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They starred on hit Disney shows, released platinum albums, became internationally known celebrities, went on to pop superstardom and their songs are played everywhere to this day—they're the Star Search kids of yesteryear.

Hosted by Ed McMahon, Star Search was where it was at in the 1980s and 1990s. There are a surprising number of pop singers who got started on the talent competition. Some were adult competitors while others were junior vocalists. Even if they didn't all win the contest, they gained audiences in an era that predated social media. Check out these ten talented pop stars who shot to fame thanks to their time on Star Search.

via: Instar

Updated January 2025: This article has been updated to reflect the latest happenings with the young singers who got their big break on Star Search.

Alanis Morissette

via Instar

Alanis Morissette didn't win big, but she competed on...

The Amazing Kreskin, who passed away recently at the age of 89, wasn’t always Amazing. He was plain old Kreskin until Johnny Carson added the honorific based on the mentalist’s 88 appearances on The Tonight Show, making him one of the program’s most prolific guests.

What made the Amazing Kreskin such a Carson favorite? A magician himself, Carson was fascinated by Kreskin and his popular trick in which someone hid Kreskin’s fee for appearing on the show. Kreskin denied being “psychic” — he always claimed his powers were based on suggestion — but how would that help him find his paycheck? That’s Kreskin’s secret but he always got paid.

Kreskin shared his most memorable Carson moment on his YouTube channel. He and Carson had agreed to an astounding trick for a Tonight Show appearance, but a few days before the show, Kreskin got a call from one of the heads of NBC.

Quick Links What is The Incident About? How Does The Incident Connect to Good Time? The Incident Deserves More Love

New York City has been the setting for countless classic movies over the years. For decades, Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen were King 1 and King 2 of New York, but plenty of other filmmakers have made works that personify the city. From Spike Lee to Sam Raimi to Greta Gerwig and beyond, the city is a melting pot, and every single iteration has something different to showcase. The loudest, most prevailing voices of the new New York generation, however, have undoubtedly been the Safdie brothers.

With Uncut Gems, Good Time, Heaven Knows What, and more under their belt, they clearly have a distinct vision for the city. Dark, gritty, and characterized by hustle culture, The Safdie's aren't setting out to portray the high end of the New York City populace, like Martin Scorsese or Whit Stillman.

Though they don't have nearly as many big-screen appearances as zombies or vampires, werewolves are still popular characters depicted in several films. It's not always the case, but most films with the hairy supernatural species show the werewolf characters as ordinary people turning into vicious killers. However, it's not a rule that werewolf stories must be told within the horror genre. Films like Teen Wolf have used lycanthropy to tell relatable coming-of-age stories through a comedic lens.

Stories of lycanthropy align with the 1980s cultural shift when conversations around sex and puberty were seeping into pop culture. Many of the '80s werewolf films deal with supernatural characters entering a new phase of life, with the physical transformation from human to wolf being representative of this change. Many of these transformations depicted in '80s werewolf films are presented as being painful, which happens to pair well with gory imagery typically associated with horror films.

After six-time Saturday Night Live host John Mulaney had spent three or four years on the show as a young writer, the relentless grind was making him “a little cranky,” he confessed as part of the SNL Stories From the Show series.

His irritation was reaching critical mass one week while working on a Kissing Family sketch featuring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader. At the Tuesday meeting when Mulaney pitched the bit, producer Lorne Michaels asked where the sketch was set. “They’re saying goodbye at an airport,” Mulaney replied.

“You can’t have it at the airport. They have the ropes, the velvet ropes,” argued Michaels, convincing Mulaney that his boss hadn’t spent much time in commercial airports.

Fine, snipped Mulaney. “Where do you want me to set it? I’ll set it wherever you want it.”

Michaels relented. “It can be an airport.”

But Mulaney kept firing back in a snotty-kid tone.

On April 28 James Corden announced that he will be leaving ‘The Late Late Show’ following its 2023 season. Corden has been with the CBS show since 2015 and has created iconic segments like Carpool Karaoke and Crosswalk the Musical which take not only television, but YouTube by storm. Corden states that he loves working for ‘The Late Late Show’ and credits a joyous working environment, but after a year of going out with a bang, it’s time for the next adventure. Perhaps a return to Broadway, or a rise in film roles. Though Corden’s announcement is the most recent, he’ll be joining a renowned group of retired late night hosts.

Hosting late night is an arduous task. The skill set required is like no other, hosts are typically comedians, with a monologue to open the show, they need to maintain their charisma throughout the episode, and they need to be skilled interviewers.

