Entertainment category, Page 192
Screen icon Rita Moreno tells how Marlon Brando’s mistreatment led her to suicide attemptVideo
Rita Moreno’s tempestuous relationship with Marlon Brando led to a suicide attempt. The EGOT-winner opened up about how the hot and heavy romance with the late screen legend caused her to almost end up in an early grave. “I tried to end my life with pills in his house,” she...
Dolly Parton to host Academy of Country Music Awards
Country music icon Dolly Parton will be hosting this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, bringing her star power to the show’s new streaming home on Prime Video. Parton, along with soon to be announced co-hosts, will emcee the new format for the awards show, which will...
Andy Warhol’s shoe fascination inspires new Pittsburgh exhibit
During the 1950s, Andy Warhol worked as an illustrator for I. Miller, a shoe manufacturer. Shoes as a cultural symbol continued to fascinate him throughout his career. Warhol’s shoe illustrations are a point of departure for “Paola Pivi: I Want It All,” an exhibition opening April 22 at The Andy...
4 charged in overdose death of actor Michael K. WilliamsVideo
NEW YORK — Four men face charges that they were members of the drug distribution crew that supplied a deadly mix of narcotics to Michael K. Williams, the renowned actor from “The Wire” who overdosed just hours after buying fentanyl-laced heroin in a deal recorded on security camera video. The...
Review: Journey to the origins of the Earth
“Otherlands: Journeys in Earth’s Extinct Ecosystems,” by Thomas Halliday (Random House) If there is one uncertainty that has persisted since the beginning of time, it’s our planet’s impermanence. Thomas Halliday ventures into the vastness of this predicament in his book “Otherlands: Journeys in Earth’s Extinct Ecosystems,” a compendium on Earth’s...
Sewickley’s Tull Family Theater celebrates 5 years of movies, more
Since the day it opened, The Tull Family Theater in Sewickley has been more than a place to show films. “From the beginning, the goal was to create a cultural organization of relevance and service to the region,” said Carolina Pais-Barreto Thor, CEO of the theater. “We knew because the...
Extra ticket release, lottery coming for ‘Hamilton’ in Pittsburgh
If you are looking for “Hamilton” tickets and are seeing the “No Availability” notice on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website, don’t despair. “Additional seats will be made available for sale closer to the engagement,” said Marc Fleming, the Trust’s vice president of marketing, communications and Broadway programming. “We encourage people...
Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie among Rock Hall nominees
NEW YORK — Dolly Parton, Eminem, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran and A Tribe Called Quest are among this year’s first-time nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Cleveland-based institution announced 17 artists and groups being considered for Rock Hall induction, including Rage Against the Machine,...
ABC suspends Whoopi Goldberg over Holocaust race remarks
NEW YORK — Whoopi Goldberg has been suspended for two weeks as co-host of “The View” because of what the head of ABC News called her “wrong and hurtful comments” about Jews and the Holocaust. “While Whoopi has apologized, I’ve asked her to take time to reflect and learn about...
TV Talk: Janelle Hall moves to mornings on WTAE as part of shakeup
The other shoe finally dropped following the abrupt departure of Kelly Frey from WTAE-TV last fall: Janelle Hall, most recently an anchor at 6 and 11 p.m., will join Michelle Wright weekday mornings, 4:30-7 a.m. Ryan Recker, who has been filling in since Frey’s departure, will also be a co-anchor...
Whoopi Goldberg regrets saying Holocaust not about race
NEW YORK — Whoopi Goldberg expressed regret Tuesday for saying on “The View” a day earlier that race was not a factor in the Holocaust, saying she was “deeply, deeply grateful” for getting an education on the topic. “The View” brought on Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League and...
Review: Unique narrator propels ‘What the Fireflies Knew’
“What the Fireflies Knew” by Kai Harris (Tiny Reparations Books) One of the joys of reviewing books is reading things you otherwise never would. So let me disclose up front that I chose this book because the title sounded cool. I didn’t know what it was about, didn’t know it...
