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

Arts

Arts

Jason Aldean's new music video was filmed at a lynching site. A big country music network pulled it

Country music star Jason Aldean ‘s latest music video for “Try That In A Small Town,” lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over historically charged references. In the video, Aldean — who has been awarded county music artist of the decade by the Academy of Country Music — performs in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee. This is the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate. Aldean’s video, which was released Friday,

July 19, 2023
Jason Aldean's new music video was filmed at a lynching site. A big country music network pulled it
Arts

Trimmed trees outside LA studio become flashpoint for striking Hollywood writers and actors

A row of tightly trimmed ficus trees along a stretch of sidewalk outside Universal Studios has become a hot spot in the face-off between Hollywood studios and striking screenwriters and actors. Some members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Writers Guild of America unions — along with sympathetic local politicians — think the studio purposely pruned the trees in an effort to remove a source of shade for workers picketing under the hot Southern California sun. They gathered regardless on Wednesday, with one woman wearing a green wreath on her

July 20, 2023
Trimmed trees outside LA studio become flashpoint for striking Hollywood writers and actors
Arts

Wrexham opens US tour with 5-0 loss to Chelsea before 50,596 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Sue Martin had the summer mapped out for her family from St. Augustine, Florida. Then along came word that Chelsea and Wrexham would play a preseason friendly on U.S. soil. “We had a whole vacation planned and they dropped this game,” Martin said before . “We needed to be here. We love soccer. We love Ryan Reynolds.” Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney have taken Wrexham from a struggling fifth-tier side to a fan favorite, largely through the globally-streamed docuseries “Welcome to Wrexham.” The Red Dragons opened a four-game preseason U.S. tour Wednesday night with a

July 20, 2023
Wrexham opens US tour with 5-0 loss to Chelsea before 50,596 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Arts

Fans of martial arts legend Bruce Lee fondly remember his life philosophy 50 years after his death

Fans of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee, who broke negative stereotypes around Asian men in films, gathered in Hong Kong this week to commemorate their idol’s death half a century ago, remembering his legacy and his life philosophy on persistence. Lee, who was born in San Francisco but raised in the Asian financial hub, was famous for his martial arts talent and his fight against racist portrayals of Asians on big and small screens in the 1960s and 70s. He died at the height of his fame due to an allergic reaction to painkillers when

July 20, 2023
Fans of martial arts legend Bruce Lee fondly remember his life philosophy 50 years after his death
Arts

Home searched in Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing is tied to uncle of long-dead suspect

A home Las Vegas police searched this week in connection with the 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur is tied to a man long known to detectives investigating the case, whose nephew had emerged as a suspect shortly after the rapper’s killing. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed it served a search warrant Monday in the nearby city of Henderson. But the department said it wouldn’t release any other details, including where officers were searching and whether they expect to make an arrest for the first time in the slaying of the rapper nearly 30

July 20, 2023
Home searched in Tupac Shakur's 1996 killing is tied to uncle of long-dead suspect
Arts

Jason Momoa hosts Discovery's 'Shark Week,' featuring feeding frenzies and junkie sharks

Discovery Channel has landed the perfect host this year for “Shark Week,” none other than a huge fan of all ocean creatures — Aquaman. Jason Momoa, who in real life dreamed of a career as a marine biologist before Hollywood anointed him an ocean god, is going back to his roots to celebrate all things shark. “My heart is in the ocean,” Momoa told The Associated Press from Tahiti, moments before taking a trip to swim with some of the apex predators. “Doing ‘Shark Week’ is a no brainer.” Momoa will be the week’s recurring master

July 20, 2023
Jason Momoa hosts Discovery's 'Shark Week,' featuring feeding frenzies and junkie sharks
Arts

Q&A: ‘Barbie’ filmmaker Greta Gerwig on art, commerce and embracing the mess

Barbie, the doll, may be 64 years old, but “Barbie,” the movie, is a pandemic baby. Greta Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind “Little Women” and “Lady Bird,” started dreaming it up at a time when she wasn’t sure movies would ever come back. “I wanted to channel something that had that ache in it, but also something so wild and unruly and something that was so just spilling out over the edges of it that you want to be in a group and see it big,” Gerwig told The Associated Press this week. “Because I thought we’ll never make any

