The idea of live-action Disney movies has become something of a tainted phrase. But, years before the House of Mouse turned its most beloved animated classics into live-action cash cows with very mixed results, Disney produced one of its best live-action movies, which spawned a multi-billion dollar franchise, and introduced fans to the most famous pirate in cinema history. 22 years after it was released (which makes us feel really old), said film is catching a second wind in its sails on Disney+. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the movie featured a stacked cast, which included Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Jack Davenport, and, of course, Johnny Depp.
The film in question, if you hadn’t guessed already, is Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The first entry in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, famously based on a theme-park ride, has recently become a major hit on Disney+. The film is currently the 10th most popular movie on the streaming platform. The film’s protagonist should need little introduction, as Johnny Depp plays one of the worst pirates the British Navy has ever seen: Captain Jack Sparrow. The Curse of the Black Pearl introduced audiences to Jack, along with Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, as they set sail to recover the Black Pearl and end the curse afflicting the ship’s crew. The official synopsis reads:
“Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor’s daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who’s in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates.”
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a major hit when it was released in 2003. Despite low expectations from Disney executives, the film grossed over $650 million worldwide. More importantly, it went on to spawn one of the most successful movie franchises of all time. The film also secured great reviews from critics and audiences, holding a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a stronger 86% audience score. If that wasn’t enough, The Curse of the Black Pearl was even nominated for five Academy Awards.
Will Johnny Depp Return for the Next ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Sequel?
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
A new installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been looming over the horizon for some years now. 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales might not have been a critical hit, but it still earned almost $800 million.
However, the recent controversy surrounding Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, as well as other development problems regarding the next sequel, have hampered its progress. At the time of writing, Johnny Depp is expected to return to the franchise for the sixth film, as was confirmed by series producer, Jerry Bruckheimer.
Although quite a few shows have been touted as worthy replacements for True Detective in recent years, only one seems to come close to perfectly capturing its first season’s brilliance. The show in question is also surprisingly one of the better Stephen King adaptations, and has only one season.
Almost every time a new crime thriller series features a standalone narrative about a compelling detective duo, audiences are inadvertently inclined towards comparing it with the first installment of HBO’s True Detective. While True Detective‘s seasons 2, 3, and 4, too, had their own appeal, the show’s season 1 remains unmatched in its brooding atmosphere, philosophical depth, and performances.
Owing to this, even though many shows are compared to it, only a few deserve to be mentioned in the same breath. However, one Stephen King TV show proves to be an equally enthralling addition to the crime thriller genre. It may not be as popular as True Detective, but it manages to fill the void left behind by the HBO series’ season 1.
The Outsider Was Far Closer To True Detective Season 1 Than Any Of Its Original Follow-Ups
Yuni and Ralph standing in The Outsider
Perhaps the biggest problem with True Detective season 2 was that, like its predecessor, it tried too hard to reinvent the crime thriller genre rather than stay true to what made the first season so compelling. The show’s season 3 was an improvement because it involved elements that made it reminiscent of season 1, but it still did not feel as groundbreaking as the opening installment.
True Detective season 4 was met with great critical scores, but it seemed too derivative of season 1’s best elements in its opening moments before it became something else entirely towards the end. Interestingly, a closer look at HBO’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Outsider highlights how it is more similar to True Detective season 1 than all other seasons of the show.
Like True Detective season 1, The Outsider does not shy away from unfolding like a typical police procedural drama. However, while its noir detective storytelling alone is quite compelling, it draws viewers in with an undercurrent of hinted supernatural horror. Its horror elements are never overbearing or forced.
Instead, they creep in suddenly and stay under a viewer’s skin long after each episode’s credits start rolling. Similar to True Detective season 1, The Outsider also promises to tell a well-rounded story in one installment without introducing unnecessary setups for a follow-up. There is also a hint of Lovecraftian horror in both The Outsider and True Detective season 1, making them equally gripping.
With so many similarities between The Outsider and True Detective season 1’s brand of crime thriller storytelling, it would be fair to call The Outsider a perfect replacement for the hit HBO show’s season 1.
The Outsider Had The Potential To Become A Worthy True Detective Rival
Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson together in True Detective season 1
After The Outsider season 1’s critical success, production company MRC wanted to shop the series to other outlets after HBO declined its renewal. Unfortunately, the show’s season 2 never saw the light of day. Since The Outsider season 1 exhausts the story beats from its original Stephen King book, its second installment could have gone down the True Detective route and featured a new standalone story.
