Entertainment category, Page 333
Life is a cabaret, says Jeannette Community Band
Expanding its entertainment format for a night, the Jeannette Community Band will hold a cabaret-style concert at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Jeannette American Legion. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., says Sherrie Wood, band secretary. In a departure from the band’s typical concert performances, the audience will be...
Met Opera starts regular Sunday matinees, breaking tradition
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Opera began regular Sunday-afternoon staged performances for the first time in its 136-year history with Puccini’s “Turandot” in an effort to boost ticket sales and revenue. Some in the audience wore tuxedos and evening gowns, others wore jeans and sneakers. There was even a man...
Dan + Shay to play Pittsburgh on 1st headlining arena tourVideo
Grammy-winning Dan + Shay — Wexford native Dan Smyers and musical partner Shay Mooney — will head out in 2020 on their first headlining arena tour, stopping at PPG Paints Arena in September. The 35-plus date tour, presented by AEG Presents, kicks off on March 6, 2020, at Bridgestone Arena...
Michelle Obama’s next book is a companion to ‘Becoming’
NEW YORK — Michelle Obama’s first book since “Becoming” is more about her readers than about herself. “Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice” will be published Nov. 19 by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The new release was announced Monday and is a companion to...
Westmoreland Symphony opens 51st season with ‘Russian Masters’
The Westmoreland Symphony is tuning up for the new season, including hiring a handful of new string players, to open with a splash by performing three of the most popular Russian composers. “For me, Russian music is among the most colorful, most dramatic and the most challenging of all the...
Madcap confetti-throwing comic Rip Taylor dies at 84Video
LOS ANGELES — Rip Taylor, the madcap mustached comedian with a fondness for confetti-throwing who became a television game show mainstay in the 1970s, has died. He was 84. Taylor died Sunday in Beverly Hills, Calif., publicist Harlan Boll said. The man who would become known worldwide as Rip did...
‘Joker’ laughs its way to October box office record
LOS ANGELES — The filmmakers and studio behind “Joker” have reason to put on a happy face. Despite concerns over its violent themes and ramped up theater security, audiences flocked to the multiplex to check out the R-rated film this weekend resulting in a record October opening. Warner Bros. said...
Ginger Baker, Cream’s volatile drummer, dies at 80
LONDON — Ginger Baker, the volatile and propulsive British musician who was best known for his time with the power trio Cream, died Sunday at age 80, his family said. Baker wielded his blues power and jazz technique to help break open popular music and become one of the world’s...
Gabby Barrett marries ‘American Idol’ sweetheart Cade Foehner
Gabby Barrett got hitched this weekend to her “American Idol” sweetheart, Cade Foehner. According to People, Barrett and Foehner said “I do” in Garrison, Texas, on Saturday in front of 100 guests at wedding and event venue Union Springs. Barrett, from Munhall, and Foehner, 23, of Shelbyville, Texas, met on...
Latrobe-area writer focuses on Fred Rogers’ kindness, hometown impactVideo
Beloved children’s television host Fred Rogers achieved his greatest effect on others by being “defiantly kind,” Latrobe-area writer Chris Rodell asserts. Rodell offers an example — a 1995 encounter with Latrobe native Rogers that lifted the spirits of a younger man — in his new book released this month, “Growing...
Rapper Gucci Mane gets deal for luxury line with Gucci
It’s safe to say Gucci Mane’s stage name is (finally) paying off. Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane recently announced that he is hooking up with high-end clothes brand Gucci for a new collection. The revelation comes after celebrities and others criticized the company in February after it reportedly released a $890...
‘Nancy Drew’ gets modern makeover with CMU grad Kennedy McMannVideo
Nancy Drew was a spunky 16-year-old with a nose for detective work when the character debuted in 1930 with the first of a series of novels. Numerous incarnations of the character have appeared in television shows and films, with many changing Nancy’s age to 18. The CW offers the latest...
