Entertainment News Archives

George Kresge Jr., who wowed talk show audiences as the The Amazing Kreskin, dies at age 89

NEW YORK (AP) — George Joseph Kresge Jr., otherwise known to TV watchers as the mesmerizing entertainer and mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, has died at age 89. Kreskin’s friend and former road manager, Ryan Galway, told news outlets that he died Tuesday at his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Kreskin launched his television career in the 1960s and remained popular for decades, appearing with everyone from Merv Griffin to Johnny Carson to Jimmy Fallon. Fans would welcome, if not entirely figure out, his favorite mind tricks — whether correctly guessing a playing card chosen at random, or, most famously, divining where his paycheck had been planted among the audience. He also hosted a show in the 1970s, gave live performances and wrote numerous books.… Continue Reading

Stolen ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ are auctioned for $28 million

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A pair of ruby slippers that were worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” and stolen nearly two decades ago have fetched $28 million at auction. The iconic slippers were auctioned off to the highest bidder Saturday. Heritage Auctions had estimated that they would fetch $3 million or more. Including the auction house’s fee, the final cost to the buyer is $32.5 million. The slippers were on display at the Judy Garland Museum in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005 when a thief used a hammer to smash the glass of the door and display case. Their whereabouts remained a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018.… Continue Reading

‘Moana 2’ sails to a record $221 million opening as Hollywood celebrates a moviegoing feast

NEW YORK (AP) — “Moana 2” brought in a tidal wave of moviegoers over the Thanksgiving Day weekend with $221 million in ticket sales. Studio estimates Sunday show that, combined with “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” made for an unprecedented weekend in cinemas. “Moana 2″ blew predictions out of the water, setting a record for Thanksgiving moviegoing. At the same time, the sensation of “Wicked” showed no signs of slowing down with $117.5 million over the five-day weekend. “Gladiator II” collected $44 million. For an industry that’s been battered in recent years by the pandemic, work stoppages and streaming, it was a triumphant weekend that showed the still-potent power of Hollywood’s blockbuster machine.… Continue Reading

How to sum up 2024? The Oxford University Press word of the year is ‘brain rot’

LONDON (AP) — Oxford University Press has named “brain rot” its word of the year. It’s defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state,” especially from consuming too much low-grade online content. Oxford University Press said Monday that the phrase “gained new prominence in 2024,” with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before. It was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. The five other word-of-the-year finalists were demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said the choice of phrase “feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology.”… Continue Reading

‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ make gravity-defying theater debuts

NEW YORK (AP) — “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” have debuted in theaters with a combined $270 million in ticket sales. Their worldwide performance breathed fresh life into global box office results that have struggled lately. Together the films turned the moviegoing weekend into one of the busiest of the year. Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally. Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” is a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original and launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. “Moana 2” is being released Wednesday, so it looks like Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday.… Continue Reading

Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83

NEW YORK (AP) — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. He teamed up with Young for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and became a full supporter Donald Trump.… Continue Reading

Comcast to spin off cable networks that were once the entertainment giant’s star performers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Comcast is spinning off into a new company many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, as consumers increasingly swap out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms. Those one-time stars for Comcast’s NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, as well as CNBC and MSNBC. Peacock will remain with Comcast, as will Bravo, which provides significant content for the Peacock streaming service. How exactly this split will impact customers has yet to be seen, particularly as Comcast aims to complete the transition over the next year. But some analysts speculate that the spun-off networks may have more freedom to bring their content elsewhere.… Continue Reading

How a viral, duct-taped banana came to be worth $1 million

NEW YORK (AP) — Walk into any supermarket and you can usually buy a banana for less than $1. But a banana duct-taped to a wall? That might sell for more than $1 million at an upcoming auction at Sotheby’s in New York. The yellow banana fixed to a white wall with silver duct tape is an artwork entitled “Comedian,” by Maurizio Cattelan. It debuted at the Art Basel Miami Beach fair in 2019. “Comedian” is expected to fetch between $1 million and $1.5 million at the Nov. 20 auction. Bidders won’t be buying the same fruit that was on display in Miami. Those bananas are long gone. Sotheby’s says the fruit always was meant to be replaced regularly.… Continue Reading

Kissing the ring? MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ hosts say they met with Trump to reopen lines of communication

It was the last thing you might expect if you watched MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” a month ago — hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski asking for a meeting and traveling to Florida to talk with President-Elect Donald Trump. The show’s hosts were fierce critics of Trump the past few years, and throughout his campaign to win back the presidency. But they said Monday they wanted to reopen lines of communication in the hope of providing viewers with insighs about what is going on in the administration. The show’s hosts received some criticism, which they had anticipated, with some likening it to “kissing the ring.”… Continue Reading

About 20% of Americans regularly get their news from influencers on social media, report says

A report released Monday by Pew Research Center says about one in five Americans regularly get their news from so-called news influencers on social media. The report found that news influencers posted mostly about politics and the election, followed by social issues like race and abortion and international events, such as the Israel-Hamas war. Most of them – 63% – are men and the majority – 77% – have no affiliation, or background, with a media organization. Pew said about half of the influencers it sampled did not express a clear political orientation. From the ones that did, slightly more of them identified as conservative than as liberal.… Continue Reading