July 20, 2023
Q&A: ‘Barbie’ filmmaker Greta Gerwig on art, commerce and embracing the mess
Arts

Johnny Depp creates debut self-portrait in 'dark' and 'confusing' time

Johnny Depp has painted the emotions of recent years into a self-portrait and is offering the result for sale as a time-limited edition. The actor began working on the piece, titled “Five,” around 2021 in the midst of an explosive dispute with his ex-wife, Amber Heard, which played out in courtrooms on both sides of the Atlantic. “I think this is the most personal piece he’s ever done,” said Ian Weatherby-Blythe, managing director of Castle Fine Art, which is handling the sale of “Five.” The gallery also oversaw Depp’s sold-out debut art collection, the series of portraits

July 20, 2023
Johnny Depp creates debut self-portrait in 'dark' and 'confusing' time
Arts

Amid labor turmoil in Hollywood, Broadway seems to avoid a strike

Broadway and the touring theater community seem to have avoided a labor disruption like the one that has silenced the film and television industry. The Broadway League and Disney Theatrical Productions, which represent producers, and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees announced Thursday they had reached a tentative agreement that had threatened a strike as early as Friday. About 1,500 workers — stagehands, hair and makeup artists, and wardrobe personnel — are directly covered by the tentative agreement, currently working on 28 productions on Broadway and 17 on tour. The agreement still needs to be

July 20, 2023
Amid labor turmoil in Hollywood, Broadway seems to avoid a strike
Arts

Zoe Saldaña put self-doubt aside to star in new Taylor Sheridan series 'Special Ops: Lioness'

Zoe Saldaña has starred in three successful film franchises — “ Avatar ”, “ Guardians of the Galaxy ” and “ Star Trek ” — yet when Taylor Sheridan approached her to lead his new TV series, “Special Ops: Lioness,” she said no. “I have ADD and I’m dyslexic, so learning a lot of dialogue was always very daunting,” said Saldaña in an interview prior to the start of the actors strike. “I never thought that I would ever get to be a part of (projects) where the dialog and the writing is most important to the whole story. ..

July 20, 2023
Zoe Saldaña put self-doubt aside to star in new Taylor Sheridan series 'Special Ops: Lioness'
Arts

Actors and writers on strike rally in Philadelphia and Chicago as union action spreads

Striking screenwriters and actors held rallies in Philadelphia and Chicago on Thursday as the labor dispute that has halted Hollywood spreads to more cities. While Los Angeles and New York are the epicenters of strike actions, there are dozens of mid-sized and small locals across the country representing performers and writers. “We have the same issues,” said Nikki Izanec, president of the Philadelphia SAG-AFTRA local, on her way to Thursday’s rally. “Lots of people pay attention to L.A. and New York, but our issues are the same as theirs.” The Philadelphia rally at Love Park drew actors Sheryl Lee Ralph

July 20, 2023
Actors and writers on strike rally in Philadelphia and Chicago as union action spreads
Arts

Jury deliberations begin in double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly in South Florida

Jurors in a South Florida courtroom began deliberating Thursday afternoon in the double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly, and the 24-year-old artist could face a possible death sentence if convicted of the fatal shooting of two childhood friends. Broward County prosecutors delivered their closing argument Thursday morning in the October 2018 shooting deaths. They reminded jurors that the fatal shots came from inside a Jeep where the victims had been shot, and by every account, from the seat where YNW Melly was sitting, the Sun Sentinel reported. Melly, whose legal name is Jamell Demons,

July 20, 2023
Jury deliberations begin in double murder trial of rapper YNW Melly in South Florida
Arts

The Gaslight Anthem were labeled 'Bruce Springsteen copycats.' Now the Boss is on their new single

