Ellen DeGeneres explains why sitting by ex-President George Bush at a game is OK
A slice of social media lost its collective mind over the weekend after a photo of Ellen DeGeneres at Sunday’s NFL game between the Packers and the Cowboys surfaced online. The problem? The self-proclaimed “gay Hollywood liberal” was sitting next to former President George W. Bush. Some Twitter users vehemently criticized her for sharing the…
Nick Jonas is in, Gwen Stefani is out. This will be 'The Voice' in 2020
Nick Jonas has landed a new gig as a coach in the forthcoming season of “The Voice,” with No Doubt’s lead singer Gwen Stefani stepping down. Jonas, one-third of the Jonas Brothers, announced Monday that he’d be joining the singing competition for its spring 2020 season. He was on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” promoting his…
'Samurai Jack' creator knows how to hold your attention: Get rid of the dialogue
Genndy Tartakovsky didn’t plan on challenging how people watch TV when he developed his new cartoon. But “Primal” demands your complete attention. The Adult Swim show, which premiered Monday, follows the adventures of — and the evolving relationship between — a caveman, Spear, and a dinosaur, Fang, who have experienced parallel tragedies. One episode of…
Kill Your 'Idol': Netflix's 'Rhythm + Flow' rewrites the rules for music competitions
Like many viewers during the height of “American Idol” fever over a decade ago, Cardi B was glued to the TV, imagining what kind of judge she would be if tasked with critiquing aspiring performers. “Everybody always wanted to be a judge on one of those judgey shows. You see Simon Cowell and you think,…
Missing the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway? It just reopened
The popular Palm Springs Aerial Tramway that takes visitors from the desert floor up to a high point on Mt. San Jacinto reopened Monday morning. It had been shut for maintenance since Sept. 9. The tram runs every day year-round but closes annually to test its mechanical and electrical systems, according to a press release.…
Hiking trail reopens, a year and a half after Kilauea's eruptions and 60,000 quakes
The popular Kilauea Iki Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park recently fully reopened, a year and a half after Kilauea erupted and more than 60,000 quakes rattled the volcano’s summit. The shaking last year damaged much of the park, including the popular four-mile loop from the rim of a crater to its floor. Now visitors…
Amtrak launches 2-for-1 sale on sleeping car tickets for long-distance train travel
Ready for a long train ride on your next vacation? Buy a roomette or bedroom ticket on selected Amtrak trains, and a companion goes free. It’s cool savings for those who want to see America by riding the rails on long-distance routes. Sample destinations on sale include: ▶ Los Angeles to Seattle aboard the Coast…
Museum of Selfies coming to Las Vegas, but don't miss the city's other Insta spots
Sick of your selfie self yet? Likely not. The Museum (and I use the term loosely) of Selfies opened last year in Hollywood as a place for anyone to Insta indulge. Now a second site will open in the Miracle Mile Shops on the Las Vegas Strip on Oct. 25. In Las Vegas, some of…
Twitter says it used security phone numbers for ad targeting
Twitter Inc. said it used phone numbers and email addresses that some users uploaded for security reasons to target them with ads. The company said this was “an error” and that the information should not have been used for ad targeting. “We’re very sorry this happened,” Twitter wrote Tuesday in a blog post. It didn’t…
China’s leading AI start-ups hit by U.S. blacklisting
A U.S. move to blacklist four of China’s leading artificial intelligence start-ups has thrown a blockbuster Hong Kong listing into doubt and left billions of dollars of foreign investment caught in the cross fire. On Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department put eight companies on its “entity list,” accusing three of China’s leading facial recognition companies,…