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

Arts

Arts

Drag queens are out, proud and loud in a string of coal towns, from a bingo hall to blue-collar bars

Deep in Pennsylvania coal country, the Daniels drag family is up to some sort of exuberance almost every weekend. They’re hosting sold-out bingo fundraisers at the Nescopeck Township Volunteer Fire Co.’s social hall, packed with people of all ages howling with laughter and singing along. Or they’re lighting up local blue-collar bars and restaurants with Mimosas & Heels Drag Brunches for bridal parties, members of the military, families and friends. Or they’re reading in gardens to children dressed in their Sunday best — Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” is a favorite book for performers and

July 03, 2023
Drag queens are out, proud and loud in a string of coal towns, from a bingo hall to blue-collar bars
Arts

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, grandson of Robert De Niro, dies at 19

Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, a grandson of Robert De Niro, has died at 19. His mother, Drena De Niro, announced the news Monday in an Instagram post. “I don’t know how to live without you but I’ll try to go on and spread the love and light that you so made me feel in getting to be your mama,” she wrote. “You were so deeply loved and appreciated and I wish that love alone could have saved you.” Drena De Niro shared Leandro with artist Carlos Mare, who posted black squares sans caption on his Instagram

July 03, 2023
Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, grandson of Robert De Niro, dies at 19
Arts

Rose Leslie and Kit Harington welcome their second child, a daughter

Actors Rose Leslie and Kit Harington have welcomed their second child. A publicist for Harington confirmed Monday that the couple, who famously met on the set of “Game of Thrones” and are now both 36, have added a daughter to their family. Further details weren’t immediately available. In early 2021, the pair confirmed the birth of a son. Harington and Leslie’s relationship began in 2011 on the set of the HBO megahit series, on which they played star-crossed lovers Jon Snow — a brother of the Night’s Watch with kingdom-shattering secrets — and Ygritte, a rebel wildling.

July 03, 2023
Rose Leslie and Kit Harington welcome their second child, a daughter
Arts

For Norah Jones, "Little Broken Hearts" gives a lesson in making the most of a bad experience

A sign of how much “Little Broken Hearts” represented a departure for Norah Jones was that she filmed not one, but two music videos for the album depicting herself as a murderer. One victim was a lying, cheating boyfriend, the other his temptress. Both ended up at the bottom of a lake. A decade after its release, the disc stands as an island in Jones’ career. It’s a little gem where she tested herself to leave a musical comfort zone to process romantic turmoil — and ended up with a concise, consistent statement that rivals some

July 03, 2023
For Norah Jones, "Little Broken Hearts" gives a lesson in making the most of a bad experience
Arts

The American flag wasn't always revered as it is today. At the beginning, it was an afterthought

In the bedroom of the Betsy Ross House, a reconstruction of where the upholsterer worked on her most famous commission, a long flag with a circle of 13 stars hangs over a Chippendale side chair and extends across the floor. Over the weeks in 1776 needed to complete the project, Ross would have likely knelt on the flag, stood on it and treated it more like an everyday banner — not with the kind of reverence we’d expect today. “She would not have worried about it touching the floor or violating any codes,” says Lisa Moulder, director

July 04, 2023
The American flag wasn't always revered as it is today. At the beginning, it was an afterthought
Arts

Viola Ford Fletcher, oldest living Tulsa Race Massacre victim, publishes memoir

Being a centenarian hasn’t slowed down Viola Ford Fletcher’s pursuit of justice. In the last couple of years, Fletcher has traveled internationally, testified before Congress and supported a lawsuit for reparations — all part of a campaign for accountability over the massacre that destroyed Tulsa, Oklahoma’s original “Black Wall Street” in 1921, when she was a child. Now, at age 109, Fletcher is releasing a memoir about the life she lived in the shadow of the massacre, after a white mob laid waste to the once-thriving Black enclave known as Greenwood. The book will be published

July 04, 2023
Viola Ford Fletcher, oldest living Tulsa Race Massacre victim, publishes memoir
Arts

Grammys CEO on new AI guidelines: Music that contains AI-created elements is eligible. 'Period.'

