News

All week long, “American Idol” fans have been voting in our poll that asked whether Noah Thompson deserved to win Season 20. Their answer is overwhelmingly “yes,” with 50.41 saying the soft-spoken 22-year-old country singer from Kentucky deserved his spot on the show’s winners list. As for the other finalists, 31.05 of viewers thought HunterGirl should have prevailed, while 18.54 of fans believed Leah Marlene was the rightful champion. Do you agree or disagree with those poll results? Sound off down in the comments section.

Noah Thompson is now the 13th male to win “American Idol” after Season 2’s Ruben Studdard, Season 5’s Taylor Hicks, Season 7’s David Cook, Season 8’s Kris Allen, Season 9’s Lee DeWyze, Season 10’s Scotty McCreery, Season 11’s Phillip Phillips, Season 13’s Caleb Johnson, Season 14’s Nick Fradiani, Season 15’s Trent Harmon, Season 17’s Laine Hardy and Season 19’s Chayce Beckham.

The seven females to claim victory are Season 1’s Kelly Clarkson,...

Andrew Woolfolk, the longtime saxophonist for Earth, Wind, and Fire and reliable hired gun for a slew of other artists, died Sunday, April 24. He was 71.

Earth, Wind, and Fire vocalist Phililp Bailey confirmed Woolfolk’s death on Instagram. Bailey noted that Woolfolk had been “ill [for] over a 6 years,” and in a separate statement shared with Rolling Stone, he added that Woolfolk had been battling the “effects of a debilitating stroke.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Philip J. Bailey (@philipbaileyewf)

“I met him in high school, and...

Andrew Woolfolk, who played saxophone for Grammy-winning R&b band Earth, Wind & Fire during its 1970s and early-’80s heyday, has died after a long illness. He was 71. Ewf’s Philip Bailey announced the news on social media.

“Great Memories. Great Talent,” the singer wrote about Woolfolk. “Funny. Competitive. Quick witted. And always styling. Booski… I’ll see you on the other side, my friend. See the Instagram post below.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

Woolfolk played with Earth, Wind & Fire when it was among the biggest R&b acts in the country, joining the group in 1973 and playing on its gold or platinum albums from Head to the Sky to 1983’s Powerlight and beyond. The group scored eight consecutive Top 10 albums from 1975-81, including the chart-topping That’s the Way of the World and live set Gratitude.

Earth, Wind & Fire also had seven Top 10 pop singles during that era,...

On Friday, June 4, Multiple Sclerosis (Ms) advocate and Center Without Walls founder Nancy Davis welcomed guests to the Rose Bowl for the 28th Annual Race to Erase Ms Gala: Drive-In to Erase Ms.

Earth, Wind & Fire perform onstage at the 28th Annual Race To Erase Ms

Credit/Copyright: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Race to Erase Ms

For the second year in a row, this legendary event was held at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium for a night of celebration and fundraising under the stars. The evening raised over $1.4 Million to benefit the Race to Race to Erase Ms and its Center Without Walls program, a collaboration of top Ms research centers working together as a team on ground-breaking research with the goal of treating and, ultimately, finding a cure for Ms.

The event opened with a Spring/Summer 2021 runway show from Hollywood-favorite fashion brand alice + olivia by Stacey Bendet.

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House Los Angeles, the first residential program in the country for women recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, will honor actor and activist Joe Manganiello with the Man of the Year Award, MusiCares/Map Fund’s Senior Director Harold Owens with the Excellence In Service Award; entrepreneur and television personality Eden Sassoon with the Woman of the Year Award; and tattoo artist, author, activist and musician Kat Von D with the Shining Star Award at their 28th annual Awards Luncheon, October 28, 2017 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills.

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House was founded in 1951 is a model for recovery homes in the United States and Europe. They have successfully treated thousands of women with a success rate of 76% compared to the hospital average of 35%. The organization is solely supported by private donations and grants and by the fundraising efforts of the Board of Directors and Grateful...

Susan G. Komen Chicago is gearing up for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its 20th Anniversary, and this year it plans to go big.

Leading up to the non-profit’s Ignite the Fight Gala presented by Wintrust, Komen Chicago will turn the city pink with a bridge lighting and a day full of festivities.

Hosted by Mario Lopez, Emmy-winning host of “Extra,” the Ignite the Fight Gala presented by Wintrust on Oct. 21 is the anchor of the festivities, and those interested in celebrating beyond the “main event” can take part in a Rosé 3K Wine Walk with City Winery Chicago Riverwalk as well as the Raising the Bar Gala After Party hosted by Indistry TV at The Virgin Hotel Chicago. The events will celebrate the profound impact that Komen Chicago has made throughout the city over the past 20 years, and will raise funds to enable the organization to continue funding...

