Entertainment

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, left, and and Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver in a scene from “A Haunting in Venice.” (20th Century Studios via AP)

Review: ‘A Haunting in Venice’ offers spooky period-piece fun

Third installment of Kenneth’s Branagh’s Agatha Christie franchise hits all the right notes

This image released by 20th Century Studios shows Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, left, and and Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver in a scene from “A Haunting in Venice.” (20th Century Studios via AP)
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene in New Line Cinema's horror thriller "The Nun II." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

Horrors! The Nun II dominates weekend box office despite reviews

Horror franchise film proves resistant to the influence of critics

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene in New Line Cinema's horror thriller "The Nun II." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Esi Edugyan was named as the chair of judges for the Booker Prize 2023. (Courtesy of Tamara Poppitt)

Acclaimed B.C. author leads panel picking top English-language book

Greater Victoria writer Esi Edugyan named 2023 Booker Prize chair of judges

  • Sep 8, 2023
Esi Edugyan was named as the chair of judges for the Booker Prize 2023. (Courtesy of Tamara Poppitt)
Bruce Springsteen, left, and Steven Van Zandt perform on tour at MetLife Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

Ulcer sidelines Springsteen for September, recovery expected

The Boss is taking an unexpected breather and postponing his September shows,…

Bruce Springsteen, left, and Steven Van Zandt perform on tour at MetLife Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
In this image from video provided by Rebecca Barger a vehicle drives through mud at the Burning Man festival site in Black Rock, Nev., on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. An unusual late-summer storm stranded thousands at the week-long event. (Rebecca Barger/@rebeccabargerphoto via AP)

Burning Man party-goers shaking off the mud and heading home

Tens of thousands stranded at annual festival after rain turns desert into mud

In this image from video provided by Rebecca Barger a vehicle drives through mud at the Burning Man festival site in Black Rock, Nev., on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. An unusual late-summer storm stranded thousands at the week-long event. (Rebecca Barger/@rebeccabargerphoto via AP)
FILE - Singer Jimmy Buffet performs barefooted with his band The Coral Reefers on the NBC “Today” television show summer concert series in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza, on June 25, 2004. “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett has died at age 76. A statement on Buffett’s official website and social media pages says the singer died Friday, Sept. 1, 2023 “surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs”. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

‘Margaritaville’ singer Jimmy Buffett dead at 76

Illness had forced him to reschedule concerts in May

FILE - Singer Jimmy Buffet performs barefooted with his band The Coral Reefers on the NBC “Today” television show summer concert series in New York’s Rockefeller Plaza, on June 25, 2004. “Margaritaville” singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett has died at age 76. A statement on Buffett’s official website and social media pages says the singer died Friday, Sept. 1, 2023 “surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs”. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - Fans wait to go through security before Taylor Swift performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, July 28, 2023. Fan frustration over getting tickets to Swift’s tour prompted Congressional hearings and multiple bills in state legislatures. Consumer advocates in California say they are disappointed legislation in California has been watered down to solely banning hidden fees, a practice most major industry players have already committed to do. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Taylor Swift ticket outrage fades without promised U.S. reform

Slow progress highlights strength of industry opposition, regulatory difficulties

FILE - Fans wait to go through security before Taylor Swift performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, July 28, 2023. Fan frustration over getting tickets to Swift’s tour prompted Congressional hearings and multiple bills in state legislatures. Consumer advocates in California say they are disappointed legislation in California has been watered down to solely banning hidden fees, a practice most major industry players have already committed to do. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP, File)/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
This combination of photos shows promotional art for the ”Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” a film available on video-on-demand on Aug. 29, center, and “The Wheel of Time,” a fantasy series returning for a second season on Sept. 1. (Starz/Lucasfilm/Amazon Prime via AP)

New to stream: final chapter for Ford’s Indiana Jones

What’s new this week to stream for your entertainment pleasure

This combination of photos shows promotional art for the ”Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” a film available on video-on-demand on Aug. 29, center, and “The Wheel of Time,” a fantasy series returning for a second season on Sept. 1. (Starz/Lucasfilm/Amazon Prime via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Andrea Scarduzio in a scene from "The Equalizer 3." (Stefano Montesi/Sony Pictures Entertainment via AP)

Review: Denzel Washington’s star quality remains a good Equalizer

Movie star presence elevates part 3 to the best of this routine movie franchise

This image released by Sony Pictures Entertainment shows Andrea Scarduzio in a scene from "The Equalizer 3." (Stefano Montesi/Sony Pictures Entertainment via AP)
FILE - Members of the The Writers Guild of America picket outside Paramount Pictures on May 3, 2023, in Los Angeles. Hollywood productions and promotional tours around the world have been put on indefinite hold as actors and writers are on strike against big studios and streaming services.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon, Oliver, Meyers team up for striking writers

