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20 years ago, 20th Century Fox began the summer-blockbuster season with a sword-and-sandals epic about the Crusades. Kingdom of Heaven‘s pedigree was impressive, if not bulletproof. Ridley Scott was only five years on from his Best Picture-winning Gladiator and newly minted movie star Orlando Bloom had plum, stand-out roles in two successful franchises (one of which had just won Best Picture itself). Still, it was a risky endeavor. Even riskier when considering the filmmakers’ challenging of religious truths and customs at a time when many had allowed fear to give way to hate, using their faith as a rationalization for terrible sins.

The film tells of the blacksmith Balian (Bloom), a tortured soul reeling from the death of his wife and infant child. His father, Baron Godfrey (Liam Neeson), and legion of crusading knights arrive to invite him to travel with them to the Holy Land. Though he initially refuses,...

The history of comedy on TV is littered with characters who have extraordinary gifts. There are the ones who can do literal magic, like Samantha on Bewitched, Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie, or, well, all the witches of Agatha All Along. There are space aliens, like Uncle Martin in My Favorite Martian or The Great Gazoo on The Flintstones or Mork on Mork & Mindy. There are straight-up mutant superheroes, like in She-Hulk or Doom Patrol or The Boys. Poker Face’s Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) has the preternatural ability to tell, from merely hearing someone make a statement, if it’s a lie; thus, she is part of a long TV tradition, even if her power is a bit less dramatic than if she could change the nature of matter, stop time or fly around shooting lasers from her hands. And while watching her use this gift to solve mysteries is extremely satisfying,...

The Peabody Awards are heading back to Los Angeles, following last year’s long-awaited move to the City of Angels. After several attempts — delayed by the Covid pandemic, and then by the Hollywood strikes — the Peabodys finally made their move to the west coast in 2024, and this year the event will celebrate its 85th anniversary at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on June 1.

“Our 2024 debut in L.A. was a major success, and we look forward to continuing to introduce the wider Hollywood creative community to what makes Peabody the premier award for media that matters,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “In such polarized times, the stories that Peabody honors are unifying in their clear call to address injustices and see humanity in all its beauty and messiness. Honoring such programs remains our goal.”

Peabody, which is based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia,...