Before she was starring in movies, hosting her own talk show and publicly feuding with garbage people, Rosie O’Donnell began her career in show business as a stand-up comedian. In fact, back in the ‘80s, she won Star Search five times.

But as O’Donnell just recounted on David Duchovny’s Fail Better podcast, her first attempt at stand-up didn’t go so well — mainly because she ripped off another comedian’s entire act.

O’Donnell only became a comic after Richie Minervini, then the owner of The East Side Comedy Club on Long Island, approached her after witnessing the teenager get big laughs during a high school performance. (Note to any modern club owners out there: Randomly approaching minors following school productions probably wouldn’t fly anymore.) Minervini told O’Donnell: “I own a comedy club, I think you’d be a great stand-up comic.”

O’Donnell’s response? “No way,...

Cat Glover, the singer, dancer and choreographer who worked with Prince during his late 1980s pomp, has died. She was 60.

Glover’s death was announced on her official Facebook page. “It’s with great sadness that we formally announce the passing of Catherine Vernice Glover- Aka ‘Cat.’ Please allow her children, family and friends privacy at this difficult time,” the short statement said. No cause of death was given.

Glover is indelibly linked to Prince and worked with the late artist on a number of projects, including on the albums Sign o’ the Times and Lovesexy and their related music videos, concert films and tours. She also famously provided the rap on Prince’s single “Alphabet St.”

Catherine Vernice Glover was born in Chicago on July 23, 1964. One of six children, she attended Esmond Elementary and Morgan Park High Schools. She began dancing at 5, and it would quickly become a lifelong passion.

Once upon a time in late night television, it was customary for talk shows to fill up their couches as the evening's episode progressed. The first guest would do their segment and then move down a spot on the adjacent couch, making room for the next guest to yap with Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett or whoever. What with the barnacle presence of sidekick Ed McMahon, Carson's couch could get especially crowded some nights. Sometimes this got tense (like the time Burt Reynolds inexplicably went after "Double Dare" host Mark Summers on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"); sometimes it was chaotic comedy bliss (which is what happens when you ask Carson to rein in the irrepressible duo of Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters); and sometimes it was just plain surreal.

This tradition started to fade out of fashion in the 1980s when "Late Night with David Letterman" introduced its one-guest-at-a-time approach.

For decades, The Tonight Show has been the standard for all late-night talk shows. Johnny Carson made it an institution, and any star or comedian knew landing a spot would boost their career. They also knew that keeping on Johnny’s good side was vital, as if you crossed him, he’d hit a ban that would harm a career. That was kept up by Jay Leno as being banned from The Tonight Show was a big deal.

Some supposed “bans” aren’t really true, like Sylvester Stallone. It’s also tricky to see if some stars were banned or just fell out of popularity. However, there are clear-cut cases of bans by Tonight Show hosts as these ten celebrities committed some affront to prevent themselves from sitting on that famous couch.

Joan Rivers Princes Trust Comedy Gala - We Are Most Amused | Christie Goodwin/GettyImages

For years, Joan Rivers and Carson were good friends,...

On Wednesday July 3 2024, MeTV broadcasts Toon in With Me!

Mandela Effect Episode Summary

In this episode of “Toon in With Me” titled “Mandela Effect,” Bill and Toony delve into intriguing instances of common false memories. The dynamic duo will be investigating peculiar phenomena such as the phantom cornucopia in the Fruit of the Loom logo and the mystery surrounding Ed McMahon’s missing checks. Viewers can expect an engaging exploration of these curious examples and the fascinating theories behind the Mandela Effect.

Bill and Toony bring their signature humor and charm as they navigate through the world of collective misremembering. From iconic brand logos to well-known historical events, the episode promises to unravel the puzzling nature of how our memories can sometimes play tricks on us. With their witty banter and insightful commentary, Bill and Toony are set to entertain and educate viewers about this intriguing psychological phenomenon.

Fans of...

Get ready for a mind-bending episode of “Toon in With Me” titled “Mandela Effect,” airing Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 7:00 Am on MeTV. Hosts Bill and Toony dive deep into the intriguing phenomenon of the Mandela Effect, exploring popular instances of collective false memories that have puzzled people worldwide.

In this episode, viewers are treated to a journey through some of the most curious examples of the Mandela Effect. From the mysterious phantom cornucopia in the Fruit of the Loom logo to the perplexing case of Ed McMahon’s supposed missing checks, Bill and Toony unravel these fascinating mysteries with their trademark blend of humor and curiosity.

As they investigate each case, the hosts engage with viewers, inviting them to reflect on their own memories and experiences related to these cultural phenomena. Through lively discussions and playful exploration, “Toon in With Me” offers not only entertainment but also a chance for...

