Aurelia Butler

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    Bob Bryar, Former Drummer for My Chemical Romance, Dies at 44

    He joined that pop-punk band in 2004 and played on its most successful album, “The Black Parade.”Bob Bryar, the former drummer for the rock band My Chemical Romance, which drew a large following with catchy hooks and a dark, misfit energy, has died. He was 44.Mr. Bryar’s death was confirmed by a spokesman for the band, who did not provide any additional details.Mr. Bryar joined My Chemical Romance in 2004. The band, led by the brothers Gerard and Mikey Way, had just released the record “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge,” which went platinum and helped build a following among fans of emo and pop punk.Mr. Bryar was perhaps best known for his drumming on the group’s 2006 landmark concept album, “The Black Parade,” which combined punk, glam and Broadway. It became the band’s most popular album.Mr. Bryar was born in Chicago on Dec. 30, 1979. He said in a 2008 video that he learned to play drums on a toy drum set, fell in love with the instrument and began playing in high school bands and at clubs around Chicago.He went on to study sound engineering at the University of Florida and later worked as a sound engineer for several bands. While working for the rock band the Used, Mr. Bryar met the members of My Chemical Romance.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    New York Philharmonic Looks to Philadelphia for Its Next Leader

    Matías Tarnopolsky, who manages the Philadelphia Orchestra, will come to New York as the Philharmonic works to recover from a trying period.The New York Philharmonic announced on Monday that it had chosen a new president and chief executive: Matías Tarnopolsky, who currently leads the Philadelphia Orchestra.Tarnopolsky, 54, a veteran arts leader who oversaw the merger of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in 2021, said he saw potential for an “auspicious new chapter” in New York, pointing to the arrival in 2026 of the star maestro Gustavo Dudamel.“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help shape the future of the New York Philharmonic,” said Tarnopolsky, who begins an initial five-year contract in January. “I embrace it with all my heart.”Tarnopolsky will take the helm of the Philharmonic, America’s oldest symphony orchestra, at a critical time.The ensemble has been grappling with a series of challenges, including the sudden resignation in July of its previous chief executive, Gary Ginstling, after only a year on the job. Ginstling left amid friction with Dudamel, board members, staff and musicians. Since then, Deborah Borda, a veteran Philharmonic leader, has run the orchestra on an interim basis.Borda, who led the orchestra from 2017 to 2023, has worked to stabilize the organization. After months of tense negotiations, the administration reached a labor deal in September with musicians, offering 30 percent raises over three years. And last month, the orchestra, hoping to bring to an end a long-running issue, dismissed two players over accusations of sexual misconduct.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Kendrick Lamar’s ‘GNX’ Rockets to No. 1 on the Charts

    The rapper’s surprise LP tops Billboard’s album and singles charts, where “Squabble Up” blocked Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” from a historic 20th week of dominance.You never know when Kendrick Lamar will put out a new album, but when he does, it’s big news. His latest, “GNX,” is no exception, dominating rap’s fandom discourse and immediately taking over Billboard’s album and singles charts.Lamar’s sixth studio LP, “GNX” was a surprise release, on Nov. 22, and has sailed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming his fifth album to top the chart. It opened with the equivalent of 319,000 sales in the United States, including 380 million streams, according to the tracking service Luminate. That makes it one of the splashiest debuts of 2024, though it had lower overall numbers than albums by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter.Still, “GNX” has become yet another headline maker for Lamar, who earlier this year bested Drake in a rapid-fire volley of diss tracks. Fans have picked apart references to Lil Wayne’s complaints about Lamar taking the next Super Bowl halftime show, and Snoop Dogg commented on social media about the track “Wacced Out Murals,” whose lyrics cite a post by Snoop Dogg about a Drake song, “Taylor Made.”Tracks from “GNX” quickly took over the lists of top songs on streaming services, and they occupy the entire Top 5 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with “Squabble Up” at No. 1. It has blocked what would have been a historic week for Shaboozey’s country hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — last week, Shaboozey’s song notched its 19th week at the top, tying the record set in 2019 by Lil Nas X with “Old Town Road” for the longest run on Billboard’s flagship singles chart, which dates to 1958.“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” falls to No. 6 on the singles chart, and the rest of the Top 5 all belongs to Lamar: “TV Off” (No. 2), “Luther” (No. 3), “Wacced Out Murals” (No. 4) and “Hey Now” (No. 5). According to Billboard, that feat has previously been accomplished only by the Beatles, Taylor Swift and … Drake, who claimed nine of the Top 10 in 2021, with songs from his album “Certified Lover Boy.” That week, Drake had every slot in the Top 10 except for No. 6. (Streaming has made such blanketing of the charts much easier than ever before, when chart positions were determined by sales and airplay.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Stream These Movies and Shows Before They Leave Netflix in December