For years, a common critique of the beloved New Jersey rock band The Gaslight Anthem was to label them “Bruce Springsteen” copycats. Now they’ve released a song with the Boss. “History Books,” the title track from the band’s first album in nine years, is big-hearted freeway rock, made ascendent by frontman Brian Fallon and Springsteen’s tremulous harmonies. “There’s a definitely a little wink in there,” Fallon tells The Associated Press about the song and his band’s long-held comparisons to the Boss, which once escalated to the point where he wrote to his fans, “My name isn’t

July 21, 2023
The Gaslight Anthem were labeled 'Bruce Springsteen copycats.' Now the Boss is on their new single
Arts

Music Review: 'Barbie' soundtrack delivers a dreamhouse of Kenergy and ballads alike

“Barbie: The Album” by Various Artists (Atlantic/Warner/Mattel) The Barbie industrial complex has detonated, coating the planet in pink, sparkly fallout. For the blockbuster’s soundtrack, “Barbie: The Album,” film director Greta Gerwig and music producer Mark Ronson corralled a set of huge artists at the top of their games and have come away with a raucous, joyous and, occasionally, touching compilation. The soundtrack works because the contributors understood the assignment. Collectively, they deliver a dreamhouse of songs that are each at least a little better than they have to be. The tracks succeed both as cinematic elements and as standalone songs.

July 21, 2023
Music Review: 'Barbie' soundtrack delivers a dreamhouse of Kenergy and ballads alike
Arts

Actors and writers strikes enter second week with no signs of a deal to get Hollywood working again

The combined strike by Hollywood actors and screenwriters is entering its second week with no sign that a swift ending will be achieved. For a week, actors including household names like Tina Fey, Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick, Rosario Dawson, David Duchovny and other stars have joined working class performers and writers on picket lines outside studios and corporate offices of streaming giants Amazon, MAX and Netflix. The actors’ regular appearance on picket lines has provided additional starpower and voices on issues that are key to both groups — better pay and preserving established practices

July 21, 2023
Actors and writers strikes enter second week with no signs of a deal to get Hollywood working again
Arts

Nina Simone's lost set at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival released as an album

Nina Simone fans have a reason for feeling good.: A previously unreleased recording of the legendary artist’s set at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1966 is being released. Verve Records and UMe on Friday are issuing “You’ve Got to Learn,” a six-song set that includes a different take on Simone’s celebrated protest song “Mississippi Goddam.” The songs also include “You’ve Got to Learn, ”‘I Loves You, Porgy,” “Blues For Mama,” “Be My Husband” and ”Music for Lovers.” Simone, who also plays piano, is joined by guitar, bass and drums. There are sound issues throughout —

July 21, 2023
Nina Simone's lost set at the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival released as an album
Arts

Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96

Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards such as “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” graced a decadeslong career that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday. He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday. Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to The Associated Press, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. The last of the great saloon singers of

July 21, 2023
Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96
Arts

From Barbie to millennial pink, the cultural phenomenon behind the color that sells

“Think pink! think pink! when you shop for summer clothes. Think pink! think pink! if you want that quelque chose.” That advice, sung as an epiphany in the 1957 musical film “Funny Face,” has definitely been heeded — just take a look around at fashion and media. The fascination around pink — each shade and hue with its own connotation — has shaped those cultural engines for generations, revving into full force as we reach peak “Barbie” season. The color has been a crucial detail for films and television — from that scene in “Funny Face,” to Elle Woods sporting

July 21, 2023
From Barbie to millennial pink, the cultural phenomenon behind the color that sells
Arts

Friends and admirers of Tony Bennett react to the news of his death

Reaction to the death of Tony Bennett at age 96: “RIP Tony Bennett. The best of the best. The last of the legends. A man whose heart was as big as his voice. The world’s foremost practitioner of the ‘Art of Excellence.’ Deepest love and condolences to my friend Danny and the family.” — Stevie Van Zandt, via Twitter. “Sending my prayers for and condolences to the family of #TonyBennett whose legendary career spanned seven decades. He marched with us in 1964. He was dedicated to civil and human rights and to the arts. He will lives as long as

July 21, 2023
Friends and admirers of Tony Bennett react to the news of his death
Arts

Rapper Quando Rondo crashes car while awaiting trial. Prosecutors want him back in jail.

