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Verne Troyer, famous for Mini-Me character in Austin Powers films, dies at 49
LOS ANGELES--Actor Verne Troyer, who was best known for his role as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies, has died at the age of 49.
"It is with great sadness and incredibly heavy hearts to write that Verne passed away today," a statement posted Saturday on Troyer's Facebook page said. No cause of death was given.
Troyer, who starred in a ...Read more
Producer and DJ known as Avicii dies at 28
Tim Bergling, the Swedish DJ and producer who, performing as Avicii, helped kick start the electronic dance music explosion of the 2010s, died Friday in Muscat, Oman. He was 28.
"It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii," a representative said in statement to The Associated Press. "The family is...Read more
Bette Midler returning to Broadway to end 'Hello, Dolly!' run
Well, hello Bette!
Bette Midler will reprise her Tony-winning role as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the current Broadway revival of "Hello, Dolly!" starting in July and keep the role through the end of the show's run.
Broadway veteran Bernadette Peters, who has been playing the titular role since Jan. 20, will take her final bow July 15.
When ...Read more
In Baltimore, in the flesh, Stormy Daniels
BALTIMORE -- Late, very. Short, or at least shorter in the way that celebrities always seem in real life.
That was Stormy Daniels, last seen on "60 Minutes," "The View" and litigation against President Donald Trump stemming from an alleged affair, opening a three-night show at the Fantasies strip club in South Baltimore on Thursday night.
She ...Read more
Natalie Portman cancels trip to accept Israeli prize
Natalie Portman has opted not to travel to Israel to accept the Genesis Prize, the awarding foundation announced Thursday.
The Genesis Prize Foundation said it was informed by a representative of the "Annihilation" actress that she would no longer be attending the ceremony.
"Recent events in Israel have been extremely distressing to her and ...Read more
Amy Schumer faces her critics with a message of self love and confidence: 'The fear is gone'
Amy Schumer looks at herself in the mirror. She is nearly naked, save her bra and the nude Spanx she has on to flatten her belly. As she stares at her reflection, her eyes begin to fill with tears. She doesn't say anything, but what she is thinking is very clear: "I'm disgusting. I hate the way I look. Who could ever love me?"
Although this ...Read more
Movie review: Netflix's 'Kodachrome' reminds that Ed Harris can make standard roles transcendent
Ed Harris.
Ed Harris.
Ed Harris.
The accomplished actor did not inspire "Kodachrome," and he's not the only thing in it, but when you're looking for reasons to watch, his arresting performance stands way out.
No one needs to be told how good the four-time Oscar nominee is, but there is a tendency to take consistently superior work for ...Read more
Tyne Daly joins the cast of CBS 'Murphy Brown' reboot
Mary Beth Lacey, meet Murphy Brown.
Tyne Daly, who played Lacey in CBS' groundbreaking "Cagney and Lacey," about two female police detectives, is joining the cast of the planned reboot of "Murphy Brown."
CBS announced that Daly will play the role of Phyllis, the sister of the deceased bar owner Phil from the original series. As the new bar ...Read more
From BookDaily.com
Twice Melvin
James Pumpelly$2.99
Melvin, a deceased Vermont attorney, and Aunt Martha, Melvin's self-appointed spirit guide, vie humorously over the trivial, heroically over the traumatic. Their interaction with dear ones left behind is the troubling constant holding the...
Investigation into Prince's death closes with no criminal charges
MINNEAPOLIS -- Carver County Attorney Mark Metz announced Thursday that he was closing the two-year investigation into the death of musician Prince Rogers Nelson without issuing any criminal charges.
Metz said county, state and federal investigators undertook an "extensive, painstaking and thorough" investigation but were unable to determine ...Read more
New Prince record released: His version of 'Nothing Compares 2 U'
MINNEAPOLIS -- Nothing compares to a new Prince record, right? Especially during unofficial Prince Week, the period commemorating the second anniversary of his death.
