Given her fondness for hot pink outerwear, it is unlikely that Elsbeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston) has garments in her closet bearing any resemblance to Lt. Columbo’s iconic, well-worn beige raincoat. Still, Peter Falk’s formidable cigar-smoking detective serves as an inspiration for Elsbeth, with her intentionally disarming wardrobe, and how she outwits the murderer-of-the-week, played by…
The “Jeopardy!” contestant who received an in-show apology because of a “problematic” clue has responded to the flap. The clue in question came from a famous Dorothy Parker quote, “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses,” and contestants were asked to complete the latter part of the maxim for the rhyming-phrase category. Heather…
Dr. Dre has secured a victory in his ongoing legal battle against a celebrity psychiatrist who last month filed a lawsuit accusing the rapper of harassment. Dre previously was served a temporary restraining order after his former divorce therapist, Dr. Charles Sophy, filed a $10-million lawsuit alleging his ex-client subjected him to a “systematic and…
Jon Stewart’s “quick message” to election pollsters was an expletive-laden, scream-filled rant that coincided with the result of President Trump winning reelection on Tuesday. “The Daily Show” guest host, who will continue to anchor the late-night talk show through 2025, initially directed his ire at pollsters who claimed that the presidential election would be close…
It was a wicked and wild wind, blew down the doors to let him in. Or maybe it was just distraction by a record-breaking crowd that led Chris Martin to take a tumble through a trap door at Coldplay’s Sunday concert in Melbourne. In footage captured by concertgoers and posted on social media, the 47-year-old…
It’s dusk inside an empty Hollywood Bowl as David Gilmour peers out from the stage and delivers his song “Dark and Velvet Nights” to no one in particular. A strutting psych-blues jam with visions of “great cities that toppled and drowned,” it’s a highlight from the Pink Floyd veteran’s strong new solo album, “Luck and…
The late Quincy Jones’ life spanned the entirety of modern American pop music — a tradition he absorbed, influenced and reinvented for generations. It’s remarkable to look back on the composer, arranger and producer’s life and hear him speak on his friendships and work with Sidney Poitier, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson…
“The Streetcar Project,” a bare-bones production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” passed through town last week. First stop was an airplane hangar in East L.A., followed by a warehouse in Venice. I caught the show in Venice on Friday, after a traffic nightmare prevented me from seeing it earlier in the week in…
James Van Der Beek has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, a spokesperson for the actor confirmed to The Times. The 47-year-old actor, known for his role in the teen drama series “Dawson’s Creek,” told People he had been “privately dealing with this diagnosis” and was taking steps to address it. “There’s reason for optimism, and…
Ever since network television started covering presidential election nights in 1948, there have been only two occasions when viewers had to wait more than a day to learn the outcome. The first was in 2000, when the country was on hold for five weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court put an end to the vote…
At the tail end of an arduous, hotly contested presidential election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris managed to have the last laugh. On “Saturday Night Live,” that is. Appearing in the episode’s cold open as the mirror image of Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee reassured herself that “You can do something your opponent…
There is no Spanish word for “swing state.” But there are many Latinos living and voting in the seven battlegrounds that will determine the outcome of race for the White House between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump. So Spanish-language network Telemundo came up with a term: “El Péndulo.” “El Péndulo,” or the…
A lawyer, a kingpin, and his wife walk into a musical, and “Emilia Pérez” is born, Frenchman Jacques Audiard’s full-bodied, colorful epic about transformation, redemption and finding one’s voice in a hard world. But also, because this is still an Audiard film, it’s about what we can never escape. Never one to ignore how rich…
“Hey man, are you good?” AJ McLean had reason to be concerned about Liam Payne. Since production wrapped on the new Netflix music competition series where they’d met earlier this year, the Backstreet Boys veteran and One Direction star had talked almost every day on WhatsApp — at least until Payne’s sudden two-week silence early…
The blockbuster World Series matchup of the Dodgers playing the New York Yankees gave Fox an expected ratings boost. Nielsen data showed the five-game Series that concluded Wednesday with a Dodgers come-from-behind 7-6 win averaged 15.8 million viewers. The figure is up 67% over last year’s five-game Series, when the Texas Rangers topped the Arizona…
I spent 7 years working as a cashier (and as a cook when needed) at a fast-food establishment in Southeast Los Angeles before DACA allowed for other options. It was with a crew of mostly other undocumented people like myself that I shared frustrations and small triumphs alike one late night after another for minimum…
Sophie Turner has made a living playing memorable characters in “Game of Thrones” and “Dark Phoenix,” among other screen projects. But the role the she’s missed most? Being a London resident. “It felt my life was on pause until I returned to England,” Turner told Harper’s Bazaar in her first interview since finalizing her divorce…
The way Martha Stewart sees it, her life story is pretty simple. “Here’s this girl from a family of eight in Nutley, N.J., living modestly, who gets a good idea, builds it into something really fine and profits from it,” she says in “Martha,” a documentary premiering Wednesday on Netflix. Then, Stewart continues, she “falls…
While Hugh Grant’s daughter may be the bigger Swiftie between them, the actor still relished their moment together on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The “Notting Hill” star attended the second of eight shows Swift played at London’s Wembley Stadium over the summer — joining fellow actors Rachel Zegler and Tom Cruise in June in one…
WASHINGTON — An actor known for his roles in the television comedies “Bob’s Burgers” and “Arrested Development” was sentenced on Monday to one year in prison for his part in the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol nearly four years ago. Jay Johnston, 56, of Los Angeles joined other rioters in a “heave-ho” push against police…
The way Kelsea Ballerini sees it, people expected her to do two things on her high-wire act of a new album: “One, to go pop,” she says. “And two, to go soft.” The pop move has been anticipated since this 31-year-old country singer and songwriter emerged about a decade ago in the wake of Taylor…
When Harvey Guillén first learned that his “What We Do in the Shadows” character, Guillermo, would finally be turning into a vampire, he thought the show was ending. “They didn’t tell us that Guillermo was going to become a vampire until we had our meeting for the beginning of the year,” the actor recalls on…
One advantage to forgoing a showy rock ’n’ roll persona is that you never get too old to pull it off. Fronting a version of the band once known as the Electric Light Orchestra on Saturday night at Inglewood’s Kia Forum, 76-year-old Jeff Lynne looked — and pretty much sounded — like he has for…
Kim Kardashian is expressing her faith in the justice system — and in Ryan Murphy — after L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón pushed the Menendez brothers one step closer to freedom. Gascón on Thursday asked a judge to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez, two brothers serving life terms for the 1989 murders of their…
Ice Cube and Fat Joe will continue to show their love for the L.A. Dodgers and New York Yankees, respectively, by performing at the second and third World Series games. Hours before Friday’s Game 1 opening pitch, Major League Baseball announced that the hip-hop pioneers will be taking the stage in front of their respective…
I imagine that when you imagine a TV critic, you picture some hard-boiled, crusty, even heartless type. But I have always been a sensitive, delicate, please-leave-the-light-on sort of fellow. So Halloween is a holiday I greet with mixed emotions. I am fine with its brighter expressions — candy, pumpkins, cute costumes on little children, “It’s…
Voiced by Australian stars Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jacki Weaver, this decidedly grown-up piece of animation makes a sophisticated case for the medium.
