Today: September 20, 2024
Today: September 20, 2024

Arts

Arts

Noah Kahan writes songs about New England. His vulnerability has far wider appeal

Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” is about New England — a topic the Vermont native says he could write about for the rest of his life — but it’s also largely about in-between spaces. When resentment lingers but forgiveness feels possible. When a broken friendship is just beginning to mend. When homesickness clashes with a desire to leave. Or, in the case of the album’s title track, when fall hasn’t yet turned to winter. Writing the folk-pop album, he told The Associated Press, felt “like breathing.” Kahan revisits those themes through a new lens on the

June 15, 2023
Noah Kahan writes songs about New England. His vulnerability has far wider appeal
Arts

Peacock strikes naming rights deal with home of Emmy Awards in downtown Los Angeles

Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles is changing its name to Peacock Theater, and the open-air plaza next to it will be known as Peacock Place. The changes take effect July 11 as part of a multi-year naming rights deal between Peacock, NBCUniversal’s premium streaming service, and sports and live entertainment giant AEG. The deal announced Thursday is Peacock’s first naming rights agreement. The 7,100-seat theater hosts concerts and special events, including the Emmy Awards. The 40,000-square-foot plaza will change its name from XBOX Plaza. The deal includes adding a LED marquee at the corner of

June 15, 2023
Peacock strikes naming rights deal with home of Emmy Awards in downtown Los Angeles
Arts

Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley, Glen Ballard, Liz Rose heading to Songwriters Hall of Fame

Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley, Glen Ballard and Liz Rose are being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday, with Post Malone and musical theater lyricist Tim Rice also being honored. The class of 2023 will be inducted at a gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Louis Bell, Jacob Dickey, Emilio Estefan, Sasha Estefan, Doug E. Fresh, Myles Frost, Heather Headley, Alan Menken, Valerie Simpson, Keith Sweat and Joe Walsh are set to participate. The inductees include Lynne, of ELO, who penned “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Evil Woman,” and

June 15, 2023
Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley, Glen Ballard, Liz Rose heading to Songwriters Hall of Fame
Arts

Justin Guarini, Briga Heelan honor music of Britney Spears in ‘Once Upon a One More Time’

Performing in a fairy tale musical with songs by the Princess of Pop can be both magical and daunting. That’s the way Justin Guarini and Briga Heelan, who star in “Once Upon a One More Time,” see their roles in the jukebox musical that features songs by Britney Spears. The musical debuted at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., in 2021 and now it’s on Broadway with Heelan and Guarini reprising their roles as Cinderella and Prince Charming. On a recent two-show day, fans of all ages were wearing Britney-themed attire waiting to be seated

June 15, 2023
Justin Guarini, Briga Heelan honor music of Britney Spears in ‘Once Upon a One More Time’
Arts

Robert Caro's last book on LBJ likely won't be delayed by editor Robert Gottlieb's death

Robert Caro’s fifth volume on Lyndon Johnson, one of the book world’s most long-awaited publications, is unlikely to be delayed by the death of his longtime editor, publishing luminary Robert Gottlieb. “Mr. Caro is continuing his work on Volume 5 with limited interruption,” Caro spokesperson Paul Bogaards said Thursday, a day after Gottlieb’s death at 92. No release date has been set for what’s supposed to be the final book in “The Years of Lyndon Johnson” series, the first of which was published in 1982. Late last year, Caro told The Associated Press he had no

June 16, 2023
Robert Caro's last book on LBJ likely won't be delayed by editor Robert Gottlieb's death
Arts

Generative AI is a minefield for copyright law

Still from ‘All watched over by machines of loving grace’ by Memo Akten, 2021. Created using custom AI software. Memo Akten, CC BY-SA In 2022, an AI-generated work of art won the Colorado State Fair’s art competition. The artist, Jason Allen, had used Midjourney – a generative AI system trained on art scraped from the internet – to create the piece. The process was far from fully automated: Allen went through some 900 iterations over 80 hours to create and refine his submission. Yet his use of AI to win the art competition triggered a heated backlash online, with one

