Entertainment category, Page 311
Growth in number of TV series ‘bananas,’ network boss saysVideo
The mass of television series is certifiably “bananas,” according to the TV executive who has kept a close eye on its growth. An estimated tally of all scripted programs available to viewers exceeded 500 for the first time, FX Networks head John Landgraf said. He is credited with coining the...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 10-12Video
Baby, it’s … well, warm outside. Along with the unseasonably warm temperatures, this weekend’s entertainment options include warming soup, hot music and heated drama. Full stomachs, warm (he)arts The Westmoreland Museum of American Art will hold “Art on Tap: Soup Du Jour” from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 10 at...
Donald Glover’s ‘Atlanta’ set for 2 more seasons in 2021
PASADENA, Calif. — Donald Glover’s “Atlanta” is returning with new episodes, but not for another year. FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf said Thursday that star and creator Glover is making a total of 18 new episodes. Ten of them will air in January 2021, with the rest to follow later...
Review: ‘Just Mercy’ a first-rate story with second-rate dialogueVideo
“Just Mercy” is solid, meat-and-potatoes docudrama film-making, if you don’t mind a first-rate story of systemic injustice undercut by second-rate dialogue. No character can go two sentences without clarifying a legal point for the audience’s benefit, or reiterating a tidy, just-so note of stirring idealism. By the time the movie...
Review: Trite ‘Like a Boss’ wastes stars’ genuine comedic talents
Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) are two women in their 30s who don’t need men to make them happy, though they’ll gladly use them for fun. They’re best friends and roommates, comfortably unmarried and focused on the small cosmetics business they’ve formed together. So far, so good, right?...
Review: Kristen Stewart can’t save ‘Underwater’ from sinkingVideo
Welcome to January, which, in terms of quality movies, is the worst, the lowest, the abyss. Actually, that’s pretty accurate when it comes to the latest, straight-to-January release “Underwater,” which steals from “The Abyss” and many other movies like “Alien” and even “Godzilla.” The filmmakers started with an overused thriller...
Prolific ‘Graduate’ writer-actor Buck Henry dies at 89
NEW YORK — Buck Henry, the versatile writer, director and character actor who co-wrote and appeared in “The Graduate,” has died. He was 89. Henry’s wife, Irene Ramp, told The Washington Post that his death Wednesday in Los Angeles was due to a heart attack. Henry acted in and co-directed...
Bluegrass pickers head to Butler for January Ice Jam festivalVideo
Some of Western Pennsylvania’s best bluegrass musicians will descend on Butler this weekend for the 23rd annual January Ice Jam music festival. Bands will take the stage every half-hour Jan. 10 and 11 as the Days Inn on Route 8 is transformed into a picker’s paradise, with most rooms wide...
Extras needed for Kristen Stewart movie filming in Pittsburgh
Extras are needed for filming in Pittsburgh of “Happiest Season,” a Tristar/Sony feature film starring Kristen Stewart, who first came to fame portraying Bella Swan in the “Twilight” movies. Local filming will take place from mid-January to late February, according to movieextraspittsburgh.com. According to the website, the filmmakers are looking...
Zac Brown Band’s summer ‘Lions’ tour will stop in BurgettstownVideo
The country/rock Zac Brown Band has a June 18 date at S&T Bank Music Park (formerly KeyBank Pavilion) in Burgettstown. “The ‘Roar with the Lions Tour’ will feature music from the band’s entire discography mixed with a dynamic selection of genre-crossing cover songs that are a signature mark of each...
UK royals scramble to contain Harry, Meghan announcement
Britain’s royal family scrambled Thursday to contain the fallout from the surprise announcement by Prince Harry and Meghan that they plan “to step back” from royal duties, a shift that ignited media outrage and public unease in the U.K. The couple’s declaration that they planned to forge a “progressive” new...
With new love, renewed energy, Grace Potter hits the road with a stop at the RoxianVideo
Grace Potter has no complaints about her life today, but she could easily have offered a different assessment not long ago. “I’m living my best life, as they say,” Potter remarked in a late-December phone interview. “It’s just pretty magical.” The journey that has taken Potter to this place, though,...
