AandE category, Page 368

NEW YORK — Back in 1997, then-up-and-coming actor Michael Imperioli was mulling two work offers: a cable TV show pilot and a small role in a Woody Allen film. The script for the TV show didn’t initially seem so special to him. “I was not blown away by the pilot,”...

NEW YORK — Jenna Bush Hager better get her wine glass ready. NBC appointed her Tuesday as co-host of the “Today” show’s fourth hour with Hoda Kotb, and she’ll replace Kathie Lee Gifford in that role in April. Kotb and Gifford were successful pioneers in expanding “Today,” with an irreverent...

If Democratic presidential candidates are criss-crossing New Hampshire and buying vintage sequined jackets in South Carolina to boost their bona fides for the 2020 election, then it can’t be too early to talk about next year’s Oscars, right? That’s a rhetorical question. Of course, it’s too soon. But that’s not...

Two guest artists will join the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra for “Music and Magic” at 7:30 p.m. March 16 at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The concert will open with Manuel de Falla’s “El Amor Brujo,” featuring mezzo soprano Corrie Stallings, a former Pittsburgh Opera resident artist, and the premiere of...

MADRID — A Spanish court investigating Shakira for possibly evading $16.4 million in taxes has called on the pop music star to testify in mid-June. Prosecutors charged the singer in December for not paying taxes in Spain between 2012 and 2014, when she lived mostly in the country despite having...

The concepts of consumerism, luxury, obsession and materialism are not new in society. They are, though, concepts that can cause discomfort and self-examination, if pondered closely. Six artists aim to do exactly that with the new exhibition, “Material World,” opening with a free reception from 6-9 p.m. March 1 and...

Apollo-Ridge High School presents “The Music Man” Feb. 28- March 2. Trouble comes to River City when a fast-talking con artist salesman falls for Marian the town librarian in the classic six-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy. Musical director Bethany Greenlee said she chose “The Music Man” to showcase the talents...

CHICAGO — After three days in custody, R&B superstar R. Kelly walked out of Cook County Jail on Monday evening into a crush of reporters and onlookers — both apparent fans and detractors. “R. Kelly! R. Kelly!” one young woman screamed as she tried to video-record the singer as he...

CHICAGO — A Chicago judge says “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett can travel out-of-state to meet his lawyers while he’s free on bond on charges he falsely reported being attacked by two masked men. Anne Kavanagh is a spokeswoman for Smollett’s attorneys, who say he’s innocent. Kavanagh says attorney Mark Geragos,...

Several actors and movie stars did not make the cut for the Oscars “In Memoriam” montage. While the Academy did acknowledge the passing of actors and icons like Penny Marshall, Burt Reynolds, Marvel’s Stan Lee, and “Superman” star Margot Kidder, several familiar faces were left off the list. The among...

Given the fraught topic of race and racism in America, it should surprise no one that the best picture Oscar for “Green Book” is now surrounded by controversy. The movie about an Italian-American bouncer who chauffeurs an African-American pianist around the Jim Crow South — based on a true story...

CHICAGO — R&B star R. Kelly’s attorney entered not guilty pleas on the singer’s behalf Monday after Kelly was charged with sexually abusing four victims dating back to 1998, including three underage teenagers. Kelly, one of the best-selling music artists of all time, walked into a Chicago courtroom wearing an...

Stars and movie makers basked in the glow of the Oscars and the Academy Awards on Sunday night. And there was a confluence of Pittsburgh stars at one event. Joe Manganiello, Mt. Lebanon boy, and Jeff Goldblum, West Homestead native, smiled together and shared some Hollywood glow in a photo...

The final list of the winners at the 91st Academy Awards: Best picture: “Green Book” Best actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” Best actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma” Best supporting actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Best supporting actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” Foreign...

Jay Hart, a Mt. Lebanon native, won the Oscar for production design for the big-budget, super-hero movie “Black Panther” Sunday night at the Academy Awards. He shared the award with Hannah Beachler, who together worked on the film. Beachler took the microphone first on stage and spoke, but Hart didn’t...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump struck back Monday at film director Spike Lee, accusing him of delivering a “racist hit” during an Oscar acceptance speech in which Lee referenced the history of U.S. slavery and urged people to vote in the 2020 elections. Lee did not mention Trump by name...

LOS ANGELES — It’s an engagement that was Taylor-made. Alex Goldschmidt posted video on Instagram of a surprise Taylor Swift appearance as he got engaged to Ross Girard at the Sycamore Tavern in Los Angeles on Saturday. View this post on Instagram I decided to propose to Ross listening to...

Kathleen Guglielmi Morrone views art as a communal language. “We may find it hard to express ourselves but art can give insight to how we’re feeling, what we stand for and our passions,” says the art teacher at St. Joseph High School, Natrona Heights. “Giving students a voice and a...

LOS ANGELES — The segregation-era road-trip drama “Green Book” was crowned best picture at the 91st Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a film seen as a feel-good throwback by some and ridiculed as an outdated inversion of “Driving Miss Daisy” by others. In a year where...

LOS ANGELES — “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” breathed some fire into a slumping box office with a franchise-best $55.5 million debut over Oscar weekend. Writer-director Dean DeBlois’ third and supposedly final installment in the “How to Train Your Dragon” series notched the best opening of the...

The 91st annual Academy Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. Here’s a quick test of your brain power when it comes to the golden statue that Hollywood bestows on the best the year’s best films....

NEW YORK — A winter of discontent for the Academy Awards will culminate Sunday in an Oscar ceremony that may lack a host but isn’t missing intrigue. The run-up to the 91st Academy Awards has been a series of missteps and backtracks by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and...