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

Arts

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
Arts

Tony Bennett left his heart to generations of music fans

What do Paul McCartney, Queen Latifah, Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder have in common? Oh, and Aretha Franklin, k.d. lang, Bono and Billy Joel. Not to mention Carrie Underwood, Judy Garland, John Legend and Placido Domingo. And let’s not forget… Stop. Listing all of the musicians who performed duets with Tony Bennett would take up our remaining space. His place in music history is already secure. Bennett, who died at 95 on Friday, was indeed “the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century,” as Charles J. Gans wrote for The Associated Press. Yet

July 22, 2023
Tony Bennett left his heart to generations of music fans
Arts

Entertainer Jamie Foxx tells fans in an Instagram message that he is recovering from an illness

Academy Award winning actor, singer and comedian Jamie Foxx said in an Instagram video that he is recovering from an undisclosed medical condition. “I went to hell and back, and my road to recovery has some potholes as well, but I’m coming back,” Foxx, appearing thin and wearing a dark pullover shirt, said in the three minute, 15 second video. “I’m able to work.” Foxx, 55, was hospitalized in April with what his daughter, Corinne Fox, described at the time as a “medical complication” and Foxx did not disclose the nature of his condition in his first public comments since

July 22, 2023
Entertainer Jamie Foxx tells fans in an Instagram message that he is recovering from an illness
Arts

Murder trial of rapper YNW Melly ends in mistrial after jury deadlocks; retrial likely

A deadlocked jury prompted a mistrial Saturday in the South Florida trial of rapper YNW Melly on charges that he murdered two of his friends five years ago. The 12-member panel could not reach a unanimous verdict after three days of deliberations. Broward County prosecutors, who had been seeking the death penalty, will likely choose to retry the case with a new jury. A unanimous verdict is required to convict or acquit a defendant. Broward Circuit Judge John Murphy twice asked the jurors to keep deliberating after they said they were deadlocked, but relented after

July 22, 2023
Murder trial of rapper YNW Melly ends in mistrial after jury deadlocks; retrial likely
Arts

Bell tolls for Wisconsin man who wins Hemingway look-alike contest

On his 68th birthday, a white-bearded Wisconsin man won the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest, a highlight of Key West’s annual Hemingway Days celebration that ends Sunday. Gerrit Marshall, a retired television broadcast engineer from Madison, prevailed Saturday night at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a frequent hangout of Ernest Hemingway when he lived in Key West during the 1930s. “This is the best birthday I have ever had,” said Marshall, whose birthday falls just one day after the July 21 anniversary of Hemingway’s birth. On his 11th attempt, Marshall triumphed over nearly 140 other entrants in the contest

July 23, 2023
Bell tolls for Wisconsin man who wins Hemingway look-alike contest
Arts

‘Barbie,’ in 1st, and ‘Oppenheimer,’ in 2nd, fuel historic box office bonanza

“ Barbenheimer ” didn’t just work – it spun box office gold. The social media-fueled fusion of Greta Gerwig’s “ Barbie ” and Christopher Nolan’s “ Oppenheimer ” brought moviegoers back to the theaters in record numbers this weekend, vastly outperforming projections and giving a glimmer of hope to the lagging exhibition business, amid the sobering backdrop of strikes. Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” claimed the top spot with a massive $155 million in ticket sales from North American theaters from 4,243 locations, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (as well as every Marvel movie this year) as the biggest opening of

July 23, 2023
‘Barbie,’ in 1st, and ‘Oppenheimer,’ in 2nd, fuel historic box office bonanza
Arts

They're the names you don't know. Hollywood's 'journeyman' actors explain why they are striking

Jason Kravits gets a lot of this: People recognize him – they’re just not sure how. “I’m that guy who looks like the guy you went to high school with,” says Kravits. “People think they’ve just seen me somewhere.” Actually, they have — on TV, usually as a lawyer, or a doctor. “I’ve had enough roles that I’ve been in your living room on any given night,” the veteran actor says. “But mostly people don’t know my name.” Kravits is one of those actors union leaders refer to as “journeymen” — who tend to work for