Did You Know: Like The Outsider, True Detective was initially supposed to be a miniseries with only one season. However, HBO was so blown away by the show’s season 1 that it was turned into a full-blown series with multiple installments.
However, if it had taken the same anthology approach as True Detective, it is worth questioning whether it would have captured the same level of immersive storytelling that made its opening season work so well. Undoubtedly, though, like True Detective, The Outsider, too, had immense potential to grow into a full-fledged franchise.
The Times spoke with De los Reyes’ son Daniel, who shared his father’s last words to him: “Always play your best.”
Walfredo de los Reyes Sr., the internationally lauded Cuban percussionist who had a prodigious six-decade career in the music industry, died Aug. 28 in Concord, Calif. He was 92.
Walfredo de los Reyes Jr. — who plays drums for the legendary rock band Chicago — shared the news of his father’s death in an Instagram post last week.
“My father, Walfredo de los Reyes Sr., passed away last night, surrounded by his loving wife, Debbie, my brother Danny, and my wife, Kirsten,” he wrote. “He was not only an incredible father, but also a mentor in music and in life. He will always live in my heart. … His spirit, his rhythm will never stop.”
Speaking with The Times, De los Reyes’ son Daniel, drummer of the Grammy-winning country group Zac Brown Band, recalled his most recent memories of his father and the pain of his loss.
“I did everything I could to help him in his last months, his last days, as far as comfort,” he said. “You see a bunch of testimonials that everybody’s been writing in… but to me, he’s just my father. He’s just my father that I help out and I go to work with. To process everything [has] been very, very difficult. He was my Superman. He was like my Bionic Man. I thought, ‘Nothing’s ever going to happen to him.’ And the end has finally come.”
Walfredo de los Reyes Sr. plays congas onstage.
(Courtesy of Daniel de los Reyes)
While he hopes that his father’s musical legacy is preserved and appreciated, Daniel also wants people to remember the person his father was outside the industry.
“He would take in whoever it was and help them,” Daniel said. “[It] didn’t matter where they were from. If they called him, I can assure you, he would invite him to the house he would share with them — make them feel like they were part of his family immediately.”
Daniel also shared his father’s last words to him: “Always play your best.”
“It wasn’t just playing in the music instrument,” he said. “It was being the best person that you could possibly be. And that when you close your eyes at night, you feel good with yourself.
“I’m going to take those last words and that’s going to be my mantra for the rest of my life. I always try to be the best person as possible, but now it’s just I have my father’s love shining through me.”
Walfredo de los Reyes III was born in Havana on June 16, 1933, into a musical family. His father, Walfredo de los Reyes II, was a trumpeter who helped found the Orquesta Casino de la Playa in 1937.
De los Reyes would go on to play percussions alongside Latin music icons like Tito Puente, Cachao López, Willie Bobo and Cuban singer La Lupe. He also performed with famous American acts such as Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr., Linda Ronstadt, Dionne Warwick, Steve Winwood and Debbie Reynolds. He expanded his list of featured performances through his longtime residence in Las Vegas where he shared the stage with Milton Berle, Wayne Newton, Robert Goulet, Bernadette Peters and Rita Moreno.
His signature style of simultaneously playing a drum kit and percussion instruments was inspired by both Cuban and American influences — like Candido Segarra and Ed Shaughnessy — but also by necessity.
Tito Puente, left, poses for a photo with Walfredo de los Reyes Sr.
(Courtesy of Daniel de los Reyes)
“When I got my band at the Casino Parisien [in Havana], I didn’t have enough [money] to [hire] a conga player,” De los Reyes said in a 2011 interview with the National Assn. of Music Merchants. “I had to decide between a conga and a singer. I got the singer, because you always need a singer. [Then] I started putting congas on the left side [of my drum set] and playing with my left hand, the tumbao. … Why should I play only a conga drum? My feet just lay there.”
He is survived by his wife, Debbie Bellamy de los Reyes, his five children and 10 grandchildren. His son, actor Kamar de los Reyes, died of cancer in 2023 at age 56.
The South Korean girl group strutted their stuff on the America’s Got Talent stage Wednesday night (Sept. 10), for a two-song showcase.
The pop outfit took a pause from the US leg of their EASY CRAZY HOT world tour for a breezy, three-minute medley of “HOT” (English version) and “ANTIFRAGILE.”
