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

Arts

Arts

SNL's Heidi Gardner, Kelce's mother to take part in 'World Largest Tailgate' before NFL kickoff game

“Saturday Night Live” star Heidi Gardner will be among several entertainers expected to take part in a virtual tailgate and concert experience before the NFL’s kickoff game in Kansas City next month. The show dubbed as the “World’s Largest Tailgate” looks to celebrate the start of the football season as the Super Bowl defending champion Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, the team announced Monday. The event will be held live outside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Along with Gardner’s appearances during segments, the 90-minute show will be hosted by YouTube stars the Merrell

August 28, 2023
SNL's Heidi Gardner, Kelce's mother to take part in 'World Largest Tailgate' before NFL kickoff game
Arts

For ‘Last of Us’ composer Gustavo Santaolalla, silence is key to drawing the audience in

When composer Gustavo Santaolalla sits with a new script, the words on the page often trigger visual elements, allowing him to hear the musical journey as the story travels from scene to scene. It’s a trait that’s served “The Last of Us” composer well in creating the music for both the acclaimed video game and its Emmy-nominated HBO adaptation, including a nod for Santaolalla’s music. Santaolalla was never formally trained to read or write music, but his instinctual method has led him to create Academy-award winning compositions for Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s

August 28, 2023
For ‘Last of Us’ composer Gustavo Santaolalla, silence is key to drawing the audience in
Arts

This course examines the dark realities behind your favorite children's stories

A lecturer in English literature gets her students to examine children’s books through the lens of race, class and sexuality.

August 29, 2023
This course examines the dark realities behind your favorite children's stories
Arts

Jean Dawson is introducing fans to 3 new characters in his latest musical trilogy

Jean Dawson is an open book. Onstage, the eccentric performer takes control as he bounces around, full of energy with vulnerable lyricism and experimental sound. In person, he’s charming and introspective, sitting across with a tight sweatshirt hoodie pulled over his head and his hair falling over his eyes as he speaks in metaphors and long anecdotes about his latest projects, fame, cultural identity and more. Since the release of his 2019 mixtape, “Bad Sports,” Dawson has created music that seamlessly ebbs and flows from one genre to the next, ranging from rap to punk to

August 29, 2023
Jean Dawson is introducing fans to 3 new characters in his latest musical trilogy
Arts

When it comes to the Hollywood strikes, it's not just the entertainment industry that's being hurt

The company had struggled for years, tossed around by pandemic-induced production shutdowns that began in March 2020. Last year, though, business for Valentino’s Costume Group had finally picked back up. Hoping to capitalize on that good fortune, the shop moved in January to a North Hollywood space twice the size of its old building. Then Hollywood’s screenwriters and actors went on strike. Now, says co-owner Shon LeBlanc, Valentino’s can no longer afford to pay its rent. “My chest is tightening because the money is so tight,” says LeBlanc, bemoaning the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television

August 29, 2023
When it comes to the Hollywood strikes, it's not just the entertainment industry that's being hurt
Arts

Why you can't get 'Planet of the Bass,' the playful '90s Eurodance parody, out of your head

The year is 2023, but it might as well be 1997. One of the great viral hits of the moment is DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica’s “Planet of the Bass,” a parody song pulled straight from the absurdity of late ‘90s, early ’00s Eurodance music. Think Eiffel 65’s “Blue (Da Ba Dee),” or Crazy Frog’s “Axel F.” At the time of writing, the various versions of his song have surpassed over 250 million combined views across social platforms. Confused? You’re not alone. Who are DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica? A clip of

August 29, 2023
Why you can't get 'Planet of the Bass,' the playful '90s Eurodance parody, out of your head
Arts

CBS honoring late game show host Bob Barker with prime-time special

CBS is giving the late game show host Bob Barker a last run on television with a prime-time tribute special that will air on the network Thursday night. “The Price is Right: A Tribute to Bob Barker,” scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, will be replayed Labor Day in the game show’s regular daytime slot, which is 11 a.m. Eastern and 10 a.m. Pacific. The smooth-talking host, who urged participants to “come on down” and play the enduring game that required them to guess the price of consumer goods, died at age 99 Saturday at

