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    Valarie D’Elia, Travel Reporter on TV and Radio, Dies at 64

    She steered vacationers and business travelers to choice destinations, talked about the best deals, and offered up savvy tips on how to avoid vexation.Valarie D’Elia, a travel reporter who visited 102 countries on all seven continents to advise her viewers and listeners on where to go, how to get there, what the best bargains were and what to pack, died on Sept. 10 in Manhattan. She was 64.The death, in a hospital, was caused by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the degenerative neurological disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, her husband, Ron Cucos, said.From 1998 to 2017, Ms. D’Elia appeared regularly in a segment called “Travel With Val” on the local cable TV station now known as Spectrum News NY1. She also hosted a syndicated radio program, “The Travel Show,” and wrote a blog, which included the trademark feature “D’Elia’s Deals.” (Her personal mantra was “Travel with VALue.”)Her viewers, listeners and readers might learn that ski resorts in the Canadian Rockies were opening in early November that year because of snow storms; that a hotel near London was offering complimentary honeymoon accommodations to couples who got married there; or that rare winter discounts were available at a resort in the Florida Keys timed to school vacations the first week of January in several Southern states.Her advice was coveted. (Her favorite was “Pack light, forget the blow-dryer — who wants to worry about all that stuff?”) Her wanderlust was celebrated. Her documentary “The Making of a Maestro: From Castelfranco to Carnegie Hall,” the story of the conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, won first place in the North American Travel Journalists Association’s competition for travel videos in 2018.From 1998 to 2017, Ms. D’Elia appeared regularly in a segment called “Travel With Val” on the cable channel now known as Spectrum News NY1.NY1We 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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    The Menendez Brothers: What to Know Ahead of the New Netflix Series

    “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” chronicles the trials of two brothers who killed their parents in 1989, and their aftermath. Much has changed since then.On Aug. 20, 1989, Lyle and Erik Menendez, ages 21 and 18, shot and killed their parents in the family’s Beverly Hills mansion. Both were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 after two highly publicized trials, the first of which was broadcast on the then-nascent Court TV.But in the 35 years since the crime, the public has become increasingly divided on whether the brothers were merely the stone-cold opportunists the prosecution said they were. Now Ryan Murphy — who has a longstanding knack for taking on stories at the intersection of true crime, celebrity and media — is weighing in with a new scripted version of their story, premiering Thursday on Netflix.Titled “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” the series stars Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch as Lyle and Erik, with Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny playing their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. It is the second installment of the Monster anthology, created by Murphy with Ian Brennan. The first focused on the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.A lot has happened since 1989 — including numerous documentaries, podcasts and a “Law & Order” series — as the case and cultural attitudes have evolved. Need to get caught up? Here’s a brief refresher and an update on more recent developments.The Menendez family storyFrom left, Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Cooper Koch as Erik and Javier Bardem as Jose in a scene from the scripted series “Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.” Miles Crist/NetflixJose Menendez was a successful entertainment executive who fled his native Cuba for the United States on his own at the age of 16, shortly after Fidel Castro took power. He married his college girlfriend, Mary Louise Andersen, better known as Kitty. They had two sons, and after some time on the East Coast, the family settled in the Los Angeles area.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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    Late Night Calls Out Violence Against Trump

    “Not only is it morally wrong, but you’re also just giving him more things to brag about,” Ronny Chieng said on Tuesday’s “Daily Show.”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.‘In His Natural Habitat’Late night returned in full on Tuesday, with a focus on what officials believe was a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.“Yes, this weekend, a crazy person tried to hunt Donald Trump in his natural habitat, his golf course,” Ronny Chieng said on Tuesday’s “Daily Show.”“Now here’s how this craziness went down: A truly deranged man went to Mar-a-Lago’s golf course and spent nearly 12 hours hiding there before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle sticking through the shrubbery. That sounds like an evil plot straight out of Looney Tunes.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Yo, again? Will you people stop trying to assassinate Donald Trump? Not only is it morally wrong, but you’re also just giving him more things to brag about: ‘They only tried to kill Abraham Lincoln once; that makes me twice as great as him.’” — RONNY CHIENG“Given that Trump’s campaign hadn’t announced any public plans for Sunday, many wondered did the suspect know the former president would be coming to play golf or was it a guess? Yes, how could he possibly have guessed that Trump would be golfing?” — STEPHEN COLBERT“This guy managed to walk into Trump’s golf course and stay there undetected for 12 hours, OK? And I don’t know if you’ve thought about this, Trump, but maybe you should consider building, like, a wall?” — RONNY CHIENG“By the way, have you noticed that the news reports are all like ‘a harrowing near tragedy sending chills through our nation!’ and meanwhile, everyone you actually know is like, ‘Oh, yeah, yeah, I saw that, yeah.’ I mean, we have to act like it’s a big deal, but it doesn’t really have the same impact of the first one, you know? It’s kind of like ‘Black Panther 2.’ You’re like, ‘Yeah, I guess I’ll see it.’” — RONNY CHIENGThe Punchiest Punchlines (Swift Social Edition)“In a post to Truth Social over the weekend, former President Trump said, ‘I hate Taylor Swift!’ Sounds like he’s making a strong play for the 9-year-old brother vote.” — SETH MEYERS“Donald tweeting ‘I hate Taylor Swift?’ That’s dangerous. I mean, I would rather buy one of those Hezbollah pagers than tweet ‘I hate Taylor Swift.’” — RONNY CHIENG“I think Trump needs to stick to racism — it’s less divisive.” — RONNY CHIENG“But the assassin this weekend was probably not a Swiftie, OK? He doesn’t fit the M.O. Swifties are nonviolent — they prefer to cyberbully you until you kill yourself.” — RONNY CHIENGThe Bits Worth WatchingWe 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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    ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’ Premieres on FX and Hulu

