. walked out of a Ralphs grocery store with at least $200 worth of items. TMZ reported that the credit card Nunez...
PSO offers weekly concert footage, other online music programs
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will launch a web series at 8 p.m.Friday featuring its performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” recorded live in May 2016 at the Berlin Philharmonie in Germany. Music Director Manfred Honeck will host; bonus footage will provide Honeck’s insights into the performance. The symphony will remain...
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks needs cast for fall play
“Cymbeline” has been chosen as the 16th-season production for Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks. The play will run in various parks on Saturday and Sunday afternoons each weekend in September. Early evening shows also are planned for Sept. 11 and 18 at Schenley Plaza in Oakland. The tragedy is set...
‘Today’ anchor Hoda Kotb breaks down after interview with Drew Brees about $5M donation
The gravity and emotion of the coronavirus pandemic came through on national television Friday morning. Hoda Kotb, co-anchor of “Today” on NBC, was overcome with emotion after talking with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees about a $5 million donation he made to Louisiana to help feed its residents. “I...
Baby Shark returns to help you wash your hands — doo, doo …Video
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the internet. Baby Shark is back. This time, Pinkfong takes its infectious — er, maybe bad choice of words — its earworm song and made it all about hand washing. And the result? After listening to “Wash Your Hands...
R. Kelly seeks release from jail, cites coronavirus risk
R&B singer R. Kelly cited the novel coronavirus in asking a federal judge Thursday to free him from a federal jail in Chicago as he awaits trial on child pornography and other charges, a court filing by his lawyers saying scant precautions to stem the spread of the virus behind...
Mark Blum, actor in ‘Desperately Seeking Susan,’ dies from covid-19 complications
Mark Blum, the actor known for roles in “Crocodile Dundee” and “Desperately Seeking Susan,” has died from complications of covid-19. He was 69. Blum died at New York Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday after being diagnosed last week with the coronavirus, said Janet Zarish, his wife of 15 years. The couple...
The Frick Pittsburgh now closed through June 1
The Frick Pittsburgh has extended the closure of its campus and cancellation of programs through June 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Point Breeze historical site and art museum is working to move some scheduled programs online, and will be sharing information as it becomes available. Resources currently available...
Golden Globes amend eligibility rules due to virusVideo
NEW YORK — The Golden Globes will accept movies submissions without a theatrical release for the first time due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Thursday. The press association, which puts on the annual award show, said films that are first released on television or a...
Meghan to narrate Disney nature film in first post-royal job
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has her first post-royal job: narrating a Disney documentary about elephants. Disney announced Thursday that the duchess, who is married to Britain’s Prince Harry, is lending her voice to “Elephant,” released April 3 on the Disney+ streaming service. It’s one of a series of animal-...
