Pop Culture

A Pulitzer Prize can be a burden, one must assume, trumpeting expectations and pumping reputations from a distance. Martyna Majok‘s Cost of Living won the trophy in 2018, and that victory has been mentioned often in the lead-up to the play’s opening on Broadway tonight in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at the Samuel J.

Kim Kardashian has agreed to pay $1.26m (£1.12m) to settle charges brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission over a post on her Instagram account. The reality TV star failed to disclose she was paid $250,000 (£220,000) for promoting a cryptocurrency asset on her feed, said the SEC. The commission said the post was

Well, that’s that. After all the controversies and badly handled original castings and headlines and backstage bruisings and firings or resignations or whatever they were, Funny Girl is, as so many suspected all along, the musical that Lea Michele was born to lead. Broadway’s new Fanny Brice is, to put is simply and without exaggeration,

Malala Yousafzai has hit out at the lack of diversity in Hollywood films, saying less than 4% of lead characters are Asian. Speaking at an event celebrating female creative leaders in Los Angeles, the activist and campaigner said: “I know that executives have passed on dozens of quality, equally amazing projects because they thought that

The great playwright Tom Stoppard and his simpatico director Patrick Marber make a lasting gift of remembrance in the brilliant, gorgeous and devastating new play Leopoldstadt, opening tonight at Broadway’s Longacre Theatre. But it’s a gift that comes with strings, ropes even, the author seems to be warning us: There’s burden attached to memory, and

R&B singer R Kelly has been ordered to pay over $300,000 (£276,000) to one of his victims, to cover the cost of herpes treatment and psychotherapy for abuse inflicted on her. The victim, who remains anonymous, has accused Kelly of giving her the sexually transmitted disease during one of their encounters. The restitution order by

Trevor Noah is quitting as the host of The Daily Show, saying his “time is up” after seven years on the late-night talk show. The South African comedian took over from fellow US comedian Jon Stewart in September 2015. Thanking his audiences in the studio, at home, and around the world, he labelled the decision

California has introduced a new bill that restricts the use of rap lyrics as evidence in court. It follows the recent indictments of US rappers Young Thug and Gunna, whose lyrics have been directly quoted at them in an ongoing legal trial. Young Thug has been accused of co-founding a gang as well as possessing

With traditional channels and streaming services all constantly creating new content in a bid to win viewers, it’s not often that something genuinely unique hits our screens. But new series Jungle is doing something different – it’s a musical which uses drill and rap – think Tinie Tempah rather than Julie Andrews, and as well

Former Oasis guitarist Paul Arthurs – better known as Bonehead – has announced that he has been given the “all clear” after being diagnosed with tonsil cancer earlier this year. The 57-year-old musician, who was a founding member of the Manchester band, wrote on Twitter: “Update on my cancer; I had a full scan 10

Full casting for the upcoming Off Broadway revival of Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along starring the previously announced Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez and Daniel Radcliffe has been firmed up, with Krystal Joy Brown of Hamilton among those rounding out the production. Merrily We Roll Along will begin previews at New York Theatre Workshop on November

We speak to an Oscar winner and a grime star this week, in the latest Backstage – the TV and film podcast from Sky News. Claire Gregory is joined as usual by Stevie Wong, alongside Sky News’ arts and entertainment reporter Chris Robertson, as they look at the latest news and reviews in the world

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a “landmark” bill that creates the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund to supply much-needed support grants to small nonprofit performing arts organizations, helping them offset a portion of their payroll costs. Introduced by Senator Anthony Portantino (D – Burbank), Senate Bill 1116 was cosponsored by Actors’ Equity Association and

Chloe Grace Moretz has hit out at a Family Guy meme showing her walking into a hotel carrying a pizza box, and blames it for the body dysmorphia she says led to her becoming “a recluse”. The actress, 25, who has been famous for more than half her life, said she has struggled to get

Hocus Pocus casting its spell on Broadway? The Sanderson Sisters might be flying their brooms a bit closer to the stage after all. A long-rumored stage adaptation of the popular 1993 film starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker just got another vote of confidence. A day before Disney+ unveils the Hocus Pocus

The rapper Coolio, best known for his 1995 hit Gangsta’s Paradise has died at the age of 59. His manager said he was visiting a friend’s house in Los Angeles when he apparently suffered a heart attack. Real name Artis Leon Ivey Jr, Coolio emerged onto the LA rap scene in the 1980s, but it

UPDATED, 3:29 PM: Scott Rudin and Broadway ad agency Spotco have turned off the stage lights in their legal battle over $6.3 million in allegedly unpaid fees by the controversial producer. Over two years, and after a chorus of hearings and mediation dates, lawyers for both parties filed a short stipulation of discontinuance on September

The government’s financial plan is “breathtaking in its audacity”, according to British actor Steve Coogan. Speaking to Sky News, the comic – who is a long-time, vocal Labour supporter – says following last week’s mini-budget, which included tax cuts for top rate payers, even Conservatives are questioning the future of their party. Tory MP Simon

Rita Gardner, an original cast member of the long-running Off Broadway phenomenon The Fantasticks, died Saturday of leukemia at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. She was 87. Gardner’s death was announced by her friend and colleague Alex Rybeck on Facebook. Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery In 1960, Gardner, who had recently

He’s known as the sparkling mixologist, knocking up cocktails at a moment’s notice and putting  nervous singletons at their ease as they embark on a first date in front of the TV cameras. But few viewers of Channel 4’s First Dates would have been aware when watching Merlin Griffiths in the latest series of the