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Donald Trump called for the country to go “back to 1798” during a rally showcasing the former president’s full-throated embrace of nativist totalitarianism in the final days of the 2024 campaign cycle.

During a Monday rally in Greenville, North Carolina, the former president railed against undocumented migrants, promising to invoke the Alien Enemies Act — a more than 200-year-old law that grants the president power to arrest, detain, and deport individuals from countries in a stage of war against the United States without standard due process requirements. The act has only ever...

Stephen Colbert paused the latest episode of “The Late Show” to ask his studio audience an important question: Do you really want to see Donald Trump’s X-rays?

The unexpected interruption came during Colbert’s opening monologue, which started with jokes about Kamala Harris’ recently released medical report. The report states that the Democratic nominee is in “excellent health.”

“It’s great that just the worlds ‘excellent health’ kind of feel like a dig at Donald Trump,” Colbert said. “They should follow that up with ‘can walk up stairs’ and ‘is potty trained.'”

Colbert then pointed out that Donald Trump hasn’t released his medical records yet, which prompted a round of boos from his studio audience. Instead of moving onto his next joke, Colbert laughed to himself. “Do you really want to see his X-rays?”

That was far from the only medical record joke Colbert made on Monday night.

Equal to the sensation that A New Hope had in 1977, the play Hamilton has become a cultural phenomenon. Written by playwright and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Broadway performance has since influenced music, culture, and entertainment since its debut in 2015. The play and those involved in it have several links to the Star Wars franchise.

Starting with Miranda, he has several ties to Star Wars. He wrote the song seen in Maz Kanata's cantina in The Force Awakens in 2015, a song that is an homage to the Mos Eisley Cantina piece by John Williams in A New Hope. Miranda told Sfgate of his experience writing for Star Wars, "I'm supposed to be writing Moana, but every spare second, I have a shared document with J.J. [Abrams] and we're writing the cantina music for Episode Seven."

Miranda also contributed to the score during the celebration on the planet Pasaana in The Rise of Skywalker.

Snowpiercer, the show where Daveed Diggs plays a freedom fighter aboard a train rocketing through a dystopian wasteland, literally just wrapped up a few days ago, which means Diggs is newly unemployed. Hooray for good timing: it's been announced on the official page for The Boys that Diggs will be joining the show for its fifth and final season, although we don't have any details on who he'll be playing:

New S5 crumbs… let’s all welcome Daveed Diggs to The Boys family, shall we? He’ll be playing a character in the show. That’s all ya get for now. pic.twitter.com/rgEf740UNN

— The Boys (@TheBoysTV) September 24, 2024

Diggs originally broke out after playing Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette in the Broadway smash Hamilton, and has worked consistently onscreen since. In addition to his lead role in Snowpiercer, he's done a lot of voice work; he...

The Boys is one of the most popular superhero series worldwide. Based on the comic book of the same name, this darker take on the superhero genre has gained significant traction on Amazon Prime, continuously pushing the limits of what can be shown on television.

As the series gears up for the production of its fifth and final season, we can expect more details to emerge. This means we’ll likely see plot leaks, production updates, photos, videos, and new casting announcements. This report will focus on the latest casting news.

The official Twitter account for The Boys has just confirmed a new casting for the fifth and final season, but the tweet shared only the essentials and had the signature style you’d expect from The Boys.

As you know, the situation in the series is pretty chaotic after Season 4’s finale, and everyone is hinting at a wild...

The Boys is one of the most popular superhero series in the world. Based on the same-titled comic book, this dark take on the superhero genre gained a lot of traction on Amazon Prime and keeps pushing the boundaries of what can be shown on TV in a number of ways.

As the series is preparing for the production of its fifth and final season, more information about the series is bound to appear.

That means that we can expect plot leaks, production details, photos, and videos, as well as some new casting information, and this report is going to be about the latter.

Namely, the official Twitter account of The Boys just confirmed a new casting for the fifth and final season of the show, but the tweet contained only the bare minimum and was composed just as you would expect a tweet posted by The Boys to be composed.

Daveed Diggs is joining the world of “The Boys” as a series regular in Prime Video series’ fifth and final season. Details on Diggs’ role are being kept under wraps.

Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s graphic novel series where the superheroes are the bad guys, “The Boys” is set in a world in which a substance can turn people into superheroes. As such, a legion of corporate-backed celebrity supes enacts their own sense of justice while posing for cameras and covertly doing wet work for the government — kind of like an evil Avengers. The show follows a group of regular humans who work to bring the superheroes down.

“The Boys” is executive produced by Ennis, Robertson, showrunner Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Judalina Neira, Jessica Chou, Ken F. Levin and Jason Netter.

Daveed Diggs has been cast in the fifth and final season of “The Boys,” Variety has learned.

It was announced in June that “The Boys” would be ending with Season 5. Exact character details are being kept under wraps, but Diggs will appear in a series regular role in the Amazon Prime Video series. He will appear alongside returning cast members Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti.

Diggs is best known for originating the dual roles of Thomas Jefferson and Marquis de Lafayette in the smash hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” for which he won a Tony Award in 2016. Onscreen, he recently starred in the series adaptation of “Snowpiercer” and played Frederick Douglass in the Showtime limited series “The Good Lord Bird.” He has also lent his voice to animated shows like “Central Park,...

In the Democratic National Convention’s reimagined fairy tale, “Goldilocks and the Beltway,” President Joe Biden played the part of the porridge. “I was too young to be in the Senate,” he quipped, and now he’s “too old to stay as president.” Biden’s candid admission was met with a standing ovation from those eager to usher him offstage — but this presidential historian can’t help but feel alarmed.

I don’t think the decision to shuffle out of office at 81 should have been Biden’s to make, nor...

Lydia Deetz, her stepmother Delia Deetz, and her daughter Astrid stand over a casket, the burial services in progress. We can barely make out who the funeral is for but there he is on the headstone: Charles Deetz. While Charles was once part of the Beetlejuice sequel when the ghost with the most was to “go Hawaiian”, he was written entirely out of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice…for reasons that will soon be obvious.

Despite the original’s and sequel’s dalliances with the afterlife, Jeffrey Jones will not be in the Beetlejuice sequel– or pretty much any other legitimate movie – following his disgraceful tumble from his small but reliable spotlight. Perfectly fitting into prestigious period pieces and goofball funny flicks. Jones is a Golden Globe nominee with consistent work – a mix of villain, comedic and at times patriarchal roles, Jeffrey Jones went from Ferris Bueller baddie to Who’s Your Caddy?...

For most students, American History is a boring required class, hours of memorizing dates and battles that appear to have little relevance to modern life. Maybe enterprising teachers could spice up a lecture or two with some Saturday Night Live sketches that detail important events from our nation’s past.

Sure, students may come out of the class less informed but at least they’ll be entertained.

1 Washington’s Dream Play

In one of the best sketches in recent SNL memory, first-time host Nate Bargatze shined as George Washington sharing his questionable priorities for a new nation. “People have been complaining about America’s weird system of weights and measurements and doing jokes about it forever,” SNL head writer Streeter Seidell told IndieWire. “It’s not like it hasn’t been remarked upon by every single European you’ve ever met — and every scientist.”

2 Revolutionary War

You think fans of...

General Hospital star Carolyn Hennesy continued her series of travel Instagram videos, along with Nancy Lee Grahn, as the duo traveled to Philadelphia, Pa. There, she got emotional visiting the birthplace of America, and it was even more personal for her as her many times great great grandfather, Dr. Benjamin Rush, was among those who helped create our country’s most important documents.

Humbled by the Experience

According to the Philadelphia Visitor Center’s website, “Independence Hall is the birthplace of America. In this building, the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed.”

Hennesy (Diane) posted her first video to Instagram, aptly captioned, “History. Family. Patriotism. Humbling. God bless America.” She and Grahn (Alexis) were outside the building, and she started to get teary-eyed while explaining where they were. As a bell rang, she pointed out Independence Hall, stating, “This is where he signed the Declaration of Independence,...

An extensive collection of Michael Jackson’s original artwork — including hand-drawn images of Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Michelangelo’s David, and Jackson himself dressed in a Jedi-style robe — are headed to auction via Kings Auctions.

“Deemed The Museum Collection because of its rare nature,” reads a statement by Kings, “these artworks by Jackson are as intimate as you can get. His inspirations are clearly communicated in each piece, each unique and reflective of the various times in the artists life…Fans and collectors can appreciate the opportunity to own a...

Controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) faced backlash on social media for listing the wrong names of people who signed the Declaration of Independence.

Greene made this mistake in an X post. “The average age of the signers of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, was 44 years old, but more than a dozen were 35 or younger: Thomas Jefferson: 33 John Hancock: 39 James Madison: 25 Alexander Hamilton: 21 James Monroe: 18 Aaron Burr: 20 Paul Revere: 41 George Washington: 44,” she wrote.

X tagged the post with a correction which states that it was “in error with respect to Monroe, Madison, Washington, Burr, and Hamilton being signers.”

Many X users slammed the Georgia representative for making this error.

“You got a majority of names wrong,” the user stated in response to Greene’s post. “How are you in Congress!!??? We need a civics test to run for government.”

“How have you not taken this down,...

In a time of fractured politics, it’s nice to step back and remember the values that made the United States great: independence, liberty, courage, and sacrifice. We’ve pulled together the top movies to fire up for any mood this Independence Day.

Hamilton July 3, 2020

Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.

Revolution ain’t easy, and this ultra-popular hip-hop musical tells the story of one remarkable leader and his vision of a country yet-to-be.

Loading… 1776 November 9, 1972

Colonial representatives gather in Philadelphia with the aim of establishing a set of governmental rules for the burgeoning United States. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams charge Thomas Jefferson with the task of writing a statement announcing the new country’s emancipation from British rule.

If Hamilton is too contemporary, turn on this...

The Fourth of July is here, and with America’s birthday comes always the need to get in the patriotic spirit. There are many ways to do that of course. Fireworks are forever the go-to event; backyard barbecues and grills with hot dogs and hamburgers is another. But sometimes you might just want a bit of celluloid magic to remind you why you should care in the first place.

Whether you’re looking for a comedy or a drama, some ‘80s “USA, USA” cheese, or a genuine exploration of America’s founding, we’ve got you covered with a list of some of the most patriotic of American movies. Enjoy.

1776 (1972)

Let’s begin with the best movie about why today is called “Independence Day:” 1776. While there have been other movies about the Second Continental Congress’ travails during those sweltering days in the summer of ’76, none have truthfully been as...

There are many ways to celebrate the Fourth of July, but certainly one of the most fitting is by indulging in a great American pastime — watching a movie. There have been many films made about American history, from war epics to inspiring true stories, but we’ve put together a curated list of the best of the best — the most patriotic films that tackle America’s complex history in ways both grand and intimate, comedic and dramatic, awe-inspiring and fist-pump-inspiring.

Behold the best patriotic movies to watch on the 4th of July and where to stream each one.

Saving Private Ryan DreamWorks Pictures

Steven Spielberg’s 1998 film is hailed by many as one of the best World War II movies ever made, and it stands as a tribute to those who served. Set in 1944 Normandy, the story follows a group of soldiers whose mission is to find a private (played...

Michael Douglas is in terrific form as Benjamin Franklin in Apple TV’s new historical limited series “Franklin” but he isn’t the only actor to emerge with awards whispers whizzing through the air. Veteran actor Eddie Marsan features in a key supporting role as John Adams and delivers one of the finest performances of his career while also shining a new light onto a man that many actors have depicted before.

The limited series follows Franklin’s eight years in France as he tried to persuade King Louis XVI (Tom Pezier) to join the colonies’ cause and aid them in the American Revolutionary War. The scenes between Douglas and Marsan are nothing short of spectacular and Marsan nails his performance as Adams, as noted by critics.

Clint Worthington (Roger Ebert) noted: “Marsan’s energy as Adams is decidedly different from Paul Giamatti’s in Ellis’ original 2008 miniseries—“Franklin” feels...

Abel Ferrara has made a career out of staring unflinchingly into the abyss, interrogating man’s weakness and depravity and daring his audiences to look away. Faced with the catastrophic violence of the war in Ukraine, however, which he chronicles in the Berlin-premiering documentary “Turn in the Wound,” even the iconoclastic director finds himself at a loss — for words, and for easy answers.