Warner Bros. is releasing Prince's version of "Nothing Compares 2 U," a produced rendition of the demo tape he recorded in July 1984 for the Family to learn. Their recording, ...Read more
Trevor Noah is the only late-night comedian taking on the Starbucks arrest controversy
The news of two black men being arrested inside a Philadelphia Starbucks late last week has garnered national media attention, sparked outrage across the country and elicited a public apology from the city's police commissioner. But among late night comedians, the situation has all but been ignored.
The one exception is Trevor Noah, the host of...Read more
Tina Fey to host season finale of 'Saturday Night Live'
Tina Fey will return to "Saturday Night Live" as host next month for the show's season 43 finale.
Fey will host "SNL"'s final episode this season on May 19, with Nicki Minaj serving as musical guest, the show announced via social media on Wednesday.
The appearance marks Fey's sixth time hosting "SNL" since she left the show's cast in 2006 to ...Read more
Who in Hollywood is using inclusion riders? Nobody's keeping track — including the group pushing for them
Last week on Twitter, a young actor asked: "Is there a list of actors/directors/etc who have committed to an inclusion rider yet?"
It's a good question. Who has committed so far?
He tagged @Inclusionists, which is the Twitter handle of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. That's the think tank at the University of Southern California led by ...Read more
Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer Prize sparks lively — and at times snobby — conversations on the aesthetics of music
If a sampling of some classical music aesthetes on social media is to be believed, April 16 marked the day the music died.
A rapper -- a rapper! -- named Kendrick Lamar was placed on a pedestal as the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in music, joining geniuses of American composition including Aaron Copland, George Crumb, Elliott Carter and ...Read more
Doctor who treated Prince to pay $30K fine
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minnesota doctor who allegedly knew painkillers he prescribed for Prince's drummer would be used by the musician has agreed to a civil settlement with federal prosecutors to resolve possible controlled substance violations found during the investigation into Prince's 2016 overdose death.
Dr. Michael T. Schulenberg will pay a $...Read more
Television Q&A: Is 'Scorpion' coming back?
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Has "Scorpion" been on its last mission? I didn't see any promos about the April 16 episode being the season finale. But it looked as though it may have been the series finale. Will it be coming back?
A: In a press release about the April 16 episode, CBS called it the season finale of "Scorpion." CBS...Read more
Movie review: Offensively bad 'Super Troopers 2' shows Broken Lizard hasn't aged well
Like many of a certain age, I was a fan of Broken Lizard's 2001 stoner cop cult classic "Super Troopers," which circulated smoky dorm rooms in the early 2000s. The energetic, silly and wordy comedy of the then-unknown troupe was absurd, naughty and endlessly quotable. Coming 17 years later, the crowdfunded sequel "Super Troopers 2" is a whole ...Read more
A touching story about a teen and a racehorse, 'Lean on Pete' is a winner
Without a moment of cheap sentimentality, "Lean on Pete," a story about the tragedies and resilience of youth, holds the torch for emotion pretty high. If "The 400 Blows" was set in the poorer sections of the rural Pacific northwest, it would run very close to this.
Director Andrew Haigh, having shattered hearts in a film about a one-night ...Read more
'Super Troopers 2' is far from arresting
Audiences that found "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" too demanding may relish "Super Troopers 2." I'm not sure what other sort of viewer would share the appreciation.
The sequel is a long-gestating follow-up to 2001's cult curio about five inept Vermont Highway Patrol troopers, played, written and filmed by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. Like bologna ...Read more
Capsule reviews of feature films
AARDVARK. 2 stars. Misfired drama about a man (Zachary Quinto) with mental health issues who consults an incompetent therapist (Jenny Slate) about his delusional belief that his famous-actor brother (Jon Hamm) is "playing" the people he meets on the street. Not about aardvarks. 1 hr. 29 PG-13 (language) -- Gary Thompson
BEIRUT. 3 stars. Well-...Read more