Last month, the Recording Academy announced a series of changes to the Grammy Awards to better reflect an evolving music industry. Of those newly instituted guidelines, protocols involving technological advancements in machine learning sparked headlines: “Only human creators” could 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,” the rules read in part. As the music industry continues to come to terms with this new technology, so too will the Grammys, says Recording

July 04, 2023
Grammys CEO on new AI guidelines: Music that contains AI-created elements is eligible. 'Period.'
Arts

Accuser says he told Kevin Spacey after crude advance, 'I don’t bat for that team'

A man who met Kevin Spacey in a pub says that at one point when they were alone during a night of heavy drinking with others, the actor kissed his neck twice and grabbed his crotch. The two-time Oscar winner looked panicked after he was pushed away and was told, “I am sorry, man, I don’t bat for that team,” the witness said. The man’s interview with police was played Tuesday for jurors in Spacey’s sexual assault trial in a London courtroom. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges that could send him to

July 04, 2023
Accuser says he told Kevin Spacey after crude advance, 'I don’t bat for that team'
Arts

‘Smallville’ actor released from prison for role in sex-trafficking case tied to cult-like group

The television actor Allison Mack, who pleaded guilty for her role in a sex-trafficking case tied to the cult-like group NXIVM, has been released from a California prison, according to a government website. Mack, best known for her role as a young Superman’s close friend on “Smallville,” was sentenced to three years behind bars in 2021 after pleading guilty two years earlier to charges that she manipulated women into becoming sex slaves for NXIVM leader Keith Raniere. Online records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Prisons said Mack, 40, was released Monday from a federal prison in Dublin, California, near

July 05, 2023
‘Smallville’ actor released from prison for role in sex-trafficking case tied to cult-like group
Arts

Morgan Pressel makes transition from 18th green to 18th tower for NBC

Morgan Pressel considered extending her playing career so she would have the opportunity to play in this week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Even though she stopped playing two years ago, Pressel will still have an excellent vantage point for all four rounds of the first Women’s Open at the iconic course. Pressel is going into her third Women’s Open as NBC’s analyst. The final two rounds on NBC will mark the first time it will air in primetime (3-9 p.m. ET). Thursday’s and Friday’s rounds will be on USA Network and Peacock. The trip to Pebble Beach completes

July 05, 2023
Morgan Pressel makes transition from 18th green to 18th tower for NBC
Arts

Bear Grylls goes into the wild with a new batch of celebrities, from Bradley Cooper to Rita Ora

For his latest role, Bradley Cooper leapt onto a hovering helicopter, rappelled down a 400-foot cliff and pulled himself across a 100-foot ravine in one of the harshest climates in North America. His reward wasn’t an Oscar nomination or a big box office hit. It was a hug from adventurist Bear Grylls and some words of encouragement. “He smashed it,” Grylls says. Cooper is one of several celebrities — including Benedict Cumberbatch, Cynthia Erivo, Russell Brand, Troy Kotsur, Rita Ora, Daveed Diggs and Tatiana Maslany — who put their survival skills to the test in a

July 05, 2023
Bear Grylls goes into the wild with a new batch of celebrities, from Bradley Cooper to Rita Ora
Arts

Accuser says Kevin Spacey grope wasn't a caress: ‘It was like a cobra ... angry’

A man who said Kevin Spacey made crude and racially offensive remarks before forcefully grabbing his genitals said he kept the degrading incident boxed up inside for more than a decade because he feared no one would believe his word against that of an Oscar-winning “golden boy.” “I was a keeper of his secret for a long time,” the man said as he finally unburdened himself by telling his story to a policeman in a video interview played Wednesday for jurors in Spacey’s sexual assault trial in a London court. The man was older and more emotionally

July 05, 2023
Accuser says Kevin Spacey grope wasn't a caress: ‘It was like a cobra ... angry’
Arts

Alan Alda kept his boots and dog tags from 'M*A*S*H' for 40 years. Now he'll offer them at auction

The combat boots and dog tags that Alan Alda wore to portray the wisecracking surgeon Hawkeye on the beloved television series “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H” meant so much to him that when the show ended 40 years ago, he kept them. But he’s now ready to let the pieces go, in service of another passion: his center dedicated to helping scientists and doctors communicate better. Heritage Auctions is offering up the worn boots and military identification tags on July 28 in Dallas. Alda, 87, said he wore the boots and dog tags for the 11-season run of the show centering