The Republican candidate for president uses crude language at rallies. Vulgarisms on the campaign trail. Off-color remarks in town halls. The media has deployed every euphemism imaginable to describe the former president’s public usage of bad words like ****, **** and ****. We won’t print those obscenities here, which explains why much of the legacy…
Puckish American comic Billy Crystal strikes out in a new direction as the star of the limited series “Before,” premiering Friday on Apple TV+. Let us say at the outset that he is completely able to handle the assignment. The assignment itself is something of a mixed bag, but at no time will you think,…
Seeing Alison Sweeney on a screen without a grove of festively-decorated Christmas trees or the glow of twinkly lights is disorienting — like finding out the truth about Santa. As one of the Hallmark Channel‘s most in-demand holiday heroines, she’s become a familiar presence to viewers. But now, in the glow of blue light, speaking…
Frankie Muniz is putting the pedal to the metal on his racing career: The “Malcolm in the Middle” alum has landed another full-time gig competing in NASCAR events. The TV star is set to drive the No. 33 Ford F-150 in every 2025 race of the motorsports league’s Craftsman Truck Series, Reaume Brothers Racing and…
NEW YORK — Not so long ago, Heather Gay was a middle-aged mother of three, struggling to reclaim her sense of self. She’d spent most of her adult life embodying the “Molly Mormon” stereotype — a devoted wife, mother and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then her marriage fell apart, and…
At the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us” earlier this year, star Jenny Slate was asked by a red carpet reporter about acting alongside actor and director Justin Baldoni. Artfully dodging speculation that the cast including lead Blake Lively had united against Baldoni, Slate instead said that the experience made her realize that…
Parents of young children are often spooked by the risks of last-minute Halloween costume shopping: wait too long and the costumes-of-the-moment may be all snapped up. But Jesse Tyler Ferguson has learned that planning in advance has its own perils. “I fell into that trap of buying Halloween costumes six weeks too early,” Ferguson told…
Walt Disney Co. on Monday said it now aims to name Chief Executive Bob Iger‘s successor in “early 2026,” later than many observers previously expected. The Burbank-based entertainment giant disclosed the updated plan on Monday, as it named James P. Gorman chairman of its board of directors, replacing Mark G. Parker, who is leaving in…
In a rare rebuke, the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” denied charges by former President Trump that the program doctored an answer in Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent interview to make her look better to viewers. CBS ran an excerpt of the Democratic presidential candidate’s interview on “Face the Nation” the day before it ran…
For his fourth time hosting “Saturday Night Live” (last time was in 2015), Michael Keaton proved a grounding presence in several sketches. That’s not surprising given that at one time, he was one of the world’s most popular comedic film actors — you could argue that he and “SNL” alum Eddie Murphy dominated movie comedies…
Zayn Malik has postponed his U.S. tour following the death Wednesday of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne. “Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour,” the British singer posted on social media Saturday. “The dates are being rescheduled…
There are many reasons for the current rage in renovating concert halls. It is usually cheaper than building something new. The science, as well as the art, of acoustics has advanced. Renovation can be a good way to save a historic hall. But an argument can also be made for simply starting over. In the…
The tragic death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne, who fell from a third-floor balcony at a Buenos Aires hotel Wednesday, has brought added attention to a novel written by ex-girlfriend Maya Henry that includes one scene eerily reminiscent of news reports out of Argentina this week. In Henry’s book — “Looking Forward,” a…
Harry Styles posted a tribute on his Instagram page Thursday afternoon to Liam Payne, whose unexpected death also spurred remembrances from other One Direction bandmates. “His greatest joy was making other people happy,” Styles posted, “and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it.” “The years we spent together will forever…
Cynthia Erivo, whose “Wicked” movie hits theaters next month, has spoken out against a fan-edited film poster that resembles the poster for the Broadway show. A fan posted a TikTok video that compares the two posters and shows the edits being made. Erivo — who plays the green-skinned witch, Elphaba, based on the Wicked Witch…
When Brandon Scott Jones was in seventh grade, his mother bought him a copy of “The Elements of Screenwriting.” Spurred by his interest in actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, whose turn to writing resulted in the Oscar-winning screenplay “Good Will Hunting,” Jones says he had “one goal, which was to write a part for…
In the most combative interview since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, she discussed border policy, taxpayer-funded benefits for transgender prisoners and President Biden with Fox News’ Bret Baier on Wednesday. Harris, who has repeatedly been asked where she differed with Biden during their tenure, has struggled to differentiate herself from him…
Hardcover fiction 1. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $29) Two grieving brothers come to terms with their history and the people they love. 2. Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner (Scribner: $30) A seductive and cunning American woman infiltrates an anarchist collective in France. 3. Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (Random House:…
This story contains spoilers for the first five episodes of “Agatha All Along.” The identity of Joe Locke’s mysterious Teen has finally been revealed: He’s been Billy Maximoff all along. The fifth episode of “Agatha All Along” sees the boy who could not be named confront Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) for killing Alice (Ali Ahn), the…
“Life on Earth: Art & Ecofeminism” is a somewhat difficult exhibition to grab hold of, but that’s mostly because its important subject is so much larger than a diverse but relatively modest presentation can encompass. Ecofeminism rejects the idea of human dominance over nature. The inaugural show at the Brick, an independent art space formerly…
Tesla’s Robovan may operate autonomously, but according to one sci-fi director, Elon Musk doesn’t. Musk on Thursday presented Tesla’s latest prototypes for its autonomous electric bus, the self-driving Cybercab and robotic humanoid Optimus, a.k.a. Tesla bot. But the automotive executive’s purported state-of-the-art designs bear a striking resemblance to those from a sci-fi film released two…
As humans in a changing world we crave continuity, reliability. Before we walk into a room, we like to be fairly certain of what we’ll find — walls, floor, furniture, not hot coals or clouds of poison gas. Thus the popularity of the franchise. It may not lead to great, revolutionary art, but at the…
When Ariana Grande appeared as the musical guest on a March episode of “Saturday Night Live,” it wasn’t hard to predict (and we did) that she’d be back in the fall to promote the November release of her movie “Wicked.” But instead of doing double-duty as host and musical act like Bad Bunny did last…
“You know who I miss right now?” Jack Antonoff asks. “Nancy Meyers. I feel like she’s been on a bit of a break.” The Grammy-winning producer, songwriter and frontman of the rock band Bleachers is standing in the lush garden outside his private recording studio in Hollywood, which — come to think of it —…
When Gustavo Dudamel became music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic 15 years ago, the ensemble had already under Esa-Pekka Salonen become the orchestra of the future, playing far more new music than any other in America. Dudamel’s response was to commission and premiere even more. His first gala began with the premiere of John…
Book Review ‘Sonny Boy’ By Al PacinoPenguin, 370 pages, $35If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. Al Pacino grew up running the streets of the South Bronx with his buddies, getting into whatever trouble might present itself. In his new memoir,…
As fun or scary as it is to ponder, we are likely not living inside the Matrix. But cinematically speaking, we are certainly living in a post-“The Matrix” world intoxicated by the possibility of a multiverse, as evidenced not just by noisy superhero fare and the Oscar-winning “Everything Everywhere All at Once” but also the…
In these trying days of super-storms and political peril, we have to celebrate wherever we can. And the reopening of the Mark Taper Forum is reason to break out in civic cheer. Snehal Desai, Center Theatre Group’s galvanizing new artistic leader, is making his directorial debut with the company in a new production of “American…
Girded by powerhouse performances from Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, the Donald Trump biopic is better than the former president would like you to believe.
