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      Late Night Tackles Trump’s Obsession With Crowd Size

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      “The fact that Kamala Harris is pulling such huge crowds is really getting under his, let’s call it, skin,” Stephen Colbert said of former President Donald Trump.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Crowd WorkFormer President Donald Trump falsely claimed in a series of posts on Truth Social that Vice President Kamala Harris had used artificial intelligence to create images and videos of large crowds at her rallies.On Monday’s “Late Show,” Stephen Colbert said that “Trump’s crowd envy has set his brain to ‘broil’” over the thousands of people confirmed to be in attendance.“[imitating Trump] Fake crowd, everybody! Many people are asking — no, many people are asking, ‘Is it cake?’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“The fact that Kamala Harris is pulling such huge crowds is really getting under his, let’s call it, skin.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“It is the definition of insanity to think that this crowd here is A.I., though I would not be surprised if Harris generated Tim Walz with A.I. by just using the prompt ‘Sympathetic Meatloaf.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“OK, OK, that’s one of those mom-and-pop issues for the single-issue crowd size voter.” — JON STEWART“First of all, I guarantee Trump has no idea what A.I. stands for. He probably thinks it’s a steak sauce: [imitating Trump] ‘She A1-ed the crowd. She gave out free bottles of steak sauce to people on the street to get them to come in. That’s why I was there. I was wearing a Kamala T-shirt and camo hat.’” — SETH MEYERSThe Punchiest Punchlines (Olympics Edition)“Yep, the big winners at the Olympics were Team USA, China and the French pole-vaulter’s Tinder account.” — JIMMY FALLON“He didn’t medal. You know I felt bad for him, but, then again, I didn’t.” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingOn Monday, Jeff Goldblum kicked off a week of guest hosting for his neighbor, Jimmy Kimmel.What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightThe “Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang will appear on Tuesday’s “Late Night.”Also, Check This OutShelby Lynne left Nashville behind two and a half decades ago. When she returned this time, she found a group of female collaborators who supported her new vision.Eric Ryan Anderson for The New York TimesThe singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne makes her return to country music with her 17th studio album, “Consequences of the Crown.” More

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      Rachael Lillis, Who Voiced Popular ‘Pokémon’ Characters, Dies at 55

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      Ms. Lillis voiced the characters of Misty and Jessie in the animated series based on a video game. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in May.Rachael Lillis, an actress who voiced the original English versions of Misty and Jessie, popular characters in the 1990s “Pokémon” anime television series, and later in the franchise’s movies and games as well, died on Saturday in Los Angeles. She was 55.The cause was cancer, according to Laurie Orr, one of her sisters.Ms. Lillis started voice acting in the 1980s, according to her IMDB page, but her big break came in the late 1990s when she was cast in the English version of the “Pokémon” TV series, a popular Japanese anime based on the “Pokémon” video games. In hundreds of episodes over eight years, Ms. Lillis voiced the characters Misty, a trusted friend of the main character, Ash Ketchum, and Jessie, one of the show’s villains.She also voiced those characters in two “Pokemon” movies as the cultural phenomenon grew.Ms. Lillis, who lived in Los Angeles, also was the voice of Jigglypuff, whose fairy song put listeners to sleep and was one of the creatures the characters pursue.Ms. Lillis, who had dozens of other voice credits to her name, had a strong sense of humor and a talent for voice acting, said Eric Stuart, who voiced James, the other member of Team Rocket in the “Pokémon” series, and worked with Ms. Lillis for many years.“If you met her, you’d not say this was so natural for her,” Mr. Stuart said in a phone interview. “Rachael in real life was pretty low key, kind of quiet and sweet,” Mr. Stuart added. “The minute she stepped in that booth it was like this whole other energy came out.”Mr. Stuart first met Ms. Lillis in the mid-1990s, when there were not a lot of people dubbing anime into English.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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      What’s on TV This Week: ‘Chimp Crazy’ and ‘The Challenge’

