Entertainment
/ArcaMax
Kobe Bryant is denied membership into the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
LOS ANGELES--Early next week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expected to reveal the latest class of invitees to the film industry's most prestigious organization. But at least one name that might have been expected to be on it will be missing: basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
The retired Los Angeles Lakers star won an Oscar ...Read more
'One Day at a Time,' 'Vida' staffs team up to help fight family separation
The Trump administration's polarizing "zero tolerance" immigration policy, which has resulted in the separation and detainment of hundreds of children who have crossed into the U.S. illegally with their parents in recent weeks, has prompted two TV series to take action.
The writing staffs of Netflix's "One Day at a Time" and Starz's "Vida," ...Read more
Redbox's Top 10 DVD rentals
The top 10 DVD rentals at Redbox kiosks for the week of June 11:
1. I Can Only Imagine -- Lionsgate
2. Sherlock Gnomes -- Paramount
3. Death Wish (2018) -- Fox
4. Strangers: Prey At Night -- Universal
5. Game Night -- Warner
6. A Wrinkle In Time (2018) -- Disney
7. Black Panther -- Disney
8. Red Sparrow -- Fox
9. The Hurricane Heist -- ...Read more
Movie review: 'Damsel' deconstructs Westerns with mixed results
The Austin, Texas-based Zellner brothers make strangely humorous films that defy categorization as much as they reference cinematic history. Their feature debut from David and Nathan Zellner, "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter," took the Coen Brothers' film "Fargo" as literal inspiration for the lead character. Their follow-up film, "Damsel," plays ...Read more
Fox rift widens as 'Modern Family' co-creator Steve Levitan and others blast news coverage of immigration
Civil war has broken out at 21st Century Fox.
The Murdoch family-controlled media conglomerate that has long thrived as a big tent that includes subversive entertainment shows such as "Family Guy" and conservative viewpoints of news commentators such as Sean Hannity is being pulled apart by partisan politics in the age of President Trump.
"...Read more
'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' review: Raptors delight while humans make a mess of things
Of all the terrors on view in "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," the sight of Toby Jones' toupee bobbing up and down, when his character (a sniveling dinosaur auctioneer) dashes into an elevator to alleged safety, with the camera and something called the "Indoraptor" scrambling behind him -- reader, it is a strange and wondrous vision of foolish ...Read more
XXXTentacion lived in public. He died that way too
Along with the news of XXXTentacion's death that tore across social media Monday came the grim visual proof: shaky camera-phone footage of the 20-year-old rapper slumped lifelessly behind the wheel of a black BMW on a sun-drenched street in Broward County, Fla.
The images, and our easy access to them, were an outrage -- one more sign, in the ...Read more
Slain rapper XXXTentacion's violent life stood in stark contrast to sensitive music that reached out to those on the edge
As XXXTentacion lay slumped over in his car -- mortally wounded by an unidentified gunman after an apparent robbery Monday in South Florida -- witnesses had their cellphones aimed at his lifeless body, one person getting inches away and zooming in.
The footage was disseminated in real-time on Twitter and Snapchat, with tributes to the 20-year-...Read more
Disney picks two animation filmmakers to replace John Lasseter
Walt Disney Co. has named two acclaimed animation filmmakers to lead its key Walt Disney and Pixar animation studios after the departure of top creative executive John Lasseter.
Jennifer Lee, who co-directed the blockbuster "Frozen" for Disney Animation, and Pete Docter, the writer-director behind Pixar's "Inside Out" and "Up," will become ...Read more
Chicago authors pen romance novel that allows you to choose your own happy ending
Remember "Choose Your Own Adventure" books? At pivotal points in the plot, readers were asked to decide a question that would ultimately determine the main character's actions and the story's outcome. In "My Lady's Choosing: An Interactive Romance Novel," authors Larissa Zageris and Kitty Curran have followed the same premise, allowing readers ...Read more
Angry over Fox News coverage, 'Modern Family' co-creator Steve Levitan says he's leaving Fox's TV studio
"Modern Family" co-creator Steve Levitan announced Tuesday that he will leave Fox's TV production studio, citing his personal disgust with Fox News as the reason.
