Amy Schumer to star in Steve Martin play on Broadway

Amy Schumer to star in Steve Martin play on Broadway

NEW YORK

Amy Schumer and Steve Martin are teaming up for laughs – on Broadway.

The actress and comedian will star in Martin’s four-person comedy “Meteor Shower” at the Booth Theatre starting in November. It’s about two couples who get together to observe the celestial event that inspires the title.

Schumer will be joined by Keegan-Michael Key, Laura Benanti and Alan Tudyk (Too-diek). Schumer and Key will be making their Broadway debuts. Martin was last represented on Broadway with his bluegrass-driven musical “Bright Star.”

“Meteor Shower” made its debut at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego last year.

Hackers demand millions in ransom for stolen HBO data

NEW YORK

Hackers using the name “Mr. Smith” posted a fresh cache of stolen HBO files online Monday, and demanded that HBO pay a ransom of several million dollars to prevent further such releases.

The data dump included what appear to be scripts from five “Game of Thrones” episodes, including one upcoming episode, and a month’s worth of email from the account of Leslie Cohen, HBO’s vice president for film programming. There were also internal documents, including a report of legal claims against the network and job offer letters to top executives.

HBO, which previously acknowledged the theft of “proprietary information,” said it’s continuing to investigate and is working with police and cybersecurity experts. The network said Monday that it still doesn’t believe that its email system as a whole has been compromised.

This is the second data dump from the purported hacker. So far the HBO leaks have been limited, falling well short of the chaos inflicted on Sony in 2014. In that attack, hackers unearthed thousands of embarrassing emails and released personal information, including salaries and social security numbers, of nearly 50,000 current and former Sony employees.

Those behind the HBO hack claim to have more data, including scripts, upcoming episodes of HBO shows and movies, and information damaging to HBO.

In a video directed to HBO CEO Richard Plepler, “Mr. Smith” used white text on a black background to threaten further disclosures if HBO doesn’t pay up. To stop the leaks, the purported hackers demanded “our 6 month salary in bitcoin,” which they implied is at least $6 million.

Yo-Yo Ma’s plea helps bring friend’s lost puppy home

LENOX, Mass.

With Yo-Yo Ma’s help, a friend was able to bring his lost puppy home.

The cellist Sunday made an impassioned plea to nearly 14,000 concertgoers after a matinee at Tanglewood in Massachusetts to ask them to help find conductor David Zinman’s lost puppy.

The 4-month-old Havanese named Carlito had vanished that morning, and Zinman was afraid the puppy would get run over by a car or snatched by a coyote. Ma considers Zinman one of his greatest mentors.

Grace Ellrodt didn’t attend the show but heard about the lost dog from concertgoers and family.

She and her boyfriend were driving in Lenox that night when they spotted the lost puppy in the road. She says she knew right way it was Carlito.

Associated Press