Entertainment

(NYT28) UNDATED -- Feb. 26, 2002 -- In June, Paula Poundstone found herself at the center of the kind of celebrity scandal that stand-up comics usually thrive on when they happen to other people. She was arrested and charged with several counts of child abuse involving her own adopted and foster children. Now she is taking tentative steps back into the spotlight. An undated photo of Poundstone. (Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle) less (NYT28) UNDATED -- Feb. 26, 2002 -- In June, Paula Poundstone found herself at the center of the kind of celebrity scandal that stand-up comics usually thrive on when they happen to other people. She was ... more Photo: MICHAEL MACOR Photo: MICHAEL MACOR Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Image 1 of 8 (NYT28) UNDATED -- Feb. 26, 2002 -- In June, Paula … [Read more...] about The funny business / Punch Line celebrates 25 years of ground-breaking comedy, big-name stars and really bad bathrooms

Ariel Dumas, a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, has been promoted to head writer for the CBS show just over a year after saying she was “glad we ruined Brett Kavanaugh’s life.”“Whatever happens, I’m just glad we ruined Brett Kavanaugh’s life,” Dumas said in a now deleted tweet, amid a contentious Supreme Court confirmation process that saw Kavanuagh face unsubstantiated accusations of sexual misconduct, most notably, from Christine Blasey Ford. “The last couple of weeks have been hard for the country and for me personally,” Ariel Dumas said a day after her initial screed. “The complexity of frustration, anger and sadness can’t be accurately conveyed on twitter, and I regret my tone-deaf attempt at sarcasm in the wake of it.” The last couple of weeks have been hard for the country and for me personally. The complexity of frustration, anger and sadness can’t be accurately … [Read more...] about Colbert Writer Who Said ‘I’m Just Glad We Ruined Brett Kavanaugh’s Life’ Promoted to ‘Late Show’ Head Writer

Must-see TV? Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images When some outlets proclaimed the start of impeachment hearings into President Trump insufficiently dazzling, a predictable backlash ensued. But did they have a point? I spoke with senior writer Eric Levitz and senior editor Margaret Hartmann about the standards we use to judge newsworthiness. Ben: The Twitterati were up in arms on Wednesday and Thursday over the framing of some news stories about the first day of public impeachment hearings. An NBC News article and a Reuters piece titled “Consequential, But Dull: Trump Impeachment Hearings Begin Without a Bang” drew scorn for seeming to treat politics as entertainment, and to automatically discard dry recitations of the facts as uninteresting (which has also become a GOP talking point this week). These complaints recalled those around Robert Mueller’s testimony — some were annoyed that his shaky performance seemed to matter as much if not more than what he was … [Read more...] about Do the Impeachment Hearings Need to Be Entertaining?

This is a preview of our pop culture newsletter The Daily Beast’s Obsessed, written by senior entertainment reporter Kevin Fallon. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up for it here. The Season of Bad Christmas Movies Must Be Stopped Earlier this week I attended a holiday party. There were old timey carolers doing the “Ding Dong Ding Dong” song that someone else in attendance informed me is actually called “Carol of the Bells.” (The more you know.) In lieu of a bracelet when you checked in, you got a Santa hat. Hot cider was served as cocktail waiters mouthed along to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” It was horrifying. I assure you that every passing appetizer I ate and every glass of wine I drank was IN PROTEST. It is too soon. For everyone keeping track of what holidays Kevin is and is not cranky about, he loves Christmas as much as he hates Halloween. But that does not mean I condone the travesty that … [Read more...] about It Is Too Early for Christmas, Dammit!

It’s Mariah Carey’s time. Both immediately and seasonally. The pop music icon is launching her new docuseries, Mariah’s World, on E! Sunday night, a cleverly timed debut at the height of what’s become Mariah’s season: Christmastime. Thanks to her catchy, near-perfect pop song “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Carey has become as omnipresent over the holidays as rotund toy deliverymen with cookie addictions. She begins an annual residency at New York’s Beacon Theater Monday night, where she’ll dutifully sing the hit each night as well as a bevy of other holiday classics. On Friday night, we watched as she entered a Brooklyn stage reclining on a sleigh, crooning “All I Want For Christmas” as men dressed as toy soldiers danced their way into a Rockettes kick line behind her. There was no better, or really other way to open the VH1 Divas holiday concert, which also featured Vanessa Williams and Patti LaBelle and will air on … [Read more...] about Mariah Carey’s Fabulous Reality Show Is Here to Save 2016