Today: October 12, 2024
Today: October 12, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Arts

Slain Marine's family plans to refile lawsuit accusing Alec Baldwin of defamation

A lawyer for the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan said Thursday that a new version of a lawsuit accusing actor Alec Baldwin of unleashing his social media followers against them will soon be filed after a federal judge dismissed the original lawsuit but invited the family to rewrite it and submit it again. Attorney Dennis Postiglione, representing the sisters and widow of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, said he’ll meet a Sept. 12 deadline set by the judge to renew allegations that Baldwin subjected family members to online threats and harassment after he posted and

Slain Marine's family plans to refile lawsuit accusing Alec Baldwin of defamation
Arts

Fran Drescher says actors strike she's leading is an 'inflection point' that goes beyond Hollywood

Fran Drescher believes that the walkouts that have shut down Hollywood are about something much bigger than the actors union she leads, or the writers striking alongside them, or the entertainment industry. Drescher told The Associated Press the moment is about the entire world of work, and a larger stand against corporate leaders who value shareholders over the people who create their product. “At some point you have to say no more,” Drescher, the former “Nanny” star who is now president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said in an interview

Fran Drescher says actors strike she's leading is an 'inflection point' that goes beyond Hollywood
Arts

Fall books: Britney and Barbra's memoirs are among major releases, but political books are fewer

One year ahead of the 2024 election, don’t expect many new books about the presumed front-runners, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. The wave of Trump releases that began six years ago with his presidency has subsided, with Jonathan Karl’s “Tired of Winning” and former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s “Enough” among the handful of Trump-centered works due out this fall. Biden, meanwhile, continues to inspire far fewer publications than his immediate predecessors, whether by opponents or defenders. For now, says Shannon DeVito, Barnes & Noble’s senior director for books, there’s “an exhaustion of

Fall books: Britney and Barbra's memoirs are among major releases, but political books are fewer
Arts

After a Vermont playhouse flooded, the show went on

Members of a beloved Vermont acting company were sleeping in theater housing when torrential rains and flooding forced them to flee, with water inundating the playhouse’s vast basement of dressing rooms, costumes and props and reaching into the first floor. The July storms left the large, column-fronted white Greek Revival building with layers of mud and debris, and as volunteers and others dug out of the mess, the Weston Theater Company eventually kept performing — on higher ground. The shortened season came to end last week on a smaller stage on higher ground, and the actors

After a Vermont playhouse flooded, the show went on
Arts

What’s going on with Scooter Braun’s artist roster? Here’s what we know and what’s still speculation

Scooter Braun is one of the most recognizable names in the music business for his singular work as an executive and entrepreneur. He’s managed many of your favorite artists, propelling the likes of Justin Bieber to stratospheric fame, and earned the ire of Taylor Swift and her legions of fans for his business practices. On Friday, rumors circulated online that Justin Bieber was leaving Braun, his longtime manager — and the man credited with discovering him. In the days that followed, speculation grew, and media outlets began reporting that some of Braun’s other hype-profile clients like

What’s going on with Scooter Braun’s artist roster? Here’s what we know and what’s still speculation
Arts

Woman, 28, pleads guilty to fatally shoving Broadway singing coach, 87, avoiding long prison stay

A woman who killed an 87-year-old Broadway singing coach by shoving her onto a Manhattan sidewalk has avoided a lengthy prison sentence by pleading guilty to manslaughter on Wednesday, and will instead serve eight years behind bars. Lauren Pazienza, 28, teared up in court as she admitted randomly attacking Barbara Maier Gustern on March 10, 2022. Gustern, whose students included “Blondie” singer Debbie Harry, lay bleeding on a sidewalk as Pazienza walked away, prosecutors said. She died five days later. “Today’s plea holds Pazienza accountable for her deadly actions,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in

Woman, 28, pleads guilty to fatally shoving Broadway singing coach, 87, avoiding long prison stay
Arts

Judge clears the way for a civil case to proceed against Alec Baldwin and 'Rust' producers