Prosecutors want the rapper Quando Rondo sent back to jail after he crashed a car while free on bond pending trial on gang and drug charges. The 24-year-old rapper, whose given name Tyquian Terrel Bowman, was indicted last month in his hometown of Savannah. He was released from jail June 26 on a $100,000 bond. Now prosecutors are asking a Chatham County Superior Court judge to revoke his bond. Their court filing says Bowman crashed a car while driving at high speed Wednesday, and that emergency responders “administered Narcan as he was exhibiting signs of an

July 21, 2023
Rapper Quando Rondo crashes car while awaiting trial. Prosecutors want him back in jail.
Arts

'Barbenheimer' arrives as moviegoers flock to a Mattel-mushroom cloud double feature

Waves of pink-clad moviegoers passed under carboard palm trees on the frenzied first day of “Barbenheimer.” After a feverish drumbeat propelled forward by a mushroom cloud of memes, the most anticipated day on the year’s movie calendar finally arrived as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” — two movie opposites brought together by cross-marketing fate — landed in theaters. “I think it’s the contrast,” said Lucy Ruiz, 17, as she and a friend made their way into the first showing of “Barbie” on Thursday at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, New York. “If you want to do both in

July 21, 2023
'Barbenheimer' arrives as moviegoers flock to a Mattel-mushroom cloud double feature
Arts

Drake: new 'For All the Dogs' album may drop in ‘a couple of weeks’

Hip-hop’s top dog is readying a new album, and it could be here sooner than you think. Drake told a capacity-filled Barclays Center crowd in Brooklyn Thursday night that his upcoming project, “For All the Dogs,” would drop in approximately “a couple of weeks.” The 36-year old megastar, known for releasing music without an announced date, teased the potential project at his intimate Apollo show in January. In addition to Thursday’s announcement, the five-time Grammy winner, photographed wearing a Doberman dog mask earlier in the day, said he was also releasing a new freestyle on Friday.

July 21, 2023
Drake: new 'For All the Dogs' album may drop in ‘a couple of weeks’
Arts

'Challengers,' starring Zendaya, will skip Venice premiere due to actors strike, moves to 2024

Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers,” starring Zendaya, has been pulled from the Venice Film Festival, where it was to be the opening night film, due to the actors strike. The R-rated “Challengers,” in which Zendaya stars as a tennis coach involved in a love triangle, had been planned to kick off the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 30 before opening in theaters Sept. 15. But with actors striking from working or promoting their films — including walking any red carpets — distributor MGM, which is owned by Amazon Studios, will instead open “Challengers” in theaters April 26 next

July 21, 2023
'Challengers,' starring Zendaya, will skip Venice premiere due to actors strike, moves to 2024
Arts

AI is the wild card in Hollywood's strikes. Here's an explanation of its unsettling role

Artificial intelligence has surged to the forefront of Hollywood’s labor fights. Standing alongside more traditional disputes over pay models, benefits and job protections, AI technology is the wild card in the contract breakdowns that have led actors and writers unions to go on strike. The technology has pushed negotiations into unknown territory, and the language used can sound utopian or dystopian depending on the side of the table. Here’s a look at what the unions and their employers each say they want. WHY IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SUCH A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE? As the technology to create without

July 21, 2023
AI is the wild card in Hollywood's strikes. Here's an explanation of its unsettling role
Arts

Tony Bennett: the timeless visionary who, with a nod to America's musical heritage, embraced the future

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in 2015. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP In the history of American popular music, there have been few luminaries as enduring and innovative as Tony Bennett. With a career that spanned almost 80 years, Bennett’s smooth tones, unique phrasing and visionary musical collaborations left an indelible mark on vocal jazz and the recording industry as a whole. That his death at the age of 96 on July 21, 2023, was mourned by artists as varied as Keith Urban, Ozzy Osbourne and Harry Connick Jr. should come as no surprise. Yes, Bennett was a jazz crooner. But if his

July 22, 2023
Tony Bennett: the timeless visionary who, with a nod to America's musical heritage, embraced the future

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