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    Late Night Goes Live After a ‘Dull’ Vice-Presidential Debate

    Stephen Colbert was unenthused by Tuesday’s discourse between Tim Walz and JD Vance.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.Two ‘Different Flavors of Dull’“The Late Show” went live Tuesday night after the vice-presidential debate.Stephen Colbert found the debate boring, saying that JD Vance and Tim Walz “were both different flavors of dull.”“JD Vance looked like a business lemur on beta-blockers, and Tim Walz was, you know, the old likable coach but appeared to be way overcaffeinated. I think the governor done overdid doing the Dew.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“It was the ultimate showdown tonight between two very different Midwestern vibes. Hillbilly vs. Minnesota nice; attack dog vs. folk hero; America’s dad vs. America’s ‘Dad, could you come pick me up? JD Vance just walked in here.’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“These two men were both a heartbeat away from being interesting this evening.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“In the end, it was 90 minutes of constant talk that made one thing clear: Tonight was like having Thanksgiving with your most nervous uncle and your smuggest nephew. It was unpleasant, awkward and, thankfully, you only have to do it once every four years.” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Punchiest Punchlines (Almost Famous Edition)“Yep, people you’ve barely heard of on a national stage. Usually we call that ‘Dancing With the Stars.’” — JIMMY FALLON“One of these men will lose, and we’ll never hear from him again, and the other one will become V.P. and we’ll never hear from him again.” — MICHAEL KOSTA“The only other V.P. debate anyone remembers is the time that fly got stuck on Mike Pence’s head. The bar is low.” — MICHAEL KOSTA“They showed each other a lot of respect. It was — it was very boring. I’ll be honest: I like these better with Trump.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“I don’t know that anyone’s vote was changed tonight. Watching a vice-presidential debate — it’s like taking your kids apple picking: About halfway through, you’re like, ‘OK, you know what? This sounded like it was going to be fun, but what’s the point?’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“I read that ahead of the debate, Tim Walz has been nervous that he was going to let Kamala Harris down. Yeah, Harris was like, ‘Don’t worry — if Joe Biden can be replaced, so can you.’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Bits Worth WatchingThe “Hold Your Breath” star Sarah Paulson faced off against Jimmy Fallon in a new game called “Mute!” on Tuesday’s “Tonight Show.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightBen Platt and Brandy Clark will perform their new song “Treehouse” on Wednesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”Also, Check This OutRobert Downey Jr. goes dark in “McNeal,” a thought experiment about art and A.I., at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in Manhattan.Sara Krulwich/The New York TimesRobert Downey Jr. made his Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar’s new play, “McNeal.” More

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    John Amos, a Star of ‘Good Times’ and ‘Roots,’ Is Dead at 84

    He was the patriarch in one of the first sitcoms with an all-Black cast and an enslaved African as a grown man in the blockbuster TV mini-series.John Amos, who played a stern patriarch on “Good Times,” America’s first sitcom featuring a two-parent Black family, and who had a starring role in “Roots,” the slavery narrative that became America’s most watched show in the late 1970s, has died in Los Angeles. He was 84.His publicist, Belinda Foster, confirmed the death on Tuesday, saying he had died on Aug. 21. She did not specify the cause or say why the announcement of his death was delayed.Mr. Amos’s acting career spanned more than five decades, with his breakthrough coming in 1970 on the CBS comedy “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” playing Gordy, the weatherman on a local television news program working alongside Ms. Moore’s Mary Richards, an associate producer. After three seasons, Mr. Amos left for “Good Times,” a Norman Lear production and a spinoff of the producer’s sitcom “Maude.” Chronicling the trials and tribulations of a Black working-class family living in the Chicago projects, “Good Times,” which ran from 1974-79, also on CBS, never shied away from the gritty realities of life in public housing, touching on topics like racial bigotry, drug abuse and poverty — but all with a sense of humor.Mr. Amos played James Evans Sr., a fierce disciplinarian with a tender heart who took on odd jobs to support his wife, Florida Evans (Esther Rolle), his sons Michael (Ralph Carter) and J.J. (Jimmie Walker), and his daughter, Thelma (Bern Nadette Stanis).Mr. Amos and Esther Rolle in a scene from “Good Times.” The show accrued high ratings and was notable for its all-Black cast.CBS Photo Archive/Getty ImagesWe 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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    Best Movies and TV Shows Streaming in October: ‘Shrinking,’ ‘Disclaimer’ and More

