Entertainment category, Page 190
Oscar-nominated shorts upend expectations at Pittsburgh’s Harris Theater
The 2022 Oscar Shorts program opens Feb. 25 at the Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, with films showing through March 17. Separate screenings will feature the animated, documentary and live-action short films from around the world that have been nominated for Academy Awards, to be announced March 27. The Harris is...
South Fayette teen’s song to debut on Pittsburgh radio on Friday
As a 14-year-old, Aleia Snider of South Fayette was excited to be meeting “American Idol” standout Gabby Barrett after one of Barrett’s performances at the South Hills Village Mall a few years ago. “I her her through my dad (Star 100.7 FM DJ) Bubba Snider,” she said. “After hearing that...
What do you give Yoko Ono on her birthday? A tribute albumVideo
NEW YORK — Ben Gibbard wasn’t necessarily looking for music by Yoko Ono when he went record shopping a few decades ago. He was just browsing in the “O” section and stumbled on a copy of her 1973 album “Feeling the Space.” “It wasn’t super-expensive and I was like, ‘Yeah,...
Saying goodbye to ‘Arthur’: How it became TV’s longest-running animated series for children
The average aardvark lives for about 20 years. Arthur Read, the most famous of those mammals, has defied those odds and inspired several generations of young viewers in the process. On Monday, “Arthur,” the longest-running animated series for children in TV history, concludes its 25-season run. While the characters will...
Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett say Stadium Tour is happening this summerVideo
“It’s on.” Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx announced in a video released Thursday that The Stadium Tour with co-headliners Def Leppard and special guests Poison and Joan Jett is happening this summer. The mega concert featuring the four rock acts was first announced in 2019 and set for the summer...
Folklore expert: Original ‘Bambi’ was not a children’s story
The novel on which the Disney movie “Bambi” was based dealt with loss, loneliness and racism. If you thought it was rough to see Bambi’s mother die in the 1942 Disney film, you should read the original story. Before it became an animated classic movie for children, “Bambi” was a...
Book review: Political scientist who studies civil wars worries that U.S. is headed toward one
SAN DIEGO — Barbara Walter, a political scientist at UC San Diego, has been studying civil wars for 30 years. She understands the script they follow: how they ignite, how they escalate, how they end. The storm clouds she sees gathering now are over the United States. “If you were...
Country stars Jason Aldean, Gabby Barrett coming to Star Lake for concert
Country singer Jason Aldean’s Rock N’ Roll Cowboy Tour has an Aug. 26 date at the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown. Pre-sale tickets will be available at 10 a.m. Thursday with the code “CURTAIN,” with public ticket sale starting at 10 a.m. Friday, both at ticketmaster.com. Munhall native Gabby...
Allison Gollust, Jeff Zucker’s secret relationship at CNN, resigns after investigation
LOS ANGELES — Allison Gollust, the CNN executive whose relationship with Jeff Zucker led to his resignation as the cable network’s president, is leaving after an internal inquiry found violations of news standards, parent company WarnerMedia said. Gollust’s resignation Tuesday followed the conclusion of an investigation concerning ex-anchor Chris Cuomo...
Decades after forming Prince cover band, CAPA alumni lead tribute concert at Kelly Strayhorn Theater
Once up a time nearly four decades ago, Dwayne Fulton of Pittsburgh and his Creative and Performing Arts High School classmates Brian Edwards and Stan Howard started a band with the lofty goal of covering music by funk and R&B legend Prince. In the 1980s, Howard changed his first name...
Appreciation: Ivan Reitman was the genial maestro of American movie comedy
A few weeks ago, during one of those late nights when YouTube becomes a rabbit hole for the sleep-deprived, I found myself seeking out random clips from, of all things, “Kindergarten Cop.” That 1990 action-comedy directed by Ivan Reitman, who died this weekend at 75, is not what I’d call...
Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes to host Oscars
LOS ANGELES — After three years without a host, the Oscars are making up for lost time with three hosts for this year’s awards: Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are set to host the 94th Academy Awards, producer Will Packer said Tuesday. Reports say that each actor will...
