Entertainment category, Page 315
Justin Bieber to play Pittsburgh in 2020Video
Christmas came early for Justin Bieber fans. In a YouTube video posted about noon Tuesday, the pop star announced a tour, new album, new single and new docu-series for 2020. Bieber is set for a show in Pittsburgh on Aug. 4 at PPG Paints Arena. The Ontario, Canada native last...
Rapper DaBaby detained hours after toy giveaway, concert
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Grammy-nominated rapper DaBaby was detained in North Carolina hours after he gave away toys to children and shortly after his concert. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police issued citations to the rapper, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, for misdemeanor possession of marijuana and resisting an officer Monday night, news outlets...
Dewayne Perkins on writing for ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ new solo stand-up show
We often talk about sketch and improv as an entry point for comedic performers. But it’s a type of acting that also tends to hone a person’s writing skills. Which means a decent chunk of people writing for late-night talk shows or TV comedies came up through the Chicago improv...
Ed Sheeran taking a break from music — again
Another album and tour over, another Ed Sheeran break from music. The 28-year-old singer-songwriter announced to his fans on Instagram that he’s cutting out for a bit. View this post on Instagram Brb x A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos) on Dec 24, 2019 at 4:00am PST “Hello all....
Holiday TV picks for moms and dads who can hardly wait for school to start again
With Christmas landing and the new year traveling faster than a speeding bullet, television can be a soothing influence on parents who have too much to do and kids who have too little. The networks have not forgotten, and FXX offers its Plus+Size Holiday Marathon featuring 661 episodes of “The...
Dancer born with one hand makes Radio City Rockettes history
A dancer born with one hand is the first person with a visible disability ever hired by New York’s famed Radio City Rockettes. “I don’t want to be known as the dancer who has one hand, and not because that’s a bad thing,” Sydney Mesher, who joined the Rockettes this...
Bill Cosby spokesperson hits back at Eddie Murphy after dig on ‘SNL’Video
Bill Cosby’s spokesperson slammed comedian Eddie Murphy over a dig Murphy made on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend. Murphy was back on “SNL” after departing the show in 1984. In his opening monologue he said he was busy being a stay-at-home dad and distanced himself from the disgraced comic. “If...
Last-minute deal will keep Starz on Comcast’s Xfinity lineup
Fans of the hit series “Outlander,” think of it as your early Christmas present. Comcast NBCUniversal and Lionsgate have agreed to a new carriage deal that will keep Starz on Xfinity TV’s lineup, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The deal also will put Starz on NBC’s upcoming streaming service Peacock,...
Let’s cancel ‘cancel culture’ in 2020, and the humblebrag, too
Either loudly sing your own praises or don’t in the new year, but let’s leave the humble brag behind, along with a few other oversaturated, cloying or just plain silly cultural quirks that deserve a big goodbye. Among them are pop-up shops, cancel culture and the ever-present “OK Boomer” retort...
‘Rise of Skywalker’ opens with $175.5 million; ‘Cats’ flops
NEW YORK — The Force was a little less strong with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” J.J. Abrams’ Skywalker finale couldn’t match its recent predecessors on opening weekend, but it still amassed a $175.5 million debut that ranked as the third largest weekend of the year. “The Rise of...
Eddie Murphy returns to ‘SNL,’ roasts Bill CosbyVideo
Eddie Murphy returned to host “Saturday Night Live” after leaving the show 35 years ago. In his opening monologue, as the crowd cheered his name, Murphy joked about how long it’s been since he was on the show. The comedian said it was great to be back for the Christmas...
Check out this eclectic pick of 17 gift-worthy box sets
This year figures to go down as a memorable one for box sets and other special releases. Several landmark albums, including the Beatles’ “Abbey Road,” The Replacements’ “Don’t Tell A Soul” and Prince’s “1999” were re-issued with lots of worthy additional music. Bob Dylan’s vault got raided once again, and...
San Francisco musical, longest running in US, to hang up hat
SAN FRANCISCO — When you think of America’s longest-running musicals, Broadway favorites such as “The Lion King” or “Chicago” may come to mind. But there’s a small San Francisco show that’s been a must-see for tourists and locals alike for more than 45 years — and now the curtain is...