Fran Tarkenton arrived in New York City exhausted, dispirited and maybe a little confused. Three days earlier, the Minnesota quarterback had lost to the John Madden-coached Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl, trudging off the field at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 9, 1977, leaving the Vikings with an 0-4 record on football’s biggest stage….
One man’s art is another man’s trash? That was the case for a Netherlands museum, which says a maintenance worker mistook hyperrealistic art pieces for garbage. Last week, LAM museum detailed the now-viral chain of events involving an elevator technician and beer cans created by French artist Alexandre Lavet. Lavet created the installation, titled “All…
Hardcover fiction 1. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $29) Two grieving brothers come to terms with their history and the people they love. 2. Playground by Richard Powers (W.W. Norton & Co.: $30) The Pacific Ocean-set novel explores one of the last wild places we have yet to colonize. 3. James by…
Jenna Fischer is more than just Pam Beesly from “The Office.” The Emmy-nominated actor and mother of two is also a cancer survivor. Fischer got candid about her health on Tuesday, revealing on Instagram that she had been battling breast cancer since late 2023. “I am cancer free,” the “Office Ladies” podcast co-host said in…
The one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel prompted loud protests across Southern California, but in one corner of UCLA on Monday the mood was decidedly different: Before the West Coast premiere of the play “October 7,” which dramatizes the accounts of attack survivors, the audience honored the estimated 1,200 Israelis killed with a moment…
Deryck Whibley (Travis Shinn) Deryck Whibley is ready to tell you everything. When the Sum 41 frontman first sat down to write what would become his unflinching memoir, “Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell,” he genuinely didn’t think his life merited an autobiography. At least not compared to volumes he’d read by his…
Brutal. Vicious. Crooked. Cruel. So filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s new biopic “The Apprentice” describes its dominant figure, a New York and Washington, D.C., power broker who lies, cheats, charms and browbeats his way into the uppermost ranks of American business and government. No, it’s not Donald Trump. It’s Roy Cohn. As the film depicts with garish…
Christopher Ciccone, an artist and interior decorator who worked closely with his older sister, Madonna, during her rise to global superstardom in the ’80s and ’90s, died Friday. He was 63. The cause of death was cancer. According to a statement from his family, Ciccone died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, including his husband,…
I am more than probably naive about these things, but in spite of documentary evidence to the contrary, not to mention a century of backstage dramas and comedies peopled with insane directors, ham actors, difficult divas, cynical screenwriters and the like, I am inclined to believe that movies are made in a spirit of love…
In 2017, the film “Wonder” was a surprise critical and commercial hit for Lionsgate. Adapted from a children’s novel by R.J. Palacio, the film starred Jacob Tremblay as young Auggie, a boy with the facial deformities of Treacher Collins syndrome who teaches his family and peers about the importance of kindness. (Julia Roberts and Owen…
Nickel Creek played an intimate warmup show at Largo at the Coronet for a lucky crowd Wednesday that piled into the L.A. theater for a night of skillful, spellbinding folk music. At first, it seemed impossible: How could such a good band play such a small venue? At 280 seats, the Largo is much smaller…
Donald Glover has pulled the plug on the remainder of his Childish Gambino touring commitments to focus on his health, including an upcoming surgery. The Grammy-winning “This Is America” singer and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” star tweeted Friday about the recent health concerns that have now led him to call off shows across Europe and…
In “Sugar Daddy,” comedian Sam Morrison sets out to convert tragedy into stand-up comedy. A form of self-therapy, the show (at the Wallis through Oct. 13) recounts the story of how he met the “daddy” of his dreams, only to lose him a few years later to COVID. Morrison wasn’t necessarily looking for long-term romance…
Luke Bryan is venturing a guess at why Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” was snubbed by the Country Music Assn. Awards. Despite the album debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart — making Beyoncé the first Black woman ever to top the chart — it was shut out of the 2024 CMA Awards nominations,…
This article contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of “The Rings of Power.” “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has confirmed what many fans suspected all along: the Stranger is Gandalf. In the season finale, the mysterious, gray-haired wizard, played by Daniel Weyman, finally learns his name, acknowledging, “Gandalf. That’s what…
A spate of documentaries focusing on the lives of Tejanos have found platforms over the last six months, showcasing how diverse, nuanced and entertaining our lives can be. You can find the contemplative radicals of “Hummingbirds” trolling the streets of Laredo over on PBS; the determined detectives of “The Chicano Squad” solving crimes in Houston…
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction.