Gloria Stroock, who played Rock Hudson’s secretary on McMillan & Wife and appeared in films including Fun With Dick and Jane, The Competition and The Day of the Locust, has died. She was 99.

Stroock died May 5 of natural causes in Tucson, Arizona, her daughter, Kate Stern, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Stroock was married to Emmy-winning writer-producer Leonard B. Stern (Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion, The Phil Silvers Show, The Honeymooners, Get Smart and much more) from 1956 until his death in 2011 at age 87.

Her late younger sister was Geraldine Brooks, a Tony nominee and Warner Bros. contract player (Cry Wolf, Embraceable You).

Stroock recurred as Maggie, the secretary of Hudson’s San Francisco police commissioner Stewart McMillan, on the final three seasons (1974-77) of McMillan & Wife, the NBC series created by her husband.

She portrayed the wife of Richard Dysart’s art director in John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust...

Johnny Carson has arrived on Netflix. Or rather, a deepfake version of him has.

A scene in Jerry Seinfeld’s new movie for the streamer features the comic in a scene with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon on a 1960s-era episode of The Tonight Show.

Unfrosted, which is Seinfeld’s directorial debut, follows the (highly fictionalized) creation of the Pop-Tart in the 1960s.

The scene in question features Seinfeld’s character, fictional Pop-Tarts mastermind Bob Cabana, appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1963. Since Carson passed away in 2005, creating the scene meant deepfaking Carson’s face while an actor delivered the lines in Carson’s voice. That role went to comedian Kyle Dunnigan.

In an interview with Comicbook.com, Unfrosted co-writer and producer (and former Fox late-night host) Spike Feresten revealed that Dunnigan insisted on finding new angles into a Carson impression.

Continue reading Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted Features...

Bill Lomas, who produced the Hollywood Christmas Parade for 42 years, died Friday of cancer at his home in Lakewood, California, publicist Steve Moyer announced. He was 88.

Nicknamed “The Parade King,” Lomas headed Pageantry Productions and produced thousands of parades locally and throughout the state of California beginning in 1966. He also organized Irish fairs and Celtic music festivals around the Southland as well as events in Hawaii and Arizona.

Lomas guided the Hollywood Christmas Parade through 2023; he was ill but determined to work last year’s event, Moyer said. The parade, first held in 1928, runs on the Sunday after Thanksgiving over a three-mile route and is televised.

He and his late second wife, Ronnie, “live and breathe parades,” director Larry Harman told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. “They are a unique couple. Whatever you want, they’ll get it, whether it is a camel, an elephant, anything. They’re your one-stop shopping for parades.

Plot: A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms.

Review: I’ve always had a fondness for late-night talk shows and their host. While I’m more of a Letterman and Conan guy, the shadow of Carson looms largely over anyone in that space. So the concept of Late Night With The Devil immediately appeals to me. They would always have a slew of guests, ranging in their celebrity status, all with the purpose of popping a rating. But what if one of those guests were actually able to prove the existence of the supernatural? The possibilities are endless.

Following the night that a struggling late-night show was able to prove the existence of a supernatural presence (or were they?), Late Night With The Devil is like a slow descent into Hell. I always love a horror film that brings you on...

Millennials rejoice! 26 years later, Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell are once again serving up fast-food morsels in the achingly-awaited "Good Burger 2." Folks who grew up on Nickelodeon's kid-friendly sketch comedy series "All That" have been clamoring for a return to the chaotically unclean confines of Good Burger, and now that it's here, I'll let those whose satiric sensibilities were partially formed by the original pass judgment on the quality of the sequel.

I do, however, know Sinbad. A comedic force of nature, I first saw the man rack up multiple wins on the Ed McMahon-hosted talent competition "Star Search" in the 1980s. I remember watching him besting a young Dennis Miller; this bothered me at the time, but considering Miller's career trajectory, I am firmly in Sinbad's camp. After all, who else possessed the bravery to ask which part of the chicken produced the Chicken McNugget?

In any event,...

It seemed like he'd be with us forever, but the iconic game show presented and primetime TV mainstay Bob Barker has died at the age of 99. Barker was best known as the long-running host of "The Price is Right" revival, which premiered on CBS in 1972. Barker told contestants to "Come on down!" and ushered them through the fabulous Showcase Showdown innumerable times during his tenure as host through 2007. But even before those three-plus decades of television excellence, Barker had already hosted the popular game show "Truth or Consequences" for 21 years, between 1956 and 1975. 

