Patrick Dempsey in Toronto, Jan. 10, 2026. The actor has spent a decade dismantling his McDreamy persona from “Grey’s Anatomy” — he stars as an assassin in a new Fox thriller. (Nathan Cyprys/The New York Times) By ALEXIS SOLOSKI Before actor Patrick Dempsey could sit down in the second-floor restaurant of Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel, a group of women celebrating a birthday stopped him, asking for a photo. Dempsey posed among them. His teeth were white, his hair was thick and

Opera singer Denyce Graves at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Jan. 20, 2026. The mezzo-soprano persevered through health challenges to become one of opera’s top singers. (Karsten Moran/The New York Times) By ADAM NAGOURNEY Denyce Graves made sure to stick a few tissues into a pocket of her costume for the Saturday matinee of the Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess.” It was the 158th — and the final — time she would perform at the Metropolitan Opera. She was sure she was going to c

By JOSÉ BAUTISTA Prosecutors in Madrid said late last week that they had ended an investigation into singer Julio Iglesias, saying that Spanish officials had no legal authority to examine claims that he had sexually abused two former employees in the Caribbean. The decision came nearly three weeks after the two women filed a complaint with a Spanish court accusing Iglesias, 82, of abusing one of them in the Dominican Republic and the other in the Bahamas. Iglesias denied the

“Cutting Through Rocks” By ALISSA WILKINSON Documentaries tend to be about — and are sometimes made by — people who refuse to do as they’re told. But even by those standards, this year’s Oscar nominees for best documentary feature are subversive and brave. Taken individually, each is a story about standing up to something that seems too big to confront: an authoritarian government, an abusive system, dehumanizing societal norms. Together, they show the power of nonfiction fil

Ryan Coogler in Los Angeles on Nov. 22, 2025. Coogler’s “Sinners,” which sold $368 million in tickets, received 16 Oscar nominations in total, more than any other film in Academy Award history. (Ariel Fisher/The New York Times) By KYLE BUCHANAN The Oscar nominations were announced Thursday morning, lavishing love on the season-long front-runners “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another.” Still, not every contender had cause for celebration. Here’s my analysis of the biggest sn

Pianist José Ramos Santana has not performed with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra in several years. (Facebook via Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico) By PEGGY ANN BLISS Special to The STAR When piano fans in Puerto Rico find themselves in company with Hispanophiles, one thing can put them on Cloud 9 faster than anything: the island’s most esteemed classical pianist interpreting a masterful fusion of both elements by Spain’s most revered composer Manuel de Falla with th

“One Battle After Another” By KYLE BUCHANAN The record for the most Oscar nominations is 14, a total accrued only by three movies: “La La Land” (2016), “Titanic” (1997) and “All About Eve” (1950). Could this be the year that 75-year-old record finally falls? I’m inclined to think so. In fact, two of this year’s top contenders — “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” — have a real shot at cracking that ceiling when the nominations are announced Thursday. It helps that the Os

By JON PARELES Bob Weir — the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist and one of its songwriters and lead singers — should be celebrated for his riffs and vamps alone. The musician, whose family announced his death at 78 on Jan. 10, composed the chiming, rolling, ebb-and-flow 10/4 foundation of “Playing in the Band,” the leaping twin-guitar lick of “One More Saturday Night,” the modal triplets of “The Other One” and the jubilant “sunshine daydream” outro of “Sugar Magnolia.” Those w