Celebrity birthdays for the week of Feb. 7-13
Feb. 7: Saxophonist Brian Travers of UB40 is 62. Comedian Robert Smigel (Triumph the Insult Comic Dog) is 61. Actor James Spader is 61. Country...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” went political with a parody of this week’s presidential debate, Chris Rock's jab at President Donald Trump and Megan Thee Stallion's message supporting...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres says she'll be ready to talk when her daytime show returns this month after a staff shake-up prompted by allegations of a toxic workplace.
NEW YORK (AP) — Dwayne Johnson will host and Shakira, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson will perform on a globally broadcast concert calling on world leaders to make coronavirus tests and treatment...
NEW YORK (AP) — Store owners with no-mask-no-service policies got a boost from the governor. New York City business owners planning to reopen before coronavirus restrictions are lifted got a...
NEW YORK (AP) — NBC “Tonight” show host Jimmy Fallon has apologized for doing an impersonation of fellow comic Chris Rock while in blackface during a 2000 episode of “Saturday Night...
NEW YORK (AP) — A tribute to Andre Harrell, the influential music executive who discovered Sean “Diddy” Combs and died earlier this month, will air Sunday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom Hanks, Chris Rock and Taika Waititi are some of the presenters who will take the Oscars stage at the Dolby Theatre during Sunday’s ceremony.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Comedian Chris Rock says he was surprised and grateful to be asked to join the FX series "Fargo." But don't expect a ton of laughs.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Eddie Murphy delivered an early holiday gift to “Saturday Night Live.”
With Murphy aboard as host after a decades-long absence, the NBC show earned its biggest audience...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mo’Nique sued Netflix on Thursday for race and sex discrimination in its offer for a proposed comedy special, accusing the streaming service of giving her a lowball offer that...
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — With a bright smile, easygoing nature and similar facial expressions, rookie cornerback Greedy Williams looks like a young Chris Rock.
NEW YORK (AP) — The 18th Tribeca Film Festival moved uptown on Wednesday for an opening night that honored an elder New York institution: the Apollo Theater.
NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix is launching its first audio venture that will feature the video streaming service's comedy programming on SiriusXM.
The companies on Wednesday announced "Netflix Is...
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tichina Arnold knew as a tot she was meant to perform.
"I told my mom at the age of 3, 'I want to sing.' And of course my mom being a mother, she said, 'Well, my baby wants to sing.' So they put me up on a chair," Arnold recalled.
She's been honing her talent since, but credits more than that for a career that's paired her with comedy stars Martin Lawrence, Chris Rock and in her latest project Cedric the Entertainer for CBS' "The Neighborhood" (airing 8 p.m. EST Monday).
Vicki Lawrence’s ‘Mama’ therapy
Wanted: a host for the sixth annual Newby awards.
Yes, we're in a bit of a bind, though nothing like the good folks at the Academy Awards.
You see, we never even got to the point where Kevin Hart accepted the honor, then had to withdraw because people capable of working the screengrab function pointed out that he's posted some terrible things about gay people.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Anne Hathaway, comedian Chris Rock, "Seinfeld" star Jason Alexander, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Anthony Bourdain are among the latest nominees to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
The organization announced its list of 50 nominees for the 11th class Friday. Inductees will be announced in January, and the indication ceremony will be held in May.
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — FX is diversifying its offerings, picking up a drama about a cutting-edge tech company starring Nick Offerman, sinking resources into a limited series based in feudal Japan and returning for a fourth series of "Fargo," this time with Chris Rock.
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — Kanye West headed to the mountains to debut his new album, "YE."
The rapper held a listening party in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Thursday night. He flew in celebrities, industry heavyweights and journalists to hear the seven tracks.
Kim Kardashian West joined her husband, who was introduced by comedian Chris Rock.
Praising Adam Sandler
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dates are subject to change.
APRIL
"Avengers: Infinity War" (April 27) — The ultimate superhero mash-up, Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Star Lord and all your Marvel favorites assemble to face the mad titan Thanos.
"The Week Of" (on Netflix April 27) — Adam Sandler is the middle-class father of the bride and Chris Rock the wealthy father of the groom in this wedding comedy.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on NBA All-Star Saturday (all times local):
7:30 p.m.
