Joan MarcusIt’s as if a diaphanous paper plane has suddenly shot across the stage. This is a ghost, the first ding of Hamlet in the fabric of James Ijames’ reimagining of that Shakespeare play, Fat Ham (Public Theater, to July 3), which recently won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play, a co-production of the National Black Theatre and Public Theater, is set not in the Danish court of yore, but in the present day at a Southern backyard barbecue celebration of the wedding of Tedra (Nikki Crawford) and her dead husband’s brother, Rev (Billy Eugene Jones). But instead of the tragedy-and-then-some of Hamlet, this is a play that emphasizes life, and specifically Black queer joy, while interrogating all the things that conspire to negate the life and feelings of the central characte...
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‘Windy City Rehab’ season 3, episode 6 recap: Alison Victoria tackles new construction in Evanston
Alison Victoria and her team take on new construction for her latest clients on “Windy City Rehab.”HGTV/Screenshot from video The sixth episode of “Windy City Rehab’s” third season once again takes viewers out of Chicago — but not very far. When an expecting couple with a bad floor plan approaches Alison Victoria for help, she dives right in, ready to help them reimagine their space and put in those special touches. Here’s what went down. Spoilers ahead! The house Unlike most “Windy City Rehab” episodes, this one did not actually feature a renovation. This week’s couple, Sarah and Steve Schmitt, purchased a corner lot in Evanston for $375,000, and while crews have already broken ground at 2831 Hartzell St., the floor plan left the couple feeling uninspired. That’s when they called Vi
Read MoreA classic console? (pic: Sony)The Friday letters page worries about a games drought that lasts all of 2023, as one reader wants to play more games like Limbo. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Classic consoleSo, Sony is finally getting ready to retire the PlayStation 4, eh? I don’t have a problem with that. The pandemic has lengthened its software support past what it would have got normally and it can retire knowing that it was super successful and has a great collection of games. Working out its true legacy will take a bit of hindsight but for me it is a true classic console and one of the best. I think for that to be true it has to hit a few different criteria. For a start, it has to be popular and have a good range of games, and I think the
Read MoreRobert De Niro was the honored guest at the 28th annual amfAR Gala Cannes, where one lucky guest won an auction to have lunch with the actor and a piece of his family history. One of the most anticipated events of the Cannes Film Festival, over 800 guests attended Thursday's exclusive dinner, auction and after party at the Hôtel du Cap, Eden Roc in Antibes where guests were entertained with performances from Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin and Charli XCX. The night began with a glitzy red carpet. Tom Hanks who stars in the new “Elvis” movie from Baz Luhrmann attended with the director. Cara Delevingne, Casey Affleck, Cynthia Erivo, Diplo, Edgar Ramirez, Eva Longoria, Milla Jovovich, Vanessa Hudgens, Elsa Hosk, Jourdan Dunn and Winnie Harlow were also among the guests. Ricky Martin opened...
Read MorePHOENIX — The Dodgers are ready to do what they probably should have done at the start of the season – put Max Muncy on the injured list. Muncy was not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, his .150 batting average and .591 OPS reason enough to sit him down. But Kevin Pillar joined the team in Arizona and will likely take Muncy’s spot on the active roster once the Dodgers clear a 40-man roster spot for him. Muncy has been unwilling to cite last year’s elbow injury as the reason for his offensive struggles. But there are clearly lingering problems from last year’s significant injury on the final day of the 2021 regular season. Muncy later revealed that he had suffered a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament. He spent the offseason rehabbing the injury rather than
Read MoreBy ELLIOT SPAGAT and ACACIA CORONADO UVALDE, Texas (AP) — One student was an avid runner, so fast she swept the races at field day. Another was learning football plays from his grandfather. One girl sensed something was wrong and wanted to skip school. On Wednesday, stories began to emerge about the lives of the 19 children — “precious individuals” according to the school district superintendent — and their two teachers who were gunned down behind a barricaded door at Robb Elementary School in the southwestern Texas town of Uvalde. Vincent Salazar said his 11-year-old daughter, Layla, loved to swim and dance to Tik Tok videos. She was fast — she won six races at the school’s field day, and Salazar proudly posted a photo of Layla showing off two of her ribbons on Facebook. Each morning as h
Read MoreBy JAKE BLEIBERG, JIM VERTUNO and ELLIOT SPAGAT UVALDE, Texas (AP) — It was 11:28 a.m. when the Ford pickup slammed into a ditch behind the low-slung Texas school and the driver jumped out carrying an AR-15-style rifle. Twelve minutes after that, authorities say, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos was in the hallways of Robb Elementary School. Soon he entered a fourth-grade classroom. And there, he killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in a still-unexplained spasm of violence. At 12:58 p.m., law enforcement radio chatter said Ramos had been killed and the siege was over. What happened in those 90 minutes, in a working-class neighborhood near the edge of the little town of Uvalde, has fueled mounting public anger and scrutiny over law enforcement’s response to Tuesday’s rampage. “They say they
