Entertainment category, Page 162
Victory Brinker joins Latshaw Pops for holiday show at The Palace
“America’s Got Talent” veteran Victory Brinker will reunite with the Latshaw Pops Orchestra for “The Sounds of Christmas,” set for 3 p.m. Sunday at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The precocious opera singer, now 10, made her first appearance in the orchestra’s annual holiday concert in 2021. “Our orchestra was...
With box office bare, ‘Black Panther’ makes it 5 in a row
NEW YORK — On one of the quietest weekends of the year in movie theaters, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” topped the North American box office for the fifth straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. With the release of “Avatar: The Way of Water” looming, studios opted not to open...
Behind the art: Paperweights have pride of place at SAMA-Ligonier Valley
Glass paperweights are often found among the kitschy collections in flea markets and thrift stores, but they’re also having a moment in the contemporary art world. “They’ve actually become quite the thing again,” said Kristin Miller, site coordinator at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. “In the...
Behind the scenes at ‘The Nutcracker’ rehearsal at Palace Theatre is a winter whirlwind
In the two days leading up to the first performance of “The Nutcracker” at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, every square inch of the space is a flurry of activity and excitement. Onstage, dancers of all ages — some 4 years old — practice pirouettes, leaps and twirls in fluttering...
Review: Del Toro takes his ‘Pinocchio’ to very dark placesVideo
Let’s face it, “Pinocchio” has always been an odd choice for a children’s morality tale. Of course, lying is wrong. But that’s not the only message the story sends. Even the classic 1940 Disney version — lighter and more kid-friendly than the 1883 Collodi tale — still sends the message...
Review: On the dazzling ‘SOS,’ SZA spares no one, least of all herselfVideo
SZA bookends her enthralling new album with a pair of boom-bappy hip-hop tracks in which the R&B singer — a onetime cult figure who’s transformed into a major pop presence in the half-decade since her 2017 major-label debut, “Ctrl” — raps as ferociously as anyone has this year. On the...
How Michelle Williams found the music of Mitzi FabelmanVideo
NEW YORK — In both Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” and Kelly Reichardt’s upcoming “Showing Up,” Michelle Williams plays women where life — societal hurdles and daily nuisances — gets in the way of self-expression. Mitzi Fabelman, the early-1960s matriarch based on Spielberg’s own mother, has given up her career as...
Trevor Noah signs off of ‘Daily Show’ with heartfelt farewellVideo
Seven years after stepping into the role, Trevor Noah bid farewell Thursday night on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” During his final episode, Noah thanked his fans and audience, as well as Black women in his life and in America. He appeared to become teary-eyed when talking about Black women...
Review: ‘The Whale’ is a hard but astounding film to watchVideo
The center of gravity of “The Whale” is obviously the 600-pound man at its center. Look closely, though, and he’s the one with a soul as light as a feather. Charlie is a reclusive, morbidly obese English literature teacher unable and unwilling to stop eating himself to death. As his...
Review: Lonely souls at the cinema in ‘Empire of Light’Video
Olivia Colman plays the manager of a movie theater in Sam Mendes’ new film “Empire of Light.” It’s a cinema palace in a small town on England’s south coast that is showing its age. The once grand establishment used to play films on multiple screens on multiple floors. The top...
Celine Dion diagnosed with rare neurological disorderVideo
Celine Dion has put a halt on all performing after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder. In an emotional video messages posted in French and English on Thursday on Instagram, Dion said Stiff Person Syndrome was causing spasms that affect her ability to walk and sing. “Unfortunately, the spasms...
Westmoreland Symphony invites concert-goers ‘Home for the Holidays’
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra will continue its long-running tradition of going “Home for the Holidays,” with the annual concert set for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. But there are new elements in the mix this year. As usual, the All-Star Choir of Westmoreland County will perform,...
Sundance Film Festival unveils lineup for 2023 edition
Documentaries about Brooke Shields, Judy Blume and Michael J. Fox, films from veteran directors like Nicole Holofcener, an adaptation of the viral New Yorker story “Cat Person” and the feature directorial debut of actors Alice Englert and Randall Park are among the world premieres set for the Sundance Film Festival...