A New Mexico judge on Wednesday rejected a request by Alec Baldwin ’s attorneys to dismiss a civil lawsuit by three “Rust” crew members who allege cost-cutting endangered the cast and crew as the actor-producer skipped his own safety training. Chief District Judge Bryan Biedscheid also declined to delay proceedings despite arguments by Baldwin’s legal team that doing to so would put their client at risk of self-incrimination since prosecutors have yet to decide whether to refile criminal charges against him over the fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer. Attorney Robert Schwartz told the judge there

Judge clears the way for a civil case to proceed against Alec Baldwin and 'Rust' producers
Arts

Workers in Disney World district criticize DeSantis appointees' decision to eliminate free passes

Employees of Walt Disney World’s governing district on Wednesday confronted new board members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis over a decision to eliminate their access to free passes and discounts to the theme park resort, saying it makes park visits unaffordable. During a monthly board meeting, several current and former district firefighters spoke emotionally about how the free passes to Disney parks were a benefit for them and their families that played a major role in their decision to work for the 56-year-old district, which provides municipal services like mosquito control, drainage, wastewater treatment, planning and firefighting to Disney World.

Workers in Disney World district criticize DeSantis appointees' decision to eliminate free passes
Arts

Public Enemy, Ice-T to headline free D.C. concerts, The National Celebration of Hip Hop

Hip-hop, the most popular genre in America, turned 50 this August. Born in the Bronx and spread to every corner of the world, it’s hard to find the words to express the culture’s influence and legacy — but, hey, that’s what the music is for. To celebrate this momentous milestone, pioneers Public Enemy and Ice-T will headline The National Celebration of Hip-Hop, free concerts held at the West Potomac Park on the National Mall in Washington D.C. on Oct. 6 and 7. “Hip-hop is beyond, not just a musical genre,” said Public Enemy ‘s Chuck D

Public Enemy, Ice-T to headline free D.C. concerts, The National Celebration of Hip Hop
Arts

Business tycoon Carlos Ghosn's rise, fall and dramatic escape is subject of new Apple TV+ series

Carlos Ghosn, the former rock star businessman who fell from grace and fled authorities smuggled in a music instrument box, is getting what his dramatic story deserves — a multi-part documentary series. “Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn” is the juicy real tale of how the auto executive went from attending red carpets as the head of both Nissan and Renault to fleeing to Lebanon with the help of a former Green Beret. “The Carlos Ghosn story is unbelievable in the sense that it’s a Shakespearean tragedy in which we have an archetypal tragic hero who

Business tycoon Carlos Ghosn's rise, fall and dramatic escape is subject of new Apple TV+ series
Arts

Australian prosecutors drop case against actor Amber Heard over pet Yorkshire terriers

Australian prosecutors dropped a potential criminal case against American actor Amber Heard over allegations that she lied to a court about how her Yorkshire terriers Pistol and Boo came to be smuggled into Australia eight years ago, the government said Wednesday. Heard and her then-husband Johnny Depp became embroiled in a high-profile biosecurity controversy in 2015 when she brought her pets to Australia’s Gold Coast, where Depp was filming the fifth movie in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series. Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, a biosecurity watchdog, said the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions

Australian prosecutors drop case against actor Amber Heard over pet Yorkshire terriers
Arts

Kerry Washington, Martin Sheen shout for solidarity between Hollywood strikers and other workers

Kerry Washington and Martin Sheen, a pair of fictional former politicos, turned Hollywood’s strikes into a rousing campaign rally Tuesday with speeches celebrating unity across the industry and with labor at large. “We are here because we know that unions matter,” said Washington, who played a political fixer on ABC’s “Scandal.” “Not only do we have solidarity within our union, we have solidarity between our unions, because we are workers.” The rally outside Disney Studios in Burbank, California, coming more than a month into a strike by Hollywood actors and more than three months into a

Kerry Washington, Martin Sheen shout for solidarity between Hollywood strikers and other workers
Arts

Maxine Hong Kingston, bell hooks among those honored by Ishmael Reed's Before Columbus Foundation

