A&E

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I need an objective opinion about a disagreement my boyfriend and I are having. For Christmas, my boyfriend sent each of my kids (ages 14 and 11) a book as a gift. When we received them in the mail, I thanked him and praised him for his thoughtfulness.

For a certain type of action movie fan, it’s the most wonderful time of the year: January pulp trashterpiece season. Last year, that slot was occupied by the lean, mean flying machine “Plane,” starring Gerard Butler; this year, it’s the off-brand “John Wick” ripoff “The Beekeeper,” starring Jason Statham and directed by David Ayer.

With "The Book of Clarence," British musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel does for the biblical sword-and-sandal epic what he did for westerns in his feature debut, "The Harder They Fall," a tongue-in-cheeky cowboy action film featuring a predominantly Black cast and a story loosely based on historical figures. The new film is a shot in the arm for a moribund genre. But as with Samuel's 2021 Netflix release, which turned the tropes of the oater on their heads, the results are entertaining, sometimes riotously so, yet also decidedly mixed.

"Mean Girls" returns to the big screen Friday, this time with songs like "Meet the Plastics," and "Revenge Party." The new movie is based on the 2017 musical, which itself is based on the 2004 film.

It’s been a long, strange trip for the smart, real-world ideas behind Rosalind Wiseman’s “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” the 2002 parenting book about how to deal with difficult teenage daughters that is best known as the inspiration for the hit 2004 movie “Mean Girls.” Hidden inside a comedy of cultural anthropology that was both silly and sardonic, courtesy of screenwriter Tina Fey, they’ve survived, more or less intact, through a lackluster 2011 sequel that Fey had nothing to do with and that nobody remembers: “Mean Girls 2,” on the ABC Family channel.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We were meeting up with longtime friends. Discussing types of vacations, I expressed some concerns about cruises – specifically the effect they have on the environment in places with fragile ecosystems.

The Sopranos takes the cake as far as shows with food featured prominently. 

January has long been associated with a fresh start and a time to adopt new practices, but in recent years it’s been an especially popular period to reflect on drinking habits. For many, this has been spurred by the growing trend of participating in Dry January, a month-long commitment to abstain from booze. But just because you aren’t drinking alcohol doesn’t mean you can’t sip on something fun. There are now more alcohol-free spirits than ever, and mocktail options at bars and restaurants just keep getting better.

The food and travel editors of the Seattle Met Magazine have named three Spokane restaurants the best in the state.

Editor’s note: Annie is away. This was originally published in 2021.

A new owner and TV network for the Golden Globe Awards may have helped stop the ratings tailspin for the troubled trophy show. The Sunday telecast on CBS drew 9.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, a 50% increase over 2023, when it aired on NBC. The event from the Beverly Hilton hotel was streamed on Paramount+ as well.

Dear Doctors: My wife and I have a running argument with our kids about GPS. We enjoy maps and use them to plan our routes. Our kids call us old-fashioned and always use GPS. I just read that using GPS can erode your spatial skills. Is that true? If so, maybe it will persuade them to use a map.

When Lily Gladstone made history Sunday evening, becoming the first Native American to win best actress in a motion picture drama, Indigenous people nationwide celebrated while simultaneously trying to figure out who beaded her black-and-white earrings.

Editor’s note: Annie is away. This was originally published in 2021.

Jurassic Quest, a dinosaur show, will return to the Spokane Convention Center, in March.

The 81st Golden Globes kicked off Hollywood’s awards season on Sunday in a chaotic and sloppy manner, with the host, Jo Koy, delivering a train wreck of a monologue, winners alternately seeming to take the ceremony seriously and not at all, and prizes going to a wide array of films and television shows.

"Oppenheimer" and "Succession" were top winners on Sunday, and Lily Gladstone became the first Indigenous woman to take home the award for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Like a lot of great ideas, Nancy Pearl‘s “Rule of 50” arrived in a flash. The librarian and best-selling author was fielding questions on a public radio show when a woman called in and explained she wasn’t enjoying the book she was reading but felt guilty about abandoning it.

The Hamilton Studio Listening Room, the latest Spokane venue, opened Sunday with a concert by Brennan Leigh. More concerts by local filmmaker/photographer Don Hamilton are on the horizon.