The rapper YG was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Tuesday morning in Burbank, police said. The Santa Monica-based rapper, whose legal name is Keenon Jackson, hit a curb with a red Lamborghini and stopped in a grassy area along the roadway near the intersection of Olive Avenue and Keystone Street. That’s where…
I’m sitting across the table from veteran actor Tobin Bell, whose gaze I try to hold. Between us lies a hefty metal briefcase containing nine composition books. One for each “Saw” film he’s appeared in. Two decades of rigorous preparation to play a horror mastermind. The first page of handwritten notes for 2004’s “Saw” includes…
NEW YORK — A friend texted soon after I arrived in New York to see “McNeal,” the new play by Ayad Akhtar at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont starring Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr. in his Broadway debut. The message was prompted by the recently published bombshell in the New Yorker about David Adjmi’s Tony-winning play…
Satellite TV provider DirecTV has agreed to buy longtime competitor Dish Network, throwing a lifeline to the troubled Colorado-based broadcaster that helped pioneer the industry. The proposed consolidation, announced early Monday, highlights the challenges facing traditional television. DirecTV agreed to assume Dish’s net debt and pay just $1 for Dish’s satellite TV business and streaming…
SAN FRANCISCO — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday vetoed SB 1047, an artificial intelligence safety bill that would have established requirements for developers of advanced AI models to create protocols aimed at preventing catastrophes. The bill, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), would have required developers to submit their safety plans to the state attorney…
In the annals of horrific Hollywood-related crimes that have left a lasting imprint on Los Angeles, the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders have always ranked in the top tier. The bloody killing of pregnant actor Sharon Tate and others over two days by members of a cult headed by Charles Manson has sparked its own cottage industry…
Former NBC News star Brian Williams is finalizing a deal to anchor live coverage of the presidential election results for Amazon’s Prime Video, in the streamer’s first attempt at live news coverage, according to two people familiar with the plan. Williams, 65, has been off of television since leaving his professional home of 28 years…
She didn’t spot any glaring red flags the first time she stalked his Instagram page. No photos of him boarding a private jet. Zero reels showing off bottle service sparklers. Nary a shirtless mirror selfie in sight. Instead, what Erin Foster found as she scrolled through the account of the cute guy from her gym…
Chappell Roan at the last minute has canceled her All Things Go festival shows scheduled for this weekend in New York City and Washington, citing her mental health. “I apologize to people who have been waiting to see me in NYC & DC this weekend at All Things Go, but I am unable to perform,”…
One of the men involved in the murder of rapper Young Dolph was sentenced to life in prison Thursday after a four-day trial in Memphis, Tenn. After four hours of deliberation, Justin Johnson was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and possession of a handgun by a felon. The judge sentenced…
DirecTV and Dish are in advanced talks to merge in a deal that would create the largest US pay-TV provider, with almost 20 million subscribers, people familiar with the matter said. An agreement could be announced as soon as the coming days, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information….
Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are lounging in a dining booth of a restaurant, nearly swallowed up by an array of oversized pillows, contemplating the premise for a potential podcast they could co-host. “What do we talk about?” Bell says, cocking her head and narrowing her eyes at her friend and co-star. Then it clicks….
This makes perfect sense. Miley Cyrus’ fiery godmother, Dolly Parton, is her seventh cousin, once removed. The news was sprung on the country music legend during an interview with “Access Hollywood” about the cookbook she created with her sister, “Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals.” Which sister? Not Willadeene, Stella or Cassie but one…
Will Ferrell as Gene Frenkle from “More Cowbell,” onstage with musical guests Queens of the Stone Age. (Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank) John David Washington, actor (“The Piano Lesson”) I like [“More Cowbell”]. Christopher Walken’s the producer and Will Ferrell’s coming in with a tight shirt just hacking away at the bell. Bobby Lopez and Kristen…
Music on demand. Television programs. Mobile phone service. Professional sports telecasts. Audiobooks. News. Videogames. Computer software. A growing number of products and services are being sold by online subscription, offering more convenience and customization but also a new set of problems for consumers. Companies have been accused of signing people up for subscriptions without their…
Exhaustion. Anxiety. The fact that you may be reading this article during another meeting that should have been an email. Reports of burnout have been in the news for years, especially in fields such as medicine, education and — ahem — journalism. And yet, TV shows about people in these professions are powering through. Sometimes…
Janet Jackson’s false claims about Vice President Kamala Harris are now, in a strange twist of events, just as confusing as the efforts to move past them. The “Unbreakable” pop superstar is distancing herself from reports that she issued an apology after questioning Harris’ mixed-race identity in a recent interview. Longtime representatives for Jackson told…
Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, subjects of the new Netflix documentary “Will & Harper.” (Raul Romo / For The Times) TORONTO — Will Ferrell is building up a head of steam. Seated in the nondescript hotel conference room that’s been seized for our interview — a setting that lends our conversation the air of “Between…
The Hollywood hills are alive, once again, with the dance rhythms of cumbia. Noche de Cumbia is back and bigger than ever, with shows at both the Hollywood Bowl and the Ford. The two-night concert series features the originators and innovators of the Latin music genre. As its hissing güiro, whistling gaitas and lively horns…
Former Bad Boy Records rapper Shyne has a stern message about Sean “Diddy” Combs amid the mogul’s legal fallout: “This is someone who destroyed my life.” The Belizean hip-hop artist-turned-politician broke his silence on Combs’ latest legal woes during a press conference earlier this week, evoking a shooting in the ’90s that spoiled his relationship…
In the spring of 2004, actor Jorge Garcia was riding in the back of a van along Oahu’s Mokulē’ia Beach, trying to process the uncanny scene he was approaching. Scattered across the sand was the wreckage of a massive passenger jet; one wing from the mangled fuselage pointed up toward the sky, all surrounded in…
Fabian Debora believes art can be a lonely practice but can save you from a life of disrepair and gang violence. Debora, a muralist and co-founder of the Homeboy Art Academy in East Los Angeles, points to himself as an example of that belief. A former gang member who spent several years incarcerated, Debora was…
When in doubt, call in the kid. That’s the unfortunate stratagem Katy Perry resorts to at the end of her new album, “143,” in a groaner of a closer called “Wonder” that features a guest turn by the singer’s 4-year-old daughter, Daisy. Like a copy of a copy of her decade-and-a-half-old “Firework,” “Wonder” has Perry…
The 2024 presidential election is approaching, but the legal battle over how the 2020 race was covered by right-wing channel Newsmax isn’t going away quietly. On Sept. 30, Newsmax will head into a Deleware court to defend itself against a defamation lawsuit filed by Smartmatic, a London-based voting machine technology company. Smartmatic says its reputation…
YFN Lucci is alive and well after rumors of his death in prison, his lawyer has confirmed to The Times. The 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rayshawn Lamar Bennett, in January pleaded guilty to a gang-related charge after reaching a deal with prosecutors nearly three years after he was indicted on murder, gang and…
Wherever filmmaker Becky Muikia goes, she brings the stories of her native Kenya with her. They came with her to the NBA All-Star Weekend, where her media and communications company showed its short film “Jumping for Change” about a Kenyan girls basketball team that fights gender norms. And this summer, they traveled to Los Angeles,…
Jean Smart, fresh off her latest Emmy win for “Hacks,” will be the guest host for the opening episode of Season 50 of “Saturday Night Live,” which returns to NBC on Sept. 28. It’s the first time the actor has hosted the sketch show. Joining her in making their “SNL” debut will be musical guest…
When Jennifer Kent was first developing a horror film centered on grief, she kept coming up against folks who didn’t see a future in it. Many objected to her project’s proposed title, which doubled as the name for the ominous monster she’d created as a metaphor for unresolved trauma. “You can’t call a film ‘The…
U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles is looking to overturn a decision that stripped her of her first individual Olympic medal. Video footage shot for the Netflix docuseries “Simone Biles Rising” might help her do it. Attorneys for Chiles filed an appeal Monday to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland looking to reverse a decision by the…
On the Shelf The Third Gilmore Girl By Kelly BishopGallery Books: 256 pages, $29 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. Long before she ever took on the now-iconic role of Emily Gilmore in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s beloved comedy-drama “Gilmore Girls,” Kelly…
The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards scored an average of 6.87 million viewers Sunday on ABC, a significant increase over the trophy show’s recent doldrums and the best showing since 2021, according to Nielsen. The evening ceremony at the Peacock Theater in downtown L.A. was the second go-around for the Television Academy in nine months. The…
Fall Preview Books The Last Dream By Pedro Almodóvar, translated by Frank WynneHarperVia: 240 pages, $26 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. When Pedro Almodóvar was a young boy, his mother would read and translate letters for their illiterate neighbors….
