The first novel in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series came out in 1993, followed by 34 more books in the years since, about a Washington, D.C., police detective with a Ph.D. in forensic psychology. In the movies, he’s been played by Morgan Freeman and Tyler Perry, and both performances leaned into the character’s intellectual side. Amazon...Read more

David and Benji Kaplan, the 40-ish cousins who make up the central duo of “A Real Pain,” are the sort of odd-couple opposites in which movies specialize. David (Jesse Eisenberg), tense and fast-talking, is the settled one; he has a wife, a toddler, a nice Brooklyn apartment and a steady tech job, yet he struggles with anxiety. Benji (a ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — About two-and-a-half years ago in Costa Rica, YouTube star-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul had a vision.

Paul says that during an ayahuasca ceremony, he saw himself fighting former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, with millions of kids watching the match on their TVs and devices.

On Friday, that dream will become a ...Read more

Two thrillers with literary antecedents — "Cross" on Prime Video and "The Day of the Jackal" on Peacock — premiered Thursday. Each series is a cat-and-mouse story, with the hero and the villain identified from the beginning, though exactly who is the cat and who the mouse is an evolving, revolving situation.

Based on a character created by ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — I recently mentioned some film legends to my mass media class at the University of St. Thomas. Just a handful of the 16 students were familiar with Katharine Hepburn, but none could name any of her pictures. Only one of them had even heard of Marlon Brando or Humphrey Bogart.

That was a shame — but not shocking. Generation Z ...Read more

CHICAGO — Every year since before Tiny Tim was born, I’ve compiled this guide to Chicago’s seasonal attractions, loosely confining myself to 10 shows with a holiday theme. But if we are including a “Die Hard” parody this year, and we are, mostly on the dubious grounds of one song, that’s a pretty squishy rule and I reserve the right ...Read more

If you think Mariah Carey is all in on Christmas, Christian singer Michael W. Smith has Carey beat in terms of pure output.

The veteran performer has released five Christmas albums since 1989, including “Every Christmas” in 2023. He has regularly toured at this time of year for decades, usually with his longtime friend Amy Grant.

This year...Read more

NEW YORK — Oliver, played by Darren Criss, is a lonely, nerdy apartment dweller with a love of Chet Baker, a plant as his sole companion and a persistent air of melancholy. Claire, played by Helen J. Shen, is the smart, cute neighbor across the hall who takes pride in her appearance but has abandonment issues and worries constantly about her ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When a 1 ½-pound dog hops on your lap, there is only one possible response — joy.

The dog, a micro-Chihuahua named Pilaf, knows this, and Pilaf's owner, Demi Moore, knows this as well, though that doesn't mean she doesn't apologize and ask if you're OK with Pilaf taking liberties. I've had leaves fall on me that felt heavier ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Music legend Quincy Jones died earlier this month reportedly from pancreatic cancer.

The 28-time Grammy Award winner's cause of death was listed as the aggressive form of cancer, according to a death certificate issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and obtained by TMZ. No other factors contributed to his ...Read more

Rapper Nelly won’t face drug charges stemming from his August arrest at a St. Louis-area casino, a prosecutor said.

“We don’t believe the facts in this case warrant the issuing of charges,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement Tuesday. Bell, a Democrat, recently won election to Congress after defeating ...Read more

John Krasinski's coronation as People's Sexiest Man Alive on Tuesday included a celebratory cover story, a glamorous photo shoot — and the promise of more domestic duties.

The 45-year-old "Office" heartthrob and "Jack Ryan" actor joked that his wife and "A Quiet Place" co-star Emily Blunt has plans to keep him humble as he joins the ranks of ...Read more

Two years after its launch, Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service Freevee is shutting down, the company confirmed this week.

Shows that play on the app will be available for free on Amazon’s Prime Video service even if a viewer does not pay for a subscription.

Freevee, which got its start as Amazon’s IMDb TV but adopted its ...Read more

“Red One” has some clever ideas.

In theaters this week, the blend of action, comedy, adventure and fantasy is set in a world where Santa Claus is real. And, as is customary in Christmas stories, he does, in fact, deliver gifts to billions of homes around the world on the eve of the big holiday.

In “Red One,” however, he does so as the ...Read more

"Full House" star Dave Coulier, who played the Tanner family's zany Uncle Joey, has cancer.

The 65-year-old publicly disclosed his diagnosis Wednesday, telling People and appearing on NBC's "Today" to confirm that he was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma five weeks prior.

Representatives for Coulier did not immediately respond ...Read more

Ben Foster and Laura Prepon just put a big X on their marriage: The "X-Men: The Last Stand" actor and the "Orange Is the New Black" star are divorcing after a yearlong separation.

Foster filed for the split last month in Tennessee, where the couple and their two children have lived for two years, formally moving to end their six-year marriage. ...Read more

“Red One” is a holiday fantasy built on the retribution, punishment and crushed hopes we deserve right now. It imagines a nightmarish mass-incarceration scenario put in motion by a Christmas witch seeking revenge on billions worldwide who’ve landed on Santa’s previously unenforced “naughty list.” Job one: abduct St. Nick, code name ...Read more

Jessica Simpson’s camp has reportedly reached out to divorce attorneys regarding her marriage to Eric Johnson in recent months.

Though the fashion designer, 44, has not yet approached a lawyer herself, someone close to Simpson contacted a divorce lawyer in Los Angeles late last month, sources with direct knowledge told TMZ on Tuesday.

...Read more

“Full House” star Dave Coulier revealed on Wednesday that he is battling Stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In an interview with Today.com, 65-year-old Coulier opened up about his diagnosis and how it has affected his outlook on life. He specifically recalled a conversation he had with his wife, Melissa Coulier, whom he married back in 2014...Read more

Britney Spears and her estranged younger son, Jayden, have reportedly reconciled ahead of the pop star’s final child support payment later this week.

The 42-year-old “Stronger” singer is “happy” after recently reuniting with the 18-year-old, who’s been spending time with Spears at her Los Angeles home following his move to Hawaii ...Read more