Entertainment category, Page 149
Knight, Clooney, Grant feted at Kennedy Center Honors
WASHINGTON — A heartfelt Patti LaBelle praised her lifelong friend Gladys Knight. Sean Penn called U2 “four scrappy Dublin punks.” Ballet dancers performed for conductor and composer Tania León. Matt Damon playfully teased his friend George Clooney — a lot — while Sheryl Crow delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Baby...
The time a ‘fake Fleetwood Mac’ was booked by Pittsburgh promoter Rich Engler
The recent death of longtime Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie brought memories flooding back for music industry insiders recalling the band’s storied and tumultuous history. Pittsburgh concert promoter Rich Engler is among them . Although Engler has several stories about bringing the rock group to Western Pennsylvania, one of his...
Bob McGrath, ‘Sesame Street’ legend, dies at 90
Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday: “The McGrath...
‘Wakanda Forever’ is No. 1 for 4th straight weekend
NEW YORK — “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” kept the box-office crown for the fourth straight weekend, and the comic holiday thriller “Violent Night” debuted with $13.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the biggest talking point on the weekend was a movie conspicuously absent from theaters. Had Netflix kept...
Robert Downey Jr. talks of one last film with his dad, ‘Sr.’Video
NEW YORK — Robert Downey Jr. set out to make an objective portrait, a tribute to his father, the underground filmmaking maverick Robert Downey Sr. His dad had other plans. “The key point in this is when he goes, ‘OK, I think we should split into two camps: The (expletive)...
Latrobe photographer Clare Kaczmarek earns 3-peat in regional photo contest
For the third consecutive year, Latrobe resident Clare Kaczmarek captured first place in the Places category of the 2022 Go Laurel Highlands Photo Contest, with a sunrise photo taken in May at Baughman Rock Overlook, above the Youghiogheny River Gorge south of Ohiopyle. Kaczmarek said she had to get up...
Behind the Art: ‘Dark Planet’ graces SAMA-Ligonier Valley sculpture garden
Soon after the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley launched its sculpture garden, a local philanthropist offered to add to the collection. “Donald Green, a gentleman who was very philanthropic to the Ligonier Valley, reached out to SAMA to see if we would be interested in having another...
‘George & Tammy’ pulls back the curtain on country iconsVideo
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In preparation for their upcoming series “George & Tammy,” Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain spent months learning the songs that George Jones and Tammy Wynette made famous, working with a vocal coach and making the pilgrimage to Nashville to record. “The studio we recorded at butted up...
From Christmas to country, Pittsburgh-area natives have new music coming outVideo
From original Christmas tunes just in time for the holidays to a self-empowerment anthem, native Pittsburghers have released new music in a variety of genres. Kels, ‘By This Christmas Tree’ EP Pine-Richland High School graduate Kelsey Hillock, who performs under the stage name Kels, released her first batch of original...
Man arrested in fatal shooting of Migos rapper Takeoff
HOUSTON — Police have arrested a 33-year-old man in the fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff, who was killed last month outside a bowling alley in Houston. Houston police announced Friday that Patrick Xavier Clark has been charged with murder in connection with Takeoff’s death. Police Chief Troy Finner said Clark...
Review: Julia Bullock walks her own path in solo album debutVideo
“Walking in the Dark,” Julia Bullock (Nonesuch) No one who has followed Julia Bullock’s career will be surprised that her first solo album is made up of unconventional and deeply personal choices. The Black American soprano, one of the most talented singers of her generation, proudly defies easy categorization. At...
Review: Will Smith-led ‘Emancipation’ is an action thrillerVideo
It comes as some relief that Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” starring Will Smith as a runaway slave in Civil War-era Louisiana, is not, at least traditionally speaking, an Oscar movie. Despite the film’s important historical backdrop, its awards-season timing and its inevitable connection to last March’s Academy Awards ceremony, the site...
Kanye West says ‘I like Hitler’ in shocking antisemitic rant on Alex Jones showVideo
Kanye West repeatedly praised Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler for doing “good things” in a shocking new antisemitic rant Thursday with far-right media host Alex Jones. Inexplicably wearing a face mask over his entire head, the superstar rapper who last month met with former President Donald Trump and white supremacist Nick...