Read MoreBy JAKE BLEIBERG, JIM VERTUNO and ELLIOT SPAGAT UVALDE, Texas (AP) — It was 11:28 a.m. when the Ford pickup slammed into a ditch behind the low-slung Texas school and the driver jumped out carrying an AR-15-style rifle. Twelve minutes after that, authorities say, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos was in the hallways of Robb Elementary School. Soon he entered a fourth-grade classroom. And there, he killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in a still-unexplained spasm of violence. At 12:58 p.m., law enforcement radio chatter said Ramos had been killed and the siege was over. What happened in those 90 minutes, in a working-class neighborhood near the edge of the little town of Uvalde, has fueled mounting public anger and scrutiny over law enforcement’s response to Tuesday’s rampage. “They say they
Read MoreBy Lynn Elber | Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Ellen DeGeneres brought her nearly two-decade daytime talk show to an end Thursday with a celebrity lovefest and a forceful assertion of her achievement as a gay woman daring to be herself. DeGeneres and guests Jennifer Aniston, Billie Eilish and Pink shared memories and affection as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” concluded its Emmy-winning, 3,200-plus episode run that began in September 2003. “Twenty years ago, when we were trying to sell the show, no one thought that this would work. Not because it was a different kind of show, but because I was different,” DeGeneres said of the pushback from TV stations. When the syndicated show went on the air, she was prevented from saying the word “gay” or even the pronoun “we,” DeGeneres said, since the lat
Read MoreTwo weeks after arthouse film fans in Los Angeles found out they were losing a beloved institution in the Landmark Theatres Pico, the Landmark Theatres company announced on Thursday, May 26, that it has signed a long-term lease to operate at the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, with plans to open in the summer. “The Playhouse acquisition is important for Landmark, as we’re able to continue the tradition of showcasing quality film to Pasadena’s movie-going community,” Landmark Theatres President Kevin Holloway said in a statement. “This theater has a deep history, which we look forward to honoring and building upon in the years ahead.” The company plans to undertake a series of renovations in the coming months to the seven-screen, 1,300-seat venue located at 673 E. Colorado Blvd. Planned improveme...
Read MoreTRACY — A 16-year-old boy was in San Joaquin County Juvenile Hall on Thursday after his arrest in connection with a social media post that threatened a school shooting, authorities said. In a statement, police said officers received word of the post, which mentioned “a clear threat of harm and a picture of a specific school” around 3:22 a.m. from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After some investigation, officers reached out to a west Tracy home and spoke to the teen and his parents. The teen, who police said was not a Tracy Unified School District student, told officers he had made the threat but did not plan any actual violence. He then led officers to what police described as a realistic-looking BB gun, which his parents did not know he had. A home search did not reveal additional ...
Read MoreSAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr’s angry, emotional speech in the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School spread quickly across social media and national news. Kerr says many people have reached out to him asking what they can do to help. “I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me, most asking what they can do. And I think that’s a really good question,” Kerr said. In his impassioned statement before Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Mavericks, Kerr said he was “fed up” after 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, about 350 miles south of Dallas. “When are we going to do something?” Kerr said on Tuesday, raising his voice and on the verge of tears. “I’m tired. I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated fa
Read MorePhoto Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/GettyChina and Russia flew six nuclear bombers over the Sea of Japan this week as President Joe Biden was in Tokyo. It was a dramatic show of alliance that should remind us of the lessons that we’ve learned from Ukraine—and that we should be ready to apply those lessons to Taiwan, possibly soon. China has been doubling down its intimidation tactics toward Taiwan in recent months. Beijing sent a carrier group, led by its first in-service aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, to conduct military drills in waters near Taiwan in April. “Similar exercises will be conducted on a regular basis in the future,” a Chinese naval official said. The following week, China sent 25 fighter jets and nuclear bombers into Taiwan’s air defense identification zon...
Read MoreThe premiere of “Stranger Things 4” is one of the most anticipated television events of the year, but the hit Netflix series was not immune to the tragic events in Uvalde, Texas, this week. Following the school shooting at Robb Elementary school, which killed 19 students and two teachers, Netflix has opted to run a warning card ahead of the new episodes (via Variety). The reasoning is that certain scenes depicting violence against children could be particularly traumatizing to viewers still processing the Uvalde shooting. The warning card, which will be shown to American viewers before Episode 1 of the new season, reads: “We filmed this season of ‘Stranger Things’ a year ago. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distres
Read MoreMayor Lori Lightfoot walks around City Council chambers Wednesday in advance of the casino vote.Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Chicagoans have had to swallow more than a few bitter pills on the way to getting aldermanic approval this week for the city’s first casino. And now comes one more. As WBEZ’s Becky Vevea and Mariah Woelfel reported this week, the casino revenue will cover just 9% of the city’s annual massive pension contribution. And that’s 9% at best. As this editorial board stated earlier this week, Bally’s said the casino would generate $200 million toward pension coffers — but is not contractually required by the city to actually deliver that amount. Editorials bug Editorials All the while, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the yearly cut from the city
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