Entertainment category, Page 81
‘Kite Runner’ is an emotional, unflinching story of survival and redemption
Khaled Hosseini’s 2003 novel “The Kite Runner” was a massive hit in the United States, selling more than 10 million copies in this country to date. In 2022, the stage adaptation of that book, adapted by Matthew Spangler, premiered on Broadway. And on Tuesday night, the epic, devastating touring production...
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis deliver powerful punk/jazz punch in Pittsburgh showVideo
The Messthetics are not a typical jazz band by any means. With a rhythm section comprised of bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty — both formerly of punk legends Fugazi — alongside guitarist Anthony Pirog, the Messthetics blur the lines between jazz and punk. On their third album, the...
Police investigating shooting outside Drake’s mansion that left security guard wounded
TORONTO — Police are investigating a shooting outside rapper Drake’s mansion in Toronto that left a security guard seriously wounded. Authorities did not confirm whether Drake was at home at the time of the shooting, but said his team is cooperating. The shooting happened around 2 a.m. Tuesday in the...
A fairytale forest, woodland creatures, and some starstruck first-timers attended the Met Gala
NEW YORK — Sauntering through the hallways of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the way to cocktails, James Corden spread his arms out comically, like he owned the place. “Let me know if you want me to talk you through any of this,” he said, pointing to the precious...
Tom Brady’s Netflix roast features lots of humor, reunion between Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Three months before Tom Brady gets roasted by critics as Fox Sports’ top NFL analyst, he took his share of barbs from comedians, former teammates and his longtime coach Sunday night during a made-for-streaming comedy live event on Netflix. And it is safe to say after the...
With help from AI, Randy Travis got his voice back. Here’s how his first song post-stroke came to be
With some help from artificial intelligence, country music star Randy Travis, celebrated for his timeless hits like “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “I Told You So,” has his voice back. In July 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks the heart, and later suffered a stroke....
Spain’s Prado Museum confirms rediscovery of lost Caravaggio
MADRID — Spain’s Prado Museum on Monday confirmed that a painting that was due to be auctioned in Madrid in 2021 is in fact a work by Italian Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio that was considered lost. It will be unveiled to the public for the first time in...
TV Talk: Astronaut with Pittsburgh ties appears in ‘The Longest Goodbye’ on PBSVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. PASADENA, Calif. — Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman says in PBS’s new “Independent Lens” documentary “Space: The Longest Goodbye” (10-11:30 p.m. May 6, WQED-TV) that even after she’d spent 159 days in space on the...
Actor Bernard Hill, of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ has died at 79
LONDON — Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and went down with the ship as the captain in “Titanic,” has died. Hill, 79, passed away Sunday morning, agent Lou Coulson said....
‘The Fall Guy’ gives Hollywood a muted summer kickoff with a $28.5M opening
NEW YORK — “The Fall Guy,” the Ryan Gosling-led, action-comedy ode to stunt performers, opened below expectations with $28.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, providing a lukewarm start to a summer movie season that’s very much to be determined for Hollywood. The Universal Pictures release opened on a weekend...
Franklin Regional goes down the rabbit-hole with ‘Alice in Wonderland’
It might not be accurate to say Riley Bain was born to portray Alice from “Alice in Wonderland,” but there’s no doubt that she’s done plenty of research for the role. “I have an obsession,” said Bain, 17, a Franklin Regional junior. “I had an ‘Alice’ party for my 16th...
Soundwalk interactive installation honors Hill District icons Frankie Mae, Charles Henry Pace
The interactive installation Soundwalk in the Hill District pays homage to the community work of Frankie Mae and Charles Henry Pace as musicians, activists and entrepreneurs from the 1930s to the 1960s. Taking place from 2-4 p.m. Saturday in the Hill District’s Frankie Mae Pace Park, the Soundwalk celebrates the...
Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour visits Westmoreland County in SeptemberVideo
Luke Bryan is coming to Westmoreland County this fall. The country music star’s annual Farm Tour will visit Cunningham Family Farm in South Huntingdon on Sept. 28. The farm is located at 355 Fitz Henry Road. Bryan, who also serves as a judge on “American Idol,” is known for songs...