Rookie Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz put on a show in the slam dunk contest to cap off NBA All-Star Saturday.
Mitchell edged Larry Nance Jr. by two points, sealing his victory with a close approximation of the 360-degree spin dunk that Vince Carter used to win the 2000 contest.
NEW YORK (AP) — Emmy-winning actor Reg E. Cathey, best known for "House of Cards" and "The Wire," has died.
Cathey died at age 59, according to a statement from Netflix published in numerous reports. No other details were given.
"The Wire" creator David Simon, announcing his death in a tweet on Friday, called him a "fine, masterful actor" and "delightful" person. Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock also tweeted tributes.
NEW YORK (AP) — Things may look bleak for Democrats these days, but Michael Moore thinks he knows how they can get back on top.
"Humor is the non-violent weapon by which we're going to help turn this around," said the Academy Award-winning director of "Bowling for Columbine" who is currently starring in his one-man Broadway show.
"If you use your sense of humor and your wit to go against what's going on, it can be devastating and it can reach a lot of people."
NEW YORK (AP) — As Dave Chappelle reflects on spending 30 years in comedy, he says he's grateful and humble to still be living his dreams onstage.
"In all honesty, I mostly feel grateful that I survived it, and that I'm able to still do it, and that I have the respect of my peers," the 43-year-old said in an interview Friday night following a show at Radio City Music Hall, where he was joined by The Roots, Dead Prez and T.I.
NEW YORK (AP) — Forbes has crowned Jerry Seinfeld as the king of the club when it comes to the highest-paid, stand-up comedians.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Despite his jokes that he'll never get asked back after the historic envelope flub at this year's Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel is set to host the Oscars once more. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday said Kimmel will return for the 90th Oscars with producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, the team behind this year's ceremony.
NEW YORK (AP) — He was only kidding.
Really. Don Rickles loved everybody: black or white, gay or straight, fat or thin.
But don't get him started on his wife, or the time she dove into their swimming pool while wearing all her jewelry.
And drowned.
For more than half a century, the hollering, bald-headed "Mr. Warmth" let everyone have it. Insults rained on the meek and the mighty, from unsuspecting fans to such fellow celebrities as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Johnny Carson.
Reaction to the death of comedy legend Don Rickles:
"He was the love of my life. Don Rickles is funnier right now in death than most comics are in life." — Chris Rock via Twitter.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Don Rickles, the big-mouthed, bald-headed comedian whose verbal assaults endeared him to audiences and peers and made him the acknowledged grandmaster of insult comedy, died Thursday. He was 90.
Rickles, who would have been 91 on May 8, suffered kidney failure and died Thursday morning at his home, said Paul Shefrin, his longtime publicist and friend.
NEW YORK (AP) — More than two years after narrowly escaping death in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, comedian Tracy Morgan is ready to give back, and he's doing it on a huge stage.
The former "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live" star will be among an all-star group of comedians for a one-day benefit in New York for children facing challenges such as homelessness, extreme poverty, illness and foster care.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Oscars finally have their producers: Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd will produce the 89th Academy Awards.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Rock is returning to stand-up on Netflix.
The streaming service says the comedian is filming two stand-up specials after an eight-year absence.
The first show will tape in 2017, following a new world tour.
Rock says in a statement that he "can't wait to get back on stage."
The star of such films as "Top Five" and "Grown Ups" is joining a growing roster of stand-up comedians who have filmed stand-up specials for Netflix.
NEW YORK (AP) — Harry Belafonte feels America has lost its moral compass, and culture can help gain it back.
The longtime activist and entertainer is hoping to lead a change with his "Many Rivers to Cross" festival, a racial and social justice event including performers and speakers like John Legend, Chris Rock, Common and Jesse Williams. The festival, debuting Oct. 1-2, is an extension of his social justice organization Sankofa.org, which Belafonte established in 2013.
NEW YORK (AP) — Harry Belafonte will launch a racial and social justice festival in October with the inaugural event featuring appearances and performances from actors Chris Rock and Jesse Williams and musicians John Legend and Common.
Belafonte announced Thursday that Sankofa.org , his social justice organization, will put on the "Many Rivers to Cross" music and arts festival on Oct. 1-2 in the Atlanta suburb of Chattahoochee...