Barker is perhaps the most prolific game show presenter in American broadcast history, but his eminence extended beyond daytime TV. His trademark combination of unflappable reliability, chivalrous old-school charm, and slight underbelly of mischievous caddishness lent itself to a remarkable ability to send up his own persona in cameo roles in films and scripted television series. Barker appeared...

And now the topper to one of this movie year’s biggest trends. Sure, we’ve had comic book superheroes, action tentpoles, and even a couple of flicks based on TV shows. But who knew that 2023’s box office would be “turbo-charged” by “toy stories”. No, I’m not speaking of Woody and Buzz. No, we started the year with a horror hit based on a phony toy that’s not named Chuckie, M3GAN. Then came the true story “spy-like” thriller about the creation of the video game Tetris. the stakes were raised considerably by another pixel powerhouse, The Super Mario Brothers Movie, followed by a new Transformers entry (also in that “action tentpole” category). And now, at last, “the queen” has arrived. Yes, the perennial princess of the toy department shelves comes to the big screen (after a slew of “straight-to-video” releases and a few TV shows), and...

Clarence Thomas’ connections to wealth and expensive vacations run deeper than billionaire businessman and Nazi-enthusiast Harlan Crow. The New York Times reports that Thomas has milked relationships with the rich he made through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, a scholarship association, to benefit himself and his wife.

Because of their Horatio Alger connections, Thomas and his spouse, Virginia, have been invited to join luxurious vacations and parties in addition being granted V.I.P. access to sports events. Thanks to the association, Thomas also rubbed elbows with the likes of...

I watched Ash vs. Evil Dead with my parents when it aired, not because they had any interest in it — they had never seen an Evil Dead movie — but because they had Starz and I’m cheap. Although they’ve always been supportive of my interest in the genre, neither of them watch horror movies. My mother is particularly averse to being scared, despite having read every Stephen King book.

Through the violence and bloodshed, however, she found herself enjoying the show and, like so many, fell in love with Bruce Campbell as antihero Ash Williams. I was pleasantly surprised that my sainted mom, at age 66, agreed to join me at Bruce-o-Rama when it came through Beverly, Ma at the Cabot Theatre on April 16.

The tour finds Campbell visiting 22 cities across the country for an evening of hybrid entertainment that includes hosting the pop culture game show Last Fan Standing...

Perry Cross, who served as Johnny Carson’s first producer on The Tonight Show before he exited to run an ABC program hosted by Jerry Lewis that came and went after 13 episodes, has died. He was 95.

Cross died March 9 of kidney cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles, his son, Larry Cross, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Cross started out producing Ernie Kovacs’ CBS weekday morning show in 1952 and also worked on The Red Skelton Hour, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Soupy Sales Show, Life With Linkletter, The Garry Moore Show and several Jonathan Winters live specials during his career.

Cross had been producing The Tonight Show in the immediate aftermath of host Jack Paar’s departure on March 30, 1962, guiding the NBC program in Hollywood and New York that featured guest hosts for six months until Carson took over.

NBC wanted Cross to be Carson’s producer,...

Norman Steinberg, the Emmy-winning screenwriter who teamed with Mel Brooks on Blazing Saddles and My Favorite Year and wrote for the Michael Keaton-starring Mr. Mom and Johnny Dangerously, has died. He was 83.

Steinberg died March 15 at his Hudson Valley home in upstate New York, his family announced.

Steinberg also wrote Yes, Giorgio (1982), starring Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti in his feature acting debut, and co-wrote Funny About Love (1990), directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring Gene Wilder and Christine Lahti.

The Brooklyn native and former lawyer won his Emmy very early in his career, for his work on a Flip Wilson variety show.

His TV résumé also included developing Marlo Thomas’ 1974 landmark kids special, Free to Be … You & Me (he brought Brooks in on that); serving as a writer and executive producer on the first two seasons of CBS’ Cosby; and creating the short-lived CBS sitcoms Doctor, Doctor and Teech.

Celebrated cartoonist and screenwriter Daniel Clowes discusses his favorite formative films with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Baxter (1989)

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1966) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Ghost World (2001) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Art School Confidential (2006)

Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! (1966) – John Landis’s trailer commentary,

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

Gone With The Wind (1939)

Mudhoney (1965) – John Badham’s trailer commentary

Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers! (1968)

Common Law Cabin (1967)

Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls (1970) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Seven Minutes (1971)

Black Snake (1973)

An American Werewolf In London (1981) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray reviews

Lady In A Cage (1964) – Darren Bousman’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

The Wild One (1953)

Hush…...

