Entertainment category, Page 409
Review: Bland ‘Miss Bala’ remake misses the original pointVideo
Mexico’s 2011 Oscar entry, “Miss Bala,” was a searing slice of social commentary about the raging narco wars wrapped up in a sexy, action-packed thriller. Directed by Gerardo Naranjo, the script was ripped from the headlines, basing its beauty queen-meets-drug lord story on a stranger-than-fiction 2008 scandal, when Miss Sinaloa...
Students can earn cash awards from Ligonier Valley Writers poetry contest
Young writers in grades 4-12, including home-schoolers, are invited to submit poems to the Ligonier Valley Writers’ 28th annual student poetry contest. Cash prizes of up to $20 will be awarded at all grade levels in different forms of poetry, from haiku to free verse to rhymed forms. Submission deadline...
Artist will discuss metalsmith work at Lunch a l’Art program
Metalsmith Melissa Davenport will present a program at the noon Feb. 21 Lunch a l’Art program at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. The $15 event includes lunch and presentation. A teaching artist with SAMA and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Davenport combines metal art with...
Gabby Barrett comes out swinging with ‘I Hope’Video
Not winning “American Idol” hasn’t hampered Munhall native and teen singer-songwriter Gabby Barrett’s burgeoning country music career. Barrett, 18, finished in the top three on last season’s “American Idol” and dropped her edgy ballad “I Hope” Jan. 25. Barrett co-wrote “I Hope” alongside industry hit makers Zachary Kale and Jon...
‘Hamilton’ plays to more than 88K during Pittsburgh run
The cast of “Hamilton” – the megahit musical about Alexander Hamilton that provided an unforgettable experience for an estimated 88,000 theatergoers at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center during January – took its final bows “One Last Time” after 32 performances Jan. 1-27. Fans of the show will be happy to learn there’s...
Holocaust victim’s words inform Carnegie Stage production
A one-woman play based on the writings of a Dutch Jewish woman who died in Auschwitz during World War II is coming to Carnegie Stage in Carnegie. Off the WALL Productions will present Equity actor and teaching artist Susan Stein in “Etty” from Feb. 7 to 10. Stein created the...
Entertainment planner: Jan. 31-Feb. 13
Thursday Jan. 31 JD Simo, Hard Rock Cafe, Pittsburgh. 412-481-7625 or hardrock.com/cafes/pittsburgh National Aviary Owl Prowl, Audubon Greenway Conservation Area, Sewickley. 412-323-7235 or aviary.org Friday Feb. 1 “Halfway to Dawn,” also Feb. 2. Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Pittsburgh. kelly-strayhorn.org Saturday Feb. 2 Native Harrow, Club Cafe, Pittsburgh. 866-468-3401 or ticketweb.com/clubcafe Pittsburgh...
New PICT production ‘a true story that never happened’
Playwright Ray Werner says his latest offering is “a true story that never happened, about real people who never existed.” If that sounds like a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, it’s not really. “Run the Rabbit Path,” which will have its world premiere Feb. 2 with opening...
‘The Batman’ set for 2021 release, star to be determined
LOS ANGELES — Who will be inside the suit remains unknown but “The Batman” has a release date. Warner Bros. on Wednesday announced that Matt Reeves’ stand-alone Batman film will hit theaters in June 2021. Ben Affleck was previously set to star in the film following his performances in “Justice...
ABBA MANIA turns everyone into a ‘Dancing Queen’
Fans just can’t get enough of ABBA. Nearly 40 years after the Swedish pop rock group disbanded, their music is still going strong, thanks in part to the success of U.S. hit movies “Mamma Mia!” (2008) and “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” (2018) and tribute acts that celebrate their...
‘Run for Your Wife’ is a riotous, adult farce
Veteran actor Mike Crosby of Greensburg says his character in Greensburg Civic Theatre’s production of “Run for Your Wife,” London taxi driver John Smith, prides himself on being incredibly organized. “His entire life is scheduled down to the minute, which is the only way he can be married to two...
Carnegie Science Center offers big screen Oscars’ watch party
Enjoy Hollywood’s biggest night of the year as you rate the gowns, discuss the red carpet interviews and cheer or jeer the winners of the 91st Academy Awards, all on the Rangos Giant Cinema at the Carnegie Science Center, 1 Allegheny Ave., Pittsburgh. There will be glitz, glam and refreshments...