    The buzzy FX series delves into the N.F.L. star who murdered a friend less than a year after playing in the Super Bowl.The saga of Aaron Hernandez has riveted the sports world and beyond for more than a decade. An N.F.L. star on one of football’s best teams killed a man in 2013 even as he chased fame and glory on the field.Two years after his conviction in 2015, Hernandez hanged himself in prison, leaving unexplained his descent into crime, rumors about his sexuality, and how he was able to hide his off-field life while thriving at America’s most popular sport.Hernandez has been the subject of multiple books, true crime podcasts and documentaries. But his story is getting the Ryan Murphy treatment in a new 10-part anthology series, “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez,” premiering on Tuesday on FX and Hulu. Its showrunners are trying a playbook similar to one used for dramatizations of other well-known scandals like “The People v. O.J. Simpson” and “Impeachment,” about former President Bill Clinton’s sexual improprieties. But this time, they’re grappling with new terrain: pro football.Nina Jacobson, an executive producer of “American Sports Story,” said showrunners hoped to offer viewers a “more subjective experience,” rather than a rehashing of previously reported events.“I think we try, in all of these shows, to find a way to put people in the shoes of the characters and put themselves in the eye of the storm — not in a way to excuse anybody’s voices or behaviors,” she said, “but to give people a chance to maybe see them in a different light.”Ahead of the first installment, here are the key points to know about Aaron Hernandez’s football career and murder case, and the TV drama that will depict 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

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    In ‘High Potential,’ Kaitlin Olson Gets Smart

    Earlier this month, the actress Kaitlin Olson was in her Los Angeles kitchen slicing a lemon.“I was really cutting it hard,” she said. “I put 100 percent of my effort into it.”The knife slipped, nearly severing her pinkie, which explained why, on a morning a few days later in Manhattan, Olson, 49, had accessorized her black silk blouse and black pants with a black finger splint. (She also wore an array of diamonds, one the size of a kumquat.) The look was working. A waiter asked if she was in town for fashion week.There are few things that Olson — tall and emphatically blond, with screwball energy — does lightly. As concerns comedy, physical stunts and also apparently cooking, her approach is full contact. On the set of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the cheeky FX comedy she has co-starred in for nearly 20 years, she has broken her foot, slashed open her calf and suffered at least one possible concussion. “Definitely worth it,” she said of the scene.This wasn’t her first food-prep injury, and she skipped the emergency room. She didn’t have the time. In addition to “Sunny,” she is a guest actor on the HBO show “Hacks” and the star of a new ABC procedural, “High Potential,” in which she plays a cleaning woman with savant-like tendencies who consults for the police. It premieres on Tuesday.In “High Potential,” Olson’s character cleans the police station … and soon helps the officers solve cases.David Bukach/DisneyWhile it is not Olson’s first series lead (that would be the Fox comedy “The Mick”) or her only chance to flaunt her aptitude for drama (see also: “Hacks”), “High Potential” showcases her dizzy, daffy, sardonic gifts. Which Olson appreciates.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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    Book Review: ‘Connie: A Memoir,’ by Connie Chung