Max Beckmann self-portrait sold at German auction for $20.7M
BERLIN — A self-portrait painted during World War II by German expressionist artist Max Beckmann sold Thursday in Berlin for 20 million euros ($20.7 million), a price that appears to be a record for an art auction in Germany. The buyer of Beckmann’s “Self-Portrait Yellow-Pink” at the Grisebach auction house...
Morgan Wallen adds PNC Park date this summer, releasing new music Friday
Morgan Wallen has unveiled concert dates for his 2023 world tour and announced that he will release not one, but three new songs on Friday. The country musician broke the news Thursday morning on social media where he revealed the titles of the soon-to-be-released tracks: “One Thing at a Time,”...
Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, musicians pay tribute to Christine McVie
Bandmates, musicians and fans took to social media to express sorrow over the death of Christine McVie, vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player of Fleetwood Mac. McVie’s soulful contralto helped define such classics as “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere” and “Don’t Stop.” She died Wednesday at age 79. A statement by...
Hollywood can make you ‘miserable.’ ‘White Lotus’ star Aubrey Plaza just laughs it offVideo
In the second season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” Aubrey Plaza plays Harper Spiller, a lawyer with a penchant for sarcasm who is vacationing in Italy with her husband and his friends. She’d rather read Valeria Luiselli’s “Lost Children Archive” than talk about “Ted Lasso.” And she’d rather not associate...
New frothy TV drama series ‘Riches’ mixes money and bloodVideo
NEW YORK — There’s a new TV drama about the exploits of a stylish, privileged and super-successful fictional family whose scheming members are at each other’s throats. They make the folks at “Succession” look almost functional. “Riches,” which premieres Dec. 2 on Amazon Prime Video is set in the corporate...
Carnegie Museum of Art’s 2023 exhibit put focus on collection
For its 2023 slate of programs, the Carnegie Museum of Art will take inspiration from its long-running Carnegie International — now in its 58th iteration. “The program builds on the incredible momentum of the Carnegie International, which is part of the collecting legacy on which the museum was founded,” said...
Jamie Lee Curtis to receive AARP Career Achievement Award
LOS ANGELES — “Scream Queen” Jamie Lee Curtis will be this year’s recipient of AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards career achievement honor. Curtis will receive the honor at the AARP’s annual Best Movies and TV for Grownups ceremony, the group announced Thursday. Alan Cumming returns to host the...
Tilda Swinton reunites with childhood pal Joanna Hogg for ‘Eternal Daughter’Video
As a child, Tilda Swinton always felt like an outsider, an observer of others, sometimes even in her own family. One day at the British boarding school she loathed, she met another girl, Joanna Hogg, who shared a similar worldview. (Another classmate was Diana Spencer, the future princess.) “We were...
Rolling Stones to release star-stuffed 2012 live recording
NEW YORK — The Rolling Stones plan to release what they’re calling their “ultimate live greatest hits album,” with appearances by Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, Gary Clark Jr. and The Black Keys, early next year. “GRRR Live!” contains songs recorded live on Dec. 15, 2012, at Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential...
Will Smith says ‘bottled’ rage led to Oscars slap: ‘Hurt people hurt people’Video
Will Smith knows that his “horrific decision” to slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards casts a long shadow on his upcoming projects and appeared on “The Daily Show” on Monday to unpack his latest mea culpa. While promoting his starring role in Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming film “Emancipation,” the...
Bret Michaels makes appearance in Hershey
Rock star and former Mechanicsburg resident Bret Michaels returned to our area for an induction ceremony from the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame. Michaels was honored at a private event at The Englewood in Hershey, and posed for photos with staff of the Hall of Fame and rock radio...
Movie review: ‘Violent Night’ can’t decide if it wants to play naughty or niceVideo
Sometimes the holiday season can just be a little too sweet. It’s why stories like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” endure, or movies like “Bad Santa” find success — not everyone wants to gulp down saccharine sentiments at Christmastime. Enter “Violent Night,” in which David Harbour plays a murderous Santa...
