Biden says that the glitzy fundraiser with Obama and Clinton projects unity heading into November
Still basking in the glow of his largest-ever fundraiser, which featured his Democratic predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, President Joe Biden says that the star-studded Radio City Music Hall event shows โthat we are a united frontโ in ways Republicans can't match.
Obama, Clinton and big-name entertainers help Biden raise a record $26 million for his reelection
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and some big names from the entertainment world have delivered a rousing New York embrace of President Joe Biden at a campaign fundraiser that hauled in a record-setting $26 million-plus for the incumbent's reelection campaign.
Striking Hollywood writers vow not to picket Tony Awards, opening the door to some kind of show
Striking members of the Writers Guild of America have said they will not picket next monthโs Tony Award telecast, clearing a thorny issue facing show organizers and opening the door for some sort of Broadway razzle-dazzle.
Biden shied away from news conferences, interviews in Year 1
As President Joe Biden wraps up his first year in the White House, he has held fewer news conferences than any of his five immediate predecessors at the same point in their presidencies, and has taken part in fewer media interviews than any of his recent predecessors.
Louisiana high school boasts 4 best-album Grammy nominees
A New Orleans high school is celebrating Grammy nominations for four of its graduates. St. Augustine High School alumni PJ Morton, Timothy Thedford, Jonathan Batiste and Luke James are each up for best album in different categories at the awards show Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)NEW ORLEANS โ A New Orleans high school is celebrating Grammy nominations for four of its graduates. St. Augustine High School alumni PJ Morton, Timothy Thedford, Jonathan Batiste and Luke James are each up for best album in different categories at the awards show Sunday, The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports. The school congratulated the four nominees on a billboard along the Pontchartrain Expressway in New Orleans.
CBS to air Emmy Awards on Sept. 19; no host yet
FILE - A video monitor displays the stage for Sunday's 71st Primetime Emmy Awards during Press Preview Day in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, 2019. The Emmy Awards will be held on Sept. 19 and air live on CBS. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ The Emmy Awards will be held on Sept. 19 and air live on CBS. Since 2008, the show has been held at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Kimmel was live at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, and most presenters and nominees appeared remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic.
New this week: 'Coming 2 America,' Camilo and a dragon movie
(ABC/Paramount+/Amazon via AP)Hereโs a collection curated by The Associated Pressโ entertainment journalists of whatโs arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIESโ Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are back in Queens as Prince Akeem and Semmi in โComing 2 America,โ the sequel to the 1988 film, which is now coming straight to your living room Friday on Amazon Prime Video. Set to becoming the King of Zamunda, Murphyโs character returns to the U.S. to find a son heโs never met. Adโ A more family friendly streaming option this week is the Walt Disney Co.โs computer animated โRaya and the Last Dragon,โ featuring the voices of โStar Warsโโ Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as a dragon. The big-voiced Grammy-winning singer self-produced โBaby, Iโm Hollywood!โ โ which is a mix of soul music, piano ballads and funk sounds.
Deal reached in suit alleging James Franco sexual misconduct
FILE - This Sept. 5, 2019 file photo shows James Franco at the premiere of HBO's "The Deuce" third and final season in New York. A settlement deal has been reached in a lawsuit that alleged James Franco intimidated students at an acting and film school he founded into exploitative sexual situations. A filing in Los Angeles Superior Court said a settlement had been reached in the class-action suit brought by former students at the now-defunct Studio 4. (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ A tentative settlement has been reached in a lawsuit that alleged James Franco intimidated students at an acting and film school he founded into gratuitous and exploitative sexual situations, attorneys for the plaintiffs said Saturday. In a subsequent interview on โThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert,โ Franco called the sexual misconduct stories about him inaccurate, but said, โIf Iโve done something wrong, I will fix it.
Fox News gives satirist Greg Gutfeld a weeknight talk show
This image released by Fox News Channel shows host Greg Gitfeld. Fox News Channel says it will give a weeknight talk show to its hard-edged satirist, Greg Gutfeld, starting this spring. Gutfeld has been hosting a weekend talk show and been a panelist on "The Five." (Fox News Channel via AP)NEW YORK โ Fox News Channel says it is giving a weeknight talk show this spring to its hard-edged satirical personality, Greg Gutfeld, in a further expansion of its opinion programming. Another recent segment mocked White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki's use of the phrase โcircle backโ to answer questions where she had to check for further details.
