http://www.post-gazette.com/ Articles from all entertainment categories en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:09:34 -0500 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208856-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml In recent years, several music acts who originated in the Pittsburgh area have burst onto the national scene, including Christina Aguilera, Wiz Kalifa, Mac Miller and Girl Talk. Far from a new trend, the Steel City's influence on the recording industry can be traced back to the heyday of jazz music in the 1930s-50s. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208858-325.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml "Elder Hostages," a trilogy of one-acts tells the stories of people coping with the indignities of aging, takes the stage for its first full production after an acclaimed reading in 2010. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208859-120.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml It's hard to convey a "creepy vibe" on film and that is what the cast and crew of "The Innkeepers" experienced -- twice, in some cases. When director Ti West was shooting "The House of the Devil" in spring 2008, he and others stayed at the Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington, Conn. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208860-120.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml A quality documentary about the life of Bruce Lee has been both inevitable and a long time coming. Four decades after his death, it has fallen to director Pete McCormack to assemble a portrait of the martial arts icon that is both hagiographic and historically accurate. Fortunately, large slices of Bruce Lee's life took place while cameras were rolling. Mr. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208861-120.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml "Sing Your Song" doubles as a 105-minute argument for Harry Belafonte to receive Oscar's Jean Hersholt Award for his humanitarian work. It's a celebratory look at an entertainer who was the first artist to sell more than 1 million albums but who also became a partner in the struggle for civil rights alongside Dr. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208909-388-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Here in the highly opinionated 21st century, we find ourselves in a divisive mood about so many things -- the economy, taxes, health care, the Super Bowl halftime show. But it seems there are a few things we can agree upon: Blue skies are nice, ice cream is good, puppies are cute, and Adele can sing her behind off. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208910-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Is it true that Adele's appeal crosses all boundaries? We thought we'd ask some Pittsburgh musicians of different stripes. CLASSIC ROCK Joey Granati, Granati Brothers: She's refreshing. First of all, very soulful, kinda leaning toward Motown and some of the better music from history, and most of all, she isn't a "looker" or a "diva," and that really makes her appealing. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208911-388-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml 1981 Golden-voiced newcomer Christopher Cross became the only artist to sweep the general field, winning Record of the Year ("Sailing"), Album of the Year ("Christopher Cross"), Song of the Year ("Sailing") and Best New Artist. Those were the first and last Grammys he ever won. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208940-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Good Morning, Bear Cub Bear Cub, the jangly roots-rock band that relocated from Pittsburgh to Nashville, will release its third album, "Good Morning, Every Morning," at the Rex Theater on March 16 with Gene the Werewolf. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208941-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Everyone's complaining about how Pittsburgh has a dearth of young people. So, we've got overachievers moving into Google or the medical complexes, but what about the average slacker who would attend an indie rock show on a weekday? Here's a solution: The Philadelphia metro area has probably six times the number of hip 20-somethings that Allegheny County does. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208942-325-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml ALL WEEKEND 'Hattie' on the Horizon New Horizon Theater's "Hi Hat Hattie" stars Shaunyce Omar in a musical biography of Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Academy Award. The "Gone With the Wind" supporting actress was celebrated by Hollywood for her portrayal of the O'Haras' house servant Mammy, but attacked by the NAACP and others for perpetuating stereotypes. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208948-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Blind Pilot created a buzz in 2008 when it launched a tour of the West Coast on bicycle, lugging the equipment around on custom trailers. That was when Blind Pilot was a duo. Now, the Portland, Ore., band, a little bigger and farther from home, is rolling across the country in an old school bus. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208949-388-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Van Halen diehards had to be pinching themselves -- with their fingers firmly crossed -- in anticipation of this one. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208955-120-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml If you wondered -- or worried -- that actress Kristen Stewart lost weight to look so deathly thin in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1," you can rest easy. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208977-388-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2012-13 season will balance war horses and dark horses. It will feature renowned works of the standard repertoire, such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Choral," Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World," and Brahms' Symphony No. 3; concertos by Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Mozart and Tchaikovsky; and tone poems by Mussorgsky and others. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208978-388-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml 2012-13 BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS CONCERTS Sept. 21-23: Manfred Honeck, conductor; Thomas Hampson, baritone. Strauss' Orchestral Songs and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." Oct. 5-7: Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Olga Kern, piano. Respighi's "Ancient Airs and Dances," Suite No. 3, Schumann's Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. Oct. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208688-148.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml This engaging work of self-declared "investigative parenting" will strike like a stiletto heel into the quivering gelatin of middle-class parental anxiety. Pamela Druckerman, an American journalist and mother of three in Paris, sends word that, once again, Americans are messing up their kids and another culture is superior. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208700-500.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml The final scene of "Ruthless! The Musical" is so brazenly depraved, you probably should know about it in advance, but that would be like giving away the big reveal of "The Sixth Sense." So, for those of you who would be easily offended by a wicked child gone wild, consider yourself warned. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:17:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208701-437.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Whether or not you have children, chances are you once were one. And if you were fortunate, books -- from your parents, the school library, a maiden aunt at Christmas -- were a part of your childhood. If so, there should be something for you in the all-ages exhibition "Draw Me a Story: A Century of Children's Book Illustration." Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208683-44.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Walter Dean Myers, author of more than 100 books for young adults and children, is the first African-American writer to serve as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and the third person to hold the position, which the Library of Congress created in 2008. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208686-348-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Well, it's safe to say that Piers Morgan won't be first in line for tickets to Madonna's just-announced world tour. The pontificating Brit continued his public assault on America's long-reigning Material Girl while chatting with E!'s own Chelsea Handler last night, blasting Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show as a "gruesome" performance, E! News reports. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208690-67.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml This devil will be given his due, thanks to "Antiques Roadshow." When the venerable PBS appraisal show airs the three hours shot in Pittsburgh beginning Monday, one of the locals who made the cut was Robert, a retired schoolteacher from the Mon Valley. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208535-325.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml What was not to love about Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's succulent dance foray among the hallmark composers known as the three B's -- Bach, Beethoven and Brahms? Called "Uncommon," it wasn't a full-length theatrical production, but in many respects was a more massive undertaking. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 14:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208534-67.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml ABC's "The River" turns out to be a more interesting show than its pilot suggests. That's not to say the premiere, airing tonight at 9 on WTAE, is disappointing -- it's a scary enough introduction -- but future episodes expand the show's universe, better develop the characters and reveal that while the show is called "The River," not every story has to take place on a boat. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208540-500.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Nothing seems as fascinating to a middle-aged American male as the guy himself. Examples abound, so I'll leave Charlie Sheen alone, but for an evening's immersion in this area of self-absorption, try "Mid-Strut" at The REP, Point Park University's professional company. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208532-500.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml For anyone who has ever squeezed into the sausage skin of a leotard, hobbled funk-less through a hip-hop combination or been chastised for poor posture in a ballet class, comedian Jen Childs has a soft spot for you. These are just a few of the scenarios she cites in her one-woman show "Why I'm Scared of Dance," which continues Thursday through Sunday at City Theatre, South Side. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:14:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208514-44.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Jack Gantos kept his hopes for winning a Newbery Medal -- given annually by the American Library Association to the best-written children's book -- in "lockdown mode" over the past few months. Mr. Gantos, 60, had come close to winning the gold Newbery Medal in 2001 for "Joey Pigza Loses Control." Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208533-60.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Patrons at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont can meet the men behind the Internet sensations "Pittsburgh Dad" and "The Mercury Men" tonight. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208539-348-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Defeat is a bitter pill to swallow -- especially at the Super Bowl. Perhaps it was made a bit easier for Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, whose wife Gisele Bndchen was on hand to comfort him in Indianapolis on Sunday night, after losing 21-17 to Eli Manning and the New York Giants in a suspenseful fourth quarter, People reports. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208484-42.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml PHILADELPHIA -- The public viewing is set for the former spiritual leader of Philadelphia's 1.5 million Catholics. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 11:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208103-67.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml WTAE will broadcast the funeral Mass in Philadelphia for Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh from 1983 to 1987, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on thisTV Pittsburgh, the station's over-the-air digital subchannel, Channel 4.2. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 11:30:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208437-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml Listen to Richard Egarr speak about the harpsichord and you might think he picked the wrong instrument. At his concerts, recitals and in interviews, he talks as much about the lute as he does the baroque keyboard instrument. But the British musician has good reason, and good reasoning. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 10:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208439-67-0.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml According to one poll released last week, 55 percent of U.S. adults said they planned to tune in to Sunday's Super Bowl as much or more for the commercials than for the game. If that's true, and if those viewers also spend any time on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, odds are this was a pretty disappointing year for them. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 09:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208438-388.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml While her new boyfriend/producer Justin Vernon was preparing to make his "Saturday Night Live" debut with Bon Iver on Saturday, Kathleen Edwards was working another sold-out crowd at the Rex Theater. "SNL" ought to look her up sometime, because Kittythefool, as fans know her on Twitter, is the one with the range. Case in point was "A Soft Place to Land." Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:30:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208096-129.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml At 71, five-time Grammy award winner and music legend Dionne Warwick is still on the move. To celebrate her golden anniversary in the music business, she has embarked on a world tour that will take her to six continents. It is a long way from East Orange, N.J., where her roots in gospel music began at age 6. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500