Maxine Hong Kingston, Darryl Pinckney and the late bell hooks were among the authors honored this year by the Before Columbus Foundation, a nonprofit co-founded by Ishmael Reed that celebrates multicultural literature. Established in 1976, the Before Columbus Foundation each year presents American Book Awards to both fiction and nonfiction writers. Kingston, best known for her memoir “The Woman Warrior,” received a lifetime achievement prize. Pinckney was cited for his memoir “Come Back in September,” and hooks, who died in 2021, was given a special award for criticism. On Tuesday, the foundation also announced awards for

Maxine Hong Kingston, bell hooks among those honored by Ishmael Reed's Before Columbus Foundation
Arts

Maluma has a new alter ego. Meet Don Juan, also the title of the Colombian superstar's new album

On New Year’s Eve 2022, Colombian superstar Maluma bid farewell to his musical alter ego Papi Juancho, created during the coronavirus pandemic. “Fue un placer,” he wrote on Instagram. “It was a pleasure.” Then he teased a new era: Don Juan, coming 2023. The wait is over. On Friday, Maluma will release his highly anticipated album, “Don Juan.” The choice of title is both a clever reference to the infamous 17th century literary Lothario and a reference to Maluma’s birth name, Juan Luis Londoño Arias. It’s a rich place to pull from, and that matches the

Maluma has a new alter ego. Meet Don Juan, also the title of the Colombian superstar's new album
Arts

In his new book 'The Fall,' author Michael Wolff foresees the demise of Fox News

The next book from “Fire and Fury” author Michael Wolff is both a recounting of the recent past and a prediction for the near future. Wolff’s “The Fall: The End of Fox News and the Murdoch Dynasty” will come out Sept. 26, publisher Henry Holt announced Tuesday. A spokesperson told The Associated Press that Wolff, whose previous books include “Rupert Murdoch, The Man Who Owns the News,” interviewed “people throughout the Murdoch organization, including many with direct knowledge of Murdoch and his family.” Wolff will offer behinds-the-scenes accounts of everything from Tucker Carlson’s ousting, to Rupert

In his new book 'The Fall,' author Michael Wolff foresees the demise of Fox News
Arts

Behind ‘Bottoms,’ the wild, queer and bloody high school sex comedy coming to theaters

“Gay High School Fight Club” was the working title of the script that Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott sent off to a producer a few years ago, riding a surreal wave of virtual goodwill after their film “Shiva Baby” became a kind of cult sensation during the pandemic. This story was about two unpopular friends, PJ and Josie, who are eager to lose their virginity (ideally to two beautiful cheerleaders). The only way they can figure out how to get close to said cheerleaders, however, is to form an all-female self-defense class that quickly devolves into a bloody fight club.

Behind ‘Bottoms,’ the wild, queer and bloody high school sex comedy coming to theaters
Arts

Microsoft revamps deal for video game maker Activision Blizzard to meet UK demands

Microsoft revamped its bid to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard on Tuesday to appease British competition regulators, who are the last major hurdle to closing one of the biggest deals in tech history. The Competition and Markets Authority said it has opened a new preliminary investigation into the updated transaction with a deadline for a decision due on Oct. 18. Xbox maker Microsoft has been on a quest to acquire Activision, maker of the popular Call of Duty game franchise since announcing the $69 billion deal in January 2022. The blockbuster deal has secured approvals from

Microsoft revamps deal for video game maker Activision Blizzard to meet UK demands
Arts

Inside KCON LA 2023, an extravagant microcosm of K-pop's macro influence

Hours before doors would open, thousands of K-pop fans lined up in downtown Los Angeles, stretching long city blocks in the warm August sun. In pleated skirts and platform shoes, toting the clear bags that have become arena staples, they danced and traded homemade stickers, banners, bracelets and photocards. Inside was their paradise: an IRL space to commune over their URL passions. If anything, the 2023 LA KCON was a microcosm of K-pop’s macro influence on the music industry as a whole. Held from Friday to Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center and adjacent Crypto.com

