Entertainment category, Page 350
Robin Thede looks to build legacy in HBO sketch comedy show
Robin Thede knew plenty of talented African-American female comedians, but only a few were getting hired on popular TV comedy shows such as “Saturday Night Live” and “Mad TV.” So, Thede decided to create her own show featuring some of the industry’s funniest black women. The comic-writer-producer-actress is breaking new...
Elvis admirers remember his death 42 years ago with vigil
Elvis Presley fans carrying lit candles in the Tennessee night are visiting the rock ‘n’ roll icon’s grave at Graceland during the annual vigil commemorating his death 42 years ago. Presley admirers from all over the world descend on Memphis every year to honor his life and career during Elvis...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Aug. 16-18
TGIF! Summer may be winding down quicker than we’d like, but time marches on. Get out and savor every minute. There is plenty of fun to be found in Westmoreland. Still swingin` Neon Swing X-perience brings its joyful sound end of summer celebration Saturday. Nick Barilla opens the show at...
Metallica donates to Romanian pediatric cancer hospital
BUCHAREST, Romania — Metallica says it has donated $277,600 to support the construction of Romania’s first pediatric oncology hospital. The American heavy metal band, which is very popular in Romania, made the donation ahead of their sold-out show Wednesday in Romania’s National Arena, according to the band’s All Within My...
Get the inside scoop on The Palace Theatre with free tours
Visitors on the annual free public tours of The Palace Theatre in Greensburg not only learn the theater’s history, but hear tales of its operation and other functions the venue serves. “I think one of the things people enjoy the most is not just what they see, but what they...
Pop culture conventions coming to Pittsburgh in 2020
The ever-growing Pittsburgh pop-culture convention scene will have two additions next year — one new show and one resurrected show. The first Momento Con will be at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh on May 9 and 10. Horror Realm Con — which ended a multi-year run...
‘Friends’ coming to movie theaters for 25th anniversary
Even after 25 years, they’ll be there for you — this time on the big screen. No, the cast of “Friends” isn’t doing a reunion movie, but the megahit comedy series is coming to movie theaters for the show’s 25th anniversary. On three nights — Sept. 22, 28, and Oct....
Jake Gyllenhaal attributes conquering fear to Oscar-winning docVideo
Few performances are as daunting as the one-person play. That’s why Jake Gyllenhaal had to find a way to conquer that fear when he took on the role of Abe in the second half of “Sea Wall/A Life.” “Before I did it, I was terrified,” Gyllenhaal said of “A Life,”...
Aretha Franklin’s cancer doctors recall her grace, gritVideo
Regardless of her reputation as a performer, Aretha Franklin ‘s cancer doctors say she was no diva as a patient. As the anniversary of her death approaches, two of her doctors tell The Associated Press that the Queen of Soul handled the diagnosis and treatment with grace — and the...
‘Sharknado’s’ Ian Ziering now rides ‘Zombie Tidal Wave’Video
You can blame (or thank) President Donald Trump for the wave of zombies that will hit Saturday. It was Ian Ziering’s time on “The Apprentice” that gave the “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Sharknado” actor the confidence he needed to produce his own sci-fi/fantasy film, “Zombie Tidal Wave.” “After I was...
5 decades in, Doobie Brothers still rocking ahead of Pittsburgh-area showVideo
For a band with a long history and a big catalog of hits, the trick is to give audiences what they want without getting stale creatively. Founding member Tom Johnston says the Doobie Brothers have been able to walk that fine line. The band, with hits like “China Grove” and...
Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr. head ‘Up, Up and Away’ to Palace TheatreVideo
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. are marking more than 50 years of making beautiful music together, from their days as founding members of the popular band Fifth Dimension through their ongoing career as a duo. They also are celebrating 50 years of marriage, having tied the knot on July...
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival returns — with ‘A Murder Most Foul’Video
All is not well in Morelandshire, a mythical kingdom in South Huntington Township, Westmoreland County that comes alive for six special weekends as part of the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. “This year we have ‘A Murder Most Foul,’ ” says James “Doc” Amor, cast director and entertainment coordinator for the annual...