Peggy Albrecht Friendly House Los Angeles, the first residential program in the country for women recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, will honor MusiCares/Map Fund’s Senior Director Harold Owens with the Excellence In Service Award; entrepreneur and television personality Eden Sassoon with the Woman of the Year Award; and tattoo artist, author, activist and musician Kat Von D with the Shining Star Award at their 28th annual Awards Luncheon, Saturday, October 28, 2017 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills.

“We are honored to celebrate each of these remarkable individuals for their generosity, commitment, and myriad of contributions to our community,” said Friendly House Board Chair, Peggy Albrecht. “Our organization is fortunate to have such dedicated supporters. With their generosity, we are able to provide an environment where women can recover from the devastation of drug and alcohol addiction, help to renew family relationships and reintegrate each woman back into the community.

Susan G. Komen Chicago will hold its Ignite the Fight Gala presented by Wintrust on Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Westin River North, celebrating 20 years of funding global research and providing critical breast health services for the underserved in the Chicago area.

Komen Chicago will hold its Ignite the Fight Gala presented by Wintrust on Oct. 21

The anniversary celebration will feature Mario Lopez, Emmy-winning host of “Extra,” as the Celebrity More than Pink Ambassador, as well as 20 More Than Pink Heroes, who will be honored for their exceptional compassion, bravery and leadership in the fight against breast cancer.

The Gala will kick off with the Dearborn Street and Clark Street bridges over the Chicago River being illuminated in pink. The lighting ceremony, led by Ed Wehmer, president and CEO of Wintrust, will celebrate extraordinary people who have “bridged the gap,” by fighting to even the playing field for those who lack resources.

Chris Blue, I put my “Money on You” to take home the title. I also spent my money on him, downloading his insanely catchy original single off iTunes. But when the dust settled on Season 12 of The Voice, when we stopped commenting on how mumble-mouthed a singer Hunter Plake is, groaning before every Mark Isaiah performance, doing shots anytime it was mentioned that Quizz Swanigan is the youngest competitor ever, hoping that Lilli Passero would live up to her Blind Auditions potential, and wondering if it was possible for Carson Daly to appear less engaged and more disingenuous, did Team Alicia’s master showman win?...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Cardiff Animation Nights will be returning to run a dedicated animation strand at Cardiff Independent Film Festival (C.I.F.F.) for a second year this May. This year’s animation strand at C.I.F.F. will comprise three programs of animated short films in competition for the Best Animation Award, as well as an Animated Family Shorts program curated by renowned Cardiff-based studio Cloth Cat Animation, networking events, and an Animation Quiz run by the team at Skwigly Animation Magazine.

The competition program features animated short films from across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, including Mikey Hill’s The Orchestra, Anete Melece’s Analysis Paralysis, Chris Shepherd’s Johnno’s Dead, Ross Hogg’s Life Cycles and Alois Di Leo’s Way of Giants.

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Lineup Announcements

– Exclusive: The 12th Annual Sunscreen Film Festival announced its official selections for the 2017 event featuring films with Alec Baldwin, Dylan McDermott, John Cleese, Daphne Zuniga and more. Opening night will feature Michael Mailer’s newest film, “Blind,” a romantic-drama, starring Alec Baldwin, Demi Moore and Dylan McDermott. Closing night will wrap up the festival with “Albion: The Enchanted Stallion,” a family fantasy adventure, starring John Cleese, Debra Messing, Jennifer Morrison and Stephen Dorff.

Retrospective Screenings will include Daphne Zuniga appearance at the festival honoring the 30th anniversary of “Spaceballs.” Also in this category will be “The Greatest Show on Earth,” from 1952 directed by Cecile B. DeMille, which won the Oscar for Best Pictures and Best Writing in 1953. The screening will honor the closing of the Ringling Bros.

Jack is back! It’s been nearly seven years since Jack Nicholson last graced screens, starring in James L. Brooks’ How Do You Know, but the actor, who turns 80 this spring, is now finally mounting his return to Hollywood: he will reportedly be starring in Paramount’s remake of Maren Ade‘s Oscar-nominated Toni Erdmann.

Ranking quite high on our best films of 2016 list, the nearly three-hour German comedy follows Peter Simonischek and Sandra Hüller as father and daughter, respectively, and their escalating peculiar relationship of practical jokes. As of now, Paramount has no director or writer attached, but things are moving fast on the project. Update: Variety reports that Kristen Wiig will join Nicholson in the film, taking the daughter role.

While there’s no doubt many directors have pursued the Shining star in the last few years to star in their films (The Judge and 42 come to mind...

Under The Sun screens Friday January 27th through Sunday January 29th at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood). The movie starts at 7:30 all three evenings.

