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

Arts

Arts

Embracing Barbie: A Feminist Philosopher's Path to Liberation and Acceptance

The film’s cast includes lesbian icon Kate McKinnon. As a mama trying to raise a daughter free from the gendered stereotypes of my own childhood, I steered her clear of Barbie dolls. I felt compelled to nudge my now 11-year-old away from the Mattel mainstay for the same reasons I tried to avoid the shallow frivolity of all those Disney princesses waiting around to be rescued. True, I’d enjoyed plenty of afternoons with these dolls of anatomically impossible proportions myself as a kid growing up in the 1980s – jamming those long spindly limbs into impossibly tiny outfits, scissoring them

July 17, 2023
Embracing Barbie: A Feminist Philosopher's Path to Liberation and Acceptance
Arts

Baa-gain? Iconic sheep sweater worn by Princess Diana could fetch $50,000 at auction

A red sweater adorned with a flock of sheep worn by the young Princess Diana is expected to sell for more than $50,000 at auction. The playfully patterned wool jumper featuring a single black sheep amid a pattern of white ones headlines Sotheby’s online Fashion Icons sale in September. The 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer was photographed in the garment at a polo match in June 1981, soon after her engagement to Prince Charles, who was then heir to the British throne. Diana was already becoming a style icon —- and one of the world’s most photographed women

July 17, 2023
Baa-gain? Iconic sheep sweater worn by Princess Diana could fetch $50,000 at auction
Arts

Hollywood plunges into all-out war on the heels of pandemic and a streaming revolution

To get a sense of just how much animosity is flying around Hollywood these days, watch how Ron Perlman responded to a report that the studios aimed to prolong a strike long enough for writers to lose their homes. Perlman, the hulking, gravel-voiced actor of “Hellboy,” leaned into the camera in a since-deleted Instagram live video to vent his anger. “Listen to me, mother-(expletive),” Perlman said. “There’s a lot of ways to lose your house.” Three years after the pandemic brought Hollywood to a standstill, the film and TV industry has again ground to a halt.

July 17, 2023
Hollywood plunges into all-out war on the heels of pandemic and a streaming revolution
Arts

How the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack came together, according to mastermind Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson is showing off his Barbies. Scattered throughout his studio, the executive producer of the “Barbie” soundtrack — and a musical polymath known for his work with artists like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga — has a few “leftovers” scattered across the room. One doll is placed in a permanent split, stretched across a Moog synthesizer. Another is styled to look like primatologist Jane Goodall. “I went to Toys R Us and I couldn’t find a single Ken,” he laughs. Fittingly, “that’s the theme of the movie.” Mattel HQ did end up sending over a

July 17, 2023
How the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack came together, according to mastermind Mark Ronson
Arts

Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra turns 10, training over 1,200 for music careers

Teen musicians from the National Youth Orchestra of the USA walked onto the Carnegie Hall stage and acted in unison, much like string sections following their leaders: They pulled out cell phones and took selfies. Carnegie Hall’s initiative to train the next generation turned 10 this year. After arriving July 1 for intensive instruction that began the following day at suburban Purchase College, performers gathered at America’s premier concert hall to play for conductor Andrew Davis in a 2,800-seat auditorium filled with many family members and friends. “I learned how the orchestra itself is a living

July 17, 2023
Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra turns 10, training over 1,200 for music careers
Arts

Prolific Brazilian pianist João Donato, famed for bossa nova and beyond, dies at 88

Brazilian composer and pianist João Donato, who helped lay the groundwork for bossa nova but throughout his career defied confinement to any single genre, died Monday. He was 88. His death was announced on his verified Instagram account. Local media reported that he had been hospitalized and intubated with pneumonia. Donato was prolific and inventive, collaborating with top artists at home and abroad, including Chet Baker, João Gilberto, Sergio Mendes, Tito Puente, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and countless others. “Today we lost one of our greatest and most creative composers,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula

July 17, 2023
Prolific Brazilian pianist João Donato, famed for bossa nova and beyond, dies at 88
Arts

Sean 'Diddy' Combs aspires to create new Black Wall Street through online marketplace Empower Global

