Entertainment

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday, Aug. 18. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: Newsletter …

BeatKing, the Houston rapper also known as Club Godzilla, has died. He was 39. The recording artist died Thursday in a Houston hospital, his manager Tasha Felder confirmed to The …

NEW YORK —  Maurice Williams, a rhythm and blues singer and composer who with his backing group the Zodiacs became one of music’s great one-shot acts with the classic ballad “Stay,” …

Thinking about Thai noodle dishes in Los Angeles feels like climbing one of Escher’s impossible staircases while playing an endless game of connect-the-dots. One bowl leads to another, ad infinitum. …

Mariska Hargitay’s crime-solving efforts have gone off-screen. In NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU,” the actor plays Olivia Benson, a detective investigating sex-related crimes in Manhattan. But in recent years, she’s …

Maxie Solters, a third-generation entertainment publicist who followed her father and grandfather into the family business, died Thursday in Los Angeles. She was 37. Her death was announced in a …

A controversial bill that seeks to protect Californians from artificial intelligence-driven catastrophes has caused uproar in the tech industry. This week, the legislation passed a key committee but with amendments …

Kevin Spacey is refusing to get out of his Baltimore home weeks after it was sold in a foreclosure auction, the property’s buyer says. The “House of Cards” actor’s waterfront …

Not long ago, a college friend of mine was traveling back home to Dallas from Nashville, his business weekend having been turned into an impromptu road trip. Hungry, he pulled …

Adam Epstein, a Tony Award-winning producer who helped bring “Hairspray” to Broadway, has died. Epstein died Tuesday morning at Adventist Health hospital in Glendale after months of battling a brain …