August 29, 2023
CBS honoring late game show host Bob Barker with prime-time special
Arts

Rapper 50 Cent cancels Phoenix concert due to extreme heat that has plagued the region

Sweltering heat in Phoenix that has routinely broken records this summer led to yet another canceled concert, with rapper 50 Cent calling the triple-digit temperatures “dangerous.” Rapper 50 Cent said Monday that his scheduled show Tuesday night at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, an outdoor venue in west Phoenix, was postponed because of the sweltering weather. “I’ll be back in Arizona soon! 116 degrees is dangerous for everyone,” the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, wrote on social media. National Weather Service meteorologists in Phoenix said Monday’s high topped off at 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius).

August 29, 2023
Rapper 50 Cent cancels Phoenix concert due to extreme heat that has plagued the region
Arts

John McEnroe says he tested positive for COVID and will miss US Open TV coverage

John McEnroe has COVID-19 and is missing time as ESPN’s lead tennis analyst for its U.S. Open television coverage. “Unfortunately, after feeling a bit under the weather, I tested positive for COVID,” McEnroe said in a statement released by the network on Tuesday, the second day of the Grand Slam tournament. “I’m watching the U.S. Open from home and can’t wait to get back to work soon.” ESPN said it wishes McEnroe well and looks forward “to welcoming him back when he’s ready.” McEnroe won four of his seven Grand Slam singles titles at the U.S.

August 29, 2023
John McEnroe says he tested positive for COVID and will miss US Open TV coverage
Arts

'Breaking Bad' stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors

The cast of “Breaking Bad” has reunited to call upon Hollywood studios to resume negotiations with striking screen actors. “We want you to come back to the table with us,” Bryan Cranston said in a plea to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers outside Sony Pictures Studios on Tuesday. Cranston was joined by Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons and other members of the “Breaking Bad” universe in an effort to energize picket lines more than a month after SAG-AFTRA joined striking Hollywood writers. Both guilds are seeking to address issues brought about by the

August 30, 2023
'Breaking Bad' stars reunite on picket line to call for studios to resume negotiations with actors
Arts

Iran's street art shows defiance, resistance and resilience

‘While the teachers are detained, the classrooms will be closed,’ reads one artist’s painting on a wall. Khiaban Tribune via Instagram A recent rise in activism in Iran has added a new chapter to the country’s long-standing history of murals and other public art. But as the sentiments being expressed in those works have changed, the government’s view of them has shifted, too. The ancient Persians, who lived in what is now Iran, adorned their palaces, temples and tombs with intricate wall paintings, showcasing scenes of royal court life, religious rituals and epic tales. Following the 1979 revolution and the

August 30, 2023
Iran's street art shows defiance, resistance and resilience
Arts

Hollywood's working class turns to nonprofit funds to make ends meet during the strike

Shawn Batey was sweating in the August sun on the 100th day of the writers strike, carrying her “IATSE Solidarity” sign on the picket line outside Netflix’s New York offices, but she was glad to be there. A props assistant and documentary filmmaker, Batey is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union that represents most Hollywood crew members, and has recently worked on “Pose” and “Russian Doll.” But since the writers strike began in May and the actors joined them on July 14, Batey has had trouble covering her expenses —

August 30, 2023
Hollywood's working class turns to nonprofit funds to make ends meet during the strike
Arts

CNN names Mark Thompson, former BBC and New York Times executive, as its new leader

CNN is bringing in a former chief executive of the BBC and The New York Times in an attempt to turn around a news organization that has burned through two leaders and bled viewers over the past two years. Mark Thompson was appointed as chair and CEO of CNN by David Zaslav, head of the network’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, which made the announcement Wednesday. Thompson replaces Chris Licht, who was fired in June, and a four-person team that had been running CNN in the interim. Thompson, who left the Times in 2020 after eight