The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards are here and, no, you’re not imagining things: It’s only been eight months since the strike-delayed Emmys ceremony was held in January, where “Succession,” “Beef” and “The Bear” dominated. At tonight’s ceremony, FX’s “The Bear” is once again expected to fare well — even if no one really thinks it’s…
After a 13-day blackout, Walt Disney Co. and DirecTV settled their contentious contract dispute early Saturday, restoring ESPN, ABC stations and other Disney-owned channels for more than 10 million DirecTV subscribers. DirecTV and U-Verse customers have been frustrated by the loss of Disney programming since talks broke down Sept. 1. Both companies were motivated to…
When Roy Wood Jr. played sports in high school, he spent a lot of time warming the bench — an experience that primed him for a career in comedy. “Your job as a bench warmer is to come up with the heckles against the other team. I took pride in writing insults to hurl at…
Three generations of women are assembled in Sara Porkalob’s “Dragon Lady,” the first in her three-part series of musicals about what she refers to as her “Filipina American gangster family.” She’s not exaggerating. When baby Maria comes crying home after being bullied by a neighbor, her mother hands her a golf club and tells her…
As Lana Wilson’s documentary about psychics “Look Into My Eyes” opens, a gray New York sky hovers above a nondescript building. A modest yellow glow comes from one high-storied window. Inside, a woman begins telling someone off-camera about a girl’s tragic death, something she’s held onto tightly for 20 years. There’s a question she still…
Her microphone may have been muted when it wasn’t her turn to speak, but Vice President Kamala Harris’ facial expressions spoke volumes during her debate against former President Trump. There was the arched brow, the hand on chin. Her pitying glance and dismissive head shake were particularly effective in communicating disgust and amusement as her…
This time last year, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were taking a victory lap after saving cinema. We spent the summer swooning over Celine Song’s heartbreaking love story “Past Lives” while Cannes and the fall film festivals unveiled the likes of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “The Zone of Interest,” “Poor Things,” “Maestro,” “The Holdovers,” “Anatomy of…
Justin Timberlake is nearing a resolution in his driving while intoxicated case, months after he was arrested in the Hamptons in June. The “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and “Mirrors” pop star is expected to enter a plea during a Friday hearing where he is set to appear in-person at New York’s Sag Harbour Court, the…
Twenty-six years ago, the Iowa metal band Slipknot arrived at the Malibu studio compound Indigo Ranch to make one of the gnarliest albums of the 1990s in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. “I remember going down the PCH, the Pacific Ocean sparkling, headed up Barrymore Drive into Solstice Canyon with our 2-ton…
Sean “Diddy” Combs must pay $100 million to a litigious Michigan inmate who sued him for sexual assault, a judge ordered Monday. Lenawee County circuit court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone decided that starting in October, Combs will have to pay $10 million a month for 10 months to accuser Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith. The order is…
Eighteen months later, Anna Holland still can’t stomach the smell of tomato soup. “I can’t have a tin of it anymore,” said the climate activist, who shocked the art world — and much of the rest of the planet — by throwing Heinz Tomato Soup at Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in the National Gallery in London…
Academy Award-nominated actor James Earl Jones, who stuttered as a child, then burst forth to become one of America’s most recognized and articulate voices, has died. Jones died Monday morning at his home in New York, his longtime agent Barry McPherson confirmed in a statement shared with The Times. A cause of death was not…
TORONTO — Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of 10 Republican House members to vote for President Donald Trump’s impeachment in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, would “certainly” be open to serving in Kamala Harris’ cabinet should she win in November, he told The Times on Sunday. “I love defense. I love foreign policy….
Will Jennings, the two-time Oscar-winning lyricist of “My Heart Will Go On,” “Up Where We Belong” and “Tears in Heaven,” has died. He was 80. The songwriter died Friday at his home in Tyler, Texas, his agent Sam Schwartz of the Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency confirmed to The Times. “May his memory be a blessing,” he said…
Los Angeles classic rock station KLOS-FM (95.5) has fired afternoon hosts Kevin Ryder and Doug “Sluggo” Roberts. Ryder confirmed the duo’s ouster Friday on social media, making sardonic references to a marketing initiative the stations recently launched. “Ironic time to start a ‘Where’s Kevin???’ campaign,” Ryder posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. In an…
The late-night TV audience is shrinking, and so is the number of weekly episodes for the format’s signature program. NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will have four fresh editions a week instead of five when the fall TV season begins this month. Fallon’s show aired four nights a week throughout the summer, the…
“Are you f— kidding me?” a character whispers to herself, disbelievingly, in “The Front Room” (she’s played by singer-actor Brandy Norwood, returning to horror movies 26 years after “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”). Her puzzled reaction sums up the experience of watching the outrageous parade of bodily excretion and malevolent smirks that…
Set inside a cramped New York apartment where adult sisters on the brink of estrangement await their father’s last breath, “His Three Daughters,” from writer-director Azazel Jacobs, is no farce. But within its measured, melancholic tempo, it boasts its fair share of bracing humor. As this claustrophobic indie — one of the year’s best —…
Former President Trump is scheduled to return to California next week for a pair of high-dollar fundraisers, one notably hosted by relatives of the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to invitations obtained by The Times. On Sept. 13, donors are being asked to pony up as much as $500,000 per couple for an afternoon…
After months of silence, Katy Perry is explaining why she recruited Dr. Luke to help produce her upcoming album. The 13-time Grammy nominee in July returned to music after a four-year hiatus — which she spent judging “American Idol” and raising her young daughter. But her lead single “Woman’s World” fell flat after fans discovered…
On Oct. 26, 1970, the night Muhammad Ali made his comeback fight in Atlanta against Jerry Quarry, a houseful of party guests, including some heavy hitters in the world of organized crime, were robbed at a suburban after-party — a story highly reported at the time and recently the subject of a true-crime podcast, “Fight…
TELLURIDE, Colo. — Originally a mining town in the mid-1800s, this Colorado Rockies outpost has since turned into a ski resort, a hiking destination and, as it happens, a different kind of mining town come Labor Day weekend, as journalists, producers and publicists dig for another kind of gold — the Oscar kind. Our three correspondents…
Walt Disney Co. on Sunday pulled ESPN and other channels from DirecTV minutes before the kick off of a high-profile USC football game and during the U.S. Open tennis tournament — infuriating sports fans who found themselves in the middle of a contentious contract dispute. More than 10 million DirecTV and U-Verse video customers were…
Adele says she’s making good on a promise to take a break from music after she completes her residency in Las Vegas. The “Hello” and “Rolling in the Deep” singer confirmed during her Saturday show in Germany — her last in a 10-show run abroad — that she plans to “rest” when she wraps her…
TELLURIDE, Colo. — It is hardly unusual for a director introducing their movie at a film festival to express some anxiety. But as he spoke to the crowd before a packed late-night Telluride screening of his controversial Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” on Saturday, director Ali Abbasi felt himself sweating with his own unique brand of…
TELLURIDE, Colo. — Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is listening to Louis Armstrong singing “Makin’ Whoopee” on her phone as I slide into a booth at a Telluride hotel restaurant. It’s not a bad way to start a Sunday morning. She then opens a Spotify playlist and hits the song that started her day, Ella Fitzgerald and Armstrong’s version…
Walt Disney Co.-owned channels, including ESPN and ABC stations, were knocked off DirecTV platforms Sunday after talks to reach a new distribution deal collapsed. The blackout — which affects DirecTV’s nearly 11 million customer homes — hit before the kickoff of Sunday’s highly anticipated University of Southern California-Louisiana State University college football game and in…
World premieres of “Nickel Boys,” “Conclave” and “Saturday Night” see freshness colliding with nostalgia, while Angelina Jolie’s turn in “Maria” doesn’t hit the rafters.
