Arts & Life

Books
Arts

Poet Tess Taylor Tells Us What She's Reading This Summer

5:01pm July 06, 2021

Poet and playwright Tess Taylor breaks down her diverse summer reading list, which includes a biography of Edgar Allen Poe, a poetry collection — and even a book about the act of reading.

T.J. Newman drew on her experiences as a flight attendant while writing the thriller Falling.

Books
Arts

Fasten Your Seat Belts: Flight Attendant-Turned-Novelist Shares Stories From The Sky

4:45pm July 06, 2021

by Dave Davies

During her 10 years as a flight attendant, T.J. Newman became an expert in guessing drink orders and calming unruly passengers. She drew on those experiences to write the hijack thriller Falling.

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Why India, Mecca And Las Vegas Struck A Chord With This Iconic Iranian Photographer

4:42pm July 06, 2021

by Peter Kenyon

Jamshid Bayrami is an Iranian photographer who dropped out of high school — then became known worldwide for his celebrity shots and protest images, including an iconic one he took in 1999.

Jordan Alexander, Thomas Doherty, Evan Mock and Emily Alyn Lind in HBO Max's Gossip Girl.

Arts

'Gossip Girl' For Gen-Z Seemed Like A Great Idea, So What Went Wrong?

3:46pm July 06, 2021

by Linda Holmes

HBO Max is launching a sequel to the original CW series Gossip Girl. And while it strains to be more contemporary, the series stumbles on the basics of good bad TV.

Sesame Street's Elmo adopts a puppy in a new special, Furry Friends Forever.

Arts

Elmo Got A Pandemic Puppy — Meet Sesame Street's Newest Character

3:45pm July 06, 2021

by Neda Ulaby

Sesame Street is welcoming a new character, Elmo's adopted puppy Tango, who'll teach kids how to care for pets. An animated special will tell Tango's backstory, and then she'll join the regular cast.

The late Armenian composer and musician Jivan Gasparyan, performing in New York in 1994.

Jivan Gasparyan, Armenian Musician Beloved By Rock Stars And Hollywood, Has Died

2:52pm July 06, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The duduk player and composer took his music from the mountains of his native Armenia to some of Hollywood's biggest films. Along the way, he played with rock legends like Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno.

Arts

'Ocean's Eleven' Meets '30 Rock' In The Queer-Centric Podcast 'Hot White Heist'

2:41pm July 06, 2021

by Nick Quah

A new fiction podcast from Audible stars SNL's Bowen Yang as a fortune teller who's trying to steal samples from a sperm bank. Hot White Heist is a playfully zany production with an all-star cast.

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Books
Arts

Two Fathers Risk It All To Avenge Their Murdered Sons In This New Thriller

5:00am July 06, 2021

by Carole V. Bell

In S.A. Cosby's visceral new thriller, two fathers, one Black, one white — both scarred and hardened by life and prison time — risk everything in the hunt for justice for their murdered sons.

Richard Donner attends a 2017 tribute to his work.

Arts

Director Richard Donner, A Pioneer In The Action-Adventure Genre, Has Died

10:48pm July 05, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Donner directed 1978's Superman — which is in the National Film Registry — as well as The Goonies and the Lethal Weapon franchise. He was 91.

Bill Cosby gestures outside his home in Elkins Park, Pa., on June 30, 2021, after being released from prison when the Pennsylvania's supreme court overturned his sexual assault conviction. Cosby expressed support for former TV co-star Phylicia Rashad's fr

Bill Cosby Urges Howard University To Support Phylicia Rashad's Freedom Of Speech

1:29pm July 05, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

The comedian defended Rashad's freedom of speech after the actress came under criticism for defending Cosby after his sexual assault conviction was overturned.