Entertainment

Alexander Skarsgård plays the title character in "Murderbot." (Steve Wilkie/Apple TV+)

‘Murderbot’ review: A robot turns sentient and … decides to watch a lot of TV

A humanoid robot played by Alexander Skarsgård hacks into its own system in the Apple TV+ sci-fi comedy.

A visitor walks among paintings, including Georgia O'Keeffe's "Rust Red Hills" (right) at the Brauer Museum of Art on the Valparaiso University campus in Valparaiso, Indiana Friday February 10, 2023. University officials confirmed at a Valparaiso City Council meeting Monday that the painting has been sold. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune)

Valparaiso University officials confirm art sale, ask city to serve as pass-through for $117M bond issue

Valparaiso University went before the Valparaiso City Council about a $117 million bond issue and...

Violin soloist Christian Tetzlaff performs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Center on June 1, 2017. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

German violinist cancels Chicago concert as part of a boycott of the US

German violinist Christian Tetzlaff will no longer perform at Symphony Center next fall, according to...

Arts

The Morton Arboretum hosts the exhibit "Vivid Creatures: Colorful Sculptures as Tall as Trees" by Heather BeGaetz and Fez BeGaetz. One of the sculptures, Spectra, the brittle button snail, is seen on May 5, 2025. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

With the sculptures of ‘Vivid Creatures,’ the Morton Arboretum goes for color this time

The west suburban nature park's latest outdoor show of sculptures is by Portland artists Heather and Fez BeGaetz, with figures inspired by the wildlife of Northern Illinois.

I have a bit of a hot and cold relationship with our big celebrity book clubs: Oprah, Reese and Jenna. On one hand, anything that gets people into books is A-OK with me, and each of these women has a...

Movies

FILE – Actor Gerard Depardieu arrives to face trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, on March 24, 2025 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

French actor Gérard Depardieu found guilty of sexual assault and given 18-month suspended sentence

French movie star Gérard Depardieu was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on the set of a movie in which he starred in 2021.

TV and Streaming

The SportsCenter set on the new 6,200-square foot Studio X in the newly opened Digital Center 2 at ESPN in Bristol. (Cloe Poisson / Hartford Courant)

ESPN says its direct-to-consumer streaming service will debut in September at $29.99 a month

ESPN said Tuesday that its new all-encompassing streaming service will take on a familiar name — ESPN — and launch in September at an initial price of $29.99 per month.

Theater

Amelia Workman and Kristen Sieh in "The Antiquities" in the Goodman's Owen Theatre. (Hugo Hentoff)

Review: In ‘The Antiquities’ at the Goodman Theatre, what becomes of our future selves?

This densely packed, 95-minute drama by Jordan Harrison takes our current worries about artificial intelligence to their logical conclusion. Your head will spin.

Restaurants, Food and Drink

Adam Caldwell, second from left, and Patrick Rauber, third from left, chat with friends while sampling wine at Uovo Wine storage facility in Chicago on May 1, 2025, in preparation for their upcoming Silvaner Summit event. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Quiet influence, loud wines: Inside RieslingKenner’s mission to bring German wine to Chicago

Two Chicago-based wine obsessives — neither from the wine or hospitality industry — are on a mission to make America fall for German wine.

Music and Concerts

Sean Diddy Combs, left, stands as his defense attorney, Teny Geragos, gives her opening statement to the jury on the first day of trial in Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 12, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie testifies at his trial about abuse and ‘freak offs’

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, took the witness stand in his sex trafficking trial on Tuesday, a day after prosecutors showed jurors video of the music mogul beating her in a hotel in 2016.

Travel

A new Disney theme park, created with Miral, will have a waterfront location on Yas Island of the United Arab Emirates.(Walt Disney Co.)

Disney planning theme park resort in Abu Dhabi

Walt Disney Co. is planning a theme park resort for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the company confirmed Wednesday. The attraction will be on the waterfront of Yas Island, already a leisure travel destination.