FatMan Scoop, the Grammy-winning DJ and hypeman who got fans roaring whether he was performing at a Clippers game or taking the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, died Friday, his family said. He was 53. The performer, born Isaac Freeman, appears in social media videos collapsing Friday night onstage in Hamden,…
The first feature that Victor Erice directed, 1973’s “The Spirit of the Beehive,” begins in the 1940s, when a traveling cinema arrives in a small rural town in Spain to project “Frankenstein.” In the crowd of moviegoers, a child with eager eyes stands out, Ana (Ana Torrent), whose sister will later reassure her that in…
The second of two charges against hip-hop star Travis Scott stemming from his June arrest in the Miami has been dropped, and he will no longer face trial over the incident. The “Sicko Mode” rapper, 33, whose legal name is Jacques Bermon Webster, had been charged with trespassing and disorderly intoxication and spent the night…
Jay Kanter, prolific film producer and agent to Hollywood notables including Marlon Brando, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe, has died. He was 97. Kanter died of natural causes Aug. 6 at his home in Beverly Hills, his son Adam Kanter confirmed. The longtime studio executive began his career in the mailroom at MCA, working his…
The chanting crowd’s “otra” wanes as a singular spotlight illuminates María Zardoya. The Marías’ frontwoman lies in a translucent bathtub, microphone in hand and partially submerged in its warm water. The somber piano of “If Only,” a ballad off their sophomore album, “Submarine,” fills the entire Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Zardoya’s voice takes on a melancholic,…
A controversial bill that would require developers of advanced AI models to adopt safety measures is one step closer to becoming law. The bill, SB 1047, would require developers of future advanced AI models to create guardrails to prevent the technology from being misused to conduct cyberattacks on critical infrastructure such as power plants. Developers…
What a difference two years can make. In March 2022, Fuerza Regida embarked on a guerilla marketing campaign to promote an upcoming show at the Toyota Arena in Ontario, Calif. The San Bernardino-based quintet had already reached the top of Billboard’s U.S. Regional Mexican chart twice with 2019’s “Del Barrio Hasta Aqui” and 2020’s “Adicto,”…
Even when the pointy ears came off, Leonard Nimoy had trouble expressing emotion. A highly repressed, high-functioning alcoholic, Nimoy connected with the character of Spock on “Star Trek” better than he could with his adoring young son, as Adam Nimoy writes in his new memoir, “The Most Human: Reconciling With My Father, Leonard Nimoy.” It…
Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will sit down with CNN’s Dana Bash on Thursday for their first joint TV interview as the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket. The network announced Tuesday that Harris and Walz will tape the interview for airing at 9 p.m. Eastern and 6 p.m. Pacific. Journalists…
Almost 40 years after its release, “La Bamba,” the beloved biopic of singer Ritchie Valens, is getting a remake. And Luis Valdez, the original director and writer, wants people to know: “This was not my choice.” On Monday, Variety reported that Sony Pictures and Mucho Mas Media are developing a new version of the biographical…
Billionaire entertainment executive Edgar Bronfman Jr. has bowed out of his long-shot bid to gain control of Paramount Global, clearing the way for David Ellison’s Skydance Media to claim the prize. Late Monday, Paramount’s lead independent director announced the auction for the company had ended and the takeover by Skydance would move forward. If Skydance…
TLC singer T-Boz experienced severe nausea, vomiting and intense abdominal cramps over the weekend, prompting the ‘No Scrubs’ duo to cancel multiple shows.