New York jazz trio’s newest songs named for Pennsylvania disaster townsVideo
To call Moppa Elliott’s approach to music composition “loose” might be an understatement. The Pennsylvania native is a music teacher at Information Technology High School in Long Island City, N.Y., and the bassist for jazz collective Mostly Other People Do the Killing, which will perform in Pittsburgh on Feb. 23...
Boom in vinyl records goes bust for bands facing delays in manufacturing
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota’s favorite recording artists are starting to pay for the resurgence of vinyl. That includes the Cactus Blossoms, who released a new album last week and are anxiously returning to the road to promote it after two years of tour postponements from covid. One more problem, though: Vinyl...
Dr. Deborah Birx, covid adviser under Trump, has a book deal
NEW YORK — Dr. Deborah Birx has a memoir coming out this spring that will focus on her contentious time as White House coronavirus task force coordinator in the administration of President Donald Trump. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Monday that Birx’s “Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of...
Trevor Noah to headline White House correspondents’ dinner
WASHINGTON — Trevor Noah, the host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, will be the featured entertainer for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 30. It will be the first time the event, usually held annually, will take place since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “Trevor...
Halftime Review: Dre, Snoop and friends deliver epic showVideo
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Dr. Dre & Co. took the weight of the hip-hop culture on the Super Bowl stage, shouldered the pressure from skeptics and delivered a strong halftime show to prove that edgy rap can work at the world’s biggest sporting events. All it took was hip-hop’s most controversial...
‘Death on the Nile’ tops a quiet box office weekend
NEW YORK — Hollywood’s Super Bowl weekend largely fizzled with the muted debut of Kenneth Branagh’s long-delayed Agatha Christie whodunit, “Death on the Nile,” a tepid reception for the Jennifer Lopez romantic-comedy “Marry Me” and modest box-office bumps for Oscar nominees. “Death on the Nile,” Branagh’s follow-up to the 2017...
Idlewild images, history to be featured at Latrobe society meeting
The history of Idlewild Park will be featured this week during the annual membership meeting of the Latrobe Area Historical Society. Local author Jennifer Sopko will share photos and information she has collected about the popular Ligonier Township amusement park during a meeting at 10 a.m. Feb. 19 at the...
‘Book of Boba Fett’ finale, like the series, is messy but fun
It’s tough to reconcile how I feel about “The Book of Boba Fett.” On one hand, it was a series full of great moments, bridging a lot of the current “Star Wars” properties in a way that feels really great, especially as it takes place in the dustier, grittier universe...
Former WPXI reporter Kimberly Easton dies at 56
Former WPXI-TV reporter Kimberly Easton is being remembered as both a consummate professional and a kind, loving person, following her death Monday at her home in Columbus, Ind. She was 56. Her death was attributed to a heart attack. Easton worked at WPXI in Pittsburgh from 2003 to 2010. During...
Eddie Vedder blasts off with new solo tour and album, ‘Earthling,’ while gearing up for Pearl Jam reboot
Can anyone top Eddie Vedder when it comes to fostering unlikely musical convergences that span generations, let alone being a key link between The Beatles and Ramones? That is — to invoke the title of an obscure 1997 Pearl Jam song — hard to imagine. In 2002, Vedder inducted the...
13 romantic dramas to stream for Valentine’s Day
For Valentine’s Day, rom-coms often get all the press — who doesn’t want a charming trifle for this most romantic of holidays? But sometimes, romantic drama is the way to go, getting yourself lost in something gorgeously swoonworthy. Here are a baker’s dozen of my favorite dramas about love. I’ve...
Pittsburgh Opera season promises something for every taste, budget
There’s a misconception that opera is only for those with rarefied musical tastes and deep pockets. Pittsburgh Opera will prove otherwise with offerings in its 2022-23 season, according to general director Christopher Hahn. “We’re continuing the philosophy and mission of Pittsburgh Opera to provide as wide a range of operatic...
Lottery opens for $10 ‘Hamilton’ tickets in Pittsburgh
The first of a series of digital lottery for tickets to the Pittsburgh run of multi-award-winning musical, “Hamilton,” is now open — through noon Feb. 18. Subsequent digital lotteries will begin on each Friday and close the following Thursday for the upcoming week’s performances. A limited number of tickets will...