    A bunch of movies and TV shows are leaving for U.S. subscribers by the end of December. Here’s a roundup of the best.Two excellent independent dramas leave Netflix in the United States early this month, so get on them while you can; other present-wrapping background possibilities include a Liam Neeson action flick, two animated comedies and an easy-breezy comedy-drama about the rich and the doctor who serves them. (Dates indicate the final day a title is available.)‘White Girl’ (Dec. 2)Stream it here.Morgan Saylor, best known at the time this movie was released, in 2016, for her work as an all-American teen daughter on “Homeland,” raised some eyebrows when this sexually frank and pharmaceutically candid indie drama debuted. She stars here as Leah, a New York City college student whose adventures in casual sex and recreational drugs take up much of the picture’s running time. But this is no lazy exercise in shock value; the writer-director Elizabeth Wood based her script on her own rocky youth and treats her protagonist with an expected, but still refreshing, nonjudgmental sympathy. It’s a vivid and occasionally troubling movie, but it never feels forced or inauthentic.‘The Commuter’ (Dec. 3)Stream it here.This 2018 action drama was an early entry in a seemingly endless line of late-period action vehicles for Liam Neeson, the Oscar-nominated star of “Schindler’s List.” Here, he plays Michael MacCauley, an ex-cop who just lost his job as a life insurance salesman; on the commuter train home, he is drawn into a complicated scheme involving contract killers, dirty federal agents and the would-be witness they’re supposed to protect. Jaume Collet-Serra directed several of Neeson’s action pictures before this one, and he had already figured out how to play to his strengths, even if this one is essentially a relocated remake of their earlier film “nonstop.” And Collet-Serra handles the big set pieces with flair, particularly a long fight scene between Neeson and a hit man, in which the two men demolish each other and their train car using their fists, glass and, at one point, an electric guitar.‘Trolls’ (Dec. 7)Stream it here.Some family movies — like, say, “Wild Robot,” or “Inside Out” — truly offer fun for the whole family. So let’s clear this up right away: “Trolls” is not one of those movies. It’s an aggressively over-the-top experience, big and broad and loud and frequently obnoxious. But kids absolutely love it (take it from a father of two), and it’s not hard to see why: The songs are catchy, the performers — especially the leads, Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake — are having a good time, and the never-give-up messaging is valuable (particularly in Kendrick’s charming solo number “Get Back Up Again”).We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Elton John, After Eye Infection, Says He Couldn’t See His Own Musical

    After a performance of “The Devil Wears Prada” in London, John told the crowd that the effects of an eye infection were continuing to limit his eyesight.Elton John’s eyesight problems have persisted to the point where he could not see a performance of his own musical in London on Sunday night, he told the crowd after the show.John, 77, appeared onstage after a charity performance of the musical “The Devil Wears Prada,” for which he wrote the score, at the Dominion Theatre.“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews, because as you know I’ve lost my eyesight, so it’s hard for me to see it,” he said, wearing bright red sunglasses. “But I love to hear it.”John announced in a social media post in September that an eye infection this summer had left him “with only limited vision in one eye.”“I am healing, but it’s an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye,” he added. “I have been quietly spending the summer recuperating at home, and I am feeling positive about the progress I have made in my healing and recovery thus far.”He provided an update on “Good Morning America” late last month. “I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July,” he said. “It’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see, and my left eye’s not the greatest. There’s hope and encouragement that it should be OK.”Asked about a possible new album, he replied: “Going into the studio and recording, I don’t know, because I can’t see a lyric for a start. I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything.”John did not respond to requests for comment on Monday sent through his talent agencies.When “The Devil Wears Prada” opened in Chicago in 2022 with a different cast, The New York Times said in a review, “The songs unfold pleasantly enough, with flashes of glam and morsels of wit, but they tend to feel last-season.”The musical is based on the 2006 film and the 2003 best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Lauren Weisberger. The London production stars Vanessa Williams.John also wrote the score for “Tammy Faye,” which is set to close on Broadway this week after only 29 regular performances. He has also written the score for some hits, including “Billy Elliot” and the long-running “The Lion King.”In January, John picked up an Emmy, giving him a lifetime sweep of the major American awards, an accolade known as an EGOT — an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. But he was not present at the ceremony to receive the Emmy because of a knee operation. More

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    Best Movies and Shows Streaming in December: ‘Skeleton Crew,’ ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ and More