Interview flap shows challenges as Harris settles in as VP
The flap was an early signal of some of the issues Harris faces as she settles in and seeks to define her position within the White House. "Harris has a challenge in figuring out what is her role, whatโs her specialty in this White House,โ said longtime Democratic strategist Joel Payne. Harris also misspoke on some details in her West Virginia interview, referring to โabandoned land minesโ instead of โabandoned mine landsโ in coal country. She will constantly have to ask herself the question: Would a previous vice president be critiqued in this way?โ he said. Even after the interview, Harrisโ aides said she was calling lawmakers to advocate for the bill and hear their concerns.
With quarantines almost over, tennis set to start Down Under
It was a controversial start to the government-mandated quarantine ahead of the Australian Open beginning Feb. 8, 2021. The government-mandated quarantine ahead of the Feb. 8-21 Australian Open had a controversial start. There was some considerable doubt during that second wave whether the Australian Open would even be remotely possible in Melbourne. Players, coaches and officials were flown in on 17 jets chartered by Tennis Australia and met by biosecurity officials and placed immediately into hotel quarantine. They include 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu, whose coach was among those who tested positive, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.
Late-night hosts react with shock, anger to Capitol attack
(CBS/NBC/NBC/ABC via AP)NEW YORK โ Late-night TV show hosts expressed anger and frustration at the violence at the U.S. Capitol, offering somber monologues that pleaded for unity even as some aimed pointed barbs at those they held responsible for the mobs' actions. โIt was a terrible day in the history of this country,โ said Jimmy Kimmel on his ABC show Wednesday. โIf my grandfather were alive today and saw what was happening in the country that he fought for, heโd be disgusted," said Jimmy Fallon on NBC. "After five years of coddling this presidentโs fascist rhetoric, guess whose followers want to burn down the Reichstag?โ he said. I assure you there are more good people than there are bad, and good will prevail,โ Fallon said.
New Queen Latifah drama gets post-Super Bowl debut showcase
LOS ANGELES โ Queen Latifahโs upcoming drama series has scored a touchdown. CBS says โThe Equalizerโ will get the coveted post-Super Bowl slot next February to showcase its debut. A special edition of Stephen Colbert's daily โThe Late Showโ will follow late local news on Super Bowl night, the network also announced. The returning series โFBIโ also is getting special treatment, with its season debut following the NFL's AFC championship game on Sunday, Jan. 24. The other daily CBS late-night program, James Cordenโs โThe Late Late Show,โ will air a weekend edition on the night of the conference championship and after local newscasts.
Jon Stewart will be back in the host's chair for Apple TV+
LOS ANGELES โ Jon Stewart is returning to TV, more than five years after bowing out as host of โThe Daily Showโ and with a new home at Apple TV+. Stewart will host an hour-long, current affairs series that will explore topics of national interest as well as his advocacy work, the streaming service said Tuesday. Each season of the show will have a companion podcast to โcontinue the discussion,โ Apple TV+ said. The platform also has a deal with Stewart and his production company that gives it first shot at other projects. Stewart, writer and director of the recent film โIrresistible" with Steve Carell and Rose Byrne, is also an executive producer for CBS' โThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.โStewart will be an executive producer along with host of his new Apple TV+ show, with the title yet to be announced.
Stephen Colbert moved to tears after Dolly Parton sings
Dolly Partonโs mom used to sing melodies as a child, including โBury Me Beneath The Willow," but she didnโt expect to bring Stephen Colbert to tears. The legendary country singer made an appearance on โThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertโ to talk about her latest book โSongteller: My Life in Lyrics" and her latest holiday album โA Holly Dolly Christmas." โMy mama was a good singer, she used to sing songs that were sad, and sometimes pitiful,โ she told Colbert. She proceeded to sing a piece of โBury Me Beneath the Willowโ, drawing Colbert in tears by her singing. โYou know sometimes thereโs nothing happier than a cry?โ he said while quickly wiping tears off his eyes during the show.
