Entertainment

How Madonna wrestled away 'Vision Quest' spotlight as world went 'Crazy for You'

Feb. 15, 2025

While traveling through Italy in 1985 to promote his breakout role in the coming-of-age drama "Vision Quest," Matthew Modine was struck by what appeared to be a concert poster for the young singer Madonna. Modine, then 26, quickly realized that the Madonna sign wasn't for a concert, but was publicizing the Italian release of the wrestling movie. The title and marketing had been changed to emphasize the ascending Queen of Pop, who performed "Crazy for You" in the film.

Entertainment

Why we love Lion's Mouth Bookstore in Green Bay, Wisconsin

Feb. 14, 2025

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.

Entertainment

‘Saturday Night Live’ stars name their favorite sketches and reflect on show’s legacy

Feb. 14, 2025

Legions of comedic talent have paraded through NBC’s Studio 8H, whether as cast members, writers or hosts of “Saturday Night Live.” As the sketch show marks its 50th anniversary with a bevy of celebrations, its cast members and alumni look back on their favorite sketches and the enduring legacy of “Saturday Night Live.”

Entertainment

At 50, ‘Saturday Night Live’ celebrates its past as a comedy icon — and wonders about its future

Feb. 14, 2025

Tune into the Oct. 11, 1975 premiere episode of “Saturday Night Live” — then without “live” in its name — and you may be instantly surprised at some of the bones of the show that are still intact today. There’s the cold open skit, featuring cast members John Belushi and Michael O’Donoghue. At its end, Chevy Chase gingerly walks by the prone bodies of the two actors, playing dead, for the very first call of “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” NBC is rebroadcasting that episode Saturday, part of a feast of 50th anniversary programming that includes a three-hour special on Sunday reuniting dozens of past cast members and friends and a homecoming concert from Radio City Music Hall being livestreamed Friday night on Peacock.

Entertainment

What's up with all the cowboy romances? Why readers want to saddle up with the genre.

Feb. 14, 2025

The cowboy aesthetic is still having a moment. Even outside the South and West, people donned glitter cowboy hats and boots à la “Cowboy Carter.” They wore black-and-pink Wild West outfits from “Barbie” and the “coastal cowgirl” trend from 2023. Even Taylor Swift, who has since swapped her cowboy boots for sparkly heeled Louboutins, inspired a barrage of country concert outfits for her “Eras” tour.

Entertainment

Movie Review: ‘Universal Language’ needs to be seen to be believed

Feb. 14, 2025

It’s not unusual for a city to double for another metropolis in movies. New Yorkers have long been able to spot when Toronto has been substituted for the Big Apple. Matthew Rankin, though, has gone more than a step, or maybe 85 steps, further. His “Universal Language” takes place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but the culture is entirely Iranian. Farsi is the spoken tongue. At Tim Hortons, tea is served from samovars. It’s as if we’ve been knocked over the head and woken up in some snowy, Canadian version of an Abbas Kiarostami film. And in Rankin’s surreal and enchantingly discombobulating film, that’s more or less the case. No reason is ever stated for the strange, deadpan fusion of Winnipeg reality and Iranian New Wave cinema. But there’s that title. If cinema is a universal language, it’s never been more elastically employed, bridging worlds 6,000 miles apart for a singular kind of movie dream, like what Rankin might have spun in his head while drifting off to sleep on a Manitoba winter night while Kiarostami’s “Where Is the Friend’s House?” played on TV.

Entertainment

Movie Review: ‘The Gorge’ is ridiculous

Feb. 14, 2025

In the movies, we’ve had green valleys, haunted hills and grand canyons. But only now has the time arrived for a long-overshadowed land formation. “The Gorge,” a preposterous new videogame-like thriller, at least succeeds in, um, gorging on this often-overlooked geological feature. The gorge in question, to be fair, is a beauty. In some northern forested wilderness sit two concrete towers, one for each side of a wide, foggy ravine encircled by sheer rock steeps. Two expert snipers – Levi ( Miles Teller ) from the U.S., and Drasa ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), placed by Russia — have been dropped off to man their respective stations. Both are conscripts of a sort. Levi has been a private contractor for the military since being psychologically deemed unfit for service by the Marines. ( Sigourney Weaver plays the cryptic woman who hires him.) Drasa is Lithuanian. Each operates in the murky quasi-official world of covert military operations. All they know is that they’re to be at this ultra-classified post for a year, part of an annual rotation. Their main job is to shoot anything that comes out of the chasm below.

Entertainment

Prince William steals kiss from Kate Middleton in rare Valentine’s Day photo

Feb. 14, 2025

Prince William and Kate Middleton are putting their love on display in a rare romantic moment shared with the public. The royal couple marked Valentine’s Day with a sweet photo of the two, as Prince William is spotted stealing a kiss from the Princess of Wales. In the candid photograph, Kate is all smiles, hand in hand with William, as the Prince of Wales gives his loving wife a kiss on the cheek. The pair are seated on a quilted blanket with a woodsy background.

Entertainment

What to watch: Oh Captain, my captain

Feb. 14, 2025

Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids. Happy Valentine's Day, Watch Party crew! It's a day all about loves and here's one of mine: I heart Captain America.

Entertainment

Avan Jogia dissects the dark side of Nickelodeon and teen stardom in 'Autopsy'

Feb. 14, 2025

When Avan Jogia turned 17, his life changed in two ways. He moved to Los Angeles after landing his first acting job as teenage heartthrob "Beck Oliver" on Nickelodeon's "Victorious," and his mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Abruptly thrown into Hollywood, Jogia faced an unsettling juxtaposition — he was at the start of a promising career, simultaneously navigating newfound independence amid his mother’s cancer diagnosis. But before he could establish his identity, an idealized version of himself was being fawned over in Tiger Beat and J-14 magazine spreads.