Sean “Diddy” Combs wants to strengthen the Black dollar: The music mogul is spearheading a new online marketplace called Empower Global that will specifically feature Black-owned businesses. “I want to create our own Black Wall Street,” Combs told The Associated Press about his e-commerce platform, which launched last week. He feels passionate about building substantial wealth in his community similar to the Greenwood community, the thriving Black-owned business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was decimated in a two-day attack by a white mob in Oklahoma in 1921. Combs said he’s not looking for financial benefit after

July 17, 2023
Sean 'Diddy' Combs aspires to create new Black Wall Street through online marketplace Empower Global
Arts

It's official: Taylor Swift has more No. 1 albums than any woman in history

Congratulations are in order for Taylor Swift and her loyal fans, known as Swifties. The pop star officially has more No. 1 albums than any woman in history. “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”, released earlier this month, is the third in her endeavor to re-record her first six albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun’s sale of her early catalog. It has officially debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming her 12th album to reach the top spot. Previously, Barbra Streisand held the record, with 11 No. 1 albums. Swift ties Drake’s record of 12

July 17, 2023
It's official: Taylor Swift has more No. 1 albums than any woman in history
Arts

Lindsay Lohan gives birth to her first child, a boy

Lindsay Lohan has given birth to her first child. The “Parent Trap” star and her husband, financier Bader Shammas, are the parents of a “beautiful, healthy son” named Luai, her rep told The Associated Press in a statement Monday. “The family is over the moon in love,” the statement said. Lohan, 37, gave birth in Dubai, where the couple lives, according to Page Six. Her son’s exact birth date was not released. Luai is an Arabic name that means “shield” or “protector.” Lohan announced her pregnancy in March in a photo posted to Instagram of a white onesie emblazoned with

July 17, 2023
Lindsay Lohan gives birth to her first child, a boy
Arts

Actors and writers on strike are united and determined in the face of a long summer standoff

Solidarity and stamina were picket-line themes Monday as striking screenwriters and actors in New York and Los Angeles braced for a long, hot summer standoff with studios. Picketers emphasized unity between writers, who have been on the lines for more than two months, and performers, who are only on Day 2 of striking — as well as camaraderie between highly paid actors and those with spare screen credits who struggle to scrape by. Kevin Bacon, who was among the famous faces picketing among unknowns outside Viacom headquarters in New York, said his presence was about “seeing

July 17, 2023
Actors and writers on strike are united and determined in the face of a long summer standoff
Arts

Influential Nashville music producer Jerry Bradley, who signed Alabama and Ronnie Milsap, has died

Nashville music executive Jerry Bradley, who signed Alabama and Ronnie Milsap and helped brand the outlaws style of country music during a 40-year career, died Monday. He was 83. Bradley died peacefully in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, according to an obituary released by his family. Bradley began his career in the 1960s, working in his family’s music publishing business alongside his famous producer father, Owen Bradley. As an engineer, his clients included Loretta Lynn, Dinah Shore, Gordon Lightfoot and The Who, according to the obituary. Bradley struck out on his own in 1970, joining RCA Records under

July 17, 2023
Influential Nashville music producer Jerry Bradley, who signed Alabama and Ronnie Milsap, has died
Arts

Marilyn Manson to plead no contest to blowing his nose on videographer

Marilyn Manson will plead no contest to blowing his nose on a videographer at a 2019 concert in New Hampshire, according to a filing by his attorney. The rocker, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the encounter at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford on Aug. 19, 2019. A notice of intent filed Monday says that Manson is expected to plead no contest to only one charge, and that prosecutors would dismiss the other in the fully negotiated plea. A no contest plea

July 18, 2023
Marilyn Manson to plead no contest to blowing his nose on videographer
Arts

Craig Robinson continues underdog storyline on Peacock's 'Killing It' with new season

Craig Robinson and his kind-hearted, python-hunting character on “Killing It” are returning to television next month. Season two, which Peacock said Tuesday will return on Aug. 17, will continue the quest by Robinson’s character to climb out of poverty while avoiding sketchy characters like his brother. “Capitalism is very real. Greed is very real. Shysters and scam artists are very real,” the actor-comedian told The Associated Press in a recent interview before the actors strike. In the first season, Robinson’s character (also named Craig) is a father who loses his job and becomes homeless. Craig decides

