Entertainment category, Page 297
Review: ‘The Way Back’ a less compelling drama than it could beVideo
There is nothing particularly extraordinary about director Gavin O’Connor’s ” The Way Back,” except perhaps for Ben Affleck’s performance. This is a quiet drama about a lonely alcoholic who gets a lifeline when he’s asked to coach a high school basketball team. It’s the kind of movie people like to...
Modern sculpture by Dan Droz on tap for Sharpsburg’s Zynka GalleryVideo
Seemingly working sculptural magic with metal, the works of Pittsburgh artist Dan Droz will be featured in Gallery 900. The opening reception is set for 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Gallery 900 is next to Zynka Gallery, 904 Main St., Sharpsburg. Droz’s exhibition “Transformations II” will feature 30 new sculptures...
Katy Perry reveals pregnancy in new videoVideo
Katy Perry is expecting … a new song. Oh, and a baby. While she never says it outright, a rep for Perry told Variety it’s with her fiance Orlando Bloom — they’ve been engaged for a year. The pop star and “American Idol” judge dropped the news Thursday on social...
Entertainment planner: March 5-18
Friday March 6 Bear Hands, The Club at Stage AE, Pittsburgh North Shore. 800-745-3000 or ticketmaster.com New Bomb Turks, Crafthouse Stage and Grill, Pittsburgh South Hills. 412-653-2695 or crafthousepgh.com Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show, David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown Pittsburgh. Through March 15. pghhome.com Saturday March 7 “Celtic Connections...
‘The Band’s Visit’ delivers quiet, powerful message on Benedum Center stage
The musical “The Band’s Visit” isn’t the kind of stage spectacular — with big production numbers, massive colorful sets and glitz-and-glam costumes — that typically wins awards on Broadway. But surprisingly it did, capturing 10 Tony Awards in 2018, including Best Musical, and the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Musical...
Delight in the sights, sounds of ‘Rhythm of the Dance’ at PalaceVideo
The National Dance Company of Ireland’s “Rhythm of the Dance” show is back in the states for another round of shows, just in time to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day season with the troupe’s American fans. It’s not like the champion dancers, professional singers and musicians had a chance to...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra welcomes return of Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva
There’s nothing like virtuosity for excitement, but artistry calls for more. Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, for example, has been praised for her “ability to let the music breathe.” She is able to achieve the feeling of spontaneity in the emotional world she’s conjuring when she plays great music. Avdeeva is...
Critics of Oprah book club title put new novel, ‘American Dirt,’ on trial
When Oprah Winfrey chose the novel “American Dirt” for her book club, she imagined engaging in an impassioned television dialog about the narrative, which follows a Mexican mother and her son fleeing to the United States. Instead, Winfrey ended up organizing a show that put the book, author Jeanine Cummins...
Returning to acting, Mick Jagger plays a man of wealth and tasteVideo
It’s been nearly 20 years since Mick Jagger last acted, but as the new film “The Burnt Orange Heresy” shows, his chops have gathered no moss. In the film, which Sony Pictures Classics will release Friday, Jagger co-stars alongside Claes Bang and Elizabeth Debicki as a devilish art collector who...
James Bond film release pushed back because of coronavirusVideo
The release of the 25th James Bond film “No Time To Die” has been pushed back several months because of global concerns about coronavirus. MGM, Universal and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced via Twitter on Wednesday that the film would be pushed back from its April release...
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic says no ‘My Corona’ parody song
Singer “Weird Al” Yankovic on Tuesday dashed fans’ hopes of a remake of one of his signature hits, when he tweeted “not gonna do ‘My Corona.’ ” “My Bologna,” a parody of The Knack’s 1979 hit “My Sharona,” was Yankovic’s first hit and helped launch his career. Yeah, no, sorry....
Pianist first up in The Westmoreland’s spring jazz concert series
Jazz pianist Joshua Ben will open the Spring Jazz Concert Series with a March 11 performance in The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. The music is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Concert-goers are invited to arrive early to explore the galleries and get a bite to eat from Café...
PSO musicians to play Saint Vincent concert series finale
The Saint Vincent College Concert Series season will conclude March 14 with “A Night of Intimate Chamber Music and Conversation,” featuring Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra violinists Christopher Wu and Susanne Park, violist Andrew Wickesberg and cellist Anne Martindale Williams. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center...
