Not long ago I vowed never to write about dogs or cats. It seems everyone feels compelled to talk about their pets or show us photos. Even movies. It's on overload: a cat named Frodo is a scene-stealer in A Quiet Place: Day One. She faithfully observes…

It's all about trust. "There is an unspoken trust between fans and the stars they admire, and politics undercuts that trust. That's why politics is off limits to celebrities who have a survival instinct." That's what one star confided to me on issues…

Robert Towne, who won an Oscar for his Chinatown original screenplay and was nominated for his Shampoo, The Last Detail and Greystoke scripts, died Monday at his home. He was 89. PR firm McClure & Associates announced the news on behalf of Towne’s family. Towne also earned BAFTA, Golden Globe…

This week used to be nail-biting time in Hollywood as the studios nervously unfurled their summer blockbusters and prayed for lines at the box office. That time is bye-bye. To be sure, a few movies are still opening. I decided to drop by one pre-opening…

Laurence Fishburne is a talented actor who has played a range of characters from Morpheus to Mr. Clean. The new FX series Clipped offers him yet another unexpected role as an NBA coach who employs force and gravitas in guiding players in combat with the…

Sumner Redstone earned renown as both dealmaker and deal breaker (he once said he'd fired Tom Cruise). His daughter, Shari, seems to have inherited only part of his skill set. Flash back 50 years: The Beverly Hills dinner party was lavish. The mood among the Hollywood power players was upbeat. Gossip…

Buoyed by a two-year deal at HBO, a weekly CNN presence and a new book, Bill Maher now has decided to describe himself as a "centrist." Is it a claim in vain? Having watched his show for years and done several shows with him, I suspect he's instinctively too "incorrect" to qualify for "moderation."…

The Megalopolis parties and debates last week generously fed Cannes' appetite for media buzz. Fest-goers were reminded that Francis Coppola's journey had been a thrill ride for those who witnessed it, invested in it or were impacted by its turmoil. The…

As the Cannes Film Festival celebrates its parties and standing ovations, audiences in Hollywood and New York prepare to wallow in despair. And they'll enjoy it (almost). The festival called Bleak Week this week will deliver 43 films to an expected audience of 10,000 at theaters including the…

"The transition will be seamless." Those words usually accompany an announcement of a corporate takeover and, of course, it never works out that way. And it likely won't for Paramount 2024. Consider history: When MGM found it had become a corporate…

Luca Guadagnino believes filmgoers will endorse his Zendaya movie Challengers because it delivers "a canon of Hollywood golden age comedy – seductive fun with queerness." The movie's “big sell” is a shot of Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor kissing one an…

Editors note: This is one of those moments when the flow of news seems like an assault on the senses. The Donald trump trial, the student protests, Gaza, the election campaigning — will our trust in the media survive these traumas? Can our pop culture assimilate them? Peter Bart, based on the West Coast, a…