June 16, 2023
Generative AI is a minefield for copyright law
Arts

'Abbott Elementary' star Chris Perfetti feels at home with 'King James'

Chances are you won’t find Chris Perfetti fiercely debating on social media if LeBron James is indeed the GOAT, nor will you find him waiting hours outside of hotels, hoping to get an autograph or selfie from the basketball legend — but you wouldn’t know it from watching his latest play, “King James.” “I grew up in a very heavy sports household. But I knew early on that that was not going to be my thing … it’s why I want to be an actor. I want to do things that are that are different from

June 16, 2023
'Abbott Elementary' star Chris Perfetti feels at home with 'King James'
Arts

Al Pacino, 83, is a father for the fourth time, welcoming son Roman with Noor Alfallah

Al Pacino is a father for the fourth time. Pacino’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield, confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that the actor, 83, and 29-year-old Noor Alfallah welcomed a son named Roman. No other details, including when or where the baby was born, were released. The news was first reported by TMZ. He is Pacino’s fourth child and first with Alfallah. Pacino has a 33-year-old daughter, Julie Marie, with acting coach Jan Tarrant and 22-year-old twins Anton and Olivia with actor Beverly D’Angelo. Pacino and Alfallah reportedly began dating last year. She describes herself as a “raconteur” on her

June 16, 2023
Al Pacino, 83, is a father for the fourth time, welcoming son Roman with Noor Alfallah
Arts

New Spider-Man film pulled from cinema programs in Arab world, possibly over transgender flag

The new blockbuster movie “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” was abruptly removed from cinema listings in more than a dozen Muslim-majority countries without explanation, apparently over the inclusion of a blink-and-you-miss-it transgender poster in the background of one frame. Empire Entertainment, the Middle East distributor for the computer-animated Sony Pictures film, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. No explicit bans of the film were announced, but there were indications that it will not reach screens. For example, there is no expectation that “Across the Spider-Verse” will be shown in the United Arab Emirates,

June 16, 2023
New Spider-Man film pulled from cinema programs in Arab world, possibly over transgender flag
Arts

'The Full Monty' returns 25 years on, with its politics laid bare

The Sheffield strippers of “The Full Monty” return 25 years on, in a new TV series that wears its politics on its sleeve. In the much-loved original movie, a group of unemployed men from the north of England decide to form a striptease act in a desperate attempt to raise money after the local steelworks closed down. A new comedy-drama TV series from the same writer, Simon Beaufoy, and producer, Uberto Pasolini, returns to those characters more than two decades later in a compelling portrait of contemporary Britain. After the dismantling of heavy industry, the area has

June 16, 2023
'The Full Monty' returns 25 years on, with its politics laid bare
Arts

For novelists of Westerns, Cormac McCarthy transcended — and reinvented — the genre

From the moment he read Cormac McCarthy’s “All the Pretty Horses,” James Wade knew he was a fan for life and that his aspirations, as an author of Westerns, would never be the same. “He really broke free from the traditional Western,” says Wade, a two-time winner of the Spur Award for outstanding Western writing whose novel “All Things Left Wild” was billed as “an illustration of the violence and corruption prevalent in our fast-expanding country” — a description that could have been applied to much of McCarthy’s work. “He included all those elements from traditional

June 16, 2023
For novelists of Westerns, Cormac McCarthy transcended — and reinvented — the genre
Arts

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle part ways with Spotify after less than a year of 'Archetypes' podcast

The production company founded by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, is splitting ways with Spotify less than a year after the debut of their podcast “ Archetypes.” It is unclear why the podcast, hosted by Meghan, is leaving the platform but Spotify and Archewell Audio said in a joint statement that the decision was mutual. Archewell landed a multiyear partnership with Spotify in 2020 to create podcasts and shows that would tell stories through diverse voices and perspectives. The podcast premiered in August last year with tennis great Serena Williams as a guest and it was an instant hit.

