CHICAGO — For seven seasons, the people behind WTTW’s “Firsthand” documentary series have gathered to figure out what subject to focus their efforts. In previous years, executive producer Dan Protess and his team have centered such topics as segregation, coronavirus, poverty, homelessness and life after prison. This season is about the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Six months and 16 Oscar nominations ago, Delroy Lindo hopped on a Zoom call with the awards consultants running the campaign for Ryan Coogler's genre-defying American horror story, "Sinners." Actors don't often participate in these meetings. But Lindo had received so much love for his turn as bluesman Delta Slim since "Sinners" ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Can a Hungarian-born heavy metal fan who grew up as a professional wrestling devotee in a San Marcos trailer park achieve success as a stand-up comedian signed to the same record label as Eric Clapton and the Stray Cats?

This question itself might sound like a joke. But it’s an accurate thumbnail description of Zoltan Kaszas, ...Read more

You have questions. I have some answers.

Q: I have a question about the “Doc Martin” and “Best Medicine” shows: Why? They live in the same named place, both have romantic feelings for Louisa, and have a pharmacist who wears a cervical collar. Both doctors are clumsy and don’t like dogs. Is there a reason for Fox copying “Doc Martin�...Read more

LOS ANGELES — James Van Der Beek, the actor who starred in the teen drama series “Dawson’s Creek” and the sports drama “Varsity Blues,” has died. He was 48.

Known for wooing audiences as aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery in the WB series, Van Der Beek died Wednesday morning. His family confirmed his death in a statement on the actor�...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Bud Cort, whose performance as a troubled young man who finds unexpected love with a 79-year-old free spirit in "Harold and Maude" helped turn the 1971 film into an enduring cult classic, died Wednesday morning in Norwalk, Connecticut, after a long illness. He was 77.

His death was confirmed by Cort's longtime friend Dorian ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — James Van Der Beek, whom audiences first met as the young, floppy-haired lead in the melodrama "Dawson's Creek," died Wednesday at 48. The actor's co-stars and collaborators paid tribute to the actor.

Van Der Beek's wife, Kimberly, announced the news in an Instagram post and asked for "peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Andrew Ranken, drummer and a founding member of London-based Celtic punk band the Pogues, has died. He was 72.

The "heartbeat of The Pogues" died Tuesday, his longtime bandmates announced in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram.

"Andrew, thank you for everything, for your friendship, your wit and your generosity of spirit,...Read more

NEW YORK — It could end with a mediated settlement, as “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni spent Wednesday in a New York courthouse for their court-ordered settlement conference.

The “Gossip Girl” alum, 38, and 42-year-old Baldoni attended mediation talks in the lower Manhattan courthouse, seated with their ...Read more

Bijou Phillips, who was once married to ex-actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson, has been hospitalized in desperate need of a kidney transplant.

Phillips, a model and actress, was admitted to UCLA Health, where she will remain under care and on dialysis until a donor can be found, her spokesperson told TMZ on Wednesday.

She previously ...Read more

NEW YORK — James Van Der Beek, the “Dawson’s Creek” actor who had recently been battling colorectal cancer, has died. He was 48.

Van Der Beek revealed his diagnosis in November 2024 and missed a reunion event for the show last September, but his cause of death was not publicly confirmed.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The sports and entertainment executive Casey Wasserman is facing calls to step down from his namesake music agency after his sexually charged emails surfaced in the Epstein files. With artists like Chappell Roan leaving and top agents reportedly demanding a change in leadership, talent managers and touring executives say they ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Sherri Shepherd is getting real about the cancellation of her show “Sherri” last week after four seasons.

“I want to say to y’all, everybody, y’all try not to faint or fall out ‘cause healthcare is expensive and none of us have it anymore,” the talk show host and comedian said Tuesday on Instagram in a mostly ...Read more

NEW YORK — It could end with mediation, as “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are in a New York courtroom Wednesday for their court-ordered settlement conference.

Lively, 38, in late December 2024 accused her 42-year-old costar and director of having sexually harassed her during production of the blockbuster ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Dancing with the Stars Con 2026, the TV dance competition show’s first-ever fan convention, will come to Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert for three days from July 31 to Aug. 2, organizers announced on Tuesday.

“We are so excited to bring ‘Dancing with the Stars’ fans a truly once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Jared Paul ...Read more

Inside a diner in Los Angeles, customers scroll through their phones as coffee is poured, burger patties are flipped, food is plated and a selection of condiments is dramatically lit.

Ultimately, in “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die,” the well-meaning but disappointing first film in a handful of years from “The Ring” director Gore ...Read more

Going into the new cops-and-crooks thriller “Crime 101,” you may be expecting a drama about a mentor offering a protege an introductory college-level course of sorts from one side of the law or the other.

However, the title of this engrossing star-stacked work — adapted from Don Winslow’s 2020 novella and landing in theaters this week �...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Maná, Ivan Cornejo, J Balvin and Christian Nodal are set to headline the 2026 Festival La Onda.

Danny Ocean, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Paulo Londra, La Arrolladora, El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico and Grupo Niche are among the many other acts set to take the stage at the festival, which runs May 30-31 ...Read more

'CRIME 101'

Rated R for language throughout, some violence and sexual material/nudity.

What it’s about: A perfectionist jewel thief in Los Angeles has his best laid plans turned to chaos with a new robber in town and an obsessive cop on his tail.

The kid attractor factor: This is an adult drama, not much appeal for kids.

Good lessons/bad ...Read more

CHICAGO — Norman Rockwell’s “The Dugout,” a classic portrait of slumped Cubs, dejected Cubs, defeated Cubs, a morose team resigned to an existential slog of failure, now hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. It was gifted to the museum by former Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, who have had it hanging in their home for ...Read more