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      HBO airs a new documentary that could fall into the category “exotic animals as pets gone wrong.” The MTV competition show is back for a 40th season.For those who still enjoy a cable subscription, here is a selection of cable and network TV shows, movies and specials that broadcast this week, Aug. 12-18. Details and times are subject to change.MondayCELEBRITY IOU 8 p.m. on HGTV. Drew and Jonathan Scott, whom you probably know from “Property Brothers,” are back for another season of this show, which allows celebrities to gift home renovations to someone. The first episode of this season features Mandy Moore, who works with Drew and Jonathan on a dream backyard for her friend Celina. Other celebrities featured include Wanda Sykes, Tony Hawk and Zach Braff.THE GREAT AMERICAN RECIPE 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Only three cooks are left on this season of this competition cooking show. Throughout the season, the chefs have used their family recipes to wow the judges — and the finale won’t be any different.TuesdayZac Efron in “Neighbors.”Glen Wilson/Universal PicturesNEIGHBORS (2014) 9 p.m. on E! Come for Seth Rogen being hilarious and stay for Dave Franco’s horrible Robert De Niro impression. This movie stars Rogen and Rose Byrne as parents who move into a new house with their baby. Unfortunately for them, Franco and Zac Efron live in the frat house next door, and after the couple calls the police for a noise complaint, the frat decides to make their lives a living hell. The movie is “a status report on mainstream American movie comedy, operating in a sweet spot between the friendly and the nasty, and not straining to be daring, obnoxious or even especially original,” A.O. Scott wrote in his review for The New York Times.WednesdayTHE CHALLENGE 8 p.m. on MTV. This reality competition show, one of the longest running, is about to begin its 40th season. Entitled “The Battle of the Eras,” it will feature competitors from the shows “The Real World,” “Are You the One?,” “Big Brother,” “Survivor,” “Love Island” and “Exatlón Estados Unidos,” meaning there will be lots of big personalities competing for the $1 million prize.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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      How ‘Seinfeld Night’ Became a New York Summer Tradition

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      It’s a night that combines the zaniness of “Seinfeld,” a Coney Island freak show and a lower-level minor league baseball team with nothing to lose.It all began 10 years ago as a whimsical one-off minor league baseball promotion that ended with a contest.Yada, yada, yada …“Seinfeld Night” at the Brooklyn Cyclones is now a “Must-See-TV” kind of New York summer tradition, a game that easily sells out the 7,500 seats at the team’s Coney Island ballpark every year and demonstrates the show’s enduring appeal.It’s a night that combines the zaniness of “Seinfeld,” a Coney Island freak show and a lower-level minor league baseball team that has all the chutzpah of a short, stocky, balding man trying to impress a woman by pretending to be a marine biologist.Not that there’s anything wrong with that.On Saturday night, there were numerous contests. Men got as much ice cream on their face as possible. Soup was dumped on the head of someone who had been repeatedly scolded: “No soup for you!” And it all ended, of course, with 20 dancing Elaines.Sam Wekselblatt, left, and Patrick Westervelt Jr. compete for the messiest face. Mr. Westervelt was declared the winner.Lanna Apisukh for The New York TimesIt did not matter much that the Cyclones — make that the Bubble Boys — got shut out 3-0 by their archrivals, the Hudson Valley Renegades. (The Cyclones are part of the Mets organization and the Renegades belong to the Yankees.)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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      Bob Tischler, Who Helped Revive ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Dies at 78

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      A producer of “The National Lampoon Radio Hour” and albums by the Blues Brothers, he became S.N.L.’s head writer after a dismal season early in its history.Bob Tischler, who was part of the production and writing team that helped revive “Saturday Night Live” after the groundbreaking comedy show fell into a deep creative trough in the 1980-81 season, died on July 13 at his home in Bodega Bay, Calif. He was 78.His son, Zeke, said the cause was pancreatic cancer.Mr. Tischler did not define himself as a writer when he joined “S.N.L.” He was best known for his work in audio, having produced “The National Lampoon Radio Hour” and albums by the Blues Brothers.“I produced a lot of comedy and I did writing, but I wasn’t a member of the union or anything,” Mr. Tischler told James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales for their book “Live From New York: An Uncensored History of ‘Saturday Night Live’” (2002).“S.N.L.” needed a lot of help. After five trailblazing seasons under Lorne Michaels, its first producer, it floundered under his successor, Jean Doumanian, whose only season was widely considered the show’s worst to date.The show’s “flinty irreverence gave way a year ago to cheap shocks and worn-out formulas,” the reporter Tony Schwartz wrote in a 1981 New York Times article.Dick Ebersol, who replaced Ms. Doumanian as producer, hired Mr. Tischler as a supervisory producer in the spring of 1981 at the suggestion of the dark and temperamental Michael O’Donoghue, a veteran of the original “S.N.L.” whom Mr. Ebersol had brought back as head writer, and who had known Mr. Tischler from the Lampoon radio show. 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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      Myha’la, Star of HBO’s ‘Industry,’ Arrives

