Category Archives: Uncategorized

By DERRIK J. LANG Senior Editor, American Way If you squint your eyes while standing on the stretch of Reinig Road facing Mount Si, on the side of the street that borders the adjacent river, you can almost see the hand-painted sign welcoming visitors to the town of Twin Peaks (population: 51,201). It’s not actually there, ofContinue reading “A Visit to Twin Peaks”

By DERRIK J. LANG Senior Editor, American Way When I was mapping out a cross-country drive from Los Angeles to Miami, there was one place I wanted to stop more than any other: Marfa. I’d heard many stories about this West Texas town, which once served as a railroad water stop and Army installation beforeContinue reading “The Best Little Small Town in Texas”

By DERRIK J. LANG Senior Editor, American Way As Palm Springs guide Robert Imber pulls his minivan into the driveway of the Kaufmann House, the mid-century modernist masterpiece designed by Richard Neutra and once owned by Barry Manilow, two Chicagoan sisters in the back — who each paid $85 for the three-hour tour — pummelContinue reading “The New Modernists”

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Cher is not finished. The iconic singer-actress is returning to the stage next year for a series of performances on both sides of the country because, well, she can’t imagine not working, not even at 70. Despite bidding fans farewell in past tours, CherContinue reading “Cher talks Donald Trump, emojis and ‘American Horror Story’”

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel isn’t planning to use his superpowers at the Emmys. When the talk show host first emceed the ceremony four years ago, he pranked folks not watching the live telecast by bringing Tracy Morgan on stage to pretend to be unconscious. The host ofContinue reading “Jimmy Kimmel rolls out red carpet as Emmy host”

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer SAN DIEGO — For one night only, Marc Summers returned to the podium to host “Double Dare.” The kids’ game show was celebrated Friday night during a raucous invite-only Comic-Con event that revived the super sloppy Nickelodeon series to commemorate its 30th anniversary.

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES — It looks like the trippiest episode of “Star Trek” ever created. On the bridge of a starship resembling the Enterprise from director J.J. Abrams’ “Trek” films, that series’ Dr. McCoy is at the engineering station frantically beaming up survivors of an attack, while former BorgContinue reading “‘Star Trek’ Actors Take Series’ First VR Game for a Spin”

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer In most first-person video games, the act of running and jumping is something a player does while shooting enemies in the face. The creators of “Mirror’s Edge” slickly subverted that overused convention in 2008 with a focus on acrobatic toes instead of trigger fingers. After a nearly decade-longContinue reading “Review: ‘Mirror’s Edge Catalyst’ is overdue poetry in motion”

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES — At first glance, it has all the trappings of San Diego Comic-Con. There’s a cavernous convention center devoid of daylight. Inside, it’s stuffed with thousands of fans lining up for everything from an autograph and a selfie to a slice of pizza and a soda.Continue reading “From drag queens to aliens, a con for all seasons”

By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES — I’m no stranger to virtual reality. For the past three years, I’ve been reporting on and experiencing the evolution of modern VR at various trade shows, entertainment studios and industry events. It wasn’t until I set up the most immersive VR system on the marketContinue reading “Virtual Reality Check: Reporter spends week with VR system”