Entertainment category, Page 415
British actor Albert Finney dies at 82
LONDON — British actor Albert Finney, the Academy Award-nominated star of films from “Tom Jones” to “Skyfall,” has died at the age of 82. Finney’s family said Friday that he “passed away peacefully after a short illness with those closest to him by his side.” Finney was a rare star...
‘Giselle’ opens Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s 50th anniversary season
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Celebration will include five major programs offering a wide range of dance from Romantic era mainstays to new works by choreographers with strong ties to Pittsburgh. Artistic director Terrance Orr says the company is doing well, and boasts an exceptional roster of dancers and a...
‘Pet Sematary’ remake updates Stephen King’s classic horror novel
“Sometimes dead is better.” That’s the tagline for the remake of Stephen King’s seminal 1983 horror novel “Pet Sematary.” After Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his family relocate from Boston to rural Maine, the doctor discovers a strange burial ground hidden deep in the woods. When tragedy strikes the...
Review: ‘The Prodigy’ is a creepy-kid horror movie done rightVideo
Creepy children are a mainstay of the horror genre. Going back to “The Bad Seed” and beyond, children have proved capable of unnerving audiences with a combination of precocious dialogue and psychopathic behavior. The chilling new horror film “The Prodigy” continues that fine tradition, with one intriguing complication: in the...
‘Don Giovanni,’ ‘Carmen’ highlight Pittsburgh Opera’s 2019-20 season
Planning a season of opera is a complex undertaking. It’s not just finding the right blend between adventurous new works that advance the artform and the established repertoire audiences already love. There’s also finding performers who will bring their roles to vivid life and choosing fresh, appealing productions. “What interesting...
Review: ‘The Lego Movie 2’ is too meta for its own goodVideo
Like a well-engineered tower of brightly colored building blocks, the Lego movie franchise, now four films strong, achieved its zenith with “The Lego Batman Movie.” The 2017 stand-alone spin-off of the excellent 2014 original that appealed to both young fans of the construction toys and grown-up aficionados of the brooding...
Review: Taraji P. Henson is the best thing about ‘What Men Want’Video
In “What Men Want,” Taraji P. Henson gains the ability to hear men’s unspoken thoughts after she (1) accidentally drinks drug-laced tea; (2) dances to 2 Live Crew’s “Hoochie Mama” during a friend’s bachelorette party; (3) is knocked over by an inflatable penis; and (4) is slammed into a nightclub...
Richard Roundtree, Samuel L. Jackson reprise iconic roles in new ‘Shaft’ film
Who is the man who would risk his neck for brother man? In June, there will be three answers to that iconic question, originally posed in the 1970s by soul singer Isaac Hayes. Both Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson — the original Detective John Shaft as well as the...
Sonic Youth founder Kim Gordon’s art coming to Warhol MuseumVideo
The first solo North American museum exhibition by Kim Gordon, co-founder of alternative rock band Sonic Youth, will open May 17 in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. ”Kim Gordon: Lo-Fi Glamour” encompasses two separate but integrated components: a survey exhibition of Gordon’s paintings, drawings and sculpture, and a commissioned...
Keith Urban to perform at Penguins-Flyers Stadium Series gameVideo
Country music star Keith Urban will headline the entertainment for the Feb. 23 NHL Stadium Series outdoor game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL’s Eagles. The 2018 CMA Entertainer of the Year and four-time Grammy Award winner will perform during...
Mayim Bialik visit to offer sympathy, support to Pittsburgh’s Jewish community
Actor Mayim Bialik’s fans know her best from her current role as Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS’s hit comedy series, “The Big Bang Theory,” or her past roles in “Blossom” (1990) and the 1988 movie, “Beaches,” with Bette Midler. Many people may not be aware of her strong commitment to...
River City Brass taking show on the road to South AsiaVideo
A River City Brass ensemble is transporting a bit of Pittsburgh’s musical spunk, and looking forward to some cultural inspiration, as part of a performing and educational tour in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this week. Artistic director/conductor James Gourlay and seven musicians — Hakeem Bilal, Gabriel Colby, John Sebastian Vera, Jeffrey Nicodemus,...