August 30, 2023
CNN names Mark Thompson, former BBC and New York Times executive, as its new leader
Arts

Authors Jesmyn Ward and James McBride are among the nominees for the 10th annual Kirkus Prizes

Novels by Jesmyn Ward and James McBride and story collections by Jamal Brinkley and Kelly Link are among the finalists Wednesday for the 10th annual Kirkus Prizes, for which winners in fiction, nonfiction and young reader’s literature each receive $50,000. Kirkus judges selected six books for each of the three categories, with winners to be announced Oct. 11. The awards are presented by the trade publication Kirkus Reviews. Ward’s slave narrative “Let Us Descend” and McBride’s 20th century tale “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” were nominated in fiction, along with Brinkley’s “Witness,” Link’s “White Cat,

August 30, 2023
Authors Jesmyn Ward and James McBride are among the nominees for the 10th annual Kirkus Prizes
Arts

Prince Harry says in a new Netflix series he lacked support when he returned home from Afghanistan

Britain’s Prince Harry says he didn’t have the support he needed when he returned home from combat in Afghanistan as he reached out to other veterans in a new Netflix series about the Invictus Games for injured soldiers. The new series launched on Wednesday on the streaming service. In talking about post-traumatic stress disorder, Harry said that his return from Afghanistan in 2012 triggered emotions that he suppressed after the death of his mother, Princess Diana, when he was just 12 years old. The prince, whose troubles with the royal family have been chronicled in the past,

August 30, 2023
Prince Harry says in a new Netflix series he lacked support when he returned home from Afghanistan
Arts

Late-night hosts team up for 'Strike Force Five' podcast to benefit their out-of-work staff

Something interesting: Stephen Colbert has in his possession a pair of pants belonging to the late Nicaraguan dictator, Anastasio Somoza. It’s a long story but his mom dated Somoza when she was younger (before he became a dictator, says Colbert). Speaking of pants, Jimmy Kimmel once bought a pair of Gary Coleman’s pants off eBay. These are just two of the wonderfully weird factoids shared by late-night hosts Colbert, Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers, in a new podcast called “Strike Force Five” — named after their personal text chain — which debuted Wednesday on Spotify. Because their

August 30, 2023
Late-night hosts team up for 'Strike Force Five' podcast to benefit their out-of-work staff
Arts

Visual artists fight back against AI companies for repurposing their work

Kelly McKernan’s acrylic and watercolor paintings are bold and vibrant, often featuring feminine figures rendered in bright greens, blues, pinks and purples. The style, in the artist’s words, is “surreal, ethereal … dealing with discomfort in the human journey.” The word “human” has a special resonance for McKernan these days. Although it’s always been a challenge to eke out a living as a visual artist — and the pandemic made it worse — McKernan now sees an existential threat from a medium that’s decidedly not human: artificial intelligence. It’s been about a year since McKernan, who

August 31, 2023
Visual artists fight back against AI companies for repurposing their work
Arts

Conductor John Eliot Gardiner pulls out of future engagements after allegedly hitting a singer

Prominent classical music conductor John Eliot Gardiner is pulling out of all engagements until next year after allegedly hitting a singer backstage following a concert. The British conductor said in a statement Thursday that he was stepping back to get “the specialist help I recognize that I have needed for some time.” His agency, Intermusica, said he “deeply regrets his behavior” and intends to get counseling. “I want to apologize to colleagues who have felt badly treated and anyone who may feel let down by my decision to take time out to address my issues. I am

August 31, 2023
Conductor John Eliot Gardiner pulls out of future engagements after allegedly hitting a singer
Arts

Michael Oher, Mike Tyson and the question of whether you own your life story

Former NFL offensive lineman Michael Oher poses at the 2009 NFL draft with the Tuohy family. Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images What if you overcame a serious illness to go on to win an Olympic medal? Could a writer or filmmaker decide to tell your inspiring story without consulting you? Or do you “own” that story and control how it gets retold? Michael Oher, the former NFL player portrayed in the 2009 blockbuster “The Blind Side,” has sued Michael and Anne Leigh Tuohy, the suburban couple who took him into their home as a disadvantaged youth. In his official complaint, Oher claims

