Bill Maher is set to receive the Mark Twain Award for American Humor at the Kennedy Center on June 28. John Mellencamp, Woody Harrelson, and Whitney Cummings will be among the guest speakers. The Kennedy Center announced the event details Monday, offering packages from $99 to $1,500. The center has reverted to its original name after a federal judge ruled against adding Trump's name. Maher, the 27th recipient, joins past honorees like Richard Pryor and Tina Fey. Other guests include Louis C.K. and Stephen A. Smith, known for their controversial reputations.
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“Schmigadoon!,” won best new musical at the Tony Awards. The play is an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks big, brassy Broadway shows. The award on Sunday night for the best new play went to “Liberation,” about a consciousness-raising women’s group in 1970s Ohio, which earlier this year also won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. “Ragtime,” a big, soaring musical that depicts an America being remade by immigration, racial violence, industrial wealth and political unrest, won the best musical revival. John Lithgow won for best lead actor in a play for his role in “Giant.”
Today is Saturday, June 6, the 157th day of 2026. There are 208 days left in the year.
Actor James Handy has been stabbed to death, and police have charged the son of his girlfriend in the killing. Michael Gledhill was charged after police say officers found the 81-year-old Handy stabbed in the chest and unconscious outside a home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. They say Gledhill was arrested after telling police he was the person they were looking for. Handy was a character actor in films and on TV for decades, including appearances in a variety of television crime procedurals.
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Actor Anthony Head, known for his roles in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Ted Lasso,” has died at 72. His family announced Friday that he passed away peacefully due to complications from pneumonia, surrounded by loved ones. Head first gained recognition in the 1980s on British TV as part of a romantic couple in Nescafe ads. He later achieved U.S. fame as Rupert Giles in the supernatural series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which aired from 1997 to 2003.
Muhammad Ali’s hometown is honoring his legacy on the 10-year anniversary of his death. The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville held a remembrance ceremony Wednesday morning and launched a new annual event called the “Day of Compassion.” The goal is to encourage volunteer work and small acts of caring. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the streets in Louisville to see Ali’s funeral procession roll by 10 years ago. World leaders, athletes and celebrities came to Louisville to pay their respects to “The Greatest.”
Shia LaBeouf has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to punching people outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras. An attorney for LaBeouf says the actor will also be required to attend an alcohol treatment program under the sentence handed down Wednesday by an Orleans Parish judge. Video of the Feb. 17 encounter shows a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and hitting another person in the face, “causing his nose to possibly dislocate,” according to a New Orleans police report. Police also said LaBeouf repeatedly used homophobic slurs. He pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery.
Artificial intelligence is helping a London-based singer-songwriter continue writing and recording music after Parkinson’s disease largely took away his ability to play guitar. Samuel Smith relied on AI-powered song generators to create the demos for one track on his new album, “The Art of Letting Go.” He says the apps allowed him to convey his vision to the session musicians who recorded the song after his guitar skills deteriorated. AI music generators like Suno and and Udio use models trained on large datasets of recorded music and audio. The technology has divided the music industry and produced copyright infringement lawsuits. Smith gets it. He also thinks his experience demonstrates AI's potential to expand creative access.
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Martina McBride, Morris Day, the Commodores and Young MC have all announced they will not perform at “The Great American State Fair” on Washington's National Mall. The wave of cancellations comes a day after the White House-affiliated Freedom 250 announced the lineup for June and July. Freedom 250 has not responded to requests for comment. President Donald Trump launched Freedom 250 last year to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. The organization describes itself as nonpartisan. Rapper Vanilla Ice has confirmed that he will perform.
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Matthew Perry's personal assistant has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for his role in the drug death of the “Friends” star. Sixty-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa received the sentence in a Los Angeles federal court on Wednesday. Iwamasa The assistant was at Perry’s side through the final days of his life in 2023. He injected Perry with the fatal dose of ketamine and found him dead in his Jacuzzi. He would eventually become prosecutors’ most important informant. Iwamasa was the last person sentenced of five who pleaded guilty in connection with Perry's death at age 54.