On Sunday, actor Ty Burrell will fulfill a goal that has long been on his bucket list: taking part in a Super Bowl commercial.

He put a lot of work into it. In a 30-second spot slated to air in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, Burrell will be spotted making frivolous purchases like a jetpack, a giant yacht called the “TyTanic” and a life-size robot. He even agrees to buy a live Pegasus — all to the detriment of the character he portrays. “It’s a miracle if that scene makes it to air,” says Burrell, in an interview. “This horse was just hungry. It was a very sweet horse, and it was on actual grass, and it was sort of looking at us like, ‘You’re expecting me to look at you when there’s delicious grass? You’re crazy.’’’ Burrell even pretended to speak to the animal...

Sam Riddle, the famous Los Angeles DJ of the 1960s and producer of long-running talent show “Star Search,” died at his home in Palm Desert, Calif, on Monday, a representative confirmed to Variety. He was 83. Riddle had been suffering from Lewy Body Dementia.

Starting his career as a radio jock, Riddle was recognized as one of the founding figures behind the “Boss Radio” format. Moving to TV, he then hosted Los Angeles variety shows, including “9th Street West” and “Hollywood A-Go-Go.” He eventually became a producer, working on shows such as ABC’s “Almost Anything Goes” and “Star Search Starring Ed McMahon,” where he gave career breaks to stars such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Dave Chappelle, Christina Aguilera and many more. Additionally, he’s known for recognizing the Spanish-language market and oversaw the early creation and production of numerous specials and series for Telemundo and Univision, including “Ritmo...

Sam Riddle, an original “Boss Radio” DJ on Khj Los Angeles who also produced and narrated Star Search and many other TV shows, died Monday at his home in Palm Desert, CA. He was 85. Riddle’s family said had been battling Lewy body dementia.

Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery

Riddle was one of Khj’s original Boss Jocks during the mid-1960s and went on to host local TV shows including Hollywood A Go Go, 9th Street West, Boss City and Sounds of Now. He also co-hosted Get It Together with Mama Cass and Sam Riddle at the turn of the 1970s. The 2021 HBO documentary Tina includes Riddle announcing the first big TV appearance of Ike and Tina Turner.

Born on December 12, 1937 in Fort Worth, Texas, Riddle served in the Air Force reserves during the Vietnam War. He got his radio start with DJ gigs in Texas,...

Sam Riddle, the popular Los Angeles “Boss Radio” deejay of the 1960s who went on to produce the Ed McMahon-hosted TV talent show Star Search, has died. He was 83.

Riddle died Monday at his home in Palm Desert after a battle with Lewy body dementia, a publicist announced.

In an era when radio disc jockeys exerted huge influence on sales and pop culture, the Texas native started out in L.A. radio on Krla and jumped to Kfwb before landing at Khj-93, where he became one of the founding jocks behind the “Boss Radio” format.

By virtue of ...

Sam Riddle, the popular Los Angeles “Boss Radio” deejay of the 1960s who went on to produce the Ed McMahon-hosted TV talent show Star Search, has died. He was 83.

Riddle died Monday at his home in Palm Desert after a battle with Lewy body dementia, a publicist announced.

In an era when radio disc jockeys exerted huge influence on sales and pop culture, the Texas native started out in L.A. radio on Krla and jumped to Kfwb before landing at Khj-93, where he became one of the founding jocks behind the “Boss Radio” format.

By virtue of ...

If bon mots were bonbons, Fran Lebowitz would be Willie Wonka.

She has been dispensing witty observations for decades now, in her book The Fran Lebowitz Reader, as a frequent and reliably funny guest on late-night TV, and most recently in the Netflix documentary series Pretend It’s a City.

Her friend Martin Scorsese directed the Emmy-contending series, the second documentary he’s made that focused on Lebowitz, after the 2010 film Public Speaking. Pretend It’s a City consists of conversations between the two, as well as public speaking engagements Lebowitz made before Covid hit, moderated by the likes of Spike Lee, Alec Baldwin, and Olivia Wilde.

The seven-part series includes an ample supply of pithy comments, most of them springing from Lebowitz’s curmudgeonly point of view—a longtime New York resident (though originally from New Jersey) who feels constantly irked by the foibles of people with whom she shares the city.

Chloe Decker and the demon Mazikeen have kissed at least twice before (either as part of a ruse or amid misread feelings), but never quite the way they do in the newly released Lucifer blooper reel.

As part of Netflix’s #GeekedWeek event, this Wednesday treated Lucifer fans to not just the gag reel above, but also an afternoon table read by the series’ cast, on the heels of Season 5B’s release — and with an eye on the sixth and final season arriving… some day.