Afterwards, bandmate Huh Yunjin took the mic to share some advice for the AGT hopefuls. “Whatever the outcome, it’s all a part of you,” she remarked. “So what matters is the passion that brought you here. I hope that that stays with you forever. We’re all rooting for you. You guys are so talented and it’s been an honour to share the stage with you.”
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Earlier this year, the ensemble scored its second No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart as HOT debuted atop the tally. That feat marked LE SSERAFIM’s fifth top 10 in total for the group, which previously reached No. 1 with its last chart entry, 2024’s Crazy.
A sixth top 10 might not be far off. New music is said to be coming next month.
While LE SSERAFIM turned up the temperature, ten AGT performers were already sweating on the results of the final Quarterfinal.
After Tuesday night’s live round, America voted, the results were tallied, and tonight, the winners and eliminations were confirmed.
Of the eleven acts, seven would go home and the top three would advance to the Semifinal.
Those top three acts are Birmingham Youth Fellowship Choir, TT Boys and Zak Mirz, respectively, all of whom stay in the competition. As previously reported, Team Recycled head direct to the Finals after winning Howie Mandel’s Golden Buzzer.
The podium finishers will compete with eight others that moved ahead in NBC’s talent show via America’s vote in the previous quarterfinals. They are Chris Turner, Jessica Sanchez, Sirca Marea, Jourdan Blue, LightWire, Bay Melnick Virgolino, Leo High School Choir, and Unreal Crew.
Next up, the Semifinal on Tuesday, Sept. 16 and the chance to nab the Semifinal Golden Buzzer. The winner of AGT, now in its 20th season, wins a $1 million grand prize.
Watch the big reveal from the final Quarterfinals round below.
[Warning: The following post contains spoilers for TheChallenge, Season 41 Episode 7, “At Least Someone’s Getting Laid!”]
Let’s get this out of the way first: Yes, the title of this episode is reflective of the fact that The Challenge house became hookup central for a pair of players: Nany González, who was coming out of a very serious relationship, and Will Gagnon, who was the sadboy who punched a wall at the beginning of the season over Dee Valladares hooking up with Johnny Bananas. Yes, the cameras captured a copious amount of the action and shared it with audiences. And yes, everyone talked about it and made crude jokes, with the parties involved laughing as much as anyone.
It’s typical Challenge fashion to have a few sultry showmances throughout the season — some that last, and some that, like this one, apparently, are just purely physical and temporary.
Moving on! The daily challenge was the show’s first-ever grand prix-style episode, fit with go-karts and a series of puzzles that the players had to take turns trying to solve. Called “Drive Me Crazy,” the game had 13 stations with one car and four stacked puzzles. One member of the pair had to drive laps, and the other had to figure out the puzzle, and they took turns until it was done. Chris “C.T.” Tamburello initially struggled with the car because of his size — “I feel like Bowser,” he joked at his own expense — but with Aneesa Ferreira at his side, the two managed to become true contenders in the challenge. They came this close to finishing first, but that honor went to Nany and her partner, Leo Dionici. The day’s losing pair was Tay Wilcoxson and Yeremi Hykel.
Nany and Leo had to choose who to save from the jury vote for the arena — with Tay automatically going in, since it was a women’s elimination day — and she picked her newest BFF Ashley Mitchell without much incident.
The jury then had to choose who to send in against Tay, and while others like Jonna Mannion and Dee also came into the mix, the vote ultimately went to Izzy Fairthorne (who was partnered with Will).
In the arena, titled “Pick It Up Again,” Tay and Izzy had to shoot hoops and build towers while their ball went through a giant gameboard, catching the ball before it got all the way through to the ground. Izzy struggled dearly with it, thanks in part to the fact that her platform was already leaning, but Tay stuck with it and emerged victorious. With that, Izzy went home, Will became the automatic hangnail, and new teams were chosen.
In the selection, the following new teams were made: Nany and Cedric Hodges; Leo and Olivia Kaiser; Aneesa and Jake Cornish; C.T. and Michaela Bradshaw; America Lopez and Gabe Wai; Derek Chavez and Aviv Melmed; Justin Hinson and Ashley; Sydney Segal and Yeremi; Jonna and Turabi “Turbo” Çamkıran; Dee and Theo Campbell; Leroy Garrett and Tay.
