Entertainment category, Page 276
New solo version of Aretha song about race, faith released on JuneteenthVideo
A never-before-heard solo version of the late Aretha Franklin’s riveting and powerful collaboration with Mary J. Blige about faith and race, 2006’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” has arrived on Juneteenth. Sony’s RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song Friday, aligning with the holiday celebrating the day...
Padma Lakshmi gets political with series cheering immigrantsVideo
Padma Lakshmi has watched in anger as some politicians denigrate immigrants. She’s been left seething as newcomers are discriminated against or targeted. So she has responded with something she knows quite a lot about: food. Specifically, immigrant food: burritos, dosas, crab boil, pad Thai and poke. Lakshmi, a longtime judge...
Former KDKA meteorologist Jeff Verszyla returns to Pittsburgh TV with freelance gig at WTAE
Former KDKA-TV chief meteorologist Jeff Verszyla returns to Pittsburgh television with a new freelance weather gig. He announced Thursday on social media that he will begin working with WTAE-TV starting Sunday. He said he expects to be on mostly weekend nights into early August. He asked fans not to “call...
Delmont Recreation Board adds live music to ‘Movies in the Park’Video
The Delmont Recreation Board will augment its annual summer “Movies in the Park” series with free live music before the film begins. The first event will be at 6 p.m. June 27 at Newhouse Park, featuring music from The Phisbins. Food will be available to purchase at the concession stand...
Proof of life: Photos emerge of stolen Van Gogh painting
A Dutch art sleuth has received “proof-of-life” photos of a Vincent van Gogh painting stolen in late March from a Dutch museum that was closed at the time because of the coronavirus. Arthur Brand, an art detective with a long track record of recovering stolen works, said Thursday that he...
New date set for Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett tour
If you were disappointed that you weren’t going to hear “Home Sweet Home,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” live this summer, good news: a new date for the Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts show in Pittsburgh has been...
Hollywood says Black Lives Matter, but more diversity needed
As protests erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd, every major entertainment company in Hollywood issued statements of support for the black community. But as unanimous as that show of solidarity was, it was also clear that this wasn’t a fight Hollywood could watch from the sidelines....
Review: Very hip, very haunted house in ‘You Should Have Left’Video
C’mon. Everyone knows that when you rent a vacation house online, you read the reviews first. So maybe if Theo and Susanna, the upscale couple in “You Should Have Left,” had read the reviews before renting their lovely getaway house in Wales, just maybe they’d have come across that creepy...
World War II forces sweetheart singer Vera Lynn dies at 103
LONDON — Dame Vera Lynn, the endearingly popular “Forces’ Sweetheart” who serenaded British troops abroad during World War II, has died at 103. During the war and long after, Lynn got crowds singing, smiling and crying with sentimental favorites such as “We’ll Meet Again,” and “The White Cliffs of Dover.”...
2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fall
Garrison Keillor will have two books out this fall — a novel and a memoir — marking his first releases since sexual harassment allegations were made against the author and humorist three years ago. Arcade Publishing announced Thursday that Keillor’s “The Lake Wobegon Virus,” which continues his popular “Lake Wobegon”...
Review: ‘Babyteeth’ is a sick teen in love flick with a biteVideo
“Babyteeth” is guaranteed to get under your skin. This refreshingly original Australian indie about a terminally ill teen who falls in love with the wrong guy is designed to push all the buttons: It’ll frustrate, delight, annoy and devastate. In other words, it’s quite the journey. But it’s one that...
‘That 70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson charged in 3 rapes
LOS ANGELES — “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson has been charged with the rapes of three women in the early 2000s, Los Angeles prosecutors said Wednesday. The three counts of rape by force or fear come after a three-year investigation of the 44-year-old Masterson. The charges were filed and...
105.9 The X planning 4th of July alternative rock countdownVideo
Pearl Jam. Nirvana. Green Day. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Which one of these 1990s alternative rock giants will sit atop 105.9 The X’s Fourth of July countdown? For the 4th of July weekend, We will count down, or up. We’re not sure.... The TOP 420 Rock and Alternative songs of...