“Why is the violence — that’s what it’s about,” Ferrara tells Variety. “Whether it’s there, whether it’s happening in Gaza and Israel — it’s happening all over the world. It has happened, it is happening, and it’s going to happen, and the question is, Why?”

Ferrara returns to Berlin four years after competing for the Golden Bear with “Siberia,” which starred Willem Dafoe in what Variety’s Guy Lodge described as a “beautiful, unhinged, sometimes hilarious trek into geographical and psychological wilderness.” The...

Maybe you’ve heard that conservatives are building a parallel economy. Rather than wait to stage another boycott when the next major beer or sneaker brand inevitably goes “woke,” you establish businesses that, from the outset, explicitly tout traditional values. Don’t like Bud Light anymore? Sounds like you need super-patriotic Ultra Right beer. Can’t stand Nike? Check out Unitus, a sports apparel company that “champions faith, family, and freedom” and sells shoes with Bible references printed on them.

In theory, there’s no product you couldn’t politicize this way,...

Sundance has a long history of screening films that tackle issues of race in the U.S. from every possible angle. Some are angry, some satirical, and some quite gonzo.

Kobi Libii’s feature debut The American Society of Magical Negroes has the distinction of going for all three, and while it results in a wildly uneven tone, there’s something refreshing about its thoughtfulness. Cord Jefferson’s recent TIFF hit, American Fiction, arguably did a better job of balancing character and politics. But Libii is a talented world-builder, whether taking us into the esoteric halls of an all-Black Hogwarts, or the absurdly boho offices of a largely white Silicon Valley dot-com.

The title is probably the most provocative thing about it, but even that comes with a spoonful of sugar. A pre-credits title card affirms the role of...

“Trolls Band Together” — the latest entry in DreamWorks Animation’s family friendly franchise — brings together some of the biggest names in movies and music.

Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick reprise their roles from the previous “Trolls” films as Branch and Poppy, respectively. The two are now officially a couple, but when Branch’s boyband past comes back to haunt him, the Trolls embark on another music- and fun-filled adventure.

Click here to find out where to watch “Trolls Band Together,” which opens Friday. And read on to find out who voices whom in the film:

Justin Timberlake as Branch

Branch is a Pop Troll and Poppy’s boyfriend. Branch was the youngest member of the pop band BroZone, where he went by the name Bitty B.

Timberlake is best known for being a member of the boy band Nsync before embarking on a solo career. His film credits include “The Social Network,...

Many of us probably think we know how racist anti-Black ideas started or think racism was always part of the human condition. Director Roger Ross Williams challenges these notions with his adaptation of Ibram X. Kendi’s book “Stamped From the Beginning.” Relying on testimony from Black female scholars and Kendi’s research, the helmer starts by posing a provocative question: “What is wrong with Black people?” By the end of the film, Williams unsparingly topples the sanctimoniousness inherent in thinking the answer is simple or clear. Even if it is.

True to its title, “Stamped From the Beginning” seeks to explain the origin of anti-Blackness. According to activist Angela Davis, one of the esteemed talking heads who give the film its credibility: “It’s not about the color of one’s skin or the grade of one’s hair. It’s about slavery.” That is how Europeans justified the...

Florida is always going to be Florida, but this time the state has really topped itself. On Wednesday, Florida’s Board of Education unanimously approved new rules for teaching Black history, which are concerning.

The guidelines, titled “Florida’s State Academic Standards – Social Studies, 2023,” offer “benchmark clarifications” to teachers and educators on specific topics for instruction. These clarifications have raised serious concern with the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union, who called the rules “a big step backward.”

“These new standards are a disservice to Florida’s students and...

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” The adage comes from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, made by John Ford, the undisputed master of a genre that plays with the disparity between American myth and reality like no other. The new four-part Curiosity Stream docuseries The Real Wild West tries its own hand at this task, dutifully highlighting stories and figures that have traditionally received short shrift from Hollywood and other purveyors of pop culture. Black cowboys, fearless madams, conquistadors, the Trail of Tears, the depletion of the buffalo,...

Need a break from the summer heat? Before the barbecue and fireworks extravaganza, cue up one of these 10 Fourth of July movies. Some are patriotic favorites, while others deliver summer vibes in spades. All are guaranteed to keep you entertained for a couple of hours.