Then came some real excitement: Host T.J. Lavin finally, finally revealed what the points the players have been collecting all season will be good for. Whoever has the most points will get their first pick for their teammate for the rest of the season, he revealed. The only limitation is that they’ll have the same criteria as the prior selections: “Opposite stripe, opposite gender,” he said. He still didn’t reveal when exactly this ultra-selection ceremony will occur, but at least we now know what that tallyboard has in store for the remaining contestants.
There’s something in the air, and it feels like we’re getting closer and closer to an announcement about the long-delayed Season 15 of Real Housewives of New Jersey. Rumors have been swirling that producers have been doing test filming with a handful of potential cast members, but Teresa Giudice was seemingly left off the call sheet. Is her reign over RHONJ finally over? It depends on who you ask.
Teresa Giudice says RHONJ isn’t actually test filming without her
The original rumor about RHONJ test filming suggested that a few newbies filmed with veterans Margaret Josephs, Dolores Catania, and Melissa Gorga earlier this summer. Multiple sources have suggested that these three will somehow be involved with the show’s new era. That isn’t sitting well with everyone.
Teresa said, “Obviously, they’re not because if they were filming, then it would actually be out there, so it’s just speculation and you know people putting out stories out there, because if they were actually filming, there would be actual pictures out there. Correct?”
“It’s just people putting out stories out there. You really can’t believe everything you read unless Bravo is saying it,” she continued.
Some fans speculate that we’ll get our long-awaited RHONJ update at BravoCon 2025. When asked about that possibility, Teresa stayed tight-lipped. She told the reporter to “DM Andy Cohen” for an answer.
Owning an ISA stuffed with high-quality dividend is one way to try and build a second income.
It can be a lucrative approach for someone who is willing to put in enough money and take a long-term approach.
Doing the maths
As an example, let’s work backwards from an annual second income target of £30,000.
Dividends are never guaranteed (that is why smart investors spread their risks by diversifying their portfolio). But at a simple level, annual income is a function of how much is invested and the dividend yield.
The yield is the annual dividend income expressed as a percentage of what the shares originally cost, which can be different to their current price.
So, for example, £300,000 invested at a 10% yield would generate an annual second income of £30,000. If the yield was 5%, the target would require a £600,000 portfolio.
That 5% is above the current FTSE 100 yield. I think it is realistic, though, in the current market to target a higher yield, of 7%. This is while sticking to blue-chip companies with proven business models.
Taking the long-term approach
Doing that, the annual second income target of £30,000 would require an investment of close to £429,000.
The good news is that investment can be built up over time. For example, say the investor opens a Stocks and Shares ISA today and invests £20,000 each year into it, compounding its value at 7% annually.
After 14 years, the portfolio should be worth more than £429,000. If it yields 7% at that size, it would then generate over £30,000 each year as a second income.
Being realistic – and taking action
So, although the second income requires a wait, I think 14 years is a reasonable time frame for such a goal.
After all, this is not some get-rich-quick scheme, but a serious effort to build an extra income stream through investing in carefully chosen quality companies.
I mentioned above that I see a 7% yield as realistic in today’s market.
One share I think investors eyeing a long-term second income ought to consider is FTSE 100 asset manager M&G (LSE: MNG).
It currently yields 7.9%. It also aims to grow its dividend per share annually and has done so over the past few years. Though, as I mentioned above, dividends are never guaranteed to last at any company.
I like M&G in part because the asset management industry is huge and long-term demand is resilient. With its strong brand and long experience, the company looks well-placed to capitalise on that over the long run. That helps explain why it has over 5m customers.
M&G has struggled in recent years to get clients to put more money in than they take out of its products. I see that as an ongoing risk to profitability.
In the first half, though, the company saw a net inflow of £2.1bn to business areas that are still open to investment. I see that as encouraging progress on this front.
As businesses face pressure to bring new AI tools on board, they have the dual challenge of effectively incorporating the technology into their operations and of helping their workforce make the best use of the technology.
Longstanding methods for assessing the skills and performance of an employee, as well as hiring practices, are being upended and re-imagined, according to business leaders who spoke at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference on Tuesday in Park City, Utah.
Technical skills, contrary to what you might think, are not paramount in the age of AI. In fact, for many employers, technical skills are becoming less important.
“For the first time this summer on our platform we saw a shift,” said Hayden Brown, CEO of Upwork, an online jobs marketplace for freelancers. In the past, when Upwork asked employers on its platform about the most important skills they were hiring for, the answer invariably involved deep expertise in certain technical areas, Brown said. “For the first time this summer, it’s now soft skills. It’s human skills; it’s things like problem solving, judgement, creativity, taste.”
