Entertainment

David Whitman began selling private fire hydrant systems in 2022. He runs his company, Brushfire Battle Systems, out of his South Pasadena home. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) Before evacuating from her Malibu home the day the Palisades fire erupted, Cassandra Riera soaked the plants in her yard, moved flammable patio furniture inside and … Read more

John Ratcliffe, the newly confirmed director of the CIA, has long been a proponent of the lab-leak theory of COVID’s origins despite the lack of evidence for it. (John McDonnell / Associated Press) Benjamin Franklin was wrong, or at least premature, when he wrote in 1789 that nothing is certain in this world “except death … Read more

In the hit sitcom “Friends,” the Central Perk coffee shop is a frequent gathering spot for the show’s main characters. (Tommy Calle / Los Angeles Times en Español ) After years of buzzy pop-ups, the “Friends” hangout, the Central Perk coffee shop, will open its first permanent real-life location in Boston this week. Its opening … Read more

William T. Orr, the Warner Bros. executive who launched the movie studio’s entry into television production in the mid-1950s and for nearly a decade presided over a string of hit shows that included “Cheyenne,” “Maverick” and “77 Sunset Strip,” has died. He was 85. Orr, a former actor who became studio head Jack L. Warner’s … Read more

David Hyde Pierce at the Shed in New York. (Justin Jun Lee / For The Times) 1 A theatrical dream team has been assembled for the premiere of “Here We Are,” the final work of Stephen Sondheim based on two Luis Buñuel films. Audience members at the Shed, the deluxe venue that’s sprung up in … Read more

Rich Homie Quan, pictured in 2016, died Thursday at his home in Atlanta. He was 33. (Brad Barket / Invision / Associated Press) Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan, known for songs “Lifestyle” and “Type of Way” and his collaborations with artists including Young Thug, YG and Gucci Mane, has died. A representative for the Fulton … Read more

Patrick Reese, general manager of CoComelon, stands near a shelf of toys at production company Moonbug’s offices in Los Angeles. (Marcus Ubungen / Los Angeles Times) Fifty-five years ago, preschoolers were captivated by the TV performance of a fuzzy blue monster, two striped shirt-wearing best friends and a big yellow bird. Today, in the now-crowded … Read more

THQ? RIP. The Agoura Hills video game publisher that only five years ago had a market value of more than $2 billion sold most of its assets at a bankruptcy auction that closed on Tuesday. Games in development and production studios owned by THQ were bought by a variety of competitors for a total of … Read more

The one-time supergroup known as USA for Africa. (Netflix) As he took in a recent screening of a new documentary on the making of “We Are the World,” Lionel Richie found himself — even now, four decades after the all-star charity single was released — gripped by a creeping sense of anxiety. “You have to … Read more

Paris Hilton, seen in 2019, has opened up about her past. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) Paris Hilton has revealed she was drugged and raped as a teenager in a new interview published Thursday. Talking to Glamour UK, the reality-TV star, hotel heiress and pop-culture icon detailed the assault along with other incidents of … Read more