    “Citadel: Diana,” “Disclaimer,” “The Franchise,” “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” a Springsteen documentary and others arrive.Every month, streaming services add movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are our picks for some of October’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‘Citadel: Diana’Starts streaming: Oct. 10Last year, Amazon released the first season of “Citadel,” a big-budget action series about a pair of retired spies forced back into service to thwart a dangerous international agency known as Manticore. The idea all along was for the show to anchor a sprawling franchise, which collectively would tell the story of the covert Citadel organization across multiple countries and eras. Now the first of those spinoffs is here: “Diana,” set in Italy in the year 2030, starring Matilda De Angelis as a Citadel agent who has spent so long undercover within Manticore that she has lost touch with her handlers and mission. “Diana” jumps back and forth in time, to show how and why the heroine was recruited into espionage in the first place, along with what happened to Citadel that has left her all alone, deep behind enemy lines.Also arriving:Oct. 3“House of Spoils”“The Legend of Vox Machina” Season 3Oct. 8“Killer Cakes”Oct. 15“Beyond Black Beauty”Oct. 16“Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” Season 1Oct. 24“Like a Dragon: Yakuza”Oct. 30“Buy It Now” Season 1New to AMC+A scene from “Stork,” an episode of “V/H/S/Beyond.”Shudder‘V/H/S/Beyond’Starts streaming: Oct. 4The “V/H/S” series of horror anthologies have survived the fluctuating popularity of the “found footage” subgenre, in part because the collections have such uncomplicated yet clever organizing concepts. Each film is presented as a set of disturbing home videos, newly discovered and sharing a common theme. The latest edition is framed as an episode of a TV show about cryptids and aliens, which gives the chapters a science-fiction angle. As always with this franchise, the participating filmmakers take creative approaches to their segments, which in “Beyond” includes one about a Bollywood dance number gone awry, one set during a skydiving misadventure, and one moody U.F.O. encounter story written by the ace horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan and directed by his wife, Kate Siegel.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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    MacArthur Foundation Announces 2024 ‘Genius’ Grant Winners

    On Tuesday, 22 anonymously nominated Americans were recognized with fellowships and an $800,000 stipend.While the groundbreaking Indigenous teen comedy-drama “Reservation Dogs” may not have taken home any Emmys this year, the show’s co-creator Sterlin Harjo has been awarded a different prestigious prize: a MacArthur Fellowship.“The dreams that I had when I was young about changing the world and about changing representation and about showing us as real human beings, all of that meant something, and it did change the world,” Harjo said in an interview. He also co-wrote the new Netflix film “Rez Ball,” and has directed films, including “Love and Fury” and “Mekko.”Harjo, 44, is part of a new class of 22 MacArthur Fellows that includes a children’s and young adult author, a former U.S. poet laureate, two evolutionary biologists, an astronomer who uplifts underrepresented students and a pioneering alternative cabaret star.The honor is given out each year by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, recognizing individuals in a variety of fields. The fellowship comes with a no-strings-attached stipend of $800,000, disbursed over five years.The fellows, who were announced on Tuesday, were first submitted for consideration by a pool of anonymous nominators and then recommended to the foundation’s president and board by an independent selection committee. Since 1981, more than 1,100 people have been awarded the fellowship, which is commonly referred to as the “genius grant.”Recipients are not notified if they are being considered for the honor, so their selection comes as a surprise. This year, multiple fellows were told that the MacArthur Foundation wanted them to participate in a panel discussion, and would be calling them to organize the event. But when the call came, they were instead notified that they had been chosen as a fellow (and that the panel did not even exist).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 Slams Trump’s Plan to Adapt ‘The Purge’