Entertainment planner: Feb. 7-20
Thursday Feb. 7 “The Art of Love,” 18-artist exhibition, Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. Through Feb. 28. 724-836-8000 or thepalacetheatre.org Frank Vignola’s Hot Jazz Guitar Trio, Club Cafe, Pittsburgh. 866-468-3401 or ticketweb.com/clubcafe “Funicello’s Birthday,” Cabaret Theatre production, Olde Main Building, Latrobe. Through Feb. 16. 724-527-7775 “Run for Your Wife,” Greensburg...
Ride along with ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ in latest Split Stage show
Actor Brendan Conaway of Plum says portraying Clyde Barrow in Split Stage Productions’ musical adaptation of “Bonnie and Clyde” is the most challenging role he’s ever played. “It requires so much energy both physically and vocally,” he says. “It’s an emotional roller coaster for me and Victoria (Buchtan) from the...
‘Bubble Show’ is a fantastical, transformative journeyVideo
Enrico Pezzoli says there’s a little bit of “Mr. B” in all of us. The lead character in his “B – The Underwater Bubble Show” is a creature of modern habits who “always feels pressed by a thousand things to do in a world that seems to be moving too...
In advance of new album, Tesla plays Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
It looks to be another good year for Tesla. There’s just no stopping the original Sacramento hard rock band from the ‘80s that has sold more than 25 million albums and filled concert auditoriums to sold-out crowds in its three decades plus together. Just as Tesla’s Winter 2019 tour starts...
‘American Girl Live’ brings positive message to Byham TheaterVideo
Creators of a new touring musical production are hoping that their young audiences love the stage show as much as the popular dolls on which they are based. “American Girl Live” is an original 90-minute musical that celebrates the power of girls and the strength of friendship, two messages that...
Think spring with latest Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra offering
In the heart of winter we think longingly of greener days to come. The next Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra program will show how music can warm that hope. Esteemed guest conductor Herbert Blomstedt will return to conduct symphonies by two composer who eloquently shared their love for verdant nature. Blomstedt will...
Monster Jam roars into PPG Paints ArenaVideo
Kayla Blood is behind the wheel of a new ride for 2019. The Monster Jam veteran from Lafayette, La., has been recruited for the Soldier Fortune team, the first woman to drive a Monster truck with the prestigious group. She moved to Soldier Fortune on the Triple Threat Series Central,...
Reporter alleges Jill Abramson lifted material for her book
NEW YORK — Former New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson is facing allegations that she lifted material from other sources for her new book, “Merchants of Truth.” A Twitter thread posted Wednesday by Vice correspondent Michael Moynihan lists several examples of passages in “Merchants of Truth: The Business of...
Let’s engage in wild speculation over these brand-new ‘Game of Thrones’ photos from the final season
HBO released a brand-new batch of promotional photos for the final season of their flagship show, fantasy drama “Game of Thrones.” And as faithful throne-watchers, it’s our solemn duty to engage in wild speculation about what every possible detail in every photo might portend! **WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD THROUGH SEASON 7...
‘Icy Lights’ winter block party premieres in Oakland in March
Street curling in Pittsburgh? The Oakland Business Improvement District promises that sport and other entertainment during its first winter-themed block party, “Icy Lights,” from 4-10 p.m. on March 1. Set for the central business district, on Oakland Avenue between Forbes Avenue and Sennott Street, the event will showcase the neighborhood’s...
Art exhibit shows Ivanka Trump lookalike vacuuming up crumbs
WASHINGTON — A new art exhibit at a Washington museum shows an Ivanka Trump lookalike pushing a vacuum cleaner and invites spectators to toss crumbs for her to clean up. The art piece by Jennifer Rubell, titled “Ivanka Vacuuming,” opened Feb. 1 and continues through Feb. 17 at the Flashpoint...
Stage Right will attempt to break world record for fastest musical production
Stage Right Artistic Director Tony Marino is about to stretch the limits of that old stage adage that promises “the show must go on.” Marino assures his audience that he and his cast of actors will be ready to roll when the curtain goes up at Greensburg’s The Palace Theatre...
Andy Warhol said he wanted to be ‘a machine’ — two new shows prove he was anything but
NEW YORK — We live with Andy Warhol in much the same way we live with the visual material he reproduced and exploited — the vast Americana of consumer products, movie stars and news. He sought to claim this iconography as art, to harness its seductive power and mimic the...
