Political satire, it wasn’t. The headlines from CNN, The Hollywood Reporter and many other media outlets — “‘SNL’ Takes Aim at Pro-Palestine Campus Protesters in Cold Open” reported The Daily Beast — framed it all wrong. It’s not political satire if you leave politics as well as satire out of it.

The sketch presented a community...Read more

“Interview with the Vampire” might be one of the best TV shows of the decade in part because it understands certain basic tenets of solidly crafted television in a way that too many series (especially those based on books) simply do not.

It’s also probably one of the most under-watched by Emmy voters; the first season received zero ...Read more

Another music legend has fallen: The mighty good one that the Mamas & the Papas singer Cass Elliot choked to death on a ham sandwich apparently is not true.

That’s according to “Mama” Cass’ daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, who was only 7 and living in the United States when her mom died in a borrowed London flat. Now, Elliot-Kugell has ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Bad Wolf, the name of the production company founded by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, is a "Doctor Who" reference.

Before teaming up for this joint venture in 2015, the industry veterans had worked together for years in various roles at the BBC and BBC Worldwide. One of their earliest projects was the 2005 "Doctor Who" revival...Read more

Blake Crouch has enjoyably adapted his own 2016 novel "Dark Matter" into a nine-episode series for Apple TV+, which aims to be your destination for classy sci-fi. It's got nothing to do with "dark matter" except as Shakespeare might have used the phrase to describe some sinister business — "This dark matter doth shade our bright prospects," ...Read more

Record Store Day: Record Store Day was last month, and over the next few weeks I will be recommending some great products to help you get the most from your used and new vinyl purchases.

Kicking things off is the Record Doctor X vacuum record cleaning machine. I used a nonmotorized, single-side vacuum Record Doctor for many years. I later moved...Read more

LAS VEGAS — A Strip art gallery is hosting an art and photography exhibit later this month that looks back at the work of Grateful Dead artists, coinciding with the band’s residency at the Sphere.

“Visions of the Dead: A Grateful Dead Art and Photography Exhibition,” which includes photos, original sketches, paintings and limited ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Bay Area’s vibrant acoustic music scene in the 1960s and 1970s helped make Berkeley’s Laurie Lewis, who grew up learning classical piano and violin, a bona fide bluegrass star and an inspiration to young local musicians who’ve followed in her footsteps.

Bluegrass festivals seeded fan communities far beyond rural ...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Cruel World returns to the rolling greens of Brookside at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, and with it the music of the '80s — new wave, goth, post-punk, and more — returns to life anew.

Recent Rock Hall of Fame inductees Duran Duran headline the festival this year, with Blondie, another Hall of Fame act, on the main stage ...Read more

Kathryn Scanlan’s slim novel “Kick the Latch” didn’t arrive with a massive media push when it was published in 2022, but both book and author continue to defy expectations.

Over the course of a single week this year, the Los Angeles-based writer was the recipient of both the £10,000 Gordon Burn Prize and one of this year’s Donald ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Cult filmmaker John Waters was released Tuesday from the hospital after his car was struck by a van that ran a red light in Timonium.

Waters, 78, was taken to a nearby hospital and examined for chest pain, according to a Baltimore County Police Department report. The driver of the other car, a 25-year-old man, was not injured.

...Read more

Susan Buckner, whose TV and movie career included a memorable turn in “Grease,” has died.

The actor “died peacefully” in Miami surrounded by loved ones on May 2, Melissa Berthier, a publicist for Buckner’s family, confirmed in a statement shared with The Times. A cause of death was not revealed. She was 72.

“Susan will be ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — BleauLive Theater is going with a superstar well-versed in Strip productions.

“Keith Urban’s High in Vegas” runs for 10 shows in two segments, Oct. 4-12 and Feb. 14-22. The shows at Fontainebleau’s 3,800-capacity venue are booked by Live Nation Las Vegas in its exclusive partnership with the hotel.

After a series of ...Read more

A Las Vegas couple is waging a legal battle against the production company behind HGTV’s “Property Brothers” in a lawsuit alleging their stint on the renovation show left their home with dangerous faults and disturbing health hazards.

Paul and Mindy King told KLAS they married in 2018 and purchased a home to start their lives together ...Read more

Reality star Bethenny Frankel and her fiance, Paul Bernon, have reportedly split.

The former "Real Housewives of New York" star and the film producer called off their engagement about two months ago and after nearly six years together, Us Weekly reported Monday.

Representatives for Frankel and Bernon did not immediately respond Tuesday to The ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Movie and theater fans are getting to know former Minneapolis resident Peter Macon's deep, caramelized-honey voice, if not his face.

Macon plays a key role in "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," opening Friday. But, since he plays an orangutan — a character created with motion-capture technology that takes actors' movements ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears has a few things to say about what went down last week when she was photographed leaving the Chateau Marmont wearing very little.

The Grammy winner twisted her ankle a week ago when she attempted a leap in her suite at the storied hotel and paramedics were called, but she was not treated by the medical personnel ...Read more

Gisele Bündchen thinks Netflix fumbled the ball with the way stars joked about the end of her marriage to Tom Brady during the streamer’s “irresponsible” live roast of the retired football icon.

The Brazilian supermodel, 43, thought “The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady” — which took place on Sunday and involved the likes of ...Read more

NEW YORK — Rihanna’s shocking absence from the 2024 Met Gala was due to the flu, according to multiple reports.

The “Work” singer and mother of two is well known for her stunning appearances at the annual event, and she even teased her plans for this year’s gala in the weeks ahead of time.

But sources told People magazine and E! News...Read more

ATLANTA — Most actors embrace playing an unremitting bad guy because it’s fun.

Ivan Mbakop, in the juiciest role of his career, gets to indulge in evil power-mongering as a trigger-happy gangster named Zenzo from Zimbabwe dealing with challenges within his family and outside his family in AMC’s “Parish,” which just concluded its six-...Read more