June 16, 2023
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle part ways with Spotify after less than a year of 'Archetypes' podcast
Arts

Exhibition by Chinese dissident artist opens in Warsaw despite pressure from China

An exhibition by a provocative Chinese artist that criticizes the country’s human rights record is opening at a Polish state-run museum on Friday despite pressure from the Chinese embassy to cancel it. The director of the Center for Contemporary Art in the capital, Warsaw, said the No. 2 diplomat at the Chinese embassy in Warsaw visited his museum demanding the cancellation of the exhibition by the artist, who goes by the name Badiucao. “It wasn’t a request but a firm demand,” said museum director Piotr Bernatowicz, describing the Chinese government’s behavior as unacceptable. He said the

June 16, 2023
Exhibition by Chinese dissident artist opens in Warsaw despite pressure from China
Arts

Cormac McCarthy's fearless approach to writing

McCarthy attends the 2009 premiere of the film adaptation of his novel ‘The Road.’ Evan Agostini/AP Photo Cormac McCarthy, who died on June 13, 2023, at the age of 89, is often characterized rather narrowly as a Southern writer, or perhaps a Southern Gothic writer. McCarthy did lean heavily on his Tennessee upbringing in his first four novels, and he set many others in the deserts of the Southwest U.S. However, as a writer, he saw himself as a part of an expansive literary community, one that stretched back to the classical and Elizabethan periods, and one that drew on

June 17, 2023
Cormac McCarthy's fearless approach to writing
Arts

Grammys: Only 'human creators' eligible to win, recording academy says response to AI

The Recording Academy announced a number of changes to the Grammy Awards, including a rule that stipulates “only human creators” can win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music. “A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category,” they said, under new “Artificial Intelligence (AI) Protocols” released Friday. The rule was set following the semiannual Academy’s Board of Trustees meeting last month, where it was determined that work that features elements of AI are eligible, as long as a human creator

June 17, 2023
Grammys: Only 'human creators' eligible to win, recording academy says response to AI
Arts

Carlos Santana: 'My guitar is my best lover, ever'

“Take no prisoners — peacefully,” Carlos Santana sometimes tells his bandmates before taking the stage. “I don’t like to coast. I don’t like to rope-a-dope,” Santana says. “I want to get in the middle of the ring and knock the sucker out. That way the referee can’t steal the fight from me.” Santana, 75, can still whip a crowd into a frenzy like few others. He’s been doing it since he stormed onto the San Francisco scene in the late ’60s. He left the Woodstock audience dazed and stunned before the first Santana record came out.

June 17, 2023
Carlos Santana: 'My guitar is my best lover, ever'
Arts

Late British novelist Martin Amis knighted by King Charles in his first birthday honors list

Martin Amis, one of the most consequential British authors of his generation and who died last month, has been knighted by King Charles III in his first birthday honors list, which were unveiled late Friday. Amis, who died of esophageal cancer at the age of 73 at his Florida home, accepted the knighthood for services to literature shortly before he died . His knighthood, according to the honors list, stands from May 18, the day before he died. The knighthood for the author of “Money,” a satire about consumerism in London, comes 33 years after his comic

June 17, 2023
Late British novelist Martin Amis knighted by King Charles in his first birthday honors list
Arts

Comedian Pete Davidson charged with reckless driving after Beverly Hills crash

Los Angeles prosecutors charged former “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson with reckless driving Friday, three months after authorities said he crashed into a Beverly Hills home. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed one misdemeanor count of reckless driving against the actor and writer but did not release details about the March 4 collision in Beverly Hills. “We believe that Mr. Davidson engaged in reckless driving, which ultimately resulted in his involvement in a serious collision into a home,” the DA’s office wrote. “Luckily, no one was seriously injured as a result of this

June 17, 2023
Comedian Pete Davidson charged with reckless driving after Beverly Hills crash
Arts