‘Strike Force Five’ podcast released to benefit their out-of-work staff

FILE - Members of the The Writers Guild of America picket outside Paramount Pictures on May 3, 2023, in Los Angeles. Hollywood productions and promotional tours around the world have been put on indefinite hold as actors and writers are on strike against big studios and streaming services.(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour,” Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Taylor Swift’s massive Eras tour coming to the big screen

Concert film of record-smashing tour will open in North American theaters Oct. 13

Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour,” Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
FILE - A worker wheels equipment past the famous Hollywood sign as preparations continue on March 8, 2023, for the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Television and movie writers declared late Monday, May 1, that they will launch an industrywide strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications in a fight over fair pay in the streaming era. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)

Hollywood’s working class turns to nonprofit funds to make ends meet during the strike

Shawn Batey was sweating in the August sun on the 100th day…

FILE - A worker wheels equipment past the famous Hollywood sign as preparations continue on March 8, 2023, for the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Television and movie writers declared late Monday, May 1, that they will launch an industrywide strike for the first time in 15 years, as Hollywood girded for a walkout with potentially widespread ramifications in a fight over fair pay in the streaming era. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)
Drake performs during the “Aubrey & The Three Amigos Tour” in Toronto, Tuesday August 21, 2018. A Drake concert scheduled for Monday evening in Vancouver was postponed at the last minute following issues with the newly installed video board at Rogers Arena. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch

Drake fans Laugh Now, Cry Later after late B.C. postponement

Canucks Sports & Entertainment cited issues with Vancouver arena’s newly installed video board

Drake performs during the “Aubrey & The Three Amigos Tour” in Toronto, Tuesday August 21, 2018. A Drake concert scheduled for Monday evening in Vancouver was postponed at the last minute following issues with the newly installed video board at Rogers Arena. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch
Shakira performs in concert at Madison Square Garden, Aug. 10, 2018, in New York.(Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File)

Shakira to be given the Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

Shakira will receive the Video Vanguard Award at the 2023 MTV Video…

Shakira performs in concert at Madison Square Garden, Aug. 10, 2018, in New York.(Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Legendary game show host Bob Barker, 83, blows a kiss goodby to fans, as he tapes his final episode of “The Price Is Right” in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Publicist says popular game show host Bob Barker has died

He was a household name for a half-century as host of ‘Truth or Consequences’ and ‘The Price Is Right’

FILE - Legendary game show host Bob Barker, 83, blows a kiss goodby to fans, as he tapes his final episode of “The Price Is Right” in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
FILE - Music executive Scooter Braun, left, appears with Justin Bieber at the World Premiere of “Justin Bieber’s Believe” in Los Angeles on December 2013. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

What’s going on with Scooter Braun’s artist roster? Here’s what we know and what’s still speculation

Scooter Braun is one of the most recognizable names in the music…

FILE - Music executive Scooter Braun, left, appears with Justin Bieber at the World Premiere of “Justin Bieber’s Believe” in Los Angeles on December 2013. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Rappers Wiz Khalifa, left, and Snoop Dogg perform at Hip-Hop 50 Live, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)

Hip-hop turns 50, reinventing itself and swaths of the world along the way

Hip-hop ‘connects to what is true, and what is true, lasts’

Rappers Wiz Khalifa, left, and Snoop Dogg perform at Hip-Hop 50 Live, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP)
A new report from Statistics Canada says the return of live shows and events after pandemic restrictions revived the country’s performing arts industry in 2022, with significant revenue and salary growth in specific sectors. An aerial view of the Foo Fighters concert on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at the Quebec Summer Festival in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Return of live shows post-COVID revived performing arts industry

StatsCan: Performance events like arts, sports saw revenue increases of nearly 146 per cent in 2022

A new report from Statistics Canada says the return of live shows and events after pandemic restrictions revived the country’s performing arts industry in 2022, with significant revenue and salary growth in specific sectors. An aerial view of the Foo Fighters concert on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at the Quebec Summer Festival in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Kerry Washington, left, and Joshua Malina attend a Day of Solidarity union rally on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif. The event includes members of SAG-AFTRA, the WGA and the AFL-CIO. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Screen politicos shout for solidarity with Hollywood strikers outside Disney

Kerry Washington, Martin Sheen among those rallying as actors strike moves into second month

Kerry Washington, left, and Joshua Malina attend a Day of Solidarity union rally on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023, at Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif. The event includes members of SAG-AFTRA, the WGA and the AFL-CIO. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ryan Gosling, left, and Margot Robbie in a scene from “Barbie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

‘Blue Beetle’ unseats ‘Barbie’ atop box office, ending 4-week reign

‘Oppenheimer’ now owns the distinction of being the biggest box-office hit never to land No. 1

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ryan Gosling, left, and Margot Robbie in a scene from “Barbie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)