July 18, 2023
Craig Robinson continues underdog storyline on Peacock's 'Killing It' with new season
Arts

This isn't the first time Hollywood's been on strike. Here's how past strikes turned out

The common refrain is that there’s nothing Hollywood loves so much as its own history — but that’s a history inextricable from its labor movements. As the industry comes to a momentous halt courtesy of dual strikes by its actors and screenwriters, it’s worth looking back at the effects of past protests, walkouts and other actions. The Screen Actors Guild and the Screen Writers Guild, the forerunner to today’s Writers Guild of America, were each founded in 1933, though threads of collective action and solidarity run to the very beginnings of the motion picture industry. At

July 18, 2023
This isn't the first time Hollywood's been on strike. Here's how past strikes turned out
Arts

James Patterson, Margaret Atwood among thousands of writers urging AI companies to honor copyrights

James Patterson, Suzanne Collins and Margaret Atwood are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies. “Millions of copyrighted books, articles, essays, and poetry provide the ‘food’ for AI systems, endless meals for which there has been no bill,” the letter reads in part. “You’re spending billions of dollars to develop AI technology. It is only fair that you compensate us for using our writings, without which AI would be banal and extremely limited.” The letter is addressed to

July 18, 2023
James Patterson, Margaret Atwood among thousands of writers urging AI companies to honor copyrights
Arts

In the absurdity of the Beanie Baby craze, filmmakers found a rich tale about America

Economic bubbles come in all shapes, sizes and levels of insanity, but the Beanie Baby craze was easily one of the most absurd. The cuddly $5 toys, under-stuffed for maximum hug-ability, stamped with cute names on their Ty, Inc. tags, and given limited edition runs ignited a surreal frenzy in America in the mid-1990s as regular people collected, traded and sold the toys with the hopes that their value would just keep going up at the dawn of the e-commerce age. It made some people money, and the founder, Ty Warner, a billionaire in three years. When it burst, it

July 18, 2023
In the absurdity of the Beanie Baby craze, filmmakers found a rich tale about America
Arts

Natalie Beach steps out of the online drama and into 'Adult Drama' with her memoir

Natalie Beach is “not bothered” by the constant correlation of her name with her former best friend, Caroline Calloway. “Caroline is an incredibly interesting person, and she’s really talented and a wonderful writer,” said Beach, who rose to fame in 2019 after writing the viral essay “I Was Caroline Calloway” for New York Magazine’s The Cut. In it, she details a toxic friendship and unveils her role as the influencer’s ghostwriter. Calloway had become popular for her diary-style Instagram captions about her time as an American at the University of Cambridge, gaining a six figure book

July 19, 2023
Natalie Beach steps out of the online drama and into 'Adult Drama' with her memoir
Arts

Things to know about the revived investigation into Tupac Shakur's shooting death

An investigation into Tupac Shakur’s unsolved killing has been revived. It took nearly three decades, but a new twist came when authorities in Nevada served a search warrant this week in connection with the rap star’s shooting death, they confirmed Tuesday. Here’s what to know about one of the most infamous fatal shootings in hip-hop history: WHAT’S NEW IN THE INVESTIGATION? Las Vegas police served a search warrant in connection to the killing of Shakur, who was gunned down Sept. 7, 1996. The warrant was executed Monday in the nearby city of Henderson. It’s unclear what

July 19, 2023
Things to know about the revived investigation into Tupac Shakur's shooting death
Arts

Italian prosecutors open an investigation after Placebo frontman calls Meloni a fascist, reports say

Prosecutors in Turin have reportedly opened an investigation after the lead singer of British band Placebo insulted Premier Giorgia Meloni during a July 11 concert, calling her a fascist and racist. The LaPresse and ANSA news agencies said the investigation into alleged “vilification” stemmed from a report by carabinieri police about the comments by Brian Molko during a performance at the Sonic Park Festival in Stupinigi, near Turin. LaPresse reported that as of Monday, Molko hadn’t been placed under investigation. According to a cellphone video circulating on social media, Moko said in Italian: “Giorgia Meloni: piece of

