AP National Entertainment News

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police dispatcher Julia Jordan accidentally added a dash of celebrity gossip to her public service this week when she shared “Taylor Swift is engaged” over a hot microphone. That appears to be how officers in the Lansing, Michigan, area learned about the superstar singer’s betrothal

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) — Cardi B testified Wednesday that she didn’t touch a security guard who alleges the rapper cut her face with a fingernail and spat on her in an altercation outside an obstetrician’s office during the hip-hop star’s not-yet-public first pregnancy. “She couldn’t get a scratch from

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer The NFL is easing some of its restrictions on Tom Brady as he prepares for his second season as Fox Sports’ top analyst. The league will allow Brady to participate in production meetings with teams, as long as they are conducted virtually or via Zoom. He still isn’t allowed

The Associated Press The impending marriage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is a rare — but not unprecedented — merger between two bold-faced names who have reached the pinnacle of their fields. Swift is the biggest pop star in the world, coming off the biggest concert tour ever. Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs tight

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Novels by Angela Flournoy,Kiran Desai and Megha Majumdar and a memoir by Arundhati Roy are among the finalists for the 12th annual Kirkus Prize, which comes with a $50,000 cash award for winners in fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. Kirkus, the long-running trade publication,

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Venice Film Festival kicked off with the world premiere of Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” Wednesday night on the Lido. The opening ceremony of the festival also saw Francis Ford Coppola presenting filmmaker Werner Herzog with a lifetime achievement prize. The 82nd edition of the

By ANDREW DALTON Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawyer asked Katy Perry on Tuesday whether she stood to gain money or anything else from a trial in a long legal fight over a California mansion. “Justice” was the one-word answer from the singing superstar, former “American Idol” judge and recent astronaut, part of

By The Associated Press The new diamond on Taylor Swift’s wedding ring finger reflects her vintage-loving heart in a brilliant cut dating to 18th-century candlelight. A close-up of the sparkler Tuesday was among five photos that accompanied Swift’s engagement announcement with beau Travis Kelce on Instagram. The ring was designed by Kindred Lubeck, a representative

By JOCELYN NOVECK and MARIA SHERMAN AP Entertainment Writers NEW YORK (AP) — It started with a friendship bracelet. It ended with an engagement ring. Taylor Swift, the pop superstar, and Travis Kelce, the football champion, are engaged. The fiances, both 35, announced the news in a joint post on Instagram on Tuesday. It is

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lil Nas X said Tuesday that his arrest and jail time were “terrifying” in his first public comments since he was charged with attacking Los Angeles police officers. The 26-year-old rapper and singer whose legal name is Montero Lamar Hill pleaded not guilty to four

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The CEO of Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp, is stepping down from his position, but will remain with the company as the head of a new imprint. “My north star has always been our authors and their books, and I have decided it’s time for

By The Associated Press Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement following a two-year romance was swiftly praised by stars from the entertainment and sports worlds, British royalty and even the U.S. president. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” the couple announced in an Instagram post Tuesday. The couple took the spotlight

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — “The Toxic Avenger” got stuck in the sludge. Director Macon Blair’s reboot of the classic 1980s cult superhero franchise from Troma Entertainment was shot four years ago and had its festival premiere two years ago, but for a long time, no theatrical distributors would bite.

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — James Cameron recently turned 71 as he brought his third “Avatar” film, “Fire and Ash,” to the finish line. Cameron first began developing “Avatar” more than 30 years ago. He started working on the first film in earnest 20 years ago. Production on “Fire and

By JOCELYN NOVECK and DAVE SKRETTA Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s a love story and, baby, she said yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged, they announced Tuesday. In a five-photo joint post on Instagram, the superstar singer and football player revealed their engagement, the fairytale culmination of a courtship that

VIENNA (AP) — A German court on Tuesday convicted a 16-year-old boy accused of supporting a foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Austria last year. The Syrian national, whom prosecutors have identified only as Mohammad A. in line with German privacy rules, was convicted of preparing a serious act of violence and supporting

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer VENICE, Italy (AP) — As the Venice Film Festival kicks off this week, activists hope to redirect the spotlight from the Hollywood stars arriving on the Lido to Gaza, with an anti-war demonstration planned for one of the festival’s biggest nights. The group Venice4Palestine has called on the festival

NEW YORK (AP) — Devon Walker and Emil Wakim are leaving “Saturday Night Live,” among the first of what could be several cast departures as the storied program prepares for its 51st season. “Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,” Walker wrote Monday on Instagram. “Sometimes it was

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jeremy Allen White grew up listening to Bruce Springsteen. He doesn’t even remember a time in his life when he wasn’t aware of his music. But sing his songs? It wasn’t until White began preparing to play the rock ’n’ roll legend for “Springsteen: Deliver

By TERRY TANG Associated Press For Rebecca F. Kuang, who has had six bestsellers before the age of 30, an eternal afterlife of leisure scares her more than the idea of going to hell. “As a child, I was told when you die you go to heaven and heaven is where you eat cake all

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer VENICE, Italy (AP) — Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are heading to Venice, Italy, for the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, which kicks off on Wednesday. Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the festival, the Oscar buzz and who’s going. What is the

By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — V of K-pop sensation BTS threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game on Monday night after meeting two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. After taking the mound, the singer bowed slightly in the direction of Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who then caught a

By DASHA LITVINOVA and HILLEL ITALIE Associated Press The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned Woody Allen for speaking virtually at a Russian film festival over the weekend, calling his participation in the event “a disgrace and an insult” to the victims of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Russian media, Allen spoke Sunday

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lil Nas X was charged Monday with four felonies after police say he charged at them when they confronted him for walking naked down a Los Angeles street last week. The musician, whose legal name is Montero Lamar Hill, pleaded not guilty in a court

By The Associated Press Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is back. So are the stars of “Wicked” and the animals of “Zootopia.” Summer may be known as sequel season, but part twos, and threes, will play big roles this fall at the movies. That goes not just for the likes of Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — On the first day of shooting “Frankenstein,” Guillermo del Toro held up a drawing of the creature he had made when he was a teenager. “He said, ‘This is like Jesus to me,’” recalls Oscar Isaac. For the Mexican-born filmmaker, Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic novel

By ALYCE BROWN AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Over the course of the past week across the U.S. Open’s grounds, eight couples went on their first dates — on camera. They were all part of the tournament’s newest content creation venture, “Game, Set, Matchmaker,” the most recent play for Gen Z attention from

By The Associated Press Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album, “Man’s Best Friend,” and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” starring Florence Pugh and Sebastian Stan are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Some of

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer VENICE, Italy (AP) — No Hollywood star seems as intrinsically tied to Venice as George Clooney. Twenty-seven years ago he attended his first Venice Film Festival with the instant classic “Out of Sight”; 20 years ago, it’s where he debuted his sophomore film, “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which

By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bob Uecker’s Hall of Fame broadcasting career began only after the Milwaukee Brewers initially hired him as a scout. Former Brewers owner and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said it didn’t take long to realize Uecker might be better suited for a different role. “The first scouting