Inside KCON LA 2023, an extravagant microcosm of K-pop's macro influence
Arts

Free Disney World passes is latest front in war between Disney and DeSantis appointees

Already involved in two lawsuits with Disney, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district on Monday launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for district employees. Board members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District submitted a complaint to the state Inspector General, claiming that the millions of dollars in season passes, as well as discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages, that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided governing district employees amount to unethical benefits and perks. Last year alone, before the DeSantis appointees took over the

Free Disney World passes is latest front in war between Disney and DeSantis appointees
Arts

Trial scheduled in 2024 for movie armorer in fatal shooting of cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin

A New Mexico judge has set a 2024 starting date for the trial of movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal on the set of a Western film. State district court Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer on Monday scheduled the trial to run from Feb. 21 through March 6 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The first day begins with jury selection. Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal

Trial scheduled in 2024 for movie armorer in fatal shooting of cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin
Arts

Tenor Freddie de Tommaso, a young British sensation, makes US opera debut

“British Tenor Saves Night at Opera,” proclaimed the Daily Mail. The opera was Puccini’s “Tosca,” and the tenor was then-28-year-old Freddie de Tommaso, jumping in at London’s Royal Opera House when the scheduled singer withdrew after Act 1 because of illness. That was nearly two years ago. Now de Tommaso has just made his U.S. debut at the Santa Fe Opera in the same role, appearing to enthusiastic applause on Aug. 12, five days after a bout of laryngitis forced him to cancel his first performance. His final performance is Saturday. And he’ll return in

Tenor Freddie de Tommaso, a young British sensation, makes US opera debut
Arts

'Barbie' for $4? National Cinema Day is coming, with discounted tickets nationwide

Still haven’t seen “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? This Sunday, you’ll be able to catch up for $4 a ticket in movie theaters nationwide. Theater owners announced Monday that the second annual National Cinema Day will be held Sunday, Aug. 27. For one day, all movies — in all formats and at all showtimes — will be $4 at participating theaters. More than 3,000 theaters are participating, which accounts for most of the cinemas in the U.S., including the leading chains AMC and Regal. It’s the second straight year theaters are trotting out the one-day event at the

'Barbie' for $4? National Cinema Day is coming, with discounted tickets nationwide
Arts

Court documents suggests reason for police raid of Kansas newspaper

The police chief who led the raid of a Kansas newspaper alleged in previously unreleased in court documents that a reporter either impersonated someone else or lied about her intentions when she obtained the driving records of a local business owner. But reporter Phyllis Zorn, Marion County Record Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer and the newspaper’s attorney said Sunday that no laws were broken when Zorn accessed a public state website for information on restaurant operator Kari Newell. The raid carried out Aug. 11 and led by Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody brought international attention to the small central Kansas

Court documents suggests reason for police raid of Kansas newspaper
Arts

‘Blue Beetle’ unseats ‘Barbie’ atop box office, ending four-week reign

The DC superhero film “Blue Beetle” led weekend ticket sales with an estimated $25.4 million, according to studio estimates, dethroning “Barbie” from the top spot after a record-setting run that left movie theaters colored pink for a month. The “Barbie” phenomenon is far from over. Greta Gerwig’s film, which earlier this week became the highest grossing Warner Bros. release ever domestically, nearly managed to stay No. 1 again with $21.5 million in its fifth weekend. Its in North America is up to $567.3 million. And the other half of “Barbenheimer” also continues to perform remarkably well

‘Blue Beetle’ unseats ‘Barbie’ atop box office, ending four-week reign
Arts

Ron Cephas-Jones, 'This Is Us' actor who won 2 Emmys, dies at 66

Ron Cephas Jones, a veteran stage actor who won two Emmy Awards for his role as as a long-lost father who finds redemption on the NBC television drama series “This Is Us,” has died at age 66, a representative said Saturday. Jones’ manager, Dan Spilo, said in an emailed statement the actor he died “due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.” “Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him,” Spilo said. Jones had a double lung transplant in 2020 because

Ron Cephas-Jones, 'This Is Us' actor who won 2 Emmys, dies at 66

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