Fox News and Fox's TV studio are both owned by 21st Century Fox. Levitan said on Twitter that he will leave even if the studio changes ownership, as the parent company is considering ...Read more
Disney's 'Moana' screened for migrant kids detained at border. Thanks for rubbing it in, America.
Although "Incredibles 2" is the box office triumph of the moment, earning $180 million in its opening weekend and setting an all-time record for animated features, it's not the Disney movie occupying my headspace right now.
"Moana" is. You may know it. It came out 15 days after the 2016 presidential election. In "Moana," a brown-skinned ...Read more
XXXTentacion talked about dying young in Instagram video posted before fatal shooting
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- XXXTentacion had talked about the possibility of dying young and what he would be remembered for in a video that was posted on Instagram prior to his shooting death Monday.
It's not clear when the video was filmed or first posted, but it recirculated after the Broward County rapper was killed during an apparent robbery ...Read more
Movie review: In 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,' the story's bite is shallow
The best thing "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" has going for it is director J.A. Bayona, who takes a mediocre script by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow and directs the living daylights out of it. This installment may have merely shallow ideas, but it's easy to be distracted in the moment by the verve and style "The Orphanage" auteur brings ...Read more
Movie review: Road trip movie 'Boundaries' fails to gain traction
The estranged family road movie has become a genre unto itself, especially in the indie world. Perhaps we can blame it on the runaway success of "Little Miss Sunshine," but more likely, it's the easy conventions that make for a quick budget-friendly family movie. The ripe-for-drama contained space, opportunities to incorporate many different ...Read more
OWN's 'Love Is ------': The love story of a powerful Hollywood couple hits prime time
Mara Brock Akil has carved out a significant and insightful niche on the prime-time TV spectrum with her shows that explore the joys and complexities of being an African American woman in modern society.
The comedies "Girlfriends" and "The Game" and the drama "Being Mary Jane" all won loyal fan bases that celebrated Akil's mix of humor, drama ...Read more
Lea Michele, freshly engaged, opens up about the other main man in her life right now
Lea Michele giddily announced her engagement to boyfriend Zandy Reich on social media this spring, but the wedding planning is getting off to a slow start.
She's too busy spending the summer bopping around the country with the other man in her life.
That'd be her former "Glee" co-star (and real-life close, personal friend) Darren Criss, who ...Read more
How 'Bao' director Domee Shi stayed true to her 'weird' idea and created a specifically Asian story
Much like a delicious dumpling before a hearty meal, "Bao" is the bite-sized animated film audiences see before "Incredibles 2." But more than just a Pixar appetizer, the short is a whimsical love letter to mothers as well as food. It just happens to be wrapped in a package so adorable you want to eat it.
Directed by Domee Shi, "Bao" centers on...Read more
List of DVD release dates for June 19 and beyond
Following is a partial schedule of coming movies on DVD. Release dates are subject to change:
JUNE
19: Pacific Rim Uprising
19: Paul, Apostle of Christ
19: Midnight Sun
19: The Death of Stalin
19: Unsane
19: Flower
19: Double Lover
19: Dark Matter: Season Three
19: The Swap
26: Tyler Perry's Acrimony
26: The Endless
26: Gemini
26: ...Read more
Joni Mitchell, Liz Phair and the musical blueprint for #MeToo
"Will you take me as I am?" Joni Mitchell sang on her ground-breaking 1971 album, "Blue." There's a vulnerability in that openness, but also a resolve. Mitchell wasn't coming from a place of weakness.
The singer never viewed herself as part of a movement -- she was not going to be anyone's figurehead or spokeswoman. But "Blue" still sounds like...Read more
Popular Stories
- Angry over Fox News coverage, 'Modern Family' co-creator Steve Levitan says he's leaving Fox's TV studio
- Bill O'Reilly, Laura Bush and other conservatives bash Trump admin's 'zero-tolerance' border policy
- XXXTentacion talked about dying young in Instagram video posted before fatal shooting
- Rapper XXXTentacion shot dead outside South Florida motorcycle shop
- How 'Bao' director Domee Shi stayed true to her 'weird' idea and created a specifically Asian story
Social Connections
Comics