‘Born on the Fourth of July’

Tom Cruise earned an Oscar nomination for his performance as paralyzed Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July. Based on the real-life story of Kovic, the movie follows him from his childhood through his time as a Marine in Vietnam to his return to the U.S. and embrace of anti-war activism.

Born on the Fourth of July is streaming on Netflix.

‘Top Gun’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

In the mood for some lighter Tom Cruise fare? Top Gun delivers a hefty dose of action and romance with its story of a...

The indictment of Donald Trump revealed that the far-right passions that spilled over into violence on Jan. 6 have not cooled, so much as remained at a simmer. And that a big news event can stoke them immediately back to a boil.

Brad Onishi is an expert on what’s fueling extremism from the religious right, which is acting increasingly as though it’s ready for combat. He’s the author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism — and What Comes Next. An audio version of the book,...

In 1989, the 7-year-old Daveed Diggs queued up outside Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre, his hometown multiplex, to see “The Little Mermaid” with his father, Dountes.

“It must’ve been opening weekend. The line wrapped around the block,” Diggs recalls. “I remember loving Scuttle, thinking he was just the funniest thing I’d seen up to that point, and loving the songs.”

Thirty years later, Diggs is a Tony- and Grammy-winning actor, rapper and filmmaker, best known for “Blindspotting” (both the 2018 film and the Starz series) and “Hamilton,” where he delighted Broadway audiences by putting his unique imprint on Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette. After playing those historical figures night after night, one might imagine he’d have no qualms about taking on another well-known character — the calypso-singing crab Sebastian in Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which opens on May 26.

But Diggs’ insecurities — much like Sebastian’s persistent...

“I believe in the First Amendment, and not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it,” joked President Joe Biden on Saturday at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

“I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse beat the Hell out of me and got there first,” Potus laughed, with Disney brass in the audience at the Washington Hilton. If you missed it, the House of Mouse finally sued the aspiring GOP presidential candidate this week for his attacks on the company and its Walt Disney World resort in Orlando.

Fresh off announcing his reelection campaign and chaos on cable news this week, President Joe Biden had a wealth of material to pull from. And if you thought Potus wasn’t going to mention with glee the axing of Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon from Fox News and CNN, respectively, the Maga hold on the GOP,...

A no-nonsense foreign service officer is tapped for a high-profile post in Netflix’s new political thriller The Diplomat. The Americans star Keri Russell plays Kate Wyler, who is preparing for a new post in Afghanistan when she is unexpectedly named the ambassador to the U.K. Kate has to negotiate an increasingly complicated political situation while also keeping her ambitious husband Hal (Rufus Sewell), a fellow diplomat, in check.

Keri Russell in ‘The Diplomat’ | Courtesy of Netflix © 2023

Once you’ve binged all eight episodes of The Diplomat, check out these other shows, which also feature politics, intrigue, and complicated marriages.

‘The Americans’

Kate and Hal have a complicated marriage, but they have nothing on Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Russell), a pair of deep-cover Russian spies posing as a typical couple in suburban Washington D.C. FX’s gripping, 1980s-set spy drama The Americans follows the Jennings as...

Twenty years after the fan-favorite Disney Renaissance film debuted in 1997, legendary composer Alan Menken revealed that he was working on a stage adaptation of "Hercules," the tale of a young man on his road to becoming a hero and finding out where he belongs in the world. Reunited with lyricist David Zippel, the Disney Legend created a number of all-new songs to compliment a book by Kristoffer Diaz and Robert Horn for the latest musical from the House of Mouse.

A few years later in 2019, the production made its world premiere at the Delacorte Theater in New York City's Central Park with a stellar cast that featured Jelani Alladin, who originated the role of Kristoff on stage in "Frozen," as Hercules, Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart of "Aladdin" on Broadway as Phil, star of NBC's "Smash" Krysta Rodriguez as Meg, and, instead of revisiting the character that he...

After many years of hearing the "Hamilton" ensemble sing "I am not throwing away my shot," Leslie Odom Jr. clearly took that mantra to heart. Since winning acclaim (and a Tony) for his role as Aaron Burr, the triple-threat performer has not slowed down. For 2020's "One Night In Miami," he earned two Oscar nods and has since starred in films like the "Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark" and Rian Johnson's "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery." But how exactly did Odom Jr. come to fill the role that would put him front and center on a Broadway stage?