July 05, 2023
Alan Alda kept his boots and dog tags from 'M*A*S*H' for 40 years. Now he'll offer them at auction
Arts

Toby Keith's shows at his Oklahoma music venue mark return to stage after revealing cancer diagnosis

Country music star Toby Keith was back on stage over the Fourth of July weekend with his first shows since revealing last summer that he had been fighting stomach cancer. Hundreds attended the native Oklahoman’s pop-up concerts Friday and Saturday night in Norman, where he lives, The Oklahoman reports. He performed at Hollywood Corners, a 1920s roadhouse and service station that he bought and converted into a deli, bar and music venue. Norman resident Joanna Hall, who attended Friday’s show, told the newspaper that Keith put on a great performance and was “very thankful for everybody

July 05, 2023
Toby Keith's shows at his Oklahoma music venue mark return to stage after revealing cancer diagnosis
Arts

Aretha Franklin's sons battle over handwritten wills 5 years after her death

Five years after her death, the final wishes of music superstar Aretha Franklin are still unsettled. An unusual trial begins next Monday to determine which of two handwritten wills, including one found in couch cushions, will guide how her estate is handled. The Queen of Soul, who had four sons, did not have a formal, typewritten will in place, despite years of health problems and efforts to get one done. But under Michigan law, it’s still possible to treat other documents — with scribbles, scratch-outs and hard-to-read passages — as her commands. The dispute is pitting

July 06, 2023
Aretha Franklin's sons battle over handwritten wills 5 years after her death
Arts

Chloe confirms Gabriela Hearst is leaving, as eyes look toward Fendi show to cap couture

Fashion whispers have finally been confirmed: Gabriela Hearst is stepping down as the creative director of Maison Chloé after a brief but impactful three-year tenure. Hearst, the first female designer with multicultural roots (Uruguay and United States) to lead a Parisian fashion house, has been a transformative force at Chloé since her appointment in December 2020. Here are some highlights of the last day of fall couture shows on Thursday that will include Fendi later in the day: GABRIELA HEARST BIDS ADIEU TO CHLOÉ, LEAVING A GREEN LEGACY Despite the relative brevity of her tenure, Hearst leaves

July 06, 2023
Chloe confirms Gabriela Hearst is leaving, as eyes look toward Fendi show to cap couture
Arts

Zendaya tennis drama ‘Challengers’ to open Venice Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival is serving up one of the year’s buzzier films as its opening night selection in Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.” The romantic tennis drama starring Zendaya, “West Side Story’s” Mike Faist and “The Crown’s” Josh O’Connor will have its world premiere out of competition at the 80th edition of the festival in September, organizers said Thursday. “Challengers” stars Zendaya as a tennis prodigy whose past collides with her present when her husband, played by Faist, faces off against a competitor who was once his best friend and her boyfriend. A spicy and suggestive teaser trailer that debuted recently

July 06, 2023
Zendaya tennis drama ‘Challengers’ to open Venice Film Festival
Arts

An already full-tilt movie franchise turns it up a notch in 'Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning'

There are, as a rule, only so many places you can go as an action movie after leaving Tom Cruise clinging to the side of an Airbus A400M and flinging him out a cargo plane at 25,000 feet. But in the kinetic, headlong world of “Mission: Impossible,” the pressure to keep upping the ante — like the films’ always-running star — never stops. “Every time we finish a movie, the first thing Tom says to me is: We can do better,” says Christopher McQuarrie. McQuarrie, the writer-director of 2015’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” and the

July 06, 2023
An already full-tilt movie franchise turns it up a notch in 'Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning'
Arts

Ricky Martin, Jwan Yosef announce divorce after 6 years of marriage

Ricky Martin and Jwan Yosef are divorcing after nearly six years of marriage, the couple announced Thursday. “For some time, we have considered transforming our relationship, and it is after careful consideration that we have decided to end our marriage with love, respect and dignity for our children,” the couple wrote in an Instagram post, shared in Spanish on Martin’s profile and in English on Yosef’s. Martin’s publicity team confirmed the accuracy of the post to The Associated Press. No other details were provided. People magazine first reported the news. Martin, singer of such Spanish-language and English-language hits like “Livin’