More from TVLineLucifer EPs on Sending [Spoiler] to Hell, Season 6 TeasesLucifer's Lesley-Ann Brandt Reflects on...

When the documentary The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears premiered on FX in February, it caused a sensation. More than 1 million reactions were tweeted within a few days of its debut. And Justin Timberlake, whose treatment of Spears after the pop stars’ breakup years ago was questioned in the film, felt compelled to issue a statement apologizing to his former girlfriend.

“We were all truly surprised at what a reception there was,” director and executive producer Samantha Stark said during Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted panel discussion of the documentary. “Britney Spears, for a long time, was not taken seriously, was made fun of a lot, you can see throughout her life, with the media coverage. I was worried people would continue to do that, to make fun of that…but it was really, really incredible to see people really ‘get’ what we were trying to show.

Britney Spears was a symbol for her entire public life. And, even in her seclusion, we can’t stop seeing her as something more, and less, than simply a person.

The new Samantha Stark-directed documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” produced by the New York Times and airing on Feb. 5 on Hulu, looks at both sides of the pop superstar’s troubled experience of fame. From childhood, Spears put her talents towards what the recording industry made available to her: a sort of flat, inoffensive notoriety, a life as an image onto which spectators could imagine anything, virtuous or otherwise. After a break — Spears’ well-documented struggles with mental health in the late 2000s, placing on hiatus her career as well as testing her personal relationships — the performer returned in a show of force, making music as well as money under the oversight of her father, who held a new judge-mandated power over her decisions,...

In 1968, America was embroiled in protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War. In that tumultuous time, “The Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson turned over hosting duties for an entire week to actor and activist Harry Belafonte. His cast of guests included Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy, just months before they were assassinated, during a week that’s been mostly lost in American history. Thankfully it’s now being revisited in a new Peacock documentary, executive produced by MSNBC host Joy Reid and directed by award-winning filmmaker Yoruba Richen, aptly titled “The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show.”

At the time, Carson’s pioneering late night variety show had become one of the country’s most influential platforms. So the move to have Belafonte take this mainstream institution and transform it into a multicultural and political experience, introducing white America to his world of art and activism,...

Every Labor Day weekend for more than 40 years, Jerry Lewis hosted the Mda Telethon from Las Vegas, joined by friends like Ed McMahon and Don Rickles. The show featured comedy, music and Lewis’ wacky stage riffing; over the years, it raised more than $2 billion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Lewis stopped hosting the show in 2010 and died in 2017, but Wednesday, the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced the telethon will return with comedian Kevin Hart.

The Mda Kevin Hart Kids telethon will air for two hours on Saturday, October 24th at 8 p.

Hey everyone! I’m the idiot who volunteered to write about The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1977 novel that over the past 40 years has already been run through the discourse grinder nine ways to Sunday. Even those few who haven’t seen it likely know the story: recovering (kinda) alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) to the remote Overlook hotel to serve as caretaker during the off-season and give Jack a chance to work on his book. Those plans are quickly derailed, however, as Danny’s burgeoning psychic ability (the “shine”) helps him see that the hotel is alive and less than friendly. Naturally, it possesses Jack, who attacks his family with an axe while spouting manic Ed McMahon impressions.

Personally, I quite enjoy the film as a dread-drenched blend of haunted house and possession story, and...

Hugh Downs, who began appearing on television at the dawn of the medium and gained fame as co-host of 20/20, host of Today and as Jack Paar’s sidekick on the Tonight Show, has died.

The Washington Post and New York Times cited a statement from Downs’ family in reporting his death on July 1 at his home in Scottsdale, Az. The cause was reported to be a heart ailment, and not related to Covid-19.

Downs appeared on air for more than 10,000 hours, which was a record until Regis Philbin eclipsed it in the 2000s. He officially signed off in 1999 after more than a half-century on the air.

Viewers in the 1980s and 1990s got to know Downs during his long co-hosting stint with Barbara Walters on ABC’s 20/20. In her 2008 memoir, Audition, the Post recalled, Walters noted their different approaches but also her fondness for Downs.

“Hugh and I had different personalities and different styles,...

Fred Willard was an actor, a comedian, an improv genius and a gentle soul. The performer, who died May 15 of natural causes at the age of 86, was beloved in the creative community because he offered the rarest commodity in showbiz.

“He was a guarantee,” says Phil Rosenthal, creator and showrunner of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which featured Willard in a recurring role in its later seasons.