Jim Rowan, the head of AI at consulting firm Deloitte, which sponsored the Brainstorm discussion, said an employee’s “fluency” should not be an end goal in itself. More important is intellectual curiosity around new tools and technology.
And that’s something that needs to start at the top.
“We’ve done a lot of work with executive teams to make sure the top levels of the organization and the boards are actually familiar with AI,” said Rowan. “That helps because then they can communicate better with their teams and see what they’re doing.”
For Toni Vanwinkle, VP of Digital Employee Experience at Adobe, it’s critical for employees at all levels of an organization to have an “aha moment” with AI technology. And the best way to bring that about is for each employee to get their “first ten hours” in.
“Go play with it,” Vanwinkle says. “Sort your email box, take the notes in your meeting, create a marketing campaign, whatever it is that you do.” Through that initial process of personal exploration, you start to understand the potential of the technology, she says.
The next step, Vanwinkle says, is collaboration, discussions, and experimentation among colleagues within the same departments or functionalities.
“This whole spirit of experiment, learn fast. That twitch muscle can turn into something of value when people talk openly,” Vanwinkle says.
The importance of embracing experimentation, and fostering it as a value within the organization, was echoed by Indeed chief information officer Anthony Moisant.
“I think about the pilots we run, most of them fail. And I’m not embarrassed at all to say that,” Moisant says. It all comes down to what a particular organization is optimizing for, and in the case of Indeed, Moisant says, “what we go for is fast twitch muscle. Can we move faster?”
By encouraging more low stakes experiments with AI, companies can gain valuable insights and experience that employees can leverage quickly when it counts. “The only way to move faster is to take a few bets early on, without real long term strategic ROI,” says Moisant.
Workday Vice President of AI Kathy Pham emphasizes that with new tools like AI, getting a full picture of an employee’s value and performance may take a bit longer than some people are used to. “Part of the measurement is better understanding what the return is and over what period of time,” she said.
Fortune Global Forum returns Oct. 26–27, 2025 in Riyadh. CEOs and global leaders will gather for a dynamic, invitation-only event shaping the future of business. Apply for an invitation.
This icing is prepared in an Italian meringue. In this process, the sugar crystals are dissolved first in water, which is then boiled at 120°C (250°F), to around 115-120°C (above the soft-ball stage). The hot syrup is then poured in while the whites are being whipped. This method thins the egg white mixture out and imparts a smooth, ribbon-like texture to it with great gloss.
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Whipped egg whites with either granulated sugar or boiled sugar syrup give two types of icing: French meringue and Italian meringue. French meringue icing starts with the use of granulated sugar. The sugar is steadily added to the egg whites when whipping them to stiff peaks to a point where the icing feels hard. This would melt with heat and moisture and eventually get slimy. In Italian meringue, the boiling sugar syrup is poured into a loose egg white mixture and beaten until hard and holds shape. The Italian meringue is very sturdy in chilling (which is the secret of that mixture in frosting) and gets malleable with warmth.
Forwarding the “bap u a bop” expression from Lizzo goes for every serious thing. The artistic four-speed Grammy Award nominee gave the fans a tea-size glimpse of some new work, and the next buzz has been huge. In the clip, Lizzo displayed fast rhymes and pure confidence that resides in all of us. She dishes style, attitude, and a classic flame.
This is Lizzo referring to herself as a “badass bitch” both in affirmation and softening of other people’s perceptions. She rhymes about staying true to herself, eating “beef and veggies,” and says she “ain’t need no nigga to ‘clear shit’.” It’s the kind of ego-style self-love we all fell in in the first place, really? She’s getting better.
The fans are going crazy for this new era, one really hyped-up listener comments, “I LOVE THIS ERA ALREADY OMG,” truly holding such a sentiment. Another one announces, “Lizzy back in her bag,” and in all honesty, they ain’t wrong. That is exactly what she serves.
More avant-garde views get through. One customer says, “I love this creativity and going in different directions, truly fun to see.” Lizzo has been all about breaking boundaries and trying new corners. In response to what she has given us recently, it is clear she is not afraid to experiment while still keeping to her main theme of self-acceptance.
Several listeners are already talking about collaborations and venues. “When you going on tour with this ‘my face hurts’ album! Cuz baby it is fire,” says one really eager one. Another claims “doechii on the remix, thankyaaaa,” with listeners imagining which way this sound leads.