July 24, 2023
They're the names you don't know. Hollywood's 'journeyman' actors explain why they are striking
Arts

Jury deliberates in Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial in London

Jurors in the sexual assault trial of Kevin Spacey retired to begin deliberations on Monday on allegations against the actor by four men that date back two decades. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. The case went to the jury about a month after the nine men and three women were seated in Southwark Crown Court. Spacey’s defense lawyer said during closing arguments last week that three of the men are liars and

July 24, 2023
Jury deliberates in Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial in London
Arts

With ‘Barbie,’ Greta Gerwig breaks a box office record for female directors

“Barbie” didn’t just break the opening weekend record for 2023; It also shattered the first weekend record for a film directed by a woman. With $162 million in ticket sales from North American theaters, according to studio totals Monday, “Barbie” catapulted past both “Captain Marvel,” which was co-directed by Anna Boden and opened to $153.4 million in 2019, and “Wonder Woman,” Patty Jenkins’ 2017 film that debuted to $103.3 million. Boasting a reported price tag of $145 million, “Barbie” also cost less to produce than “Captain Marvel” ($152 million) and “Wonder Woman” ($200 million). Globally, it also far surpassed “Wonder

July 24, 2023
With ‘Barbie,’ Greta Gerwig breaks a box office record for female directors
Arts

How David Bowie, long thought ambivalent to country music, became a writer on a Chris Young song

Country star Chris Young’s latest single, “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” is a vivid love letter to summertime weekends, old trucks, dive bar bands, and crushes. And it might sound immediately familiar: The guitar lick that opens the track is lifted directly from David Bowie’s 1974 hit “Rebel Rebel.” Bowie is credited posthumously as a songwriter on the track, making it one of the genre-melding icon’s few forays into country music — noteworthy, because Bowie himself was not quite a fan of the genre. “I think the only music I didn’t listen to was country and

July 24, 2023
How David Bowie, long thought ambivalent to country music, became a writer on a Chris Young song
Arts

Films directed by Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick to premiere at Toronto festival

The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled a starry lineup to its 48th edition on Monday, even if remains unclear if stars will be there to walk red carpets due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes. Among the films making their world premieres at TIFF this year are Craig Gillespie’s GameStop drama “Dumb Money,” with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet at war photographer Lee Miller and Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra,” with Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne. Also headed to Toronto are Michael Keaton’s “Knox Goes Away,” starring Al Pacino and

July 24, 2023
Films directed by Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick to premiere at Toronto festival
Arts

In 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer' smash success, audiences send message to Hollywood: Give us something new

In the massive movie weekend of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” there were many winners. Greta Gerwig, who made history for female directors. Christopher Nolan, who set a non-Batman career high. Movie theaters, more crowded than anytime post-pandemic. Lovers of unlikely double features. The color pink. Matchbox Twenty. But one of the most important triumphs in the moviegoing monsoon of “Barbenheimer” was originality. Here are two movies that are neither sequels nor reboots pushing the box office to highs not seen in years. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” became a meme because of their worlds-apart differences but they’re each indelibly

July 24, 2023
In 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer' smash success, audiences send message to Hollywood: Give us something new
Arts

Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' rockets to No. 2 on charts after music video controversy

Jason Aldean ‘s “Try That in a Small Town” is experiencing exponential growth following controversy over its music video. “Try That in a Small Town,” which was released in May, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week just behind BTS’s Jung Kook solo single “Seven,” featuring Latto. The track experienced the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years. According to Luminate, the song hit 11.7 million on-demand audio and video streams between July 14 and 20, marking a 1,000% increase from the previous week. Prior to the music

July 24, 2023
Jason Aldean's 'Try That in a Small Town' rockets to No. 2 on charts after music video controversy
Arts

Venice Film Festival unveils A-list lineup with ‘Priscilla,’ ‘Ferrari,’ ‘Maestro’ amid strikes

Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein drama “Maestro,” Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley movie, Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” David Fincher’s “The Killer” and Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” will make their world debuts at the Venice International Film Festival this fall. Organizers announced the lineup Tuesday for the 80th edition of the festival, which — despite the flashy names behind the films — could have a little less Hollywood glamour than usual gracing its picturesque docks and red carpet come September if the Hollywood actors and writers strikes stretch on. As part of the strike, actors cannot promote projects from the studios and streamers with whom

July 25, 2023
Venice Film Festival unveils A-list lineup with ‘Priscilla,’ ‘Ferrari,’ ‘Maestro’ amid strikes
Arts

Bayreuth Festival plans to present Wagner's 'Rienzi' for the first time in 2026

The Bayreuth Festival intends to present “Rienzi” for the first time in 2026 for its 150th anniversary, going outside the canon of Richard Wagner’s final 10 operas for the first time. Wagner’s family still runs the festival in Bayreuth Germany, and until now has limited it to only what are considered his mature works. Katharina Wagner, a great-granddaughter who directs the festival, announced future plans during a Zoom news conference on Monday, a day before this year’s schedule opens. “Rienzi” will be staged along with the 10 other operas in 2026. “Rienzi,” Wagner’s third completed opera,

July 25, 2023
Bayreuth Festival plans to present Wagner's 'Rienzi' for the first time in 2026
Arts

Scott Hoying of Pentatonix celebrates love, goes solo with seven-track debut ‘Parallel’

During a two-month break in the a cappella group Pentatonix ’s world tour, baritone Scott Hoying became a newlywed. He also went out on his own, with his most personal music to date. The 31-year-old Grammy winner sings from the heart about falling in love and losing his best four-legged friend in his seven-track solo debut “Parallel,” which is out Friday. Other members of Pentatonix have released solo albums before, and going at it alone is something Hoying has thought about for many years, but with much hesitation. Still, the process of finally doing it has been therapeutic. It’s given

July 25, 2023
Scott Hoying of Pentatonix celebrates love, goes solo with seven-track debut ‘Parallel’
Arts

Drew Barrymore will host the National Book Awards, where Oprah Winfrey will be a guest speaker

Drew Barrymore, whose honors include a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award, will be presiding over a more literary ceremony this fall. Barrymore will be hosting the 74th annual National Book Awards, the National Book Foundation announced Tuesday. And Oprah Winfrey, a previous winner of an honorary National Book Award, will be a guest speaker. Barrymore and Winfrey both have long histories of championing books and reading. Winfrey’s book club picks have helped dozens of works become bestsellers, while Barrymore has praised books by Tina Fey and David Sedaris, among others. “Throughout their careers, Drew

July 25, 2023
Drew Barrymore will host the National Book Awards, where Oprah Winfrey will be a guest speaker
Arts

SAG-AFTRA holds star-studded rally in Times Square

SAG-AFTRA held its largest and most star-studded rally yet Tuesday in Times Square in a picket sign-waving show of solidary 12 days into the actors strike. A day after a Variety report questioned the lack of A-listers that have hit picket lines thus far, the rally Tuesday boasted more star wattage than perhaps any single strike action yet. Among those joining throngs of demonstrators were Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Brendan Fraser, Ellen Burstyn, Wendell Pierce, Steve Buscemi, Rachel Zegler, Michael Shannon, Jane Curtin, Christian Slater and Chloe Grace Moretz. Taking up a full city block, actors

July 25, 2023
SAG-AFTRA holds star-studded rally in Times Square
Arts

Pete Davidson to do 50 hours community service after charge of driving into Beverly Hills house

Pete Davidson has entered a diversion program to resolve a reckless driving charge for crashing into a Beverly Hills home and will perform 50 hours community service, authorities said Tuesday. The 29-year-old “Saturday Night Live” and “King of Staten Island” actor and comedian will likely do his community service with the New York Fire Department, where his late father worked, Los Angeles County prosecutors said. Davidson was seven years old when his father, Scott, a New York firefighter, died responding to the 9/11 attacks. Davidson pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor and was put in an 18-month diversion that also