Stalled contract jeopardizes relations between new Disney governing body, firefighters

After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms. But that warm relationship is in jeopardy as a new district administrator has reopened negotiations on a contract that was approved last month by the unionized firefighters, promising pay raises and more manpower. A vote on the contract originally was targeted for last month during a meeting of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board of supervisors but it was never brought up, and it

June 18, 2023
Stalled contract jeopardizes relations between new Disney governing body, firefighters
Arts

‘The Flash’ races to $55 million on a busy box office weekend

DC and Warner Bros.’ long-in-the-works superhero movie “The Flash” opened to $55 million in its first three days in North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Though a fair amount of money by normal standards, a sizable jump from DC’s last release, the “Shazam!” sequel, and enough for a first place start, it’s also muted by superhero standards where $100 million debut weekends are almost commonplace. It was a crowded weekend at the multiplex overall. In addition to “The Flash” there was the new Pixar family film “Elemental” and the horror-comedy “The Blackening.” The only big win was

June 18, 2023
‘The Flash’ races to $55 million on a busy box office weekend
Arts

Netflix hypes ‘The Last Airbender,’ ‘One Piece’ at starry fan event

Netflix gave audiences first looks at some planned and upcoming projects including “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “One Piece” and the third season of “Bridgerton” at a fan event on Saturday. The event, called “Tudum,” was live-streamed from São Paulo, Brazil with the participation of talent like Kevin Hart, Chris Hemsworth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Boyega and Gal Gadot. The streamer announced the addition of Linda Hamilton to the “Stranger Things” season 5 cast, a third “Extraction” movie and more of the cast for “Squid Game” season two, including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon and Yang Dong-guen. They will join returning

June 19, 2023
Netflix hypes ‘The Last Airbender,’ ‘One Piece’ at starry fan event
Arts|Entertainment

Unseen photos of Glastonbury from 1971 show just how much the festival has changed

Unseen photos of Glastonbury from 1971 show just how much the festival has changed

June 19, 2023
Unseen photos of Glastonbury from 1971 show just how much the festival has changed
Arts

What if things could turn out differently? How the multiverse got into our heads and didn't let go

“Let’s do things differently this time.” Those are the first words you hear at the beginning of this month’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” an otherworldly meditation on multiple realities and how our lives might unfold. The message is clear from the get-go: We have choices. Things could be malleable. You are you, sure. But wait — you might also be you and you and you. The world is a stressful, sometimes lonely place — and more so at a moment when “It wasn’t supposed to be this way” has become a not-uncommon mantra. But what if things could turn out

June 19, 2023
What if things could turn out differently? How the multiverse got into our heads and didn't let go
Arts

Captivated by the multiverse and alternate realities? Here's a handy guide to some good stuff

Loved “Everything Everywhere All at Once?” Can’t get enough of “The Flash” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” this month? Then this list is for you. We’ve compiled a non-exhaustive sampler of fiction about alternate universes and multiverses — from movies to TV to comics to books. It’s a great starter kit if your media tastes run to asking: What if? MOVIES: — “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946): In this Christmas classic, family man George Bailey grows increasingly frustrated as opportunities pass him by, and it takes an angel-in-training — on Christmas Eve — to dump him into a universe where

June 19, 2023
Captivated by the multiverse and alternate realities? Here's a handy guide to some good stuff
Arts

Author Salman Rushdie awarded prestigious German prize for his literary work and resolve

Writer Salman Rushdie has been awarded a prestigious German prize for his literary work and for his resolve and positive attitude in the face of constant danger, the prize organizers said Monday. The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade said the British-American author would receive the award in Frankfurt on Oct. 22. Rushdie’s writing “combines narrative vision with constant literary innovation, humor and wisdom,” the jury said. “He describes the force with which violent regimes destroy whole societies, but also the indestructibility of the individual’s spirit of resistance.” Last August, Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly while on stage at a

June 19, 2023
Author Salman Rushdie awarded prestigious German prize for his literary work and resolve

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