July 06, 2023
Ricky Martin, Jwan Yosef announce divorce after 6 years of marriage
Arts

Johnny Knoxville on the art of pranking and adjusting to life after stunts

Johnny Knoxville is no stranger to head injuries. In the decades since he rose to fame as the daredevil ringleader of “Jackass,” he has had more than a dozen concussions — that he knows of. But his most recent one was different. Now, by doctor’s orders, he has to get creative to chase that adrenaline fix through safer means. His latest attempt is with his “Jackass Forever” co-star Eric Andre and Oscar nominee Gabourey Sidibe on their new series, “The Prank Panel,” which premieres Sunday on ABC. Doing work tame enough to be on network television

July 06, 2023
Johnny Knoxville on the art of pranking and adjusting to life after stunts
Arts

How fine dining in Europe and the US came to exclude immigrant cuisine and how social media is pushing back – podcast

Immigrant chefs feel more constrained in how their food is valued. Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images The history of restaurants, food and, especially, fine dining, is deeply tied to the history of immigration to the U.S. and French cultural power in the early 20th century. Not surprisingly, the story that leads to Yelp and Anthony Bourdain is not without its share of racism that the modern food world and its tastemakers are still grappling with today. In this episode of The Conversation Weekly, we speak to three experts who study food culture and fine dining about the perceptions and definitions

July 06, 2023
How fine dining in Europe and the US came to exclude immigrant cuisine and how social media is pushing back – podcast
Arts

Britney Spears says Wembanyama's security struck her in Las Vegas, Spurs rookie says he was grabbed

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama said Thursday he believes Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino, and that the security detail he was with pushed the pop star away. Wembanyama said he wasn’t told that Spears was the person who grabbed him until hours later. Spears filed a police report saying she was struck by a security guard while trying to get the attention of Wembanyama, a person with knowledge of the matter said Thursday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition

July 06, 2023
Britney Spears says Wembanyama's security struck her in Las Vegas, Spurs rookie says he was grabbed
Arts

Manuel Garcia-Rulfo settles into Mickey Haller character with return of 'The Lincoln Lawyer'

When Manuel Garcia-Rulfo was cast to play charismatic defense attorney Mickey Haller from Michael Connelly’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” novels in a new Netflix series, he couldn’t help but think of Matthew McConaughey, who played the lawyer in a 2011 film. “Talk about charm,” said Manuel Garcia-Rulfo of the Oscar winner. “I did think about it … because it is hard to have that shadow … but you just have to jump and do the best you can and hopefully people will enjoy it.” Garcia-Rulfo didn’t have to worry. His version of Haller has been approved by critics and viewers —

July 06, 2023
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo settles into Mickey Haller character with return of 'The Lincoln Lawyer'
Arts

Coolio's collaborators and track list announced for rapper's posthumous album, 'Long Live Coolio'

Coolio ‘s posthumous album includes guest appearances from Naughty By Nature’s Treach, Da Lench Mob’s J-Dee, and Ras Kass on a project that was not intended to be the rapper’s last. Titled “Long Live Coolio,” the forthcoming LP is a celebration of the Grammy award-winning MC, best known for his ’90s classics “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage.” His representatives on Friday exclusively shared with The Associated Press the 11-song track list and who will be heard on the album when it is released later this year. “A Star Is Born”, the latest track from the release

July 07, 2023
Coolio's collaborators and track list announced for rapper's posthumous album, 'Long Live Coolio'
Arts

'Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)' is here. Here's how to reconsider Taylor Swift's transformative album

In 2010, newly anointed as a Grammy winner, Taylor Swift released “Speak Now,” her third studio album and her first without a single songwriting collaboration. Her 2006 self-titled debut and 2008’s “Fearless” had inspired both acclaim and criticism for her bold bridges and keen lyricism — these are masterful country-pop songs, critics argued, but surely a teen idol wasn’t responsible for them. Swift proved her detractors wrong on “Speak Now,” an album that arrived just before her pivot from country’s youngest hope to pop’s freshest voice. The album served as a close document of her nascent

July 07, 2023
'Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)' is here. Here's how to reconsider Taylor Swift's transformative album

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