The Origins Of Broadway's Aaron Burr

Leslie Odom Jr. has been seen onscreen since 2003 and on stage even longer. At just 17 years old, he was cast in "Rent," prompting him to leave high school a year early for the Broadway production. But given the option to remain onstage,...

Click here to read the full article.

When Bob Iger returned to Disney’s Burbank lot on Nov. 28, clad in a bright white shirt and a blue cardigan, he sought to reassure anxious employees by quoting Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical. “There is no more status quo … But the sun comes up and the world still spins,” actor Daveed Diggs sang as Thomas Jefferson in the original production. “That’s how I feel here. The status quo is gone,” Iger told assembled Disney employees. “A lot has changed, but the sun is still shining, and our Disney world is still spinning.”

Iger’s triumphant return to Disney after Bob Chapek’s ouster is complicated by a troubled macroeconomic environment, and the incoming CEO acknowledged that austerity would be in order at the company. And there’s also the matter of the ticking clock, with Disney’s board giving Iger...

There's another wine documentary to watch this year called Eastbound Westbound: A Winemaker's Story - From Bordeaux and California, examining the connections between Bordeaux in France and the California winemakers in America. This has already been playing at a few wine film festivals earlier this year. This project, started in 2020, was supported by four charismatic Bordeaux wine families, the main actors in this film, appearing as themselves in this opus. Eastbound Westbound is a modern and fast-paced cinematographic wine doc, conceived as an investigation between France and the USA, tracing the historical and unwavering links between the United States and the wines of Bordeaux! It's a friendship that we owe to Thomas Jefferson. He was ambassador to France before becoming the third president of the United States… The film features a recreation sequence going back to the 1700s showing how the wine was made then. This looks like a must...

Exclusive: Buffalo 8 has set a November 4 release date on Prime Video for James Hemings: Ghost In America’s Kitchen. The historical documentary follows the profound life of James Hemings, the first American to train as a chef in France, who at 8 years old was enslaved by Thomas Jefferson.

If you’ve ever eaten macaroni and cheese, French fries, crème brulée or ice cream you’ve enjoyed the contributions of Hemings, an older brother of Sally Hemings, who gave birth to six of Thomas Jefferson’s children. He also was a half-sibling of Jefferson’s wife Martha Jefferson, with whom he shared John Wayles as father.

When Jefferson was appointed Minister to France he selected, among others, Hemings to accompany him to Paris. There he trained to be a French chef and, in an era where enslaved people were purposefully kept illiterate, Chef Hemings learned to read, write and speak both English and French.

Near the start of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Broadway revival of the musical 1776, a cast made entirely of actors who identify as female, transgender and nonbinary, with multiple representations of race and ethnicity, step into the gold-buckled shoes, literally, of the men who would come to be called the founding fathers. We can only imagine how things might turn out differently, both for the musical and in some alternate real-life universe.

In some ways, not much changes. Members of the Continental Congress still bicker, fight and ever so slowly hash out the details of what will become the Declaration of Independence. Slavery will remain enshrined in both the document and the new nation, and the musical’s rousing Sherman Edwards score is as vibrant and pleasing as ever.

What’s different, of course, are the voices singing those songs and hashing those historical details, and in that, at least,...

The lap desk is hardly a recent invention — Thomas Jefferson wrote the entire Declaration of Independence on a lap desk of his own design that he called a “writing box” for instance — but today’s versions are designed to accommodate modern technology rather than feather quills and ink wells. However, the basic principles of the item remain the same: small, portable, and comfortable to use no matter where you’re seated.

What to Look for In a Lap Desk

The best lap desk is a relatively uncomplicated piece of furniture,...

A new Broadway season has started, and there are currently seven productions of musicals set to open this fall. Could we be seeing any of them contend at next year’s Tony Awards? Below is an overview of the plot of each musical as well as the awards history of its author, cast, creative team, and the opening and (where applicable) closing dates.

“Almost Famous” (previews begin October 3; opens November 3)

In this stage musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 Academy Award-winning film, William Miller is an idealistic 15-year-old aspiring music journalist. When Rolling Stone magazine hires him to go on the road with an up-and-coming band, he is thrust into the rock-and-roll circus, where his love of music, his longing for friendship, and his integrity as a writer collide.

