Entertainment category, Page 82
Dog fight! Joey Chestnut out of July 4 hot dog eating contest because of deal with rival brand
NEW YORK — Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, the reigning champion of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, will not participate in this year’s event after signing a deal with a rival brand, organizers said Tuesday. Chestnut, 40, has long been the face — not to mention the...
AJR’s Ryan and Jack Met discuss arena shows, getting vulnerable and much more ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
In the course of just six years, the indie pop band AJR has gone from playing the Club at Stage AE to headlining PPG Paints Arena on their Pittsburgh stops. And that’s always been the band’s ultimate ambition. “It’s been really incredible. It’s been really the goal of the band...
South Hills native crafts video at center of Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft pitch
Tim Oxenreiter needed just five days to craft a video that packs a whole lot of Pittsburgh into 63 seconds. Book-ended by Acrisure Stadium and the picturesque Point State Park, Oxenreiter’s latest ode to his hometown laid on the local mythology thick as part of the region’s pitch to host...
Ben Folds caps off Three Rivers Arts Festival on a high note
On Sunday night, the final evening of the 2024 Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburghers streamed onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard downtown. Some carried camp chairs, some carried blankets, and some only carried the dream of hearing some great tunes. And their dreams came true. They were all there to see Ben...
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ boosts Will Smith’s comeback and the box office with $56 million opening
NEW YORK — “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment in the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence action comedy series, opened with an estimated $56 million in theaters over the weekend, handing Hollywood a much-needed summer hit and Smith his biggest success since he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards....
Howard University cuts ties with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after video of attack on Cassie
Howard University is cutting ties to Sean “Diddy” Combs, rescinding an honorary degree that was awarded to him and disbanding a scholarship program in his name, after a recently released 2016 video that appeared to show him attacking the R&B singer Cassie. “Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently...
Modest Mouse ‘float on,’ rock unabashedly at Stage AE
Sometimes a band is just better live. That was the case for Modest Mouse, an indie rock outfit best known for their 2004 hit “Float On,” which topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay charts and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. But their catalog is considerably deeper...
Greensburg grocery store murals incorporate the community
Tom Charley knew he wanted to add a splash of color to the Charley Family Shop’n Save stores in Greensburg. About 7,000 square feet of color, as it turns out. That’s where Greensburg artist Daisher Rocket came in, creating a 4,600 square-foot mural on several walls of the East Pittsburgh...
Diana Ross, Eminem and Jack White perform for thousands as former Detroit eyesore returns to life
DETROIT— A myriad of Detroit’s greatest musical exports, including Diana Ross, Eminem and Jack White, took to the stage Thursday night in a pulsating sonic spectacle held on the eve of the historic reopening of an 18-story structure that long had symbolized their hometown’s decline. The 90-plus-minute “Live From Detroit:...
Pat Sajak’s final episode as ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host is here
LOS ANGELES — After 41 years and over 8,000 episodes, Pat Sajak’s final turn as the renowned host of “Wheel of Fortune” will air on Friday. Sajak’s co-host and letter turner Vanna White paid an emotional tribute to her partner on Thursday’s episode, calling him “like a brother” and a...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 7-9
The Three Rivers Arts Festival is still going on, but if you need something a little different to do, here are some other happenings about town this weekend. From beer to non-alcoholic beverages, parks to parades, there’s something for everyone! Beers of the Burgh Festival Brew lovers rejoice! This Saturday,...
A new ‘Hunger Games’ book — and movie — is coming
NEW YORK — Inspired by an 18th century Scottish philosopher and the modern scourge of misinformation, Suzanne Collins is returning to the ravaged, post-apocalyptic land of Panem for a new “The Hunger Games” novel. Scholastic announced Thursday that “Sunrise on the Reaping,” the fifth volume of Collins’ blockbuster dystopian series,...