After years of negotiation the Russian director Vitaly Mansky was invited by the North Korean government to make a film about one girl and her family in the year she prepares to join the Children’s Union, on the ‘Day of the Shining Star’ (Kim Jong-Il’s birthday). “My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country…” says eight-year-old Zin-mi. And so it might seem as Mansky films her in joyous, patriotic school pageants and in dance class, or with her parents, eating delicious food in their picturesque apartment. But the government handlers supervising the production did not realize that Mansky kept filming even after they had shouted, “Cut.” Under The Sun is the jaw-dropping result.

The critics have been praising Under The Sun...

Robert Downey Jr. is officially coming back as Tony "Iron Man" Stark for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.

The actor, who has played the iconic hero in seven films thus far, confirmed to Et that he's returning yet again for the next installment in the Avengers series.

"We have a start date! That's, you know, when you start shooting," Downey joked with Et's Katie Krause at the 4th Annual Make-a-Wish Wishing Well Gala on Wednesday in Los Angeles.

"So I have yet to be released from my Marvel contract!" he added. "You heard it here first!"

More: How 'Captain America: Civil War' Finally Got Spider-Man Right (and 6 Other Things We Loved)

Downey already wrapped filming on his eighth performance as the billionaire industrialist in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming, where he appears opposite Tom Holland, the latest actor to don the web slinger's famous red and blue bodysuit after Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire.

"I'm good friends...

Next month, Netflix has a wide variety of films — modern to classic, animated to live action, Oscar winners to romantic comedies — and we’ve picked seven that you should watch once they’re made available on the streaming service. Enjoy.

1. “Under the Sun” (available November 11)

Directed by Vitaly Manski, the documentary follows a year in the life of a family in Pyongyang, North Korea as their eight-year-old daughter, Zin-mi, prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on the Day of the Shining Star.

2. “The Ivory Game” (available November 14)

Directed by Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the documentary sheds a light on the seedy underbelly of elephant poaching in Africa and black market ivory trading in China.

Read More: ‘The Ivory Game,’ Produced By Leonardo DiCaprio, Is a Shocking Look at an Underground Marketplace — Telluride Review

3. “Just Friends” (available November 14)

On a lighter note, who...

Keep up with the always-hopping film festival world with our weekly Film Festival Roundup column. Check out last week’s Roundup right here.

Full Lineup Announcements

– The sixth annual Napa Valley Film Festival (Nvff) has announced its complete line-up, Opening Night and Red Carpet screenings, special events and additional honorees for its Celebrity Tributes. Nvff returns in full force with a five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films in 13 unique screening venues in the Wine Country towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga, running November 9 – 13.

The Festival will play host to a strong selection of films, including many of this year’s award contenders, like The Weinstein Company’s “Lion,” which will be this year’s Opening Night film, and Open Road Films’ “Bleed for This.” As the perfect bookend to the festival, the independent documentary “Pisco Punch: A Cocktail Comeback Story” will serve as the Closing Night film.

The director and Oscar-winning actress will receive the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film at this year’s Amd British Academy Britannia Awards presented by Jaguar Land Rover and American Airlines.

The annual BAFTA Los Angeles celebration will take place on October 28 in Beverly Hills.

Foster directed this year’s release Money Monster and recently directed episodes of House Of Cards and Orange Is The New Black. Her last outing as feature director was 2011’s The Beaver starring Mel Gibson.

A24 has updated release information for 20th Century Women starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup and Lucas Jade Zumann. The comedic drama will open in limited release on December 25 and expand wide on January 20, 2017. Mike Mills directs in his follow-up to Beginners.Shooting has begun in and around Toronto on psychological thriller The Wanting starring Adam Brody and Amanda Crew. Yam Laranas directs the story in the vein of Rosemary’s [link...

To help sift through the increasing number of new releases (independent or otherwise), the Weekly Film Guide is here! Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.

Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.

See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016

Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 8. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.

Wide

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Director: Jake Szymanski

Cast: Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Zac Efron

Synopsis: Two brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.

The Secret Life of Pets

Director: Chris Renaud,...

PS122's Spring Gala 2016 celebrates three contemporary luminaries whose influence ripples across borders and through generations by honoring Annie-b Parson and Paul Lazar, the visionary team behind Big Dance Theater. In addition, Nicole Birmann Bloom, of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, will receive the Shining Star Award for her unwavering dedication to New York City arts and French-American cultural exchange.

Mini Kim Kardashian who became a mini-celebrity herself has died ... TMZ has learned. Kim Tripp starred as the little people's Kim Kardashian at Beacher's Madhouse in Las Vegas and Hollywood Roosevelt.  We're told the man who plays mini Kanye West at the same show found her body on the front porch of their Las Vegas apartment just after midnight Sunday morning.  We're told the 2 were dating. Beacher tells TMZ Tripp appeared in good health as recently as Saturday.