July 19, 2023
Italian prosecutors open an investigation after Placebo frontman calls Meloni a fascist, reports say
Arts

Women's World Cup will highlight how far other countries have closed the gap with US – but that isn't the only yardstick to measure growth of global game

The end of the glory years for the U.S. Women’s National Team? AP Photo/Claude Paris The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup begins on July 20, 2023, in Australia and New Zealand, and the U.S. enters the soccer tournament in a familiar position: favorites. The U.S. Women’s National Team, or USWNT, is the reigning back-to-back champion, and many pundits are expecting it to make history by securing a third successive title. Certainly, the team is built on solid foundations – it has a tournament history like no other, having reached the podium in all eight editions of the tournament stretching back

July 19, 2023
Women's World Cup will highlight how far other countries have closed the gap with US – but that isn't the only yardstick to measure growth of global game
Arts

Jamie Lee Curtis is working on a new children's book, 'Just One More Sleep,' for January publication

Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis also has a busy career as a children’s author. Her next work, “Just One More Sleep,” is set to come out in January. “The passage of time, how children relate to waiting, and patience are the themes at play in my newest book for children,” Curtis said in a statement released Thursday by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. The actor had previously released her children’s stories through HarperCollins. “The seed for this book was planted when I saw my 4-year-old neighbor, Betty, on Christmas Eve 2020 and I

July 19, 2023
Jamie Lee Curtis is working on a new children's book, 'Just One More Sleep,' for January publication
Arts

‘Am I crossing picket lines if I see a movie?’ and other Hollywood strike fan questions answered

You watch movies. You watch TV. And now you’re wondering how the dual Hollywood strikes — a pitched battle with actors and writers on one side, and studios and streaming services on the other — will affect you. We have answers. Do the strikes mean “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” aren’t coming out? They — and all other summer releases — are still on track! Many flashy premieres have been canceled, however, or dramatically scaled down. Am I crossing the picket line by seeing one of those movies? No, the unions have not asked fans to boycott productions, and are quick to

July 19, 2023
‘Am I crossing picket lines if I see a movie?’ and other Hollywood strike fan questions answered
Arts

American model Gigi Hadid and friend don't let marijuana arrest spoil Cayman Islands vacation

American model Gigi Hadid and a friend went ahead with a vacation in the Cayman Islands after local authorities arrested the pair for marijuana possession and later released them. Hadid, who arrived on a private aircraft from the U.S., was arrested after Customs and Border Control agents searched her luggage and found a small amount of cannabis, the agency said in a statement Tuesday. Officials identified her as Jelena Noura Hadid, which is the 28-year-old model’s legal name. Hadid and her friend arrived in the Cayman Islands on July 10 and pleaded guilty on

July 19, 2023
American model Gigi Hadid and friend don't let marijuana arrest spoil Cayman Islands vacation
Arts

What residuals are — and why Hollywood actors and writers are striking over them

“The residuals are out there,” read a picket sign held by actor David Duchovny, echoing the tagline of his TV series, “The X Files.” Residuals are a central issue of the current simultaneous strikes of Hollywood actors and screenwriters, and a subject of constant comment on picket lines. While they once handsomely rewarded stars with rewatchable hits like Duchovny, union members say they’ve since diminished to a trickle as the industry has shifted to streaming. Here’s a look at how the system works and the experience of those who receive them — or don’t. WHAT ARE

July 19, 2023
What residuals are — and why Hollywood actors and writers are striking over them
Arts

No drug test for 'Rust' movie armorer as her trail looms in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

The former weapons supervisor on the set of the movie “Rust” won’t have to take a drug test as she confronts felony charges of evidence tampering and involuntary manslaughter in the on-set shooting death of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin. A New Mexico district court judge on Wednesday dismissed a request from prosecutors to test Hannah Gutierrez-Reed for illegal drugs, calling it “an ambush” against her defense lawyers. Prosecutors say Gutierrez-Reed passed narcotics to another person to avoid legal consequences in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting in October 2021, while contending in

July 19, 2023
No drug test for 'Rust' movie armorer as her trail looms in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

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