Poetry vs. Hip-Hop at City Winery brings out Pittsburgh spoken word artists
Maya White, a Pittsburgh native and a spoken word artist, won the grand prize of more than $1,000 at Queen Sheba’s Poetry vs. Hip-Hop event at City Winery in the Strip District. The show, part of a national tour at City Winery venues, made a stop in Pittsburgh on Friday...
Living Dead Weekend will celebrate everything George A. Romero and beyond
This weekend, a Pittsburgh horror legend — the zombie — will be celebrated at Living Dead Weekend in Monroeville. Over Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Monroeville Mall, the legacy of Pittsburgh-based horror creator George A. Romero will be celebrated by fans with a movie screening, cast meet and greets, vendors,...
SummerSounds series set to open its season under watchful eye of new events manager
Although Anna McClain’s new job has come with a “giant learning curve,” she said she loves it. In February, McClain became the events manager for SummerSounds, a Greensburg nonprofit that has hosted an annual concert series in Greensburg for the past 23 years. The role is a new position for...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust gears up for ‘Rhythms of Summer’ concert series
The Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s summer concert series is back for the season — and it’s bigger than ever. The series, formerly known as “Thank Goodness it’s Summer (TGiS),” is now “Rhythms of Summer,” a slate of free concerts so diverse that they’ll please even the most stalwart single-genre devotee. These...
Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont to host Washington County crime novelist
As a fourth-generation resident of Washington County’s Smith Township, author Annette Dashofy has spent her whole life in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It should come as no surprise, then, that the region’s rolling hills and bucolic countryside have served as the setting for many of her books. The latest, “What Comes Around,”...
Wilderado’s Max Rainer on new album ‘Talker,’ music business, moreVideo
With indie folk band Wilderado about to launch a headlining summer tour this week, frontman Max Rainer managed to describe his life and the weather in Tulsa, Oklahoma, all at once. “Well, it’s literally the calm before the storm,” Rainer said Monday. “It’s storming outside; it’s about to. It’s all...
Zachary Quinto banned from Toronto bistro for behaving ‘like an entitled child’
Actor and Pittsburgh native Zachary Quinto has been banned from a Toronto restaurant after he berated staff and stormed away from his weekend brunch plans, the eatery’s co-owner said. Quinto, known for playing the unemotional and logical Mr. Spock, was apparently much less restrained than his “Star Trek” character when...
Brother Marquis, member of groundbreaking Miami rap group 2 Live Crew, has died
MIAMI — Brother Marquis, a member of pioneering Miami rap group 2 Live Crew, has died, according to the group’s social media. Born Mark Ross, Brother Marquis passed away Monday, though details about his death were spare. Ross died at the age of 57 due to natural causes, according to...
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s ‘The Coffin Maker’ is a challenging, hilarious look at history
”The Coffin Maker” is an exciting play for a number of reasons. It serves as the finale for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s current season, and it is also a world premiere, written by Pittsburgh playwright — and founder of Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company — Mark Clayton Southers. Inspired by August Wilson,...
Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band light up Acrisure Stadium
”The spirit of Jimmy Buffett is here with us tonight,” remarked Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band, Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. He was absolutely right. With Kenny Chesney, the leader of “No Shoes Nation,” headlining the “Sun Goes Down Tour,” the Buffett-esque beach vibes were out in full...
‘We’re all happy he’s back’: Fans gather in Pittsburgh for Kenny Chesney concert
The sun had not been up for long Saturday before members of “No Shoes Nation” began gathering on Pittsburgh’s North Shore for Kenny Chesney’s “Sun Goes Down” tour that night at Acrisure Stadium. They came by land and by sea, from near and from far — with and without tickets...
Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour, which included Pittsburgh show: ‘I am completely heartsick and devastated’
NEW YORK — Jennifer Lopez has canceled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press. “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends,” they said in a statement. The tour was to be her first in five years,...
Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off
Artists from across the region — and nation — will converge starting Friday on the 14-block Cultural District as the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off, ushering in 10 days of free art and music. The festival, now in its third consecutive year of festivities relocated from around...
