Entertainment

The New York Times reports: In a new test for its singularly American brand, the Walt Disney Company said on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with the Miral Group, an arm of the Abu Dhabi government, to build a theme park resort on the Persian Gulf. The property, the seventh in Disney’s global portfolio, will have a castle …

Via press release from the city of Sydney: The event features one of the world’s largest, most technologically advanced displays of fireworks, lighting and projections. Sydney New Year’s Eve plays live to more than 1 million spectators along the Sydney Harbour foreshore, and reaches a global audience of more than 425 million. For the first time ever, fireworks will dazzle …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Linda Lavin, the beloved veteran stage and TV actress known for her Emmy-nominated role in the 1976 sitcom Alice and for her Tony-winning performance in the 1986 play Broadway Bound, died today, Dec. 29. She was 87. The news comes as a shock as Lavin has been working as recently as this month, promoting her new Netflix …

Study Finds reports: Commissioned by UserTesting and conducted by Talker Research, the survey exposes the growing frustration with the current streaming landscape. The research paints a vivid picture of entertainment exhaustion, revealing that the average person now spends a staggering 110 hours per year — nearly five full days — simply scrolling through streaming platforms in search of something to …

NBC News reports: Mattel has released a new Barbie doll in honor of Rita Moreno’s upcoming 93rd birthday. The doll of the trailblazing actress is part of the toymaker’s Barbie Tribute Collection, which showcases the contributions and immense cultural impact of women such as Moreno, who was the first Latina to win an Academy Award. Moreno said in a statement, …

Via press release from the USPS: An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades — including roles on “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals. …

The New York Times reports: Gavin Creel, a sly and charming musical theater actor who won a Tony Award as a wide-eyed adventure seeker in “Hello, Dolly!” and an Olivier Award as a preening missionary in “The Book of Mormon,” died on Monday at his home in Manhattan. He was 48. His death was confirmed by his partner, Alex Temple …

Media Matters has the transcript: SEAN HANNITY (HOST): Doesn’t Jerome Powell often talk about the independence of the Federal Reserve? And how convenient, for the first time in four years, just before — weeks before an election, just as early voting begins in Pennsylvania now and around the country, let’s drop interest rates and give people the impression that everything’s …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Peter Marshall, the velvety-voiced host who presided over NBC’s celebrity-filled game show The Hollywood Squares for 16 years, died Thursday. He was 98. Marshall, an accomplished singer who also was a leading man on Broadway and one-half of a popular comedy team before embarking on his game-show gig, died of kidney failure at his Encino home, …

NBC News reports: A California doctor and a drug dealer known as the “ketamine queen” have been charged in a connection with the accidental overdose death of actor Matthew Perry, according to a superseding indictment unsealed Thursday. Perry, 54, was found face down in the heated end of a pool at his Pacific Palisades home on Oct. 28, 2023. The …

Deadline Hollywood reports: “Mamala” is getting back to work, as Maya Rudolph will reprise her Emmy-winning role as Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live this fall as the NBC late-night comedy program covers the final stretch of the 2024 Presidential campaign. Rudolph’s impersonation of Harris has been so popular, the moment the Vice President emerged as the presumptive …

Variety reports: Bob Newhart, the genteel but sharply satirical comic whose TV series “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart” were huge hits throughout the 1970s and ’80s, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 94. Newhart’s publicist Jerry Digney said he died after a series of short illnesses. Before his TV success, Newhart’s comedy albums were wildly popular for their …

ABC News reports: Eccentric fitness guru Richard Simmons, known for his unrelenting positivity, has died, according to his representative. Simmons just celebrated his 76th birthday on Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department responded to his home after a 911 call from his housekeeper and found Simmons dead, according to police sources. He appears to have died of natural causes, and …

Variety reports: Alec Baldwin‘s manslaughter case has been dismissed, after the judge blasted prosecutors for failing to turn over a batch of bullets to the defense. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer threw out the case, ruling that no other sanction was sufficient. “The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant,” Marlowe Sommer said. “Dismissal with …

CBS News reports: Mary J. Blige, Cher, Foreigner, A Tribe Called Quest, Kool & The Gang and Ozzy Osbourne have been named to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a class that also includes folk-rockers Dave Matthews Band and singer-guitarist Peter Frampton. Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton earned the Musical Influence Award, while the late Jimmy …

Variety reports: Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” an unsettling look at the dawn of the atomic era, dominated the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, winning seven prizes, including best picture and best director. The film, which took on an added resonance at a time of international conflict, also scored Oscars for Cillian Murphy’s haunted lead performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Robert …

Billboard Magazine reports: The 2024 Rock Hall nominees are: Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige; powerhouse singer-songwriter Mariah Carey; half-century-plus pop icon Cher; roots rock jam band Dave Matthews Band; hip-hop pioneers Eric B. & Rakim; stadium rock hitmakers Foreigner; arena-filling guitar (and talk box) pro Peter Frampton; alt hard rockers Jane’s Addiction; funky R&B legends Kool & the …

Rolling Stone reports: Toby Keith, who injected Nineties and 2000s country music with an unapologetic dose of patriotism and an unrelenting swagger in songs like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and “Who’s Your Daddy?”, has died at 62 following a diagnosis of stomach cancer. Keith’s family confirmed the death …

The New York Times reports: Taylor Swift already has more No. 1 albums than any other woman (12), as well as the highest-grossing tour in history (an estimated $1 billion and counting). Now she can count another major achievement: four Grammy Awards for album of the year — more than any other artist in the 66-year history of the prize. …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Carl Weathers, the former NFL player who made his mark in Hollywood as the boxer Apollo Creed in the first four Rocky films and with appearances in such other films as Predator, Happy Gilmore and The Mandalorian, has died. He was 76. Weathers died Thursday in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles. Weathers also …