30-plus years of ‘Garfield’ comic strips to sell at auction
DALLAS — Cartoonist Jim Davis is offering up more than 11,000 “Garfield” comic strips hand-drawn on paper in an auction that will stretch into the coming years, with at least a couple of strips featuring the always-hungry orange cat with a sardonic sense of humor available weekly. “There are just...
The Jim Crow film that just won’t die, “Song of the South”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Racially segregated movie theaters and whites-only water fountains disappeared decades ago after court rulings struck down the legal framework of Jim Crow America, but another element of the era just won’t die: Walt Disney’s 1946 movie “Song of the South.” With racist stereotypes and Old South tropes,...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Dec. 20-22Video
And just like that, the last weekend before Christmas is upon us. There may or may not be a flurry of snowflakes, but a flurry of fun awaits. Music, train displays and movies will help calm any seasonal stress, and keep the kiddos from bouncing off the walls — maybe....
J.K. Rowling stirs transphobia debate again with new tweetVideo
“Harry Potter” scribe J.K. Rowling brewed up a whole new controversy Thursday after she tweeted her support for a British woman who had been fired for making transphobic remarks. The outspoken billionaire author chimed in on the trending hashtag, #IStandWithMaya, a campaign backing researcher Maya Forstater. The researcher claimed online...
Review: ‘Bombshell’ is another sneaky, fact-adjacent docudramaVideo
One week after the tepid box office reception for “Richard Jewell,” a well-acted, sneakily political, fact-adjacent drama of no little controversy, here comes “Bombshell” — another well-acted, sneakily political and fact-adjacent picture, representing the other side of what’s left of the aisle in this country. It’s hard to assess the...
Review: Love it or hate it, ‘Cats’ is a pop culture phenomenonVideo
There’s apparently enough groundbreaking technology used in “Cats” for NASA to send a rocket to unexplored parts of the universe — perhaps to a far-off planet where cats sing, dance on two legs and recite T.S. Eliot poetry in half-Cockney accents. But let’s forget the much-discussed “digital fur technology” used...
PPG Paints Arena ranks 11th in U.S. ticket sales for 2019
Bringing big name performers to its stage has helped PPG Paints Arena rank 11th in the United States and 21st in the world in ticket sales for concerts and other live touring events in 2019, according to figures released by Pollstar. “That’s probably the highest that we’ve been,” says Gary...
Andy Serkis on why the world needs a new ‘Christmas Carol’
Wearing a tall black hat, a heavy mottled fur coat covered in trinkets, a long beard and plenty of hair, Andy Serkis received a round of applause from the crew of “A Christmas Carol” after thanking them for their hard work on the set. An hour later, he emerged clean...
Entertainment planner: Dec. 19-Jan. 1
Thursday Dec. 19 Penn Trafford Community Flute Choir, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Oakland. 412-622-6914 or phipps.conservatory.org Friday Dec. 20 The Affordable Floors, Roxian Theatre, McKees Rocks. 412-331-1050 or roxianlive.com Dancing Queen, disco tribute band, Jergel’s Rhythm Grille, Warrendale. 724-799-8333 or jergels.com Saturday Dec. 21 Brothers Kelly, The Wicked Googly,...
Relive a miracle with Resonance Works’ ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’
The origins of many Christmas traditions are shrouded in the mists of time, but there is no doubt about the most popular Christmas opera. “Amahl and the Night Visitors” was first seen on Christmas Eve 1951, when it was premiered on NBC television. The artistic range of commercial television was...
Harlem Globetrotters soar into Pittsburgh for annual showVideo
The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters are “Pushing the Limits” in so many amazing ways. They’re embarking on a world tour that will bring their high-energy basketball show to more than 250 North American cities — including Pittsburgh on Dec. 26 — and 30 countries into 2020. They also added six new...
The Illusionists will immerse Heinz Hall in magic
The holiday season will be even more magical than usual when the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust makes a group of seven master entertainers appear on the Heinz Hall stage with their bag of sophisticated tricks and illusions. “The Illusionists — Magic of the Holidays” is a touring production of a successful...