Puppet Slam in Pittsburgh features marionettes, giant puppets and moreVideo
Colorful puppets will perform at the Puppetry Guild of Pittsburgh’s fourth annual Puppet Slam on Saturday at Workingmen’s Beneficial Union in Spring Hill on the North Side. A puppet slam is a showcase of short, contemporary puppetry. The main performances will include marionettes, giant puppets, hand puppets and shadow puppets,...
Learn about ‘Monarchs, Milkweed and More’ at Ligonier museum
The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley will hold “Monarchs, Milkweed and More,” a collaboration with Penguin Court and Brandywine Conservancy. The event, set for 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 18, is designed to enrich and educate children and adults on various pollinators, planners say. Penn State Master...
Model Ashley Graham is pregnant
Surprise! That’s how model Ashley Graham announced she’s pregnant with her first child. Graham and filmmaker Justin Ervin are also celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary. The two shared a short video on Instagram showing off Graham’s growing bump. View this post on Instagram Nine years ago today, I married the...
Review: ‘Good Boys’ gone wild, sixth-grade division
The tale of three sixth-graders f-bombing their way through a series of adolescence-threatening adventures en route to a nerve-wracking kissing party, “Good Boys” (boring title) is located at the intersection of “Superbad” and “Baby’s Day Out.” The film rests on the comic potential of kids swearing like it’s a “South...
’13 Reasons Why’ wants to know who killed Bryce Walker
The trailer for the latest season of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why” asks: “Who killed Bryce Walker?” It then delves into the many suspects at Liberty High with a motive and means. The cast includes: Dylan Minnette as Clay Jensen, Brandon Flynn as Justin Foley, Justin Prentice as Bryce Walker, Alisha...
Review: In ‘Blinded by the Light,’ growing up with the BossVideo
After starring roles for Freddie Mercury (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Elton John (“Rocketman”) and the Beatles (“Yesterday”), it’s Bruce Springsteen’s turn to join the mixtape that the movies have lately become. But Gurinder Chadha’s “Blinded by the Light” isn’t about the Boss’ life or how he recorded his hits. It’s about hearing...
‘Competitive readers’ duke it out in Battle of the Books
There is no skimming for the 29 teams competing in Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Battle of the Books. Teams of three to five people need to read — thoroughly — the list of books “assigned” each year. “The questions are really hard,” says Dan Hensley, the library’s adult programming coordinator....
45 years ago, ‘unknown band’ Rush played Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena
The concert promoter didn’t want them, the lead singer was so buzzed he didn’t know how they did, and their performance garnered only a single sentence in a review published in the Valley News Dispatch a week later. Rush was an unknown band from Canada when they played the Civic...
Entertainment planner: Aug. 15-28
Thursday, Aug. 15 “A Celebration of Texture and Pattern: Hooked Rugs and Historic Coverlets,” Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art-Ligonier Valley, Ligonier Township. Through Oct. 27. 724-238-6015 or sama-art.org DJ Gladstone Deluxe, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh. 412-363-3000 or kelly-strayhorn.org Skull Fest, punk music festival, various Pittsburgh locations. Through Aug. 18. skullfestpgh.com...
Westmoreland Fair bills itself as ‘A Timeless Tradition’
The 65th edition of the Westmoreland Fair celebrates “A Timeless Tradition” with some new attractions and the return of some old favorites Aug. 16-24 at Westmoreland Fairgrounds, Mt. Pleasant Township. “Here in Westmoreland County, agriculture is huge. This is agriculture’s time to shine,” says Sarah Sphon, in her first year...
Eddie Murphy to star in Netflix biopic of ‘Dolemite’ creator Rudy Ray Moore
This is the space where I’d normally insert an appropriate and hilarious Dolemite quote to kick off this story. But anyone familiar with Dolemite — the kung-fu-fighting, crass-rhyming pimp character created by actor and blue comedian Rudy Ray Moore in the 1970s — will know that there are no quotes...
Liam Hemsworth wishes Miley Cyrus ‘nothing but health’
Miley Cyrus’ husband is wishing her “nothing but health and happiness” days after a representative for Cyrus announced their separation. Actor Liam Hemsworth posted on Instagram on Monday confirming the pair’s separation and saying he won’t be making comments to “any journalists or media outlets.” View this post on Instagram...