Poetry project celebrates Pittsburgh’s public stairways
To Paola Corso, Pittsburgh’s iconic steps are more than concrete blocks piled on top of one another. They can take people places, connecting the past to the present and into the future. Made by immigrants and used by them, their children and others who will come after them, Corso wanted...
Taylor Swift doesn’t recognize her own song during ‘Tonight Show’ gameVideo
Taylor Swift drew a blank (space) when it came to naming a song close to her: one of her own. Swift was on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Thursday in advance of her “Saturday Night Live” performance this week. While on the show, she played the “Name That...
‘Cool’ artist John Van Hamersveld meets with Greensburg Salem art studentsVideo
One day before The Westmoreland Museum of American Art’s annual Big Art Party, the featured artist spent Friday conducting workshops for art students at Greensburg Salem High School. The Westmoreland’s current exhibit, “Era of Cool: The Art of John Van Hamersveld,” continues through Oct. 20. Van Hamersveld is perhaps best...
The Rock returns to WWE for FOX premiere
Finally, The Rock has come back, to SmackDown. Movie star and former WWE champion Dwayne Johnson will help kick off WWE’s move to the FOX network Friday night. FINALLY...I come back home to my @WWE universe. This FRIDAY NIGHT, I’ll return for our debut of SMACKDOWN!LIVE on @FOXTV.There’s no greater...
Diahann Carroll, Oscar-nominated and pioneering actress, diesVideo
NEW YORK — Diahann Carroll, the Oscar-nominated actress and singer who won critical acclaim as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia,” has died. She was 84. Carroll’s daughter, Susan Kay, told The Associated Press her mother died Friday in Los...
‘Joker’ sets October box-office record for Thursday showingsVideo
“Joker” is getting the first laugh on its debut weekend, scoring an October box-office record with $13.3 million earned in Thursday night showings. Warner Bros. released the figures Friday morning. The strong start comes after weeks of discussion about the R-rated film and whether it will inspire some to commit...
‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It’ gets box set after 10 years
LOS ANGELES — A small-batch box set of film, music and memorabilia will be released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” the movie that captured Jackson’s final concert rehearsals before his death. Only 1,000 numbered copies will be made of the set that is available...
Local sci-fi, horror authors to participate in panel discussion in Monroeville
Visitors to the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Monroeville later this month may find themselves immersed in a world where women have leeches for arms, intergalactic mercenary werewolves fly through space beating people up and aliens wink at passers-by in bars with names like The Pickled Quasar. But it’s not...
5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Oct. 4-6Video
The days are getting shorter, the evenings cooler and fall activities are ramping up. From musical performances to amusement parks and farm festivals, Westmoreland County offers a lengthy potential “to do” list this weekend. Get outdoors and enjoy Indian summer, then head indoors for some culture. And maybe enjoy a...
James Franco’s ex-students sue alleging sexual impropriety
LOS ANGELES — Two actresses have sued James Franco and the acting and film school he founded, saying the actor intimidated his students into gratuitous and exploitative sexual situations. Sarah Tither-Kaplan and Toni Gaal, former students at Franco’s now-closed Studio 4, filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court....
Stephen King plans changes to iconic Maine home
Stephen and Tabitha King are ready for the next chapter for their Victorian mansion that stands behind a wrought iron gate festooned with winged creatures and spiderwebs. The authors want to transform the home where they raised their children in Bangor, Maine, into the location for Stephen King’s personal archives....
Actor Robert De Niro in real-life drama with ex-workerVideo
NEW YORK — Robert De Niro has found himself in a real-life court drama, trading dueling lawsuits with his former assistant after their decade-long working relationship went dreadfully sour. He’s accusing her of misappropriating money. She says he subjected her to sexist and harassing comments. Chase Robinson sued the 76-year-old...
Brackenridge native Chris Conroy has part in Fox’s ‘Almost Family’Video
Did you spot a familiar face in last night’s the premiere of “Almost Family” on Fox? That was Brackenridge native Chris Conroy playing the part of Sam. Here is the network’s back story for the show: “Only child Julia Bechley (Brittany Snow, the “Pitch Perfect” franchise, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) finds her...