Peter Jackson making new documentary of Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’
NEW YORK — The Beatles’ farewell documentary “Let It Be” is getting an encore, and a reinvention. “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson announced Wednesday that he is making a new film out of some 55 hours of footage — shot in January 1969 — that has never been...
Super Bowl ads offer simple escapism with star power
NEW YORK — Sarah Michelle Gellar makes a horror movie parody for Olay. Jeff Bridges and Sarah Jessica Parker tout Stella Artois. Steve Carell hawks Pepsi. Star power abounds in this year’s Super Bowl ads. Advertisers are hoping to provide some welcome distraction and entertainment as economic fears persist and...
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra presents Valentine’s weekend concert
The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra presents a Valentine’s weekend performance, “Heart Strings,” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Palace Theatre, 21 W. Otterman St., Greensburg. Bartók’s “Romanian Folk Dances” will be followed by Chee-Yun performing Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto,” and the evening concludes with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 4.” Violinist Chee-Yun has...
‘Project Runway’ returns with twists, more cash to winner
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — “Project Runway” is going home, back to its original network with several new twists. The biggest change is new host and executive producer Karlie Kloss, who takes over from the departed duo of Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn when the show debuts March 14 on Bravo....
Point Park joins talents with New York company on ‘Old Man and the Sea’
It’s an exciting time of “firsts” for Point Park University’s new Pittsburgh Playhouse as it prepares to present its world premiere stage adaptation of “The Old Man and the Sea” Feb. 1-17. The production based on Ernest Hemingway’s classic 1952 Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning novel is adapted for the stage...
OCA Pittsburgh celebrates Lunar New Year with performances, banquet, parade
The fourth annual Pittsburgh Lunar New Year celebration will kick off on Feb. 2 with a 2:30-4:30 p.m. event featuring cultural performances and martial arts at the Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St., Pittsburgh. This special celebration is included with regular museum admission. Featured performances will include Chinese...
Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ to hit Broadway this fall
You oughta know … that “Jagged Little Pill” is headed to Broadway. The musical, inspired by Alanis Morissette’s iconic ’90s angst album, will move to the Great White Way this fall, the production company announced Monday. Morissette wrote the music alongside Glen Ballard, while Diablo Cody (“Juno,” “One Mississippi”) wrote...
Friend keeps word to Hemingway, play to premier at Point Park
WESTPORT, Conn. — When the 1958 film adaptation of “The Old Man and the Sea” hit theaters, Ernest Hemingway happened to be in New York City to watch the World Series and invited his close friend A.E. Hotchner to go see the movie with him. “About 12 or 13 minutes...
18 artists will display ‘Art of Love’ in Greensburg exhibition
“The Art of Love,” with love-themed artwork by 18 area artists, will be on display Feb. 4-28 in the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. Works include watercolor, acrylic, oil painting, wood-burning, mixed media, 3-D pieces and jewelry by artists from Connellsville, Greensburg, Jeannette, Latrobe, Mt. Pleasant, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. “Whether...
Neon Swing X-perience bringing horn-infused party to Latrobe pubVideo
The Neon Swing X-perience will celebrate Groundhog Day with a performance at Four Seasons Brewing Co. and Pub in Latrobe. The joint will be jumpin’ from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday at 745 Lloyd Ave. Extension. Since 1998, the Pittsburgh-based ensemble has been playing “retro-inspired horn-infused party music, (a) raucous...
Grammy-winning singer James Ingram dead at 66
Grammy-winning singer and songwriter James Ingram, who topped the charts with hits like “Baby, Come to Me” and “Somewhere Out There,” has died, according to his close friend, actress Debbie Allen. The musician was 66. “I have lost my dearest friend and creative partner James Ingram to the Celestial Choir,”...
Fred Rogers biopic release date moved back 5 weeks
It’ll be “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” a little later than originally planned, now that Sony Pictures has moved back the release date of the Fred Rogers biopic to Nov. 22. The much-anticipated movie, which stars Tom Hanks as Rogers, originally was scheduled for release on Oct. 18, but...
West Overton site plans opening reception for World War II exhibitVideo
West Overton Village and Museums will hold an opening reception from 3-6 p.m. Feb. 9 as it hosts the traveling exhibition “We Can Do It! WWII.” As the nation commemorates the 75th anniversary of World War II, the 500-square foot exhibit, created by the Senator John Heinz History Center, will...
