Entertainment category, Page 402
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ tops Oscar weekend with $55.5M
LOS ANGELES — “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” breathed some fire into a slumping box office with a franchise-best $55.5 million debut over Oscar weekend. Writer-director Dean DeBlois’ third and supposedly final installment in the “How to Train Your Dragon” series notched the best opening of the...
Quiz: Test your Oscar smarts
The 91st annual Academy Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. Here’s a quick test of your brain power when it comes to the golden statue that Hollywood bestows on the best the year’s best films....
Curtain set to go up on a host-less but drama-filled Oscars
NEW YORK — A winter of discontent for the Academy Awards will culminate Sunday in an Oscar ceremony that may lack a host but isn’t missing intrigue. The run-up to the 91st Academy Awards has been a series of missteps and backtracks by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and...
Final weeks to see the Carnegie International at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh
The 57th Carnegie International , Carnegie Museum of Art’s signature exhibition comes to a close March 25. Find 'museum joy' at Carnegie Museum of Art's 57th Carnegie International in #Pittsburgh. WQED Pittsburgh (@wqed) January 28, 2019 Over the next four weeks, there will be artist talks, creative drawing sessions...
U.S. Latinas rally around ‘Roma’ actress Yalitza Aparicio
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Yalitza Aparicio, the Oscar-nominated, first-time actress in “Roma,” is finding strong support among Mexican-American women who identify with her indigenous roots despite backlash she is receiving in Mexico. Some Mexican-American women say they are glad Aparicio’s high-profile role is challenging typical images of light-skinned Latinas in Spanish-language...
Ligonier Valley Writers will visit art exhibits for inspiration
Members of the public are invited to join the Ligonier Valley Writers March 3 as the nonprofit group seeks inspiration for memoir pieces while exploring exhibits at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. The writing workshop and art tour are scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the museum...
Ballet FUNdamentals geared for kids at Ligonier, Green Tree libraries
The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will showcase its graceful style of dance with presentations for children at the Ligonier Valley Library and the Green Tree Public Library. During the free Ballet FUNdamentals program, boys and girls will experience a half-hour introduction to a ballet story. They’ll also learn the basics of...
Photos: Michael Bublé plays PPGArena
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Michael Bublé brought his “An Evening with Michael Bublé” tour to PPG Paints Arena Friday night. The hit singer recently released his tenth studio album, Love. Bublé has four Grammy Awards and has sold over thirty million records worldwide. He is originally from Burnaby in Canada. His...
Photos: Michael Bublé brings ‘Love’ to PPGArena
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Michael Bublé brought his “An Evening with Michael Bublé” tour to PPG Paints Arena Friday night. The hit singer recently released his tenth studio album, Love. Bublé has four Grammy Awards and has sold over thirty million records worldwide. He is originally from Burnaby in Canada. His...
‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin celebrated by Google Doodle
Google’s home page Friday featured the original Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, cuddling a croc. The legendary Australian outdoorsman’s 57th birthday would have been Feb. 22, (it was also the date of National Wildlife Day this year) so it was doubly appropriate the search engine pay homage by showing the man...
‘Empire’ producers cut Jussie Smollett from season’s last episodes
CHICAGO — Actor Jussie Smollett’s character on “Empire” will be removed from the final two episodes of this season in the wake of his arrest on charges that he staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself last month in downtown Chicago, producers of the Fox TV show announced Friday. The...
Pittsburgh Symphony and the Hill District community team for ‘Lift Every Voice’ concert
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has teamed with Hill District community members for the annual “Lift Every Voice” concert, a celebration of the neighborhood’s cultural legacy The concert is at 8 p.m. March 2 at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Downtown Pittsburgh. Symphony and associate conductor Andres Franco will...
R. Kelly charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse
CHICAGO — R. Kelly was charged Friday with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, after decades of lurid rumors and allegations that the R&B star was sexually abusing women and underage girls. Tandra Simonton, spokeswoman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, confirmed to The Associated Press the charges had...
My, my, ‘Mamma Mia’ is most popular high school musical
Holding true to national trends, “Mamma Mia” is the most popular high school musical in the region. The latest count shows eight area schools singing and dancing to the ever-popular strains of ABBA. The 2018 release of the film sequel, “Mamma Mia 2,” surely helped add to the musical’s popularity....
Peter Frampton’s farewell tour coming to Pittsburgh’s Benedum CenterVideo
Another rock legend has announced his farewell tour. Guitarist Peter Frampton has confirmed “Peter Frampton Finale — The Farewell Tour,” with a July 2 date at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. March 1 at livenation.com. Citi cardmembers will...
Crafters create tiny hearts to spread big message of kindnessVideo
While planning this year’s Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival, founder Barbara Grossman and her family felt a calling to respond to the Oct. 27 mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, in which 11 people were killed. The event planner says what started 15 years ago as a...
Here kitty, kitty! Row House Cinema to screen CatVideoFest
Row House Cinema will continue its tradition of putting adorable and hilarious cats on the big screen by hosting the 2019 CatVideoFest. The 70-minute cute kitty compilation will run March 10-21 in the theater at 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. A portion of proceeds from 70-minute program will go to local...
Review: Third ‘Dragon’ doesn’t fly as high as previous installmentsVideo
With an adorable (albeit fire-breathing) star and a formidable villain, the animated adventure “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” has a lot going for it. In this third installment of the series of films about Vikings and their dragons — based on books by Cressida Cowell — returning...
Review: Coach Cowher helps America celebrates 50 years of hits
Few things are more enjoyable then the warmth of getting together with old friends in a comfortable environment indoors on a late winter’s night. …Especially when that friendship goes back half a century. The reunion of ardent Pittsburgh fans with Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley (aka America) at the Byham...
New Harry Potter roller coaster opening at Universal Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — Harry Potter fans should get ready to rev their engines. A new roller coaster modeled after the character Hagrid’s motorcycle will open at Universal Orlando Resort in June. The theme park resort said Thursday that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will take riders on a trip with...
Peter Tork, bassist for The Monkees, dead at 77
Peter Tork, one of the four lovable wisecracking musicians in The Monkees, died Feb. 21 at age 77. The Washington Post reports Tork’s death was confirmed by his sister, Anne Thorkelson. She didn’t divulge how or where he died. In 2009, Tork was diagnosed with adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare...
Would-be thespians invited to play ‘Shakespeare Games’
Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks promises a “turn to the ridiculous” in the next installment of its Bring Your Own Bard reading series. “Shakespeare Games” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Te Cafe, 2000 Murray Ave., Squirrel Hill. “We will feature readings from Shakespeare’s plays, but with a...
Pittsburgh Glass Center plans benefit dinner, Seattle glass tour
The Pittsburgh Glass Center is planning its first Seattle, Wash., glass tour, offering participants a behind-the-scenes tour of museums and private glass studios in the Pacific Northwest city. Tour group members will meet artists and learn more about where they live and work. The May 29-June 2 itinerary includes stops...
Review: ‘Fighting With My Family’ is a cheeky, fun sports biopicVideo
The more globally famous the celebrity, the tougher audiences tend to be on a biopic. Unless it’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” because, you know. All those hits. A different sort of hit-making and punishment-taking sets the tone in “Fighting With My Family,” based on a true story. It’s not a story, or...
At Academy Awards, race for best picture is too close to call
NEW YORK — On a year where one of the lead Oscar contenders is titled “The Favourite,” the 91st Academy Awards lack a clear front runner. Normally a fairly predictable process with one or two favorites, this year’s best picture race has been maddeningly unclear, almost devious in its contradictions....