The pressure for Lizzo is enormous: one fan shouts, “Man Lizzie, here are your flowers, baby,” while another swears, “O banger, the label better push cause we got you.” That’s insane loyalty, and you could almost touch the excitement.
One reminiscent is all praises to fashion with “The hair and color eats” unintimidatingly confirming Lizzo comes strong both in music and the look. She’s not about music alone—she’s a vibe.
What makes this moment precious is that while Lizzo continues to evolve, she stays true to what makes her unique. She is exploring new sounds and new directions but still has the infectious energy and positive messaging that speak to so many. It just isn’t about making hits; it’s about creating moments that empower and uplift.”
This signal right here is screaming out loud how much people are ready for whatever Lizzo has to share. As a fan spoke well, “Just when you thought the mixtape couldn’t get any better, Lizzo doubles up and blam!! Love it so much!!”. The energy aside indicates the bond she shares with the audience.
Lizzo balances the art of constant reinvention with putting truth in her statements, and that is what keeps her ever relevant if not ancient. She’s not following trends; she’s making them. And, judging from the response to this sneak peek, she’s about to take us on another crazy musical trip.
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This new chapter that is wrought in promise, excitement, and good timing for today’s music realm is what Lizzo is about to embark on. She’s pushing all the buttons of how she went on to become a pop star, and we’re here for every breath of it.
The sun had just begun its descent when the Mane Street Band took the stage for their weekly Honky Tonk Sunday set at Pioneertown’s Red Dog Saloon. Young adults in hiking gear sipped beers beneath chandeliers shaped like wagon wheels as old timers with gray ponytails and cowboy hats chatted with a tattooed bartender. Outside, a group of parents sat around long picnic tables, ignoring their kids who were messing around in the dirt.
It wasn’t easy to tell who was local and who was just visiting the high desert town founded nearly 80 years ago as a permanent movie set for western films. The warm, neighborly scene felt like further proof of what locals had been telling me all weekend: The fake western town that Hollywood built has finally morphed into an actual western town with an identity of its own.
The Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and is a gathering place for locals and visitors alike.
(Simone Lueck / For Time Times)
“This is not Knott’s Berry Farm,” said JoAnne Gosen, a local shopkeeper and goat farmer who moved to the area 21 years ago. “This is a real town and it’s our town.”
After years of upheaval that included skyrocketing home prices, a pandemic-fueled Airbnb boom, a failed proposal for a multi-use event space and a false claim by a reality TV star that she singlehandedly owned the town, residents of this small unincorporated community say Pioneertown is settling into a new equilibrium. The tumultuous era at the town’s landmark roadhouse and concert venue Pappy and Harriet’s appears to have ended as new management repairs relations with the surrounding community. Established businesses like the Red Dog Saloon and the Pioneertown Motel are offering stable employment to locals and transplants alike and more buildings on Pioneertown’s western-themed “Mane St.” are being converted to small, locally run shops.
Locals dance at the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown.
(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
Pioneer Bowl in Pioneertown, California.(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
Visitors will also find there’s much more to do than wait two hours for a table at Pappy and Harriet’s. Weekend tourists can grab a taco at the Red Dog Saloon, browse locally made natural bath products at Xeba Botanica, bowl in a historic bowling alley or explore the Berber-meets-cowboy store Soukie Modern. If you’re there on a Sunday morning, you can even pick up a dozen hand-boiled New York-style bagels if you order ahead.
“It can be difficult for us old-timers to see all the changes,” said Gosen, who spins goat fiber into yarn outside her soap shop on Mane Street most weekends. “I don’t love all the Airbnbs and the residents who can’t afford housing. But at the same time, we’re here on the farm by ourselves most of the week and on the weekend we’re fortunate enough to go into town and meet the most amazing people from all over the world.”
Hey bales are scattered on the main street in Pioneertown, cheekily known as “Mane Street.”
(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
Developers, beware of the ‘Curtis Curse’
Pioneertown has always been a strange, hybrid place: half fake, half real.
The community was founded in the mid-1940s by a consortium of entertainers that included Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and the Sons of the Pioneers, a popular singing group at the time that lent the town their name. It was conceived and led in its early years by Dick Curtis, a 6-foot-3 actor who appeared in more than 230 movies and television shows in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Curtis dreamed of creating a permanent western movie set against the rugged backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains that would also function as a working town with businesses that catered to film crews and residents. The Pioneertown Corp. broke ground in 1946. Among its first buildings were a land office, a beauty parlor, a motel, two restaurants and a feed store — all with Old West facades.
