Enterteniment

Ewan Mitchell, like many, is used to anonymity. However, that changed during a recent trip to Manhattan, when a hotel concierge surprised him with the question, "You didn't put on your eyepatch?" It was a nod to his role as Aemond Targaryen, the one-eyed warrior who rides a dragon in "House of the Dragon." Mitchell, who doesn't usually wear an eye patch, is still getting used to being recognized in public. "I didn't think people would recognize me, but they do," he noted. "I think it's because of my big chin." One afternoon in May, Mitchell, 27, was sipping a Coke at the hotel bar, dressed in a black Alexander McQueen suit, getting ready for the Season 2 premiere of “House of the Dragon.” HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel follows two factions vying for the Iron Throne. Mitchell’s debut in t...

Alec Baldwin's complicated legal battle over the fatal shooting on the set of the movie "Rust" will go to trial this week in New Mexico. A jury will determine whether his involvement in the death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, amounts to manslaughter. The incident occurred on October 21, 2021, when a gun Baldwin was handling fired a live round, killing Hutchins and wounding the director, Joel Souza. The gun was supposed to be loaded with inactive rounds that could not be fired. The initial news of Baldwin’s criminal charges shocked Hollywood, where many industry professionals believe that on-set gun safety is the responsibility of the gunsmith and production safety coordinators, not the actors. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film’s gunsmith, has already been convicted of mans...

This week's TV lineup features exciting programming that is sure to capture viewers' attention. On ABC, Jenn Tran continues her journey to find love on "The Bachelorette." The reality dating show, known for its dramatic rose ceremonies and heartfelt moments, promises another week of emotional highs and lows as Jenn navigates her relationships with the remaining contestants. Viewers can expect romantic dates, intense conversations, and maybe a few surprises as Jenn gets closer to finding her potential match. Meanwhile, on ABC, another show is gaining traction for its unique premise. "Claim to Fame," hosted by Kevin and Franklin Jonas, brings together relatives of well-known celebrities. The show challenges these famous relatives to step out of the shadows of their famous family members and ...

It was their private club. Five women who collaborated at the Public Theater, who met to drink and dream, to share frustrations and ideas, to commiserate, to brainstorm and laugh together. They coined their alliance "Women and Ambition," a cheeky nod to the fact that "ambitious" still had a strong connotation for young women. Their meeting at Public in the mid-2010s proved more than just a fond memory: each has now become an empowered leader in a field desperately in need of fresh inspiration. “These women changed the course of my life,” said Maria Goyanes, now artistic director of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington. Lear deBessonet, who runs the long-running Encores! series at New York City Center, recalled the sentiment: "There was a mutual recognition: 'I see you, girl. I see you...

“I don’t like ‘aww,’” he told me, referring to the audience’s worried expressions. “I just want to laugh. ‘Aww’ annoys me. ‘Aww’ irritates me.” Robinson doesn’t just brag. He’s concerned enough with cheap approval to make jokes that are designed to alienate, he said. If an audience member doesn’t laugh, point your cane at them and say, “Don’t you like disabled people of color?” A woman once responded by bursting into tears. The club paid for her ticket. With the changes in his movements and speech, Robinson's comedy has a new authority and rhythm. After extensive speech therapy, he can tell jokes, but he has to work harder to make himself understood. "Everything has to be more precise now," he said, comparing his change to that of an athletic quarterback who can get out of trouble by beco...

Did Alicent actually believe that Viserys's final words were about her son, or was she simply interpreting them in a way that suited her own wishes? (And, more critically, should a serious drama base its central conflict on a misunderstanding more suited to a sitcom? Resolving that question at this point may be beyond the scope of this summary.) Rhaenyra's brave secret return to King's Landing, aided by Mysaria, to face her arch-enemy-friend sets the record straight. Alicent is convinced that Viserys means Aegon. Rhaenyra, for her part, truly believes that Alicent holds this belief. But when the Queen Mother mentions the Conqueror's "A Song of Ice and Fire," Rhaenyra sees the mistake and tries to explain... only to have Alicent dismiss it, even though he seems to know, deep down,...

What does AI sound like? Hollywood has been thinking about this for a long time, and now AI developers are following suit, creating voices for real machines inspired by movie adaptations. OpenAI recently introduced updates to its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, which now boasts the ability to hear, see, and speak in a natural voice. This voice, called Sky, bears a striking resemblance to the operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 film “Her.” With a husky, soothing tone, Sky’s voice was designed to be pleasant and versatile. However, Johansson has expressed concerns about the similarities, having previously declined to lend her voice to the project. OpenAI claimed that Sky was voiced by another actress, but agreed to discontinue its use out of respect for Johansson. Users have sinc...

At the climax of Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," the orchestra reaches what Sondheim called its Max Steiner moment, evoking the great scores of "Casablanca" or "Gone with the Wind." During a pivotal scene, Désirée and Fredrik, former lovers on the verge of losing their happiness, meet and kiss as the orchestra swells to a stirring reprise of "Send in the Clowns." Jonathan Tunick’s new orchestration premiered Thursday at David Geffen Hall with the 53-piece St. Luke’s Orchestra. Strings and winds soared, supported by rich, staggered chords and flourishing counterpoint, creating a moment fit for both film and opera. Since Sondheim’s death in 2021, there has been a resurgence of large-scale revivals of his works. “Sweeney Todd” returned to Broadway with Tunick’s original orchestrat...

When French director Catherine Breillat was 40, her husband left her for a much younger woman. Shortly thereafter, she began dating a man 12 years her junior. "Men often dismiss their older wives, saying they can no longer be loved," Breillat said in a recent interview, through an interpreter. "But that's not true. I want to tell other women that there is no reason to despair." In her new film Last summerwhich opens in theaters on Friday, explores this concept through a provocative plot. Since the 1970s, the acclaimed director, now 75, has focused on the troubled sexual awakening of young girls, often involving older men. However, inside Last summerthe roles are reversed: a middle-aged lawyer, Anne (Léa Drucker), risks her career and her marriage by starting a secret relationship with he...

Weddings, anniversaries, holidays: the family reunion is a dramatic gift that keeps on giving on both screen and stage. Crystal Finn’s new work, “Find Me Here,” at the Wild Project, falls into a subcategory of the funeral subgenre: the unsealing of a will. In this case, a patriarch’s dying will is uncovered by his three daughters and their families. Truths and conflicts emerge cautiously, almost hesitantly, because Finn is less interested in confrontation than in gentle nudges and shoves. Unfortunately, “Find Me Here,” the third and final installment of Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks 2024, isn’t willing to commit to any specific points. The cast, however, which includes Constance Shulman, Miriam Silverman and Frank Wood, is so good that the production feels like the theatrical equivalent of...