Verne Gay

1 week ago | newsday.com | Verne Gay

Long recognized as the nation's insurance capital and cradle of firearms — Colt got its start here in 1855 — Hartford is known for a few other things these days: First-rate theaters, the Mark Twain house, a symphony orchestra, and a burgeoning restaurant scene alongside a bustling arts one. This capital city on the Connecticut River even has a decent minor-league baseball team with a wonderfully self-deprecating name (the Yard Goats). But Hartford as a travel destination in its own right?

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Verne Gay

SERIES "The Last of Us"WHEN|WHERE Season 2 premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBOWHAT IT'S ABOUT This second season opens five years after Joel (Pedro Pascal) has massacred the Fireflies who sought to remove Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) brain so they could replicate her DNA — recall that Ellie is the only known human immune to the fungus cordyceps which has turned a vast swath of humanity into flesh-eating zombies, or "runners." Both are now living in a walled-in community in Wyoming.

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Verne Gay

SERIES "Your Friends & Neighbors"WHERE Apple TV+, starting FridayWHAT IT'S ABOUT Andrew "Coop" Cooper (Jon Hamm) is fired from his cushy hedge fund job in Manhattan after a dalliance with a co-worker, then things get worse. His wife Mel (Amanda Peet) has already left him for former pro basketball star Nick Brandes (Mark Tallman, "First Wives Club") but the father of two is now struggling to make child support and alimony payments.

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Verne Gay

WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT 'THE WHITE LOTUS' FINALEGiven all that happened Sunday (and what didn't?) the finale of HBO's "The White Lotus" at least found time for the white lotus. Rooted in mud, that's the tropical plant that grows through the water toward the sun, and finally, comes into flower — the white lotus, the Buddhist symbol of being fully awakened.

2 weeks ago | newsday.com | Verne Gay

The premiere of the two-part HBO documentary on Billy Joel will open this year's 24th annual Tribeca Festival, the organization announced Sunday. And then there's this added bonus: Joel will turn up at the premiere too, or per Sunday's announcement, the Piano Man will be "joining the celebration in-person." The festival launches June 4.