Celebrities
Of thee I sing: A guide to US patriotic songs, from ‘The Liberty Song’ to Jay-Z and Kanye West
NEW YORK | The history of American patriotic songs offers a lesson about the different ways you can say you love your country. Composers have celebrated endurance under fire ( “The Star-Spangled Banner” ) and invoked divine approval (“God Bless America”). While Toby Keith’s “Made in America” dares anyone to question American eminence, Woody Guthrie’s […]
Ariana Grande withdraws from a London musical and will take a break from the public eye
LONDON | Ariana Grande has pulled out of an upcoming stage musical in London, producers said, and plans to withdraw from the public eye for a break from the intense scrutiny she faces. Grande had been due to star alongside her “Wicked” co-star Jonathan Bailey in a production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park […]
Rei Ami from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and comedian Ken Jeong take a bite out of ‘Shark Week’
NEW YORK | Rei Ami, whose voice helped fuel the hit movie “KPop Demon Hunters,” recently found herself facing plenty of real hunters — watching from the ocean floor as about 16 reef sharks went on a feeding frenzy. She was scared, sure. But more than that, she was brought to tears. “I thought I’d […]
Authorities release early ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case, hoping someone recognizes it
TUCSON, Ariz. | Authorities released an early ransom note in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie in hopes that someone will recognize the writing style. A second note released Friday indicated Guthrie died shortly after she was kidnapped. Both notes initially went to a Tucson television station days after the 84-year-old mother of […]
A World Cup banner turns the Malvinas into a cultural obsession for a new generation in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina | It took a World Cup to transform a remote cluster of islands that’s home to more sheep than people into a cultural juggernaut. A decision by Argentina’s players to unfurl a banner about the disputed Falkland Islands after defeating England in the World Cup semifinals carried a historical cause onto the […]
Movie Review: Olivia Wilde rules playful BDSM comedy ‘I Want Your Sex’
Erika Tracy, the artist and provocateur at the heart of “I Want Your Sex,” may be the most quotable fictional female executive since Miranda Priestly “that’s all-ed” her way into film history. Yes, sure, it is a little strange to compare a very buttoned-up character in a mass-audience, PG-13-rated movie with one in a very […]
Movie Review: Anthony Bourdain biopic ‘Tony’ is just an early nibble at a culinary giant
“Tony,” the Anthony Bourdain biopic, is a coming-of-age tale for a modern culinary giant. Set over just a summer, it’s also clearly an appetizer. And like all first courses, it leaves you with a nice first taste — but still hungry. Director and co-writer Matt Johnson has frustratingly taken liberties with a formative period in […]
Jared Leto denies sexual assault allegations described in BBC documentary
Four women have accused Jared Leto of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, to which the actor and musician responded Wednesday that he has “never sexually assaulted anyone.” “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false,” Leto, 54, said in a statement to The Associated Press. […]
Movie Review: In ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ a lonely superhero grows up and looks inward
Are the ears playing tricks on us? Or does Tom Holland’s Peter Parker sound, at the beginning of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” like more of a native New Yorker than before? The cadence, the sort-of Queens accent — it’s striking, as we watch Peter chat on the phone with police captain Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) […]
‘Super Troopers’ at 25: A quarter-century of mustaches and maple syrup — and a new film
NEW YORK | A quarter of a century is a long time for mustache rides and syrup binges, but “Super Troopers” has gotten a lot of mileage out of the simple joys of friends goofing around. The comedy troupe Broken Lizard, a group of college buddies who began performing together at Colgate University, broke through […]