Author: Matthew

Juneteenth National Independence Day, the newest federal holiday, commemorates the abolition of slavery in the United States. However, state governments differ greatly in whether they observe it as a day of observance, an official holiday, or something in between. In 2023, Juneteenth will be observed as an official public holiday in more than half of the states. This year, at least 28 states and the District of Columbia will legally recognize Juneteenth as a public holiday – meaning state government offices are closed and state workers have a paid day off – according to a Pew Research Center analysis of…

For decades, Pew Research Center has been committed to measuring public attitudes on key issues and documenting differences in those attitudes across demographic groups. One lens often employed by researchers at the Center to understand these differences is that of generation. The ability to view Americans according to their stage of life, such as a young adult, middle-aged parent, or retiree, as well as according to their cohort of people born around the same time at Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins, is made possible by the concept of generations. As we’ve examined in past work, generational cohorts…

“Bridgerton” has cast Yerin Ha as Benedict Bridgerton’s love interest for Season 4. According to sources, Ha will play Sophie Beckett in the upcoming season of the hit Shondaland-Netflix series. As previously announced, Season 4 will tell Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) love story and will be based on the events of Julia Quinn’s third “Bridgerton” novel, “An Offer From a Gentleman.” Reps for Netflix and Shondaland declined to comment. Reps for Ha did not immediately respond to request for comment at ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Casts Yerin Ha as Benedict’s Love Interest Sophie Beckett (EXCLUSIVE). Popular on Variety Per the official logline for the…

“Next time you see some haters in my comments saying, ‘All he does is crowd work, it’s so easy’ — is it?!” the comedian Matt Rife asks his audience. The 28-year-old social media star has clearly retained the defensiveness that marked so much of “Natural Selection,” his debut Netflix hour from last fall best remembered for an effectively rage-baiting, if groanworthy, bit about domestic violence. But in “Lucid,” his latest hours, Rife’s typical hobbyhorses — dick jokes, mostly, plus the aforementioned chip on his shoulder — are refracted through his audience, a few hundred fans gathered at the Comedy Zone in Charlotte, North Carolina…

2023 was a unique year for horror, with films ranging from microbudget fare to Hollywood sequels making headlines. Before revealing the top spots, here are some honorable mentions: “Saw X” — Even though it’s the 10th chapter in the long-running franchise, “Saw X” takes a decidedly back-to-basics approach by going back in time and making the menacing Jigsaw killer, John Kramer, the protagonist. After he’s duped into paying for a fake miracle surgery to cure his cancer, Kramer seeks revenge on the faux doctors in the only way he knows how. The twists are plentiful and the traps are stomach-churning, and…

Post Malone has made such a focused charm offensive on Nashville that it’s less a question of who is on his new, full-on country album “F-1 Trillion” than who isn’t: legends like Dolly Parton and Hank Williams Jr., vets like Tim McGraw and Blake Shelton, reigning chart champ Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, virtuosos like Chris Stapleton and Bill Strings, relative newcomers Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson, and many others across the album’s sprawling 18 songs — just three of them aren’t duets (except for the nine solo bonus tracks that he surprise-dropped 12 hours after the album’s release) at Post Malone’s ‘F-1 Trillion’:…

There may be as many types of excellence as there are excellent shows. Series can wow us with how broadly they changed society, from “Seinfeld” redefining American slang to “Mad Men” bearing all the hallmarks of an early-21st-century TV Golden Age to “The Oprah Winfrey Show” making daytime viewers feel part of a special club of millions. Or they can feel like closely held secrets, always ready to welcome curious viewers for the first time, like “The Leftovers” or “Enlightened.” They can bring together insights about a rapidly shifting society with humor that stands the test of time, like the…

The Christopher Nolan-directed biopic starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie and Matt Damon is available to watch at home. Oppenheimer took home the most Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards, including best picture, best director for Christopher Nolan, best actor for Cillian Murphy and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. If you’ve yet to catch up on the three-and-a-half-hour film, you can stream Oppenheimer on Peacock. It’s also available to buy or rent online for streaming at Amazon’s Prime Video (where it’s on sale for nearly 40 percent off), Apple TV and other video-on-demand platforms at Where to Stream…

A fifth bonus episode features an exclusive interview with Drake Bell following a four-part docuseries that uncovers abusive and toxic workplaces on the sets of Nickelodeon TV series helmed by Dan Schneider. Where to Stream “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” Online: Dan Schneider’s five-part documentary series on Investigation Discovery delves into the experiences of child actors, including Drake Bell of Drake & Josh and Alexa Nikolas of Zooey 101, regarding racism, sexism, and abuse they encountered while working on Nickelodeon TV shows in the 1990s and early 2000s. The fifth bonus installment, Breaking the Silence, and the…

Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking film starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken is also on sale when you buy it on digital or disc — plus, shop the best movie-inspired gifts and the official book. Still haven’t seen the blockbuster that is Barbie? After breaking out of movie land and into home theaters in September, Greta Gerwig’s record-breaking film won an Oscar for best original song for Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “What Was I Made For? ar Where to Stream Oscar-Winning Blockbuster ‘Barbie’ Online” Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, Barbie is available to stream on Max and on sale when you buy it on…