ABC’s fall TV schedule is set, but virus has say on timing
ABC’s fall schedule released Wednesday optimistically details its plans, including a new thriller from the creator of “Big Little Lies.” But there’s a key element missing — the debut dates made uncertain by the coronavirus pandemic. “I am hopeful that the season will start sometime in late September or early...
‘Hamilton,’ ‘Phantom’ will be off London stages until 2021
Some of London’s biggest West End shows, including “Hamilton” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” won’t reopen until next year, producers announced Wednesday, as arts bodies warned that Britain faces a “cultural catastrophe” because of the coronavirus pandemic. Producer Cameron Mackintosh, his producing partners and his Delfont Mackintosh Theatres group...
Cinemark set to reopen Pittsburgh-area theaters
Cinemark plans to reopen four theaters in the Pittsburgh area in early July. Cinemark’s website said the North Hills and Robinson locations will be among the first Cinemark theaters to open in Pennsylvania, on July 3. The move is part of the company’s phased reopening from the covid-19 shutdown. Theaters...
Real-life Pittsburgh couples to act in live, online micro-plays
Quantum Theatre will host four evenings of live online programming, featuring seven Pittsburgh-area actor couples who cohabit in real life. The text will come from Caryl Churchill’s “Love and Information,” a collection of 57 micro-plays, featuring more than 100 characters “exploring the breadth of human experience and our shared hunger...
Tyler Perry says he’s ‘exhausted’ by all the hate, division
Tyler Perry wrote “we must never give up” in a heartfelt first-person essay in People magazine detailing his thoughts on racial injustice and police brutality against unarmed black people in America. Perry said he almost passed on publishing his essay in the upcoming issue, which will be released Friday, but...
’30 Rock’ cast reuniting to tout new NBC, cable schedules
Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan and other “30 Rock” stars are reuniting for a corporate cause: to promote the shows and stars that will be part of the new season for NBC and its NBCUniversal cable siblings. Described as a “one-time, commercial-free event” — other than the extended ad...
Kennedy Township girl advances on ‘America’s Got Talent’ with musical tribute to dad
A 12-year-old Kennedy Township girl sang a song she wrote for her dad and won the hearts of the audience and judges to advance to the next round of “America’s Got Talent” during an audition episode of the TV show that aired Tuesday evening. Ashley Marina Yankello, who drops her...
$5M in covid-19 safety efforts planned when ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ filming resumes
Hollywood lore abounds with stories of fraught film shoots and technical difficulties. A famous one comes from the 1976 “Star Wars” production in Tunisia. Costumes broke, sand ruined equipment and windstorms pummeled sets. Famously, early in the process, even rain became an impediment — something that would have seemed unfathomable...
‘Lemmy’ biopic to focus on Motorhead frontman’s early years
The iconic frontman from Motorhead is getting a biopic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film will follow Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister’s early life in England and his early experiences as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix, among other topics. “Lemmy” is set to be directed by Greg Olliver, who spent years...
My Chemical Romance postpones reunion tour
My Chemical Romance has pushed back the band’s highly anticipated reunion tour of North America. The tour will now take place next year. The trek will kick off in Philadelphia on Sept. 8, 2021. pic.twitter.com/JFYhuqK9N2— My Chemical Romance (@MCRofficial) June 16, 2020 “As a band, we are deeply aware...
Jimmy Kimmel to host Emmys, first major awards show of pandemicVideo
LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel will host the first major Hollywood awards ceremony of the coronavirus pandemic — but just how the Emmy Awards will be held remains cloudy. Kimmel, who is also producing the Sept. 20 ceremony on ABC honoring TV’s best, acknowledged that in Tuesday’s announcement. “I don’t...
Online children’s story sessions feature Westmoreland Symphony musicians
Children are invited to learn about composer Ludwig van Beethoven during online story times presented by the Westmoreland Library Network, featuring musicians from the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. “Beethoven Lives Upstairs,” by Barbara Nichol, will be read during sessions at 11 a.m. Wednesday and Friday, and on July 13 and Aug....