This musical has a book written by Crowe, who also co-wrote the score with Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tom Kitt.

A white Republican member of the Georgia Legislature issued a controversial warning to a black former colleague who criticized his support of Confederate monuments, suggesting those who support the removal of Civil War landmarks could “go missing.”

The heated exchange began when State Rep. Jason Spencer, who represents a district in southern Georgia, posted a now-deleted Facebook photo of himself next to a memorial of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which published a screengrab of their conversartion.

Ladawn Jones, who sat alongside Spencer in the Georgia House of Representatives for four years until 2016 and has advocated for removing Confederate memorials,...

If you're a history buff like I am, or if you're just interested in learning more about U.S. Presidents of the past, you're gonna want to watch this new series that The History Channel is developing. It's called The Commanders, and it's an anthology series that "will dramatize the biggest moments in American history and those that served as commander-in-chief."

The limited series is said to range from four to ten hours long and it will focus on presidents including Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. According to THR, History Channel is also internally developing projects on George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Dwight Eisenhower.

The stories that the network plans on telling come from a collection of books that they have optioned including The Breach: Inside the Impeachment and Trial of William Jefferson Clinton by Peter Baker, Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris, Thomas Jefferson...

When “The Secret History of Twin Peaks” was first announced, the book was pitched as “a novel that reveals what has happened to the people of that iconic fictional town since we last saw them 25 years ago and offers a deeper glimpse into the central mystery that was only touched on by the original series.” Finally arriving last month in advance of the long-awaited 2017 revival of the cult TV show, the book offers only a few glancing details of the former while delving deeply into the latter. Author and series co-creator Mark Frost uses the bulk of his narrative to weave the strange history of “Twin Peaks” throughout the larger tapestry of American history and the long legacy of occult conspiracies.

This is not a book for a “Twin Peaks” newbie — and the arcane subject matter makes it unlikely to appeal to anyone who isn’t already a fan. A...

HBO is essentially abandoning all the work done so far on its six-part miniseries "Lewis and Clark" starring Casey Affleck and Matthias Schoenaerts.

An adaptation of Stephen E. Ambrose's book "Undaunted Courage," the project follows the pair (played by Casey Affleck and Matthias Schoenaerts) as they traverse uncharted territory on a mission to deliver President Jefferson's message of sovereignty and search for the fabled all-water route to the Pacific.

Multiple episodes of the project were shot before production was shut down halfway through filming so the high-profile historical drama project could be retooled.

HBO said in a statement to The Live Feed: "We have decided to redevelop Lewis and Clark with Michelle Ashford writing". Ashford, who is currently serving as the showrunner on Showtime's "Masters of Sex," penned the original script with Ed Norton and John Curran ("The Painted Veil").

A new re-write will come in which the...

Having won an Oscar last year for based-on-true-life tale Dallas Buyer’s Club, Matthew McConaughey has been seeking several reality-spawned stories for some of his follow-up films. He’s now attached to The Billionaire’s Vinegar for Sony and Will Smith’s Overbook company.Based on Benjamin Wallace’s book – full title The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery Of The World’s Most Expensive Bottle Of Wine – the eventual film will unspool a tale set in 1985 when a member of the wealthy Forbes family shelled out $156,000 at auction house Christie’s in London for what they thought was a bottle of 1787 Château Lafite Bordeaux wine, supposedly part of a cache once owned by former Us President Thomas Jefferson. But though billionaire Bill Koch originally bought the cache for $500,000, he later became suspicious and paid double that to have the bottles checked and discovered they were big ol’ fakes. He sued Hardy Rodenstock,...

Well, it couldn’t last forever. After two episodes that were entertaining — if not exactly the definition of “strong” — “Sleepy Hollow” relapsed into a aimless mess with “What Lies Beneath.” From a needlessly complicated sub-plot that introduced a retroactive schizophrenic Frank Irving to the pointless destruction of an upgraded Library of Exposition, the most logical thing in this episode was the magical hologram of a dead President. Let’s dive in, shall we? Despite wandering the halls of the Sleepy Hollow Underground for months, it’s neither Ichabod nor Abbie who stumble on the secret cache of knowledge about the End Times™. That honor is instead bestowed upon construction workers mapping the tunnels for excavation, because we’re expected to believe a colonial New England town would destroy history to build a parking lot rather than allocating funds for restoration and tours. The unlucky trio find a mysterious hatch, which...