It's official: Chris Rock needs to host the Oscars every year. The whole idea of other hosts has been tried, and it has failed, from the soul-withering void that was James Franco to the locust plague they call Seth MacFarlane. Why would you ever not call Rock for this gig? Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Martin are always welcome, but Rock is just the undisputed king of award-show hosts, and despite all the other things he can do, lampooning a roomful of bloated Hollywood egos is what he does best. He...

Maurice White was a true musical genius, to say the least. The seven-time Grammy Award winner will always be remembered for several top-charting hits with his band Earth, Wind & Fire, which sold over 90 million albums worldwide. Here is a look at some of the the band's greatest performances of all time: 1: "Shining Star""Shining Star," Earth, Wind & Fire's first major hit, won the band its first ever Grammy Award in 1975 for best R&B vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus. 2: "Boogie Wonderland"Disco classic "Boogie Wonderland" sold over one million copies and was certified Gold by...

Maurice White was a true musical genius, to say the least. The seven-time Grammy Award winner will always be remembered for several top-charting hits with his band Earth, Wind & Fire, which sold over 90 million albums worldwide. Here is a look at some of the the band's greatest performances of all time: 1: "Shining Star""Shining Star," Earth, Wind & Fire's first major hit, won the band its first ever Grammy Award in 1975 for best R&B vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus. 2: "Boogie Wonderland"Disco classic "Boogie Wonderland" sold over one million copies and was certified Gold by...

Adding to the already-mounting musician death toll, Maurice White succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease on Wednesday (February 3) after a decades-long battle.

The Earth, Wind and Fire founder, who wrote hits like “September,” “Boogie Wonderland” and “Shining Star,” won seven Grammy Awards during his illustrious career and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the late 1980s and kept on touring in spite of his illness until 1994. White’s brother/bandmate Verdine posted via Facebook, “My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep. While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.”...

Maurice White, co-founder and front man of the iconic Earth, Wind & Fire passed away in his sleep in Los Angeles this morning, his brother Verdine White told the press. White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the early 1990s, and though he remained involved in the group throughout the rest of his life, he had not toured with them since 1994. White founded Earth, Wind & Fire with Verdine in 1969. The band featured vocals from the brothers, a distinctive falsetto from Philip Bailey, and a sound that blended of jazz, funk, gospel, soul, and rock. The group hit it big in the 1970s with the album That’s the Way of the World (1975), earning its first Number One hit with “Shining Star.” Later hits included “September,” “Let’s Groove,” and a cover of the Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life.” White was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1941 and grew...

New York (AP) — Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, whose horn-driven band sold more than 90 million albums and made such hits as "September," ''Shining Star" and "Boogie Wonderland," died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles, his brother, Verdine White, said. He was 74. Maurice suffered from Parkinson's disease and had retreated from the public even as the band he founded kept performing. "My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," Verdine, also a member of the band, told the Associated Press on Thursday. "While

read more...

Founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire Maurice White has died at 74, his brother confirms. White, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. "My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," his brother Verdine White, told the Associated Press. "While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes." White's brother Verdine was also...

Founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire Maurice White has died at 74, his brother confirms. White, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. "My brother, hero and best friend Maurice White passed away peacefully last night in his sleep," his brother Verdine White, told the Associated Press. "While the world has lost another great musician and legend, our family asks that our privacy is respected as we start what will be a very difficult and life changing transition in our lives. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes." White's brother Verdine was also...

Last night, I was given the opportunity to attend a pretty interesting event: The Feminist Majority Foundation honored both TV powerhouses Shonda Rhimes and Jenji Kohan with the Eleanor Roosevelt Global Women's Rights Award. Rhimes and Kohan were celebrated with an acoustic performance by Regina Spektor, Shondaland cast members doing a live lip-sync to Earth Wind and Fire's "Shining Star" and a number of heartfelt speeches, almost all of which began with the declaration "This is what a feminist looks like."  Read More: Oops! I Made a Feminist Manifesto: George Miller and "Mad Max" What does that mean to Kohan and Rhimes? And what does that mean to Viola Davis and Matthew Weiner, who presented the awards to these esteemed women? Below, find the transcripts of their speeches, which cover how their families -- and Hello Kitty -- have defined feminism for them.  Viola Davis (Presenter) Shonda, when recently asked in an.

Earth, Wind & Fire creator Maurice White is being sued for allegedly not forking over thousands of dollars to the guy who produced some of his biggest hits ... but there's a catch -- the producer Died 36 years ago.The man at the center of the controversy is Charles Stepney -- who produced a bunch of Ewf hits from 1974 until his death in 1976 ... including Shining Star, Mighty Mighty, Devotion and Sing a Song. But according to a new lawsuit,...