On hold with Excela? A Pittsburgh man wrote that songVideo
Most telephone callers waiting on hold with the Excela health system are likely preoccupied with something other than the music they hear. Even so, they may find themselves lightly tapping their feet to the plaintive acoustic guitar and plucky overtones of “Excela Theme,” a song written specifically for the Westmoreland-based...
Why more musicians haven’t joined Neil Young’s Spotify boycott over Joe Rogan
For those following certain parts of Twitter during the last week, it would have been easy to come away with the impression that Spotify was facing a mass exodus of artists protesting covid-19 vaccine misinformation on Joe Rogan’s immensely popular podcast. When Neil Young pulled his music from the Swedish...
‘Maus’ ban makes Art Spiegelman’s Holocaust graphic novel an Amazon bestseller
Two editions of Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel “Maus,” about his parents’ experiences during the Holocaust, have become bestsellers after being banned by a Tennessee school board recently. “The Complete Maus” (1996) and “Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History” (1986) broke onto Amazon’s top 20 list over the...
Party at The Palace Theatre will celebrate winter wonderland
Guests once again will walk the red carpet as Party at The Palace returns live Feb. 26 to The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. After a digital event in 2021, the signature fundraiser of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust will sport a Winter Wonderland theme, which will be interpreted in a different...
Rihanna is pregnant, debuts bump on stroll with A$ap Rocky
NEW YORK — Rihanna and A$ap Rocky took an epic stroll over the weekend in snowy New York to reveal she’s pregnant with her first child. Despite the frigid temperatures, the 33-year-old “Diamonds” singer and fashion mogul showed off her bump in a long open pink coat and jeans as...
Tickets going fast for upcoming ‘Hamilton’ run in Pittsburgh
The hit musical “Hamilton” returns to Pittsburgh for performances Feb. 22 through March 13 at the Benedum Center in the downtown Cultural District. Prospective audience members who haven’t purchased tickets yet would be well advised to do so soon, said Marc Fleming, vice president of marketing, communications and Broadway programming...
Joe Rogan vows to ‘balance things out’ after Spotify misinformation controversy
Popular Spotify podcaster Joe Rogan on Sunday night responded to allegations of misinformation on his audio program, pledging to do a better job of balancing different perspectives and putting more time into researching topics. “I’m going to do my best, but my point of doing this is always just to...
Greensburg band to provide Groundhog Day music in Gobbler’s Knob
Greensburg’s Derek Woods Band will provide the musical backdrop for this year’s Groundhog Day festivities Feb. 2 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney. And if the past is any indication, Woods and his band members had better start layering their clothes now. “The sets we played were limited to about 10...
Howard Hesseman, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 81
NEW YORK — Howard Hesseman, who played the radio disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” and the actor-turned-history teacher Charlie Moore on “Head of the Class,” has died. He was 81. Hesseman died Saturday in Los Angeles due to complications from colon surgery, his manager...
Love of coffee and art yields creative exhibit in Freeport
Two friends from Freeport use their complementary knowledge and talents to open a coffee shop. Two friends from Sarver push each other to develop their individual artistic talents. One of the artists and one of the shop owners also are friends, and therein lies a tale. Freeport residents Virginia Lindsay...
Iconic lensman ‘Teenie’ Harris focus of Pittsburgh Black History Month show
The man behind the camera will be in focus as the City of Pittsburgh celebrates Black History Month by showcasing the life and works of iconic photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris. An online photo gallery and monthlong display in the City-County Building lobby, entitled “Teenie Harris: The Man Behind the Lens,”...
Free JazzLive gigs returning to Pittsburgh Cultural District
Jazz is on its way back to the Backstage Bar at Theatre Square in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, with the return of BNY Mellon Presents JazzLive. A winter installment of the year-round series kicks off with a performance from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday by Roger Humphries + RH Factor. It will run...
‘Peacemaker’ puts John Cena film character in topical light
NEW YORK — In last year’s “The Suicide Squad,” John Cena’s Peacemaker is a jingoistic, bigoted superhero. Transferring the DC Comics character to a TV series spinoff gave writer-director James Gunn a forum to hold the flawed character to the light in these days of political divide. Cena, one of...