Filming in town mostly stopped in the 1950s, but the area continues to offer visitors and residents a unique mix of fantasy and function decades later. Some buildings like the General Store, the Saddlery and the Post Office house businesses. Others, like the jail, the livery and a barber shop are just facades — great for selfies but little else.
Over the years, people with big dreams and limited understanding of the challenges of building in this particular stretch of desert have tried and failed to bring major developments to the town, which today has about 600 residents. In the ‘60s, a car salesman from Ohio bought the Pioneertown Corp. and proposed plans to create a massive desert resort with townhomes, apartments, lakes and golf courses. He predicted it would eventually draw a population of 35,000. (The business went bankrupt instead.) During the pandemic, a mountain guide and supervising producer for Red Bull Media scared locals with a plan to convert 350 acres into an event space with residences, a recording studio, and an amphitheater that would hold up to 3,000 people. The project was eventually downgraded to a pricey Airbnb and by the time it was completed, he was no longer part of it.
The Film Museum in Pioneertown offers a curated look at the movies and films shot on the Hollywood set turned Western town.
(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
Curt Sautter, who helps curate Pioneertown’s small film history museum, believes the town has been protected from major development by what he calls the Curtis Curse. “You can be successful in Pioneertown, but if you get greedy or you try to do something that messes with the environment or the community itself you will fail,” he said.
Locals know that growth in Pioneertown is inevitable, but they also point to its limitations: the meager local water supply, the lack of a fire department and that there is only one road into and out of town.
“The community wants slow growth that preserves the western character of the town and is compatible with the desert environment,” said Ben Loescher, an architect and president of Friends of Pioneertown, a nonprofit that supports the community.
Richard Lee of 29 Loaves sells freshly baked bagels outside the Pioneertown Motel on Sunday mornings.
(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
What to do in Pioneertown: Bowling, bagels, bingo and more
Today you’ll find signs of measured growth everywhere you look in Pioneertown, making now a great time to visit. Pioneer Bowl, a perfectly preserved 1946 vintage bowling alley with the original murals by a Hollywood set designer on its walls, has just resurfaced its lanes and extended its hours. It’s now open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. A game will cost you $25 and is first come, first served. It used to be impossible to find breakfast in town, but now you’ll find breakfast burritos, tacos and quesadillas at the Red Dog Saloon, which opens everyday at 10 a.m. On Sundays from 8:30 am to 9:30 a.m., Richard Lee of 29 Loavesdelivers his fresh baked bagels to those who ordered them in advance outside the Pioneertown Motel. (The cinnamon-date bagels are especially recommended).
Locals at the Red Dog Saloon in Pioneertown, California.(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
Kids and selfie seekers will enjoy the Pioneertown Petting Zoo where $10 will buy you 20 minutes with chickens, turkeys and a small horse. There is also a little history museum to explore and two old western reenactment groups — Mane Street Stampede and Gunfighters for Hire — who seem to be entertaining themselves as much as they are the audience. (Check their websites for up to date show times.) If you plan ahead, you can also book a hike with goats with Yogi Goats Farm for $95 a person.
Visitors might also consider subscribing to the Pioneertown Gazette, a free weekly newsletter that Pioneertown Motel co-owner Mike French began publishing online in 2023. In it he compiles listings for dozens of concerts, performances, yoga classes and other events happening across the high desert. A personal favorite is Desert Bingo at the Red Dog Saloon 6:30 p.m. on Monday nights, where locals, visitors and transplants gather for a good-natured, foul-mouthed bingo game with a live DJ. One bingo board will cost you $10 and the proceeds benefit a local charity.
Pioneer Bowl in Pioneertown was built in 1946 to entertain film crews. It has recently expanded its hours.
(Simone Lueck / For The Times)
Whether you’re planning to visit for an afternoon or considering moving to the area, you’ll find that this Hollywood movie set, turned ghost town, turned tourist curiosity, turned actual western town offers more to entertain locals and visitors than it has in decades, without sacrificing the western vibe that drew its founders to the area nearly 80 years ago.
“It’s the landscape, and that weird western mythology,” said Loescher. “It’s always been full of individuals who are a little iconoclastic and don’t do things the normal way.”
And no matter how many people come along who dream of changing Pioneertown, the challenging desert environment — and the Curtis Curse — will likely keep it that way.