    In a frank and entertaining new memoir, the TV newscaster recounts how sexism, and Dan Rather, sidelined her groundbreaking career.CONNIE: A Memoir, by Connie ChungThe day she was named co-anchor of the “ CBS Evening News” alongside Dan Rather, Connie Chung felt that she had reached the pinnacle of broadcast journalism.“Thursday, May 14, 1993, was the best day of my professional life. … I had my dream job,” she writes in an entertaining and revealing memoir that traces the triumphs and disappointments of her prominent career.The anchor appointment meant even more because she was a Chinese American woman, brought up by strict parents; in accordance with tradition, she lived with them until she was nearly 30, even as she was climbing the ladder — often wearing stiletto heels.In “Connie,” Chung writes breezily and with irreverent humor about the scoops, the internal politics and the pure hustle that eventually got her to the top. She worked the Watergate beat for CBS in Washington in the 1970s and moved to Los Angeles to anchor the CBS-owned local station before her big break came — and big, it certainly was.In her era, network newscasts ruled the airwaves, cable news was just beginning its rise and news flooding in via smartphone was more than a decade away. The evening anchors were household names.Rather had been named the immediate successor to the revered Walter Cronkite at what was nicknamed the Tiffany Network, so the promotion of an Asian American woman to work alongside him was quite a breakthrough.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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    Kimmel Takes Stock of Trump’s Rhetoric After Suspect’s Arrest

    Jimmy Kimmel said the former president, who blamed Democrats for “highly inflammatory language,” was himself “not a calming influence.”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.Passing BlameA 58-year-old man was arrested on Sunday after he made his way with a rifle to one of Donald Trump’s golf courses in Florida, in what officials said was an apparent assassination attempt on the former president. The suspect faces two federal weapons charges.On Monday, Jimmy Kimmel said the gunman appeared to be a “troubled individual” with political views that were “all over the place.”“He tweeted earlier this year that his dream ticket would be Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, which is how you know he’s nuts.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Trump, of course, is blaming Kamala Harris and President Biden for this. He said, ‘Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country. They use highly inflammatory language. I can use it too, far better than they can, but I don’t.’ Right, you are nothing if not a calming influence.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“This is a man who, for the past week, has been spreading a complete lie that he knows is a lie, saying Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. This is a man who, just last week, joked about Nancy Pelosi’s 84-year-old husband being brutally attacked with a hammer by one of his deranged fans. This is a man who, literally hours before this happened, posted on Truth Social the words ‘I hate Taylor Swift.’” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (Real Fake News Edition)“During a new interview, JD Vance admitted that he created the false claim about immigrants eating pets to create media attention. Yeah, Trump was like, ‘Everyone knows the first rule of fake news is not admitting to fake news.’” — JIMMY FALLON“Oh, I see. Do you get it yet? The only way to expose the truth is to spread a lie. It’s the power of storytelling.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Yep, Vance admitted that he made the whole thing up, but besides being overtly racist and making Trump look like a total fool at the debate, no harm done, right?” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingGuillermo Rodriguez brought his “Back to Back” segment to the Emmys for Monday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightThe comedian Ms. Pat will sit down with Seth Meyers on Tuesday’s “Late Night.”Also, Check This OutDave Navarro, left, and Perry Farrell performing with Jane’s Addiction in 2021.Amy Harris/Invision, via Associated PressJane’s Addiction canceled its reunion tour after the band’s singer, Perry Farrell, struck the guitarist Dave Navarro while onstage at a show in Boston. More

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    Emmy Viewership Rises to 6.9 Million Viewers

    The uptick puts the Emmys among the award shows, such as the Oscars, that have had audience gains in the past few years.For the first time in three years, viewership for the Emmy Awards has gone in an upward direction.The Emmys drew an audience of 6.9 million on ABC on Sunday night, according to Nielsen, a healthy increase following a strike-delayed ceremony in January that drew a low of just over 4 million viewers.The ratings increase finally follows a trend of other award shows, such as the Oscars and Grammys, which have had viewership gains over the past few years. And it also stops the bleeding for an event that was dangerously approaching the low ratings of the Tony Awards.Even with the increase, the Emmys has lost a substantial amount of its audience in recent years. As recently as 2018, the event regularly drew more than 10 million people.Sunday’s telecast had some advantages over the last show. The January ceremony ran head-to-head against an N.F.L. playoff game, and was on the tail end of a frenetic stretch of award shows that included the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards. Sunday’s show was back in the Emmys’ traditional mid-September slot that viewers have come to expect.The Emmys has long had the unfortunate — but accurate — reputation of being numbingly predictable. Indeed, in recent years, voters have tended to shower the same show (“Schitt’s Creek,” “The White Lotus,” “Ted Lasso,” “Succession”) with award after award. But on Sunday, there was an unusual turn of events: There were numerous upsets.“The Bear” won four Emmys on Sunday but, in a big surprise, “Hacks” won best comedy. Voters gave “Shogun” best drama honors, but also delivered unexpected wins to shows like “Slow Horses” and “The Morning Show.” “Baby Reindeer” took best limited series, but “True Detective,” “Fargo” and “Ripley” also had wins on Sunday.Reviews for the telecast, which was hosted by the father-and-son duo of Eugene and Dan Levy, were decidedly mixed. The Los Angeles Times described the telecast as “casually interesting” while Variety called it “humdrum” and Rolling Stone said it was “blah.” More