“With Fred Willard, when his face popped up in a show or a movie, you suddenly got a little jolt of ‘This is going to be funny,’” Rosenthal says. “There are way more famous comedians who can carry movies, but you can’t always guarantee that they’re going to be funny. Fred was a guarantee.”

Willard was known for playing dimwitted characters and straitlaced, average guys who would say and do unexpectedly outrageous things.

A graduate of Virginia Military Institute and an Army veteran,...

Amazon’s Making the Cut crowned its first winner on Friday in a two-part finale that brought the remaining designers back to where their season-long journey began.

Jonny Cota, Esther Perbandt and Sander Bos returned to New York City to showcase their final collections in fully realized pop-up shops. While Bos’ candy coated display was a success in its own right, it fell short of expectations, resulting in a third-place finish for the 24-year-old Belgium native.

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The Mandela Effect is a term often used to describe the phenomenon of shared false memories. Some consider it a conspiracy theory, others believe it to be nothing more than an Internet meme. While there are a strong few who know, without a doubt, that our current plain of existence is constantly shifting, as we experience the merging of various alternate realities. Is it all psychological? Or is this really happening to us, with ripples tearing through the fabric of reality, causing changes, burps and hiccups both big and small?

Fiona Broome coined the term in 2009, and it references the phenomenon where many people remember Nelson Mandela's death before it actually ever happened, with many claiming he died in prison. Not years later as a free man. These types of shared false memories have stretched into many other aspects, raging from movies, to geology to human history. Things aren't quite as they seem.

What is The Mandela Effect? Some believe it is a real-world phenomenon that many can't explain, while others simply call it misremembered facts. But how can so many people remember the same exact thing worng, or that never happened? That's the idea behind the new thriller The Mandela Effect, which explores this so-called conspiracy against the backdrop of a family man who has recently lost his child.

As we can see in this latest trailer for The Mandela Effect, one man's daughter seems trapped between parallel universes. In this reality she has died, but in a different plain of existence, she has survived. Or has she? It's possible that her dad is just going mad, his insanity fueled by the loss of his loved one. Grief can push some people over the edge.

In the first trailer for The Mandela Effect, we witnessed the start of madness. Now, we see...

Washington, D.C. — Comedian Dave Chappelle was presented with the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for

American Humor Sunday night following a barrage of heartfelt tributes praising his courage, his spontaneity and his genius at drawing laughter from sobering racial commentary.

The Twain event, now in its 22nd year, was a non-stop love fest as a parade of admiring entertainers saluted Chappelle before a packed house at the center’s Concert Hall. It began with a tribute from Lorne Michaels about Chappelle’s hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live” immediately following the 2016 presidential election, and ended with comedian Jon Stewart’s reflections about his former Comedy Central colleague and recent traveling companion on the road.

Slotted in between were Sarah Silverman, Common, Bradley Cooper, Morgan Freeman, Tiffany Haddish, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, rapper Q-Tip and others. It was accompanied by a decidedly mellow band led by music director Adam Blackstone,...

The late Rip Torn, who died July 9 at 88, had a career that included decade-spanning stage work, an Oscar-nominated performance in the film “Cross Creek,” and later turns in movies as wide-ranging as “Men in Black” and “Marie Antoinette.” But to legions of viewers, he’s best remembered as Artie, perhaps the one moral major character on HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show.” The Emmy-winning performance was perhaps the best representation of Torn’s unusual blend of toughness and tender sentimentality, a turn that was as often profane as it was unexpectedly moving.

“The Larry Sanders Show” was a depiction of a world that was slipping away from its characters — Larry, played by the late Garry Shandling, is a would-be Johnny Carson figure, a network late-night host whose only real comic edge comes out when his talk show wraps for the night, as he berates himself. The chat show is buffeted...

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will take viewers behind the scenes Monday night, February 25, in a special episode inspired by the The Larry Sanders Show.

Tina Fey will be among Fallon’s guests that night; she’s there to promote her new comedy Wine Country. But, for reasons not known to Fallon, she’s very mad at him. Which she makes very clear as viewers are watching the Wine Country clip.

The Larry Sanders Show, Garry Shandling’s much heralded skewering of late-night TV shows, aired on HBO from 1992-98. Shandling died in 2016.

Coming full circle, NBC’s iconic late-night show is paying homage to a beloved comedy series that poked fun of NBC’s late-night show.

Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, animal expert Robert Irwin and musical guest Florida Georgia Line also are contributing to the tribute episode’s backstage drama.

It’s not the first time Fallon...