HBO has given the green light to the miniseries "Lewis and Clark" which Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Dede Gardner and Gary Goetzman will executive produce for HBO, National Geographic Entertainment, Playtone, Plan B and Class 5.

Casey Affleck and Matthias Schoenaerts will star as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, respectively, in this six-hour historical drama based on Stephen E. Ambrose's book "Undaunted Courage" about America’s first contact with the land and native tribes of the country west of the Mississippi River.

The story follows the journey of the Corps of Discovery and its captains, Lewis and Clark, on their mission to deliver President Thomas Jefferson’s message of sovereignty, as they search for his fabled all-water route to the Pacific.

John Curran ("The Painted Veil") will direct, and Michelle Ashford ("The Pacific"), Curran and Norton will serve as writers on the project which begins filming this Summer.

HBO’s making history again.

The premium cabler, home of John Adams and The Pacific, soon will set off on a new expedition: a miniseries based on the historical travels of Lewis and Clark.

Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone) will play Meriwether Lewis opposite Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts as William Clark in a project chronicling the famous trip, the network announced Friday.

The six-hour miniseries, based on Stephen E. Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage, will follow the 19th-century explorers as they go on a President Jefferson-ordered excursion through uncharted territory, searching for an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean.

The...

Hey, "Sleepy Hollow" peeps. Yeah, guys. It's totally true that your favorite show has now bailed on you for its winter break, so there will be no new episode tonight. Instead, the new episode 12 of season 2 labeled " What lies Beneath" is scheduled to air Monday night, January 5th, 2015, so be sure to jot that down on your TV calendars. In addition to that, we have some new character spoilers for you guys from TV Line. It turns out that we're going to see former "Wings" star,Steven Weber, get brought into the mix to play President Thomas Jefferson. They stated: "it’s likely that he’ll be a posthumous font of knowledge, a la the series’ take on George Washington and Franklin. (Remember, Jefferson is the architect of that cell that’s currently containing Abraham, Aka the Headless Horseman.)" Stay tuned.

Another one of Ichabod’s famous contemporaries soon will make his way to Sleepy Hollow: The Fox series has cast Steven Weber (Wings) as President Thomas Jefferson, TVLine has learned exclusively.

We hear the series wanted someone who, like Timothy Busfield as Benjamin Franklin, could play the Declaration of Independence’s primary author as quite a commanding presence.

No word yet on when we’ll first meet Weber’s Jefferson or what circumstances will introduce him into the supernatural fray, but it’s likely he’ll be a posthumous font of knowledge, a la the series’ take on George Washington and Franklin.

Casey Affleck is one of the great American actors of his generation, yet he is still a performer that everyone seems to underestimate. He has made a career of compelling lead turns in films like Gone Baby Gone and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and is also a reliable character actor. Last year, he was the biggest scene-stealer of the lacklustre Out of the Furnace, while almost nobody saw him in the evocative western Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, which he was terrific in as well. Now, the actor who has certainly outgrown being referred to as a certain someone’s brother, has signed on to another period western, Lewis and Clark, which will be a six-hour miniseries for HBO.

The project has been gestating for a while, but with Affleck now on board, we expect it to push forward full speed ahead. Tom Hanks,...

Owner Paul Brown was absolutely stunned by an item that walked into his auction house on "Auction Kings." Todd brought in an old family heirloom, but it had so much more historical significance than Todd fully realized. Todd explained that the desk he'd brought in actually dated back to President Thomas Jefferson.

"My family purchased his home in Poplar Forest, Virginia, in the 1840s, and I inherited it about three years ago," Todd explained.

"If it is what it appears to be, it’s by far, hands-down, nothing even comes close, the best piece I’ve ever had in my possession," Paul said.

And it was exactly as it appeared to be. The seller was hoping for $6,000 to set up a college fund for his 6-year-old daughter. At auction, the piece did much better than that, selling for $65,000. That should make for a great start to the college fund, as...