    “Good news: He stopped talking about Hannibal Lecter,” Jimmy Fallon said. “Bad news: He suggested we do ‘The Purge’ instead.”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.Taking a Page from ‘The Purge’ PlaybookDuring a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday, former President Donald Trump suggested that Americans have “one really violent day” to curtail crime.Late-night hosts likened Mr. Trump’s plans to the popular horror movie franchise, “The Purge.”“Yeah, Trump wants ‘The Purge,’ while his staff wishes he would re-enact ‘A Quiet Place,’” Jimmy Fallon said on Monday.“Good news: He stopped talking about Hannibal Lecter. Bad news: He suggested we do ‘The Purge’ instead.” — JIMMY FALLON“Did he just suggest ‘The Purge’ for stealing from CVS? [imitating Trump] ‘If that doesn’t work, I have other ideas, OK? We put all the shoplifters on a bus with Keanu Reeves. If it goes slower than 50 miles an hour, blammo!’” — STEPHEN COLBERT“He suggested that the way to end crime would be to have one really violent day, one rough hour that would solve everything, like ‘The Purge’ and so much more. If anyone in your life had, like, a weekend like this, you’d be concerned. Like if your dad had a series of similar outbursts, you’d call your siblings to figure out what to do.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Punchiest Punchlines (V.P. Debate Prep Edition)“Tomorrow night in New York, the first and only debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance, this will be the first vice-presidential debate since 2008 in which the candidates will stand instead of sit. I guess they were worried JD Vance might get distracted by a sexy office chair.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Honestly, I’m not even going to watch it, and I’m going to tell you why — because I already know who I’m voting for, vice-president-wise.” — JON STEWART“Actually, today Trump asked Vance if he needed any debate advice, and Vance was like, ‘Absolutely. Do you have Kamala’s number?’” — JIMMY FALLON“Voters were more likely to describe Walz as honest, trustworthy and caring, where they were more likely to describe Vance as nervous, unsettling and damp. But I disagree. You know, when I see JD Vance, I see a man who is grounded, who is rational and so humanlike, you could barely tell he isn’t one.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Bits Worth WatchingThe best-selling author Ta-Nehisi Coates discussed his new book, “The Message,” with Jon Stewart on Monday’s “Daily Show.”What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightThe musician-turned-movie star Lady Gaga will promote “Joker: Folie à Deux” on Tuesday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”Also, Check This OutBillie Eilish onstage at the Videotron Center on Sunday night. Her new tour supports her most recent album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”Julia Spicer for The New York TimesA master class in intimacy and crowd engagement, Billie Eilish’s new Hit Me Hard and Soft tour debuted in Canada on Sunday. More

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    Stream These 11 Titles Before They Leave Netflix in October

    A slew of TV shows and movies are leaving for U.S. subscribers this month. Here’s a roundup of the ones worth catching, including a few great horror picks for the season.October’s departing titles from Netflix in the United States include bubbly rom-coms, action thrillers, killer comedies and plenty of thrills and chills — it is the spooky season, after all. (Dates indicate the final day a title is available.)‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ (Oct. 2)Stream it here.Like most of the output of Illumination Entertainment (the folks behind the Minions), this animated adaptation of the durable Nintendo video game is not exactly Pixar quality, in terms of family entertainment excellence. But kids will love it, especially the little gamers, and adults will find amusements here and there — primarily the rip-roaring gonzo vocal performance of Jack Black, clearly having a ball as the lovelorn supervillain Bowser.‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (Oct. 5)Stream it here.Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the best-selling novel by Kevin Kwan is a sleek, shimmering, fast-paced examination of the haves and have-nots (but mostly the haves). It follows the charming Queens-born N.Y.U. professor Rachel (Constance Wu) and her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) to a wedding in Singapore, where the conspicuous wealth of his family threatens to upend their seemingly bulletproof relationship. Chu juggles quotable dialogue, gorgeous cinematography and a sprawling cast — most notably Michelle Yeoh as Nick’s stern and judgmental mother, a woman who Rachel quickly finds is not to be trifled with.‘It Follows’ (Oct. 10)Stream it here.Maika Monroe, so haunted and compelling in the recent movie “Longlegs,” made her big-screen breakthrough in this 2015 horror hit from the writer and director David Robert Mitchell. She stars as Jay, a 19-year-old girl who is stalked by a mysterious force after she sleeps with her boyfriend — who informs her, after the fact, that the only way to rid oneself of this particular evil is to pass it on, via sex, to its next victim. Such a setup lends itself to the crassest of genre exploitation devices, but Mitchell is too much of a stylist for that; he lingers on dread and mood rather than skin or blood, and he creates one of the more unshakable indie thrillers in recent memory.‘Bride of Chucky’ (Oct. 31)Stream it here.The “Child’s Play” franchise, in which the talking Chucky doll is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer, had lain dormant for seven years (an eternity in the world of slasher movies) after the series low of “Child’s Play 3” when the screenwriter Don Mancini revitalized his series in 1998. He did so by infusing the mostly serious thrillers with a heavy dose of campy comedy, and with the invaluable addition of the Oscar nominee Jennifer Tilly as Chucky’s love interest, Tiffany Valentine. The Hong Kong genre master Ronny Yu directs with visual flair and good humor. (Netflix is also streaming several other films in the series, which will also depart after Halloween night.)‘Dark Waters’ (Oct. 31)Stream it here.On first glance, this 2019 corporate thriller seemed to signal that the indie legend Todd Haynes was trying to go mainstream. But a closer examination reveals a film very much consistent with his preoccupations, pairing his formal ingenuity with a story of environmental illness and creeping paranoia that pairs nicely with his 1995 breakout film, “Safe.” Based on a 2016 article by Nathaniel Rich (published in The New York Times Magazine), it stars Mark Ruffalo as Rob Bilott, a corporate lawyer who typically defends corporate clients. Here, though, he takes on the giant DuPont corporation with a yearslong investigation that tested his sanity, resolve and personal safety. Haynes orchestrates the events with a masterly hand while Ruffalo reminds us of the exceptional actor lurking under the Hulk persona.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: ‘Real Housewives’ and the Vice-Presidential Debate