From cassette tapes to vinyl records, physical media is trending in Pittsburgh
Cassette tapes brought Veronika Cloutier to Pittsburgh. Vinyl LPs have kept her here. Before moving to Pittsburgh from North Carolina in 2021, the former vocalist and guitarist for the band Attack Cat measured the city’s livability by connecting with a local indie label that releases cassettes. “The fact that there...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh: May 3-5
Cinco de Mayo! May the Fourth be with you! There are plenty of reasons to celebrate this weekend. Here are five fun events going on around town. May the Fourth Be With You at the Symphony On Saturday, May 4, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents “Music of Star Wars.” The...
Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service hit ‘Such Great Heights’
Two staple 2000s indie bands are on an epic anniversary tour, and Pittsburgh concertgoers were lucky to see it Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland. Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service have a few things in common. First, they both released landmark albums in 2003...
Mary J. Blige enlists Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin and more for women’s summit in New York
LOS ANGELES — Mary J. Blige is bringing her mission to empower women beyond her music to her hometown — with the help of the singer’s superstar friends. Taraji P. Henson, Tiffany Haddish and Jill Scott and other stars and experts will join Blige for her Strength of a Woman...
Young Rising Sons’ Andy Tongren on ‘(Un)Happy Hour,’ silver linings and singlesVideo
After a session spent writing songs in Los Angeles, the members of Young Rising Sons decided to go to a bar and grab some drinks. Their arrival, just one minute after happy hour ended, ultimately led to a song — “(Un)Happy Hour,” their latest single — with the concepts and...
TV Talk: ‘A Man in Full’ debuts; ‘Hacks’ returns better than everVideo
It’s a busy TV week as networks and platforms debut shows in time for 2024 Emmy Awards consideration, including Peacock’s Holocaust drama “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” the return of Max’s “Hacks” and the debut of Netflix’s “A Man in Full,” which includes a reunion of “American Rust” actors. ‘A Man...
The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy on double album, love song … and DokkenVideo
Colin Meloy, the frontman for the Decemberists, laughed when he was informed of a band listed under the influences header on the group’s Wikipedia page. Listed among contemporaries like The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Modest Mouse, one group stuck out: Dokken, a 1980s glam metal...
Patty Griffin, Micky Dolenz, Paula Cole highlight Allegheny County Summer Concert Series
A two-time Grammy winner, the last surviving member of The Monkees and a singer whose song became ubiquitous with a 1990s TV show are some of the biggest names in this year’s Allegheny County Summer Concert Series, announced Wednesday. The concert series, with shows at South Park Amphitheater and Hartwood...
Former Ringling Bros. clown will perform 1-man show at New Hazlett Theater
Mike Perry just wanted to have fun when he was growing up in Buffalo. He found a unicycle and taught himself to ride it at the age of 12. Later, a friend taught him how to juggle, and he thought that was fun, too. He couldn’t have guessed that it...
Pittsburgh’s JFilm Festival to kick off with documentary on pianist John BaylessVideo
A documentary opening this year’s Pittsburgh JFilm Festival chronicles a brilliant musician’s triumph over adversity. “Left Alone Rhapsody: The Musical Memoir of Pianist John Bayless” is a documentary about the world-renowned pianist and composer who suffered a stroke at 54 that caused the loss of the use of his dominant...
Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson’ is a performance to remember
At the close of Pittsburgh Opera’s production of “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson,” the titular character sings, “Remember me, remember me.” As for this show, it’s easy to heed. Despite being a Pittsburgh Opera production, “Passion” is a play, although it does include original music sung operatically, as well...
Jason McGerr, Death Cab for Cutie drummer, talks tour ahead of Pittsburgh show
Indie staples Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service are coming to Pittsburgh. On Thursday, the two acts will bring the tour celebrating the 20th anniversaries of their seminal records — “Transatlanticism” and “Give Up,” respectively — to the Petersen Events Center in Oakland. The groups are linked by...
