NEW YORK – Scholastic Inc. will end a widely criticized policy that made it easier for school book fairs not to sell works with racial, disability and LGBTQ+ themes. The children’s publisher angered many authors and educators this fall when it created a separate package of dozens of books, labeled “Share Every Story, Celebrate Every … Read more
NEW YORK – Tens of thousands of books are being banned or restricted by U.S. prisons, according to a new report from PEN America. The list includes everything from self-help books to an Elmore Leonard novel. “The common concept underpinning the censorship we’re seeing is that certain ideas and information are a threat,” says the … Read more
The North East School of the Arts is putting on The Addams Family Musical on Oct. 27-29 and Nov. 3-5. SAN ANTONIO — The creepiest and kookiest family is set to hit the stage at a performing arts high school in San Antonio just in time for spooky season. The North East School of the … Read more
LOS ANGELES – Richard Roundtree, the trailblazing actor who starred as the ultra-smooth private detective in several “Shaft” films beginning in the early 1970s, has died. He was 81. Roundtree’s longtime manager, Patrick McMinn, said the actor had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday. He was … Read more
BOULDER, Colo. – Deion Sanders certainly enjoyed the spoof of Deion Sanders in a recent skit on “ Saturday Night Live.” Actor Kenan Thompson’s parody of the Colorado coach was spot-on, from the attire — Colorado sweatshirt pulled over his CU hat, shades and whistle dangling from his neck — to the larger-than-life attitude. Still, … Read more
LOS ANGELES – You’d be hard pressed to find a rap duo doing it like City Girls. They’ve been bringing life-affirming, pretty-girl scam rap to the masses since they were featured on Drake ’s “In My Feelings” and launched into superstardom with their 2018 debut “Girl Code” and its hit single “Act Up.” A lot … Read more
NEW YORK – Cruel joke for trick-or-treaters or coveted seasonal delight? The great Halloween debate over candy corn is on. In the pantheon of high-emotion candy, the classic shiny tricolor kernels in autumn’s white, orange and yellow are way up there. Fans and foes alike point to the same attributes: its plastic or candle-like texture … Read more