    The Bravo franchise will air two different premieres. And on Tuesday is the first debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz.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, Sept. 30-Oct. 6. Details and times are subject to change.MondayALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING 8 p.m. on The CW. This college-focused series is wrapping up its third season. The show follows a group of athletes as they juggle training, socializing and interpersonal relationships. This finale will hopefully tie up lose ends because the show, now canceled, won’t be coming back for a fourth season.TuesdayVICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 9 p.m. on various networks. For anyone counting, or bracing themselves, the election is under 40 days away. This will be the first debate between Senator JD Vance of Ohio and Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. So far, the rules are pretty similar to those implemented at the presidential debate last month, but the candidates will likely be standing, a departure from the past couple of V.P. debates.REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY 9 p.m. on Bravo. The New York City gals are back on small screens, this time with the addition of the fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff and the art curator Racquel Chevremont. Lots of fights, glamour shots and not-so-subtle sharing are on the docket.WednesdayChad Michael Murray and Morgan Kohan in “Sullivan’s Crossing.”Chris Reardon/Freemantle, via CWSULLIVAN’S CROSSING 8 p.m. on the CW. It is officially fall a.k.a. “Gilmore Girls” rewatch season. But if you have already memorized all seven seasons of that show, then this series, coming back for its second season, is a great way to have Scott Patterson (Luke Danes in “Gilmore”) back on your screen. Patterson plays the father to Morgan Kohan’s Maggie Sullivan, who moves back home to get her life back together. Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) is also there because what’s small-town charm without a mysterious and emotionally distant hunk?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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    ‘Days of Our Lives’ Actor, Drake Hogestyn, Dies at 70

    Mr. Hogestyn was best known for playing John Black on the daytime soap opera and appeared in more than 4,200 episodes over 38 years.Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black, the sturdy and fiercely loyal character who by turns was a spy, private investigator and mercenary, for nearly 40 years on the long-running soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” died on Saturday, a day shy of his 71st birthday.Mr. Hogestyn had pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from his family shared by the show. He died in Los Angeles, according to a publicist for the show, Andrea McKinnon.In 1986, Mr. Hogestyn first appeared on “Days of Our Lives,” which premiered in 1965 on NBC and follows various characters in the fictional Midwestern town of Salem. For a few years, he played another character, Roman Brady, but came to be known best for his role as John Black.Mr. Hogestyn appeared in more than 4,200 episodes of the soap opera and became a fan favorite for his portrayal as the rugged, raspy-voiced and often heroic character who had the skills of an intelligence agent, a police officer and a private investigator.The character was also known for being married to Dr. Marlena Evans, a psychiatrist and the town’s de facto matriarch, played by Deidre Hall. In 2005, the actors won a Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Couple.“It’s, like, I’ll always love her,” Mr. Hogestyn said, at a gathering for the show’s fans in 2004, of the characters’ enduring 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