Rejoice, AFC Richmond fans! It looks like “Ted Lasso” might be getting a fourth season after all. Warner Bros. Television is taking steps to continue the hit Apple TV+ series after the Season 3 finale left the fate of the show uncertain. The Los Angeles Times confirmed on Sunday that the studio picked up the…
Singer Justin Bieber and model Hailey Bieber have welcomed their first baby, baby, baby, oh! The “Baby” musician broke the happy news this weekend by sharing on Instagram a photo of the child’s tiny foot wrapped in a fuzzy blanket. “WELCOME HOME JACK BLUES BIEBER,” he captioned the picture. Justin Bieber, 30, and Hailey Bieber…
Judge Greg Mathis and his wife, Linda Yvette Mathis, are parting ways after almost four decades together. Linda Mathis filed for divorce from the “Judge Mathis” star Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split, according to court documents reviewed by The Times. In the filing, she…
Just when the $8.4-billion deal for David Ellison’s Skydance Media to buy Paramount Global was gliding toward the finish line, Shari Redstone’s roller-coaster sale took another sharp turn. Seagram liquor company heir Edgar Bronfman Jr. this week persuaded Paramount’s independent board members to consider his rival bid for the Redstone family’s investment firm, National Amusements…
“The Dudleys never say die” — and neither do the fans of “My Lady Jane.” Fans of the Prime Video series have rallied behind an online campaign petitioning to save the historical dramedy from cancellation. Prime Video announced on Aug. 16 that it would not renew “My Lady Jane” for a second season after the…
Show, don’t tell. Three words that every journalist hears, with infuriating regularity, from professors, editors and readers. The dictate is not exclusive to journalism; it’s shared by prosecutors, politicians and anyone who’s ever given a PowerPoint presentation about anything. This week, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and many other luminaries…
Odds are, she’ll sing for Kamala Harris at some point. In January 2013, she performed the national anthem at President Obama’s second inauguration; in November 2016, she sang “Formation” at an 11th-hour rally for Hillary Clinton. And she’s already blessed Harris’ use of her song “Freedom” as a 2024 campaign anthem (and sent Donald Trump…
A Los Angeles appeals court has denied an attempt by Michael Jackson’s mother to prevent the singer’s estate from selling a portion of his songs to Sony Music Group for about $600 million. The appeals court on Wednesday upheld a prior ruling by a probate court that Katherine Jackson’s objections to the transaction do not…
CHICAGO — Legendary talk show host and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey made a surprise speech Wednesday on behalf of Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, to the delight of the crowd at the party’s convention. In a purple Harris-style suit, Winfrey came out on stage at the Democratic National Convention to Jon Batiste’s “Freedom” and delivered a…
Romanian authorities on Wednesday raided the Bucharest home of influencer Andrew Tate, the latest move in the country’s probe into human-trafficking allegations against the polarizing internet personality. Tate, 37, and his brother, Tristan, 36, who were arrested in 2022 near Bucharest along with two Romanian women, were indicted by Romanian prosecutors last year and are…
CHICAGO — While delegates gleefully cast their ceremonial votes for Vice President Kamala Harris to be their presidential nominee at Tuesday night’s Democratic National Convention, a dancing DJ spun a fresh song for each state from the stage. DJ Cassidy, the Californian sporting an electric blue suit, stole the show. The 43-year-old Angeleno, whose name is…
Walt Disney Co. has now agreed to let a wrongful-death lawsuit proceed in court, a reversal from its previous stance that the case needed to go through arbitration. Jeffrey Piccolo sued Disney in February, alleging that his wife died of a severe allergic reaction after eating at a restaurant at Walt Disney World in Orlando,…
Retired NFL player Michael Oher, whose life story inspired the Oscar-winning film “The Blind Side,” has spoken out for the first time following his lawsuit against the Tuohy family. Oher alleges the Tuohys tricked him into signing a conservatorship when he was 19, claiming it was the same as adoption. He says the family exploited…
Almin Karamehmedovic, the longtime executive producer of “ABC World News Tonight With David Muir,” is the new president of ABC News, where he will be facing pressure to improve the division’s financial performance. Debra OConnell, president, News Group and Networks, Disney Entertainment, announced the appointment Monday. Karamehmedovic will oversee day-to-day operation at the division and…
Director Austin Peters makes his narrative feature debut with “Skincare,” a slice of nasty L.A. noir set within the beauty industry, starring Elizabeth Banks as a celebrity aesthetician whose reputation crumbles around her over the course of two weeks. The film calls to mind other dark, salacious thrillers that satirize a city seemingly obsessed with…
Cinematographer Sam McCurdy knew he was part of something special during his nearly year-long tenure on FX’s “Shōgun,” where he shot five episodes of the 10-part historical epic set in 1600s Japan. But the U.K. native noticed something different leading up to its premiere as the network rolled out one of its biggest campaigns to…
Mariska Hargitay’s crime-solving efforts have gone off-screen. In NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU,” the actor plays Olivia Benson, a detective investigating sex-related crimes in Manhattan. But in recent years, she’s also played a critical role in helping to eliminate the national rape kit backlog, a Thursday episode of the “Dateline: True Crime Weekly” podcast reveals….
A controversial bill that seeks to protect Californians from artificial intelligence-driven catastrophes has caused uproar in the tech industry. This week, the legislation passed a key committee but with amendments to make it more palatable to Silicon Valley. SB 1047, from state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), is set to go to the state Assembly…
Maxie Solters, a third-generation entertainment publicist who followed her father and grandfather into the family business, died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 37. Her death was announced in a statement from Scoop Marketing, the company founded by her father, Larry Solters; the statement didn’t specify a cause or say where Maxie Solters died but…
Last weekend marked the 16th year of Outside Lands, the San Francisco music and arts festival-turned-cultural beacon. This year, world-class artists from a multitude of genres performed for 75,000 attendees each day in Golden Gate Park. Synth-pop superstar Chappell Roan, Americana torch-bearer Charley Crockett, and avant-garde icon Grace Jones delivered just a few of the…
Australian actor Simon Baker, best known for his leading role in CBS’ hit series “The Mentalist,” is facing drunk-driving charges in Australia. Australian media reported the actor, 55, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, and attempting to drive under the influence of alcohol. Further details were unavailable. After “The Mentalist” was canceled…
She may have mimicked a kangaroo and performed other laughable moves during breakdancing’s Olympic debut last week, but the Australian B-girl known as Raygun says her performance wasn’t a joke. “I went out there and I had fun,” Rachael Gunn, a 36-year-old Sydney university professor, said in a video posted Thursday morning on Instagram, six…
Award-winning actor Gena Rowlands, whose appearances in “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Gloria” and “The Notebook” were among her many celebrated collaborations with her late husband, John Cassavetes, and their son, Nick, died Wednesday at her home in Indian Wells after a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 94. Rowland’s death was confirmed by…
There is a monkey in “Bad Monkey,” a new miniseries premiering Wednesday on Apple TV+ and based on the book of the same name by Carl Hiaasen, but apart from one affectionate bite on an ear and an inability — or perhaps a refusal — to do tricks, it doesn’t do anything bad. In fact,…
Yolanda “Londie” Favors, the “baby cousin” and co-star of “Porsha’s Family Matters” star Porsha Williams, has died. She was 34. The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star on Sunday posted a tribute to her cousin on Instagram, announcing that Favors died on Aug. 7. “Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, and you are…
Many of the needle drops littered throughout Tilman Singer’s horror flick “Cuckoo,” released in theaters Friday, were written into the script’s first draft in 2019. But the film’s musical touchstone, a soft rock number that “Euphoria” breakout star Hunter Schafer sings onscreen, didn’t come together until years later. Schafer leads Singer’s sophomore feature film as…
Grant Ellis’ romantic journey on the current season of “The Bachelorette” did not have a happy ending. But instead of nursing a broken heart, he’s getting a fresh start and a breakthrough role as the next star of “The Bachelor.” The self-proclaimed mama’s boy and former pro basketball player who now works as a day…