August 31, 2023
Michael Oher, Mike Tyson and the question of whether you own your life story
Arts

Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film coming to movie theaters in October

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is coming to movie theaters. Swift announced Thursday that the concert film “Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” will open in North American theaters Oct. 13. The theater chain AMC, anticipating high demand from Swift fans, said the film will play at least four times a day Thursday, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays at all of its U.S. locations. “The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift said on social

August 31, 2023
Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film coming to movie theaters in October
Arts

In ‘Equalizer 3,’ Denzel Washington’s assassin goes to Italy

Filmmaker Antoine Fuqua has been dreaming about taking the Equalizer abroad for years. The action franchise (very loosely based on a 1980s television series) starring Denzel Washington as the reluctant assassin Robert McCall had rooted itself in humble domestic beginnings, in Boston. But after two films and $382.7 million in box-office receipts in the past decade, the time seemed ripe to travel. “Denzel is an international movie star,” Fuqua told The Associated Press. “We thought it would be nice to see a man of color in a story that’s more international. Why not take this character around the world? Luckily,

August 31, 2023
In ‘Equalizer 3,’ Denzel Washington’s assassin goes to Italy
Arts

Statue believed to depict Marcus Aurelius seized from Cleveland museum in looting investigation

A headless bronze statue believed to depict the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius was ordered seized from the Cleveland Museum of Art by New York authorities investigating antiquities looted from Turkey. A warrant signed by a judge in Manhattan on Aug. 14 ordered the seizure of the statue, which the museum acquired in 1986 and had been a highlight of its collection of ancient Roman art. The warrant was secured as part of an ongoing investigation into a smuggling network involving antiquities looted from Bubon in southwestern Turkey and trafficked through Manhattan, a spokesperson for

August 31, 2023
Statue believed to depict Marcus Aurelius seized from Cleveland museum in looting investigation
Arts

'Walking Dead' spinoffs, 'Interview With the Vampire' can resume with actors' union approval

A pair spinoffs of “The Walking Dead” and the next season of “Interview With the Vampire” can resume production despite the ongoing Hollywood strikes after reaching an agreement with the actors’ union. The three AMC series are the highest-profile television productions yet to get what’s known as an interim agreement from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The approval was granted Wednesday because the cable channel AMC and production company Stalwart Films are not part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — the coalition of studios the actors are

September 01, 2023
'Walking Dead' spinoffs, 'Interview With the Vampire' can resume with actors' union approval
Arts

Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys facing civil lawsuits in Vegas alleging sexual assault decades ago

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has won a favorable ruling in one of two civil lawsuits filed against him in Nevada, one by a woman who alleges he raped her on his tour bus in Washington state in 2001 and another by a woman who alleges he sexually assaulted her on his boat off Florida in 2003. A state court judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss a countersuit that Carter and his attorneys brought alleging defamation by three people in the first case, which was filed last December by a Nevada woman, now 40, who alleges

September 01, 2023
Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys facing civil lawsuits in Vegas alleging sexual assault decades ago
Arts

After outrage over Taylor Swift tickets, reform has been slow across the US

When thousands of fans couldn’t get tickets for megastar Taylor Swift’s summer stadium tour, some diehards paid upwards of 70 times face value to see their favorite artist in person — an outrage that prompted Congressional hearings and bills in state legislatures to better protect consumers. After 10 months, Swift’s U.S. tour is finished, but so are most of the meaningful reforms consumer advocates and industry groups had hoped to pass this year. A proposal has so far failed to advance in the U.S. Senate. Legislation in Colorado was vetoed by the Democratic governor at the

September 01, 2023
After outrage over Taylor Swift tickets, reform has been slow across the US

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