July 25, 2023
Pete Davidson to do 50 hours community service after charge of driving into Beverly Hills house
Arts

Actor Marla Gibbs, 92, will tell her life story in the memoir 'It's Never Too Late'

Marla Gibbs has waited a long time to tell her life story. The Emmy-nominated actor known for her roles on “The Jeffersons” and “227” among others has a deal with Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers dedicated to Black stories, for a memoir coming out in fall 2024. Gibbs, 92, is calling the book “It’s Never Too Late,” in which she traces her rise from Chicago’s South Side to long-term success in Hollywood. “My hope is that my memoir will serve as an inspiration to those that continue to show me love and support,” Gibbs said

July 25, 2023
Actor Marla Gibbs, 92, will tell her life story in the memoir 'It's Never Too Late'
Arts

Michael K. Williams' nephew urges compassion for defendant at sentencing related to actor's death

A 71-year-old man linked to a crew of drug dealers blamed in the fentanyl-laced heroin death of “The Wire” actor Michael K. Williams was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in prison at a proceeding in which the actor’s nephew recommended compassion for the defendant. Carlos Macci was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams, who told Macci that selling heroin and fentanyl “not only cost Mr. Williams his life, but it’s costing your freedom,” in part because he did not stop selling drugs after Williams died. Macci had

July 26, 2023
Michael K. Williams' nephew urges compassion for defendant at sentencing related to actor's death
Arts

ESPN considers adding sports leagues as partners as it transitions from cable to digital

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said the network could take on a sports league as a minority partner as the network continues its transition from a cable channel to a digital company. “I will emphasize that we believe there are parties out there that can help us on the content side. So you can draw whatever conclusions you want from that,” Pitaro said Tuesday during a seminar sponsored by CNBC and Boardroom, a sports media company founded by Kevin Durant. Pitaro declined to say which leagues have been in talks with him and Walt Disney Co.

July 26, 2023
ESPN considers adding sports leagues as partners as it transitions from cable to digital
Arts

Michael Jackson sexual abuse lawsuits on verge of revival by appeals court

A California appeals court on Wednesday will consider reviving the dismissed lawsuits of two men who allege Michael Jackson sexually abused them as children for years, a move the court appears likely to make after a tentative decision that would order the cases back to a lower court for trial. The suits were filed after Jackson’s 2009 death by Wade Robson in 2013 and James Safechuck the following year. The two men became more widely known for telling their stories in the 2019 HBO documentary, “ Leaving Neverland.” Both sued MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures

July 26, 2023
Michael Jackson sexual abuse lawsuits on verge of revival by appeals court
Arts

Vermont-based Phish to play 2 shows to benefit flood recovery efforts

Phish will play two special shows next month to benefit flood recovery efforts in Vermont and upstate New York. The band, which was formed in Vermont in 1983, says on its website that it will play at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26. The band said 100% of net proceeds from all concert and merchandise sales will be directed to a 2023 Flood Recovery Fund that’s part of a foundation it created in 1997. Phish “will support the many victims and their families, area businesses and nonprofits.” The

July 26, 2023
Vermont-based Phish to play 2 shows to benefit flood recovery efforts
Arts

Issa Rae offers aspiring female directors a chance to shine on rebooted 'Project Greenlight' series

From Issa Rae’s perspective, there’s plenty of talented female filmmakers willing to work. However, she knows most haven’t been afforded the same support as their male counterparts. Now, Rae feels compelled to create a supportive platform for aspiring women directors through the reboot series “Project Greenlight: A New Generation,” which premiered this month on Max. She brought back the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon series that debuted in 2001 on HBO about unproven filmmakers directing a feature-length movie. It was canceled 14 years later after a controversial fourth season, which included a heated discussion between Damon

July 26, 2023
Issa Rae offers aspiring female directors a chance to shine on rebooted 'Project Greenlight' series

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