Sony Pictures’ hit film adaptation of “It Ends With Us” has been prohibited from screening in Qatar, the Los Angeles Times confirmed on Monday. The country’s censorship committee rejected the PG-13 movie over kissing scenes, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who was not authorized to comment. Films that have previously been…
And so the two weeks when I become interested in athletics every four years have drawn to a close, with a ceremony to mark the occasion. There were many ceremonies along the way, of course, and the Olympic Games are themselves a sort of ceremony writ large, a ritual against which the athletes of Earth…
A battle of the celebrity spouses unfolded at the box office this weekend as Sony Pictures’ “It Ends With Us,” starring Blake Lively, proved a formidable opponent to Walt Disney Co.’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” starring husband Ryan Reynolds. “It Ends With Us” surged way past early expectations, debuting with $50 million in ticket sales in…
Walt Disney created it. James Cameron will help add to it. The Disneyland Resort in its seventh decade is getting a new area dedicated to a world of fantasy, this one having originated from the mind of filmmaker Cameron. A long-teased “Avatar”-inspired section is coming to Disney California Adventure. The Walt Disney Co. confirmed the…
As another terrifyingly significant presidential election nears, it’s hard not to fantasize about how different things could be. Imagine, for instance, having a president who put deeply held values above the pressures of their biggest donors. Imagine one who was able to truly listen and learn when faced with issues they didn’t understand rather than…
Ladies and gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for — “The Greatest Showman” is coming to the stage. Disney Theatricals is developing a stage musical adaptation of the hit 2017 movie starring Hugh Jackman. The company announced the project on Friday at the D23 Expo, the company’s biennial fan convention in Anaheim. The debut…
A security breach at one of Netflix’s production partners caused yet-to-be-released episodes of popular shows to leak online this week. “One of our post production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online,” Netflix said in a statement Friday. “Our team is aggressively taking action to have it…
Cate Blanchett has revealed that she and fellow cast members of one of the highest-grossing film series, “The Lord of the Rings,” weren’t paid nearly as much as you might think. The Academy Award-winning actor appeared Tuesday with Gina Gershon on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” to promote the two’s upcoming sci-fi film…
The British rock icon Rod Stewart canceled the planned 200th show of his long-running Las Vegas residency, citing strep throat. “I’m desperately sorry to miss this 200th show celebration,” the 79-year-old Stewart wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. “Most people can work with strep throat but obviously not me. I’m absolutely gutted. I’ve been looking forward…
South African actor Connie Chiume, best known in the U.S. for her appearances in the Marvel “Black Panther” movies, has died at age 72. Chiume’s family announced her death on Instagram, saying she died Tuesday at a Johannesburg hospital. “The Chiume Family regrets to inform you of the passing of the internationally acclaimed award-winning actress…
Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced the NO FAKES Act, designed to protect the voices and visual likenesses of artists and citizens in the AI era. One of the main groups advocating for that bill was the Recording Industry Assn. of America, better known as the RIAA. The trade group, which represents…
Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced the NO FAKES Act, designed to protect the voices and visual likenesses of artists and citizens in the AI era. One of the main groups advocating for that bill was the Recording Industry Assn. of America, better known as the RIAA. The trade group, which represents…
Ms. Lauryn Hill and the Fugees have called off a U.S. tour that was set to begin Friday. Concert dates listed on Ticketmaster were updated Tuesday to say they’d been canceled, while show listings on promoter Live Nation’s website informed ticket holders that they’d soon be refunded. Representatives for Hill and Live Nation didn’t immediately…
Actor Akili McDowell, a TV actor whose credits include series “David Makes Man” and “Billions,” is behind bars for his alleged killing of a 20-year-old man in Houston. McDowell, 21, was charged with murder and theft and arrested last week, according to the Harris County jail database. Houston officials allege that McDowell is responsible for…
Ryan Reynolds found an offer he couldn’t refuse on a sign from the Okanagan Veterinary Hospital in British Columbia, which offered “free belly rubs” for pets — and for Ryan Reynolds. The “Deadpool & Wolverine” actor shared a photo Sunday on his Instagram story of the clinic’s marquee sign, which read in all caps, “Free…
Burglars broke into the Pacific Palisades property of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Los Angeles police sources told The Times. The couple was not home when the burglary occurred last month, and it is unclear whether anything was taken. The break-in occurred in a guest house next to the couple’s main home, the sources said….
The Dance of the Dragons has been a bit of a slow burn, but the Targaryen war of succession burns on. There was minimal bloodshed shown in the “House of the Dragon” Season 2 finale, which aired on Sunday, but the battle lines have been drawn. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen has fortified her army with more…
The impulse to write what you know can be as emboldening as it can be restricting. In director Mikko Mäkelä’s soulful and observant feature “Sebastian,” a young writer grappling with this familiar conundrum begins creating a life for himself designed exclusively to be plundered for his fictional aspirations. In the process he’s forced to reckon…
Robert or Bobby — as he’s known to his friends — the protagonist of “Company,” Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s 1970 musical, has always been an enigma. Why won’t this confirmed New York bachelor, who is celebrating his 35th birthday and not getting any younger, finally settle down with a wife? What is he so…
Why do I find Elizabeth Taylor so fascinating? My admiration for her work comes down, perhaps unusually, to the Zeffirelli-Shakespeare “The Taming of the Shrew” and the Nichols-Albee “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” two films in which she starred with then-husband Richard Burton. And I must have seen her in some of the “Father of…
The sheer existence of this live-action adaptation of the classic children’s book “Harold and the Purple Crayon” inspires a number of questions on a basic level. Who is this for? The book by Crockett Jensen, published in 1955, is aimed at ages 3 and up, but the film, adapted by David Guion and Michael Handelman…
A profile on Utah-based influencer and Mrs. American 2023 winner Hannah Neeleman, known online as Ballerina Farm, has taken the internet by storm. The Sunday Times article, published July 20, crowned Neeleman as “the queen of the ‘trad wives.’ ” A “tradwife” is a woman who follows traditional values: She’s often a homemaker while her…
Bianca Oblivion, a rising Mexican American DJ and Los Angeles native, understands the importance of her upcoming appearance at Hard Summer, one of the largest electronic music festivals in Southern California. “Obviously you’re going to get these headliners that are from all over the world,” Oblivion said. “There’s this representation now, this position I’m coming…
It’s all coming full circle for Carrie Underwood. The Grammy-winning country music star will return to the roots of her fame as she joins ABC’s “American Idol” as the latest member of its judging panel, the network announced Thursday morning. When the newest season premieres next year, the “Before He Cheats” musician — who won…
Following a string of performances on his Prehab tour, Pete Davidson is taking a break from the stage. The “Saturday Night Live” alum recently checked into a wellness facility for mental health treatment, People reported Wednesday. Mental health has “always been a priority” for Davidson, a source told the outlet, adding that for the past…
Kathie Lee Gifford has been hospitalized after falling and fracturing her pelvis in two places. The “Live With Regis and Kathie Lee” alum told People on Tuesday that she tripped and fell after her recent hip-replacement surgery and that she was hospitalized for more than a week for physical therapy. Gifford, 70, was injured while…
Chino XL, the New York rapper known for warring with Tupac Shakur and for his dense, evocative wordplay, has died. He was 50. In a statement posted to Instagram, the family of the rapper, born Derek Keith Barbosa, said, “Our father had many titles — King of Punchlines, Puerto Rican Superhero — but the most…
Erica Ash, the “Mad TV” alum who also starred in “Real Husbands of Hollywood” and “Survivor’s Remorse,” has died. She was 46. The film and TV actor died Sunday after a “long and courageous battle with cancer,” her family said in a statement to The Times. “She transitioned peacefully surrounded by her loved ones.” Ash…