Derek Hughes will open ‘Bag of Tricks’ in Liberty Magic showVideo
When Derek Hughes was 10, he swapped a chemistry set for a magic set with a friend. His first trick was placing a penny in the center of someone’s open palm and covering it with a matchbook. “Then, through the magic of alchemy, it transforms into a dime,” he says....
Entertainment planner: Jan. 9-22
Friday Jan. 10 Art on Tap, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg. 724-837-1500 or thewestmoreland.org Jimmy and the Frogmen, with special guest Donna O, Moondog’s, Blawnox. 412-828-2040 or moondogs.us Michael Christopher, with Dawn Savage, Club Cafe, Pittsburgh South Side. 866-468-3401 or ticketweb.com/clubcafe Saturday Jan. 11 The Almost, Rex Theater,...
Explore relationship during One Acts Festival at Geyer PAC
A weekend featuring original one-act plays that kicks off the New Year in style has become a tradition at Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. Actors and Artists of Fayette County’s third annual “One Acts Festival” Jan. 10-12 will give theatergoers an opportunity to experience four new plays created by...
Bask in the medieval music of Sequentia at Point Park University
The fire nine months ago at Notre Dame in Paris shocked the world because of the cathedral’s beauty, iconic status and antiquity. Construction began in 1161 and wasn’t completed until more than a century later. It is an expression of a time about which we know far less than we...
Justin Bieber says he has Lyme disease
Grammy-winning pop star Justin Bieber says he is in the midst of a bout with Lyme disease. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Bieber attempted to clarify rumors. “While a lot of people kept saying justin Bieber looks like (excrement), on meth etc. they failed to realize I’ve been recently...
Halsey isn’t playing Forest Hills, Pa., but she is going on tour
Yes, Halsey is going on tour. Yes, she’s playing in Forest Hills, but not that Forest Hills. The singer on Wednesday announced a North American leg to her “Manic World Tour,” in advance of a new album of the same name set for release on Jan. 17. But there was...
Oscars to go host-less for 2nd straight year
PASADENA, Calif. — The Oscars are going without a host again this year. ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said the Feb. 9 telecast will focus on what worked last year: “huge entertainment value, big musical numbers, big comedy and star power.” Last year’s ceremony attracted 29.6 million viewers, the second-smallest...
Prince Harry and Meghan to ‘step back’ as senior UK royals
In a stunning declaration, Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, said they are planning “to step back” as senior members of the royal family and “work to become financially independent.” A statement issued by the couple Wednesday evening also said they intend to “balance” their time between the U.K....
Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller’s family announces release of new album
Mac Miller’s music will live on — and soon. The late Pittsburgh rapper’s family announced on his verified Instagram page that a new album entitled “Circles” will be released Jan. 17. The family says it is a companion album to “Swimming,” which was released in August 2018. View this post...
ABC sets series finale date for ‘Modern Family’
NEW YORK — The ABC comedy “Modern Family” will air its series finale after 11 seasons on April 8, the network announced on Wednesday. The series following the extended Pritchett-Dunphy clan was an immediate sensation upon its 2009 debut. It holds the record with “Frasier” of five consecutive Emmy Awards...
Prize-winning piano prodigy to play at Saint Vincent CollegeVideo
Pianist Nathan Lee, winner of the 2020 Bronder Prize for Piano, will perform at the Jan. 25 installment of the Saint Vincent College Concert Series. The 18-year-old Lee’s performance will begin at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center of the Robert S. Carey Student Center on the Unity campus....
Celebs donate millions to help Australia wildfire efforts
LOS ANGELES — Elton John and Chris Hemsworth are among the celebrities donating big bucks for relief efforts as wildfires engulf Australia. Hemsworth, the Australian actor who plays Thor in the Marvel movie franchise, took to social media Monday to share that he will donate $1 million and asked his...
‘Prozac Nation’ author Elizabeth Wurtzel dies at age 52
NEW YORK — Elizabeth Wurtzel, whose blunt and painful confessions of her struggles with addiction and depression in the best-selling “Prozac Nation” made her a voice and a target for an anxious generation, died Tuesday at age 52. Wurtzel’s husband, Jim Freed, told The Associated Press that she died at...