Sharpton says ‘Loudmouth’ film debuts at ‘critical point’ in U.S. politicsVideo
NEW YORK — The Rev. Al Sharpton has been called a lot of names in his public life: a hustler, a racist, an opportunist, a fraud, a rat, a jester. He embraces at least one of the intended insults, a name often hurled by his critics on the right and...
Microsoft strikes 10-year deal with Nintendo on ‘Call of Duty’
LONDON — Microsoft agreed Wednesday to make the hit video game “Call of Duty” available on Nintendo for 10 years should its $69 billion purchase of game maker Activision Blizzard go through — an apparent attempt to fend off objections from rival Sony. The blockbuster merger is facing close scrutiny...
‘Disney’s Frozen Jr.’ brings heart-warming winter tale to Scottdale stage
Since the movie “Frozen” was released in 2013, it’s become a favorite tale for people of all ages — and one that’s been on the “must-do” list for the Geyer Performing Arts Center in Scottdale. Circumstances have finally converged, and the winter wonderland of “Disney’s Frozen Jr.” will take over...
LAPD took an unusual action after its handling of sex scandal was questioned
LOS ANGELES — Days after an internal investigation was launched into whether a former Los Angeles police captain led a cover-up of sexual assault allegations against former CBS chief Leslie Moonves, the detective who handled the case years ago took an unusual step. Last month, LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division Det. Oscar...
Kirstie Alley, Emmy-winning ‘Cheers’ star, dies at 71
TAMPA, Fla. — Kirstie Alley, who won an Emmy for her role on “Cheers” and starred in films including “Look Who’s Talking,” died Monday. She was 71. Alley died of cancer that was only recently discovered, her children True and Lillie Parker said in a post on Twitter. Alley’s manager...
Bret Michaels to bring Parti Gras Tour to Star Lake in 2023
Bret Michaels makes no secret of his love for the Pittsburgh area and can’t seem to get enough when it comes to performing here. Fresh off this year’s extensive stadium tour with his band Poison — including an August performance at PNC Park – Michaels has announced he will perform...
Lost Stephen Sondheim musical reveals insight into a giantVideo
NEW YORK — A copy of what’s being called Stephen Sondheim’s first original cast recording has been found on a misplaced CD, capturing the legendary composer’s budding skills in a student-led musical while at Williams College in 1948. Sondheim was an 18-year-old sophomore when he wrote the music for “Phinney’s...
Knight, Clooney, Grant feted at Kennedy Center Honors
WASHINGTON — A heartfelt Patti LaBelle praised her lifelong friend Gladys Knight. Sean Penn called U2 “four scrappy Dublin punks.” Ballet dancers performed for conductor and composer Tania León. Matt Damon playfully teased his friend George Clooney — a lot — while Sheryl Crow delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Baby...
The time a ‘fake Fleetwood Mac’ was booked by Pittsburgh promoter Rich Engler
The recent death of longtime Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie brought memories flooding back for music industry insiders recalling the band’s storied and tumultuous history. Pittsburgh concert promoter Rich Engler is among them . Although Engler has several stories about bringing the rock group to Western Pennsylvania, one of his...
Bob McGrath, ‘Sesame Street’ legend, dies at 90
Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday: “The McGrath...
‘Wakanda Forever’ is No. 1 for 4th straight weekend
NEW YORK — “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” kept the box-office crown for the fourth straight weekend, and the comic holiday thriller “Violent Night” debuted with $13.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. But the biggest talking point on the weekend was a movie conspicuously absent from theaters. Had Netflix kept...
Robert Downey Jr. talks of one last film with his dad, ‘Sr.’Video
NEW YORK — Robert Downey Jr. set out to make an objective portrait, a tribute to his father, the underground filmmaking maverick Robert Downey Sr. His dad had other plans. “The key point in this is when he goes, ‘OK, I think we should split into two camps: The (expletive)...