Trump the dancer? His moves to โYMCAโ at rallies are a hit
President Donald Trump, a man who is famously particular about his appearance, is fully embracing doing a dad dance to the Village People's โYMCAโ as the finale to his rallies in the campaign's closing stretch. Trump's rally dance has become a rare moment of levity in an otherwise miserable campaign year marked by a deadly pandemic, an economic recession and racial turmoil. Then order 'Dancing with The Donโ and let President Trump teach you all the hottest moves!" Dancing.โโYMCA,โ widely considered a gay anthem, is a relatively new addition to Trump's rally playlist. Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller agreed to reveal the secret to an AP reporter โonly if we first get a clip of you singing YMCA.โAPโs Jill Colvin declined.
Heard any Biden jokes? Study of late-night comics finds few
A staggering 97% of the jokes Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon told about the candidates in September targeted President Donald Trump, a study released Monday found. That's 455 jokes about Trump and 14 about Democrat Joe Biden, according to the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University. That doesn't even count 64 jokes made about Trump's family or administration, the study said. It may present a real challenge for the comics if Biden defeats Trump in next month's election, however. In 2001, late-night comedians made former President Bill Clinton the subject of more jokes than his successor, George W. Bush, Lichter said.
Guilfoyle's loud RNC speech makes her the comics' favorite
Stephen Colbert mimicked poking his head out from under a table after playing a clip of Guilfoyle on CBS' Late Show." I'm glad we already have kids, because I think I was sterilized by that.He called Guilfoyle a vengeful banshee who will haunt your dreams.On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah said Guilfoyle's speech was so loud that Canada called the cops. I want to wish a speedy recovery for anyone who watched the convention on headphones, he said. MSNBC's Morning Joe ran portions of her speech side-by-side with Dwight Schrute's classic award acceptance speech in The Office.Somewhere, Kimmel was taking notes. That stands in contrast to Colbert, who is doing the Late Show live for the two weeks of the convention.
Novelist Patchett has Nashville bookstore customers swooning
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)NASHVILLE, Tenn. The Nashville bookstore that opened and thrived while others were closing their doors is once again defying the odds, thanks, in part, to its famous novelist co-owner. How could pandemic-stressed book purchasers resist a read she describes as a cross between a puppy and a warm bath? In addition to the book-related customer comments, a lot of posts also ask where Patchett gets her dresses. Parnassus opened in 2011, shortly after two large Nashville bookstores the once-independent Davis-Kidd and the chain store Borders shut down in quick succession. Despite the naysayers, Parnassus thrived.
New York City curfew lifts early following peaceful protests
(AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)NEW YORK New York City is lifting its curfew spurred by protests against police brutality ahead of schedule, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Sunday morning. At protests in Manhattan earlier Saturday, volunteers handed out snacks, first aid kits and plenty of water bottles on a muggy afternoon. But Mayor Bill de Blasio has insisted the curfew will remain in place throughout the weekend. She added she thinks protests could continue next week, even as some will go back to work when New York City begins its reopening. I think as long as we stay organized, thats exactly what can and will and should happen, Henry said.
Fountains of Wayne and Sharon Van Etten Tribute Adam Schlesinger With 'Hackensack' Performance
Fountains of Wayne reunited on Wednesday to pay heartfelt tribute to their late founding member, Adam Schlesinger, who died of complications from coronavirus earlier this month. The group came together virtually during the Jersey 4 Jersey Benefit Concert, alongside rocker Sharon Van Etten, playing from their respective homes amid ongoing social distancing measures. "I was lucky enough to wok with one of their founding members, longtime Montclair resident Adam Schlesinger, who tragically passed away from the coronavirus," Colbert said. Goddamn if I didnโt lose it when Fountains of Wayne came on with โHackensackโ just weeks after Adam Schlesinger died. RELATED CONTENT:'That Thing You Do' Cast to Reunite for Coronavirus FundraiserAdam Schlesinger, Fountains of Wayne Singer, Dies at 52 From Coronavirus ComplicationsHere's How Celebs Are Self-Isolating & Self-Quarantining