Holmes & Watson continues to cause a stir online with a few people thinking that the Mandela Effect is happening in real time. Some social media users have reported seeing two different opening scenes for the controversial comedy, and now confusion is starting to spread. The movie has received mixed reactions at best and there have been reports of moviegoers walking out of the theater before the movie ends. Additionally, the movie currently holds an 8% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A user on Reddit went to see Holmes & Watson and noticed that the opening scene was very differed from what he read in reviews online. The opening that nearly everybody else has seen revolves around Holmes, played by Will Ferrell, being bullied as a child and comforted by Watson, played by John C. Reilly, which is when they become friends. However, the alternate universe version that this particular Reddit user saw started with something completely different.

Every Friday, we’re recommending an older movie available to stream or download and worth seeing again through the lens of our current moment. We’re calling the series “Revisiting Hours” — consider this Rolling Stone’s unofficial film club. This week’s edition: Alex Pappademas on Paul Schrader’s 1978 working-class raunchcom/working-man’s crime drama Blue Collar.

Two Detroit auto-plant workers are meeting up for a substance-fueled orgy at the home of a third. Zeke (Richard Pryor) and Jerry (Harvey Keitel) are both married; their host is Smokey (Yaphet Kotto), who isn’t.

As Scream Factory continues to diversify their slate of releases — most recently striking a licensing deal with Warner Bros. at long last, resulting in more John Carpenter titles joining the lineup — one of the exciting parts of the company continues to be their commitment to giving smaller, lesser-known catalogue titles the HD treatment. They’re not always great, but they’re always worth checking out.

First up is Nightmare at Noon from Greek madman Nico Mastorakis, the director responsible for Island of Death, The Zero Boys, and Hired to Kill. Part crazy action movie, part zombie outbreak movie, Nightmare at Noon finds a small town’s water supply being tainted by a mad scientist, which turns all those who drink it into crazed, mutated monsters. If that premise doesn’t grab you — and as a genre fan, it probably should — the cast is pure B-movie heaven: Wings Hauser, Bo Hopkins,...

Prolific filmmaker Larry Cohen was recently the subject of Steve Mitchell's documentary King Cohen, so it's fitting that Scream Factory's Blu-ray release of Full Moon High (coming out on April 10th) will feature a new audio commentary with Cohen that is moderated by Mitchell:

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – The ‘80s cult classic Full Moon High comes howling to Blu-ray on April 10, 2018, from Scream Factory. Bonus features include a New audio commentary with writer/producer/director Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent, God Told Me To), moderated by King Cohen filmmaker Steve Mitchell, as well as the theatrical trailer.

The problem of a typical high-school teenager takes on monstrous proportions in this comical send up of horror movies from legendary cult filmmaker Larry Cohen.

The most important thing to quarterback Tony Walker (Adam Arkin, Halloween H20) is to win the big game against archrival Simpson High.

New Yorkers of two centuries ago surely complained loudly about rampant street crime, but in the 1960s the media really ramped up the reportage paranoia. Had a new age of senseless violence begun? A New York play about terror on the subway is the source for this nail-biter with a powerful cast, featuring an ensemble of sharp new faces and undervalued veterans.

The Incident

Blu-ray

Twilight Time

1967 / B&W / 1:85 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date February 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95

Starring: Tony Musante, Martin Sheen, Beau Bridges, Jack Gilford, Thelma Ritter, Brock Peters, Ruby Dee, Ed McMahon, Diana Van der Vlis, Mike Kellin, Jan Sterling, Gary Merrill, Robert Fields, Robert Bannard, Victor Arnold, Donna Mills.

Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld

Film Editor: Armond Lebowitz

Production design: Manny Gerard

Original Music: Terry Knight, Charles Fox

Written by Nicholas E. Baehr

Produced by Edward Meadow, Monroe Sachson

Directed by Larry Peerce

Various pundits...

New year, same wonderful deep cuts from Scream Factory! This April, Scream Factory will unearth Crucible of Horror (1971), Daughters of Satan (1972), Superbeast (1972), and Full Moon High (1981) on Blu-ray, and we have a look at the initial release details and cover art:

From Scream Factory: “This April we have a horrifying handful of obscure hidden gems to bring to the Blu-ray format for the first time ever! Our colorful assortment includes:

Crucible Of Horror (1971) - This horrifying film tells the story of Edith (Yvonne Mitchell, Nineteen Eighty-Four), a terrorized wife, who, along with her daughter, plots to kill her husband, Walter (Michael Gough, Batman, Sleepy Hollow), to end his abusive treatment of them. They poison him and make his death look like a suicide. But they didn't count on one thing: Walter isn't ready to die...

Street Date: April 10th but get it shipped two weeks early directly from us @ https://www.