Saint Vincent student artist has solo show at Latrobe Art Center
Saint Vincent College senior Sydney Hoffman will display her artwork in a solo exhibition in Latrobe Art Center’s Annex Gallery. “Caught in a Glimpse: Portraiture of Human Expression” will open March 5 and run through April 2. A free reception with appetizers and refreshments is planned for 6-8 p.m. March...
Derry Area tackles challenging ‘Les Miserables’Video
As high school musicals go, “Les Miserables” is no “The Little Mermaid.” It’s a challenging production, acknowledged director/producer Kayla Tamer — possibly one of the most challenging musicals Derry Area High School has ever attempted. After last year’s “The Little Mermaid,” Tamer felt her students were up to the task....
Southmoreland students will shine in spring musical ‘Seussical’Video
Southmoreland High School Music Theatre with fill the high school auditorium in Alverton with singing and dancing from “Seussical the Musical,” a family-friendly show based on the words of Dr. Seuss. “They selected ‘Seussical the Musical’ because it is family friendly and has familiar characters, and it weaves a lot...
Former CNN anchor Bobbie Battista dies of cancer at age 67Video
LOS ANGELES — Bobbie Battista, who was among the original anchors for CNN Headline News and hosted CNN’s “TalkBack Live,” has died. She was 67. Battista died Tuesday after a four-year battle with cervical cancer, family spokeswoman Wendy Guarisco told CNN. “Bobbie was the consummate trooper in her struggle with...
Ticket to Rock available for 4 S&T Bank Music Park concerts
Those about to rock can get their Ticket To Rock, including four summer shows at S&T Bank Music Park in Burgettstown. The schedule includes: • June 28: Megadeath and Lamb of God • July 29: Breaking Benjamin with Bush, Theory of a Deadman and Cory Marks • Aug. 13: Disturbed...
You Are Here hosts contemporary printmaking exhibition
A showcase of works on paper demonstrating a variety of contemporary printmaking techniques is the focus of “Printed Matter,” the new exhibition at Jeannette gallery You Are Here. The various works reflect the participating artists’ individual style, according to a gallery statement. Curated by Dan Overdorff, the exhibition’s artists are...
Local legend Tom Savini highlights resurrected horror show
Horror Realm Con — which ended a multi-year run in 2017 — will return to the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South hotel March 6-8. Horror Realm Con’s current roster includes local Pittsburgh makeup and special effects legend Tom Savini (“Night of the Living Dead” 1990 remake), Tiffany Shepis (“Tromeo and Juliet”),...
Chris Matthews abruptly retires from MSNBC, cites comments to womenVideo
NEW YORK — Longtime MSNBC host Chris Matthews abruptly retired from his “Hardball” show on Monday, apologizing for making inappropriate comments about women and following a brutal week where he also took heat from supporters of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. His exit came after a weekend of discussions with...
City Theatre in Pittsburgh announces 2020-21 season
Pittsburgh’s City Theatre, based on the South Side, prides itself on introducing cutting-edge new works. In keeping with that tradition, the company announced a 2020-21 season filled with bold new plays. The season opens Sept. 19 with “Frankenstein” by Emmy Award-winning performance collective Manuel Cinema, described as “a new take...
‘Inside the Actors Studio’ host James Lipton dies at 93Video
LOS ANGELES — James Lipton, an actor-turned-academic who became an unlikely celebrity and got hundreds of master actors and Hollywood luminaries to open up about their craft as the longtime host of “Inside the Actors Studio,” died Monday. Lipton died of bladder cancer at his New York home, his wife,...
Kool & The Gang return to Rivers Casino Pittsburgh
There will be another celebration at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh. Rhythm and blues icons Kool & The Gang return June 20 to the casino’s event center on the North Shore. Known for 1970s and ’80s classics like “Celebration,” “Get Down on It,” “Joanna,” “Cherish” and “Jungle Boogie,” the band opened the...
Public Enemy kicks out Flavor Flav after campaign dispute
NEW YORK — Public Enemy has abruptly fired founding member Flavor Flav following a public spat over the rap group’s plan to perform at a Bernie Sanders campaign event. Public Enemy “will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the band said in a brief statement Sunday. “We thank him for...