    “Pop Culture Jeopardy!,” “Laid,” “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” and “Sugarcane” are arriving.Every month, streaming services add movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are our picks for some of December’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)New to Amazon Prime Video‘Pop Culture Jeopardy!’ Season 1Starts streaming: Dec. 4The “Saturday Night Live” stalwart Colin Jost hosts this “Jeopardy!” spinoff, which follows the basic format of the original quiz show, with a few twists. Rather than three individual contestants, each game features three, three-person teams, competing. The teams tackle clues that largely avoid history, geography and high art, instead dealing with memes, movies, TV, sports and modern pop songs. In addition to the Daily Doubles, each round includes a Triple Play with three answers — one for each team member. Also, the season is one big tournament, giving viewers a chance to root for their favorites as they advance toward the finals.‘The Sticky’Starts streaming: Dec. 6Based very loosely on a notorious Canadian maple syrup heist, this crime comedy mini-series stars Margo Martindale as Ruth, a farmer’s wife, who takes over the syrup-tapping business when her husband is hospitalized, and runs afoul of the powerful trade organization that runs the industry. To save her land and get revenge, Ruth teams up with a not-quite-reformed mobster (Chris Diamantopoulos) and a warehouse security guard (Guillaume Cyr) to steal barrels from the national syrup reserve. Created by Brian Donovan and Ed Herro, “The Sticky” finds the dark humor in this crazy scheme; but it’s also a low-key portrait of a rural Canada populated by eccentrics and petty bureaucrats.‘Secret Level’ Season 1Starts streaming: Dec. 10Each episode of this animation anthology was inspired by a different video game, taking inspiration from concepts and characters in titles like “Pac-Man,” “Armored Core,” “Spelunky,” “Warhammer 40,000” and more. Created by Tim Miller — who has some experience with this kind of thing, having previously created the Netflix anthology “Love, Death & Robots” — “Secret Level” features an all-star voice cast, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, Temuera Morrison, Kevin Hart and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. While each installment is different in approach, the series’ supervising director, Dave Wilson, gives them all a similar C.G.I. sheen, aiming more for a look more photorealistic than cartoony.Also arriving:Dec. 3“Jack in Time for Christmas”Dec. 5“Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story”“The Red Virgin”Dec. 23“Chiefsaholic: A Wolf in Chief’s Clothing”Francesca Scorsese in Tyler Thomas Taormina’s “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point.” IFC FilmsWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Test Yourself on These Young Adult Novels Adapted Into Films

    Welcome to Great Adaptations, the Book Review’s regular multiple-choice quiz about books that have gone on to find new life as movies, television shows, theatrical productions, video games and more. This week’s challenge is focused on tween and teen novels that made the leap from the page to the screen — and some of them more than once.Just tap or click your answers to the five questions below. And scroll down after you finish the last question for links to the books and their movie versions.3 of 5This 1972 middle-grade novel by Mary Rodgers has been adapted for the screen in 1976, 1995, 2003 and 2018, and its various productions over the years have starred Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Heidi Blickenstaff and Jodie Foster, among others. What is the title of the book? More

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    How Juice WRLD Arrived in Fortnite

    An avatar for the singing rapper, who died in 2019, appeared at a special event in the video game to debut a new song alongside Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice.Carmela Wallace, the mother of Juice WRLD, the Chicago sing-rapper who died five years ago as a rising star at age 21, still sometimes refers to her son in the present tense. Especially when it comes to his love of video games.“He’s always loved video games,” Wallace said in a recent interview. “It was his way of having a moment to himself, where he could escape. Because he dealt with anxiety and depression and stress. You know, he left his mom’s house to become famous.”“So that was his way of just having something normal,” she added. “He had a console wherever he went.”One of his favorites was Fortnite, the immersive adventure-slash-fighting game, with millions of players at a time and, on special occasions, in-game concerts. Those can be big enough to make a real-world splash, like Travis Scott’s animated performance in April 2020, at the height of Covid-19 lockdowns, which drew nearly 28 million players across five showings.Since then, there have been more shows by stars including Metallica, Ariana Grande, J Balvin and Eminem, whose appearance a year ago was such a draw that fans had difficulty logging in. Wallace, who oversees her son’s estate, approved his appearance in Fortnite’s latest musical event, the November-long “Chapter 2 Remix” — a nostalgic throwback to the game’s design circa 2020 — that also included Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Ice Spice, and culminated in a brief but elaborate virtual performance on Saturday afternoon.That event, called “Remix: The Finale,” inside Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode, lasted less than 15 minutes, but by one measurement it surpassed the previous record held by Scott. “Remix: The Finale” drew more than 14 million concurrent players for its first showing, according to Epic Games, the company behind the title, compared with about 12 million for Scott’s debut.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More