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      The one-name star of the HBO show “Industry” is composed under pressure.On a humider-than-humid afternoon in July, Myha’la stepped into a teahouse in her Brooklyn neighborhood and joined the line leading to the front counter.She was wearing a khaki skirt and a matching cropped jacket that revealed the panther tattoos on either side of her abdomen. Her nails were red — she had politely rejected her stylist’s suggestion to paint them brown — and her pixie cut was slick with gel.The menu seemed endless, with lists of flavors and foams that slowed down several customers placing their orders. Myha’la, a star of HBO’s Gen Z financial drama “Industry,” knew exactly what she wanted: An oolong latte with almond milk, boba and grass jelly.The woman she plays on the show, Harper Stern, is similarly decisive. As her fellow bright, young overachievers crumble beneath the fluorescent lights of a British investment bank, Harper sees each wobble by a colleague as an opportunity to place an even riskier bet on herself.“She’s got the sort of killer, quiet confidence that’s actually very dangerous,” Myha’la, 28, said, having installed herself at a counter facing State Street.When she landed the role on “Industry,” which returns for its third season on Sunday, it was her biggest acting job since she graduated from Carnegie Mellon in 2018. She didn’t have to look too hard to find common ground with the character, an ambitious young Black woman in an elite, cutthroat environment.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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      Howie Cohen, Whose Alka-Seltzer Ads Spawned Catchphrases, Dies at 81

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      A copywriter, he and a partner in 1972 came up with “Try it, you’ll like it” and “I can’t believe I ate that whole thing.” Soon, sales were, well, fizzing.Howie Cohen, an advertising copywriter, often said he was congenitally familiar with indigestion. So perhaps it was only natural that in the 1970s, he, along with an ad agency colleague, would conjure up a catchy slogan that would not only sell more Alka-Seltzer but also become an American pop culture punchline: “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”That bedside lament, spoken by the comedian and dialectician Milt Moss — he actually said that thing on camera — vaulted from a 30-second TV commercial to sweatshirts, supermarket windows and even church marquees.It proved even more popular than “Try it, you’ll like it,” the first catchphrase for Alka-Seltzer that Mr. Cohen coined with his business partner, Bob Pasqualina, an art director at the Manhattan agency Wells Rich Greene.Mr. Cohen, who helped popularize products and companies like Petco (“Where the pets go”) and the fast-food chain Jack in the Box (exploding its clown mascot in a TV commercial in announcing a new, more sophisticated menu), died on March 2 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81.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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      ‘Mafia Spies’ Recounts the C.I.A. Plot to Kill Castro

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      The docuseries tells the bizarre but true story of the C.I.A.’s various schemes to use the mob to assassinate the leader of Cuba.The stories have swirled around for years, often in the form of feverish conspiracy theories. The major players should ring familiar by now: John F. Kennedy. Fidel Castro. The C.I.A. The mob. Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie “JFK” raised the delirium to operatic heights; Don DeLillo’s 1988 novel “Libra” gave it a jolt of postmodern cool.But “Mafia Spies,” the new docuseries now streaming on Paramount+, takes a different tack. Based on Thomas Maier’s nonfiction book of the same name, it lays out the true story of how the C.I.A. collaborated with the mafia to plot the assassination of Castro. Much of this is documented in files about the assassination of John F. Kennedy that were released in batches by the National Archives in 2017 and 2018, and which Maier used as the basis of his book.Maier — who is also a producer on the series — and the showrunners, Tom Donahue and Ilan Arboleda, turn the archive data into a narrative that prompts one double take after another and is often intentionally funny. But however improbable some of it seems, the guiding premise is that it all really happened. One goal of the show is to debunk the many conspiracy theories that swirl around this era of history.“If we had relied on conspiracy theories, you just wouldn’t believe it,” Donahue, who also directed the series, said in a video interview alongside Arboleda. “As they say, the truth is stranger than fiction.”The six episodes of “Mafia Spies” feature a labyrinth of plots and a sprawling cast of mobsters, spies, politicians, revolutionaries and entertainers. But the big picture is actually pretty simple.The C.I.A., led at the time by Allen Dulles, wanted to eliminate the new Cuban prime minister Fidel Castro — or, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower put it, he wanted Castro “sawed off,” according to the historian Stephen Kinzer, who is featured in the series. Through a “cutout” (or middle man), Robert Maheu, a businessman and lawyer, the C.I.A. enlisted organized crime leaders, chiefly the Chicago Outfit’s Sam Giancana and John Roselli, to assassinate Castro. (The mafia had its own reasons for wanting Castro dead: After he seized power in 1959, Havana’s casinos were no longer a cash-cow haven for them.)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