AP National Entertainment News

By GIADA ZAMPANO and SALVATORE LAPORTA Associated Press NAPLES, Italy (AP) — At long last, vindication is at hand for an Oscar-winning composer who sought to prove he was just as capable of breathing life into Italy’s grand theaters as gritty Hollywood films. On Friday night, Naples’ Teatro San Carlo will stage Ennio Morricone’s only

NEW YORK (AP) — A Hollywood director was convicted Thursday on charges that he scammed Netflix out of $11 million for a show that never materialized, while he instead used the cash for lavish purchases that included several Rolls-Royces, a Ferrari and about $1 million in mattresses and luxury bedding. Carl Erik Rinsch, best known

GENEVA (AP) — Swiss singer Nemo, who won the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, said Thursday they will return the winner’s trophy because Israel is being allowed to compete in the politically troubled pop music competition. In an Instagram video, Nemo held the microphone-shaped glass ornament and said “today I no longer feel like this trophy

GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland’s long-celebrated yodeling has received a response from the U.N. cultural agency: The Alpine tradition of chant and song is indeed worthy of classification in a list of the world’s cultural heritage. A committee of Paris-based UNESCO, meeting in New Delhi, on Thursday listed yodeling in its list of intangible cultural heritage.

By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Researchers, documentary filmmakers and others will soon be able to get their hands on screenwriter and director Lawrence Kasdan’s papers at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Archivists are about a quarter of the way through cataloging the 150-plus boxes of material that document

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press If you’d rather stay in than brave the elements or deal with holiday crowds, it’s a great time to catch up on the year’s standout television shows. A number of titles got people watching and also talking. In no particular order, here are 10 shows that broke out in 2025.

By KELVIN CHAN AP Business Writer Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will bring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker to the AI company’s Sora video generation tool, in a licensing deal that the two companies announced on Thursday. At the same time, Disney went after Google, demanding the tech

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Crystal Hernández steadies her violin and scans the crowd from the sixth floor of SoFi Stadium as 70,000 fans stream into a Los Angeles Rams home game. Below her, blue-and-gold jerseys mix with charro suits and sombreros, and the low rumble of pregame noise

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The landmark Dutch museum that holds some of the most famous paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer announced Thursday that it is planning a new branch in the southern city of Eindhoven to give more people access to its vast trove of art and artifacts. The

By JAMES BROOKS Associated Press LYNGBY, Denmark (AP) — It was a wedding that captivated the world — in 1981, Lady Diana Spencer said “I will” to Prince Charles, becoming Princess of Wales and bringing youth and glamour to Britain’s royal family. More than 40 years after the wedding and many years after the marriage

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press The painting that introduced “Star Wars” to the world nearly 50 years ago — and was reproduced in an iconic movie poster — sold at auction on Wednesday for $3.875 million. The acrylic and airbrush painting by the artist and movie poster designer Tom Jung first appeared in newspaper advertisements

By JILL LAWLESS and ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Writer Sophie Kinsella, whose effervescent rom-com “Confessions of a Shopaholic” sparked a millions-selling series, died Wednesday, her family said. She was 55 and had been diagnosed with brain cancer. The family said in a statement on Kinsella’s Instagram account that “she died peacefully, with

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Behind the Wizard of Oz in the two-part “Wicked” movies were people actually pulling the strings. They set the table for the hit double-punch movies long before the cameras ever rolled out: The casting directors, helped pick who made it to Oz. “Our job is

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer The New York Times, attacked by President Donald Trump for reporting about his physical condition, said on Wednesday that it wouldn’t be deterred by “false and inflammatory language” that distorts the role of a free press. The president had posted on his Truth Social platform that he believed it

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer CBS News appointed Tony Dokoupil as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” on Wednesday, charging him with taking on ABC’s dominant David Muir on one of the flagship shows for broadcast television. Dokoupil, who has been part of the “CBS Mornings” team since 2019, will start his new job

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Charli XCX is making a trip to the Sundance Film Festival in January. The pop singer-songwriter appears in three films premiering at the 2026 festival, including a mockumentary that she produced and stars in. Programmers on Wednesday unveiled a lineup of 90 feature films set for the festival’s last

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press In what figures to be a score for refined palates, the famous 1976 wine tasting in which California selections stunningly triumphed over older French vineyards will be portrayed in the opera “The Judgment of Paris” by composer Jake Heggie. A rare comedy by Heggie, known best for turning Sister Helen

NEW YORK (AP) — USA Today’s editor in chief, Caren Bohan, is out after a little more than a year leading the flagship newspaper of the Gannett chain. Her exit was confirmed on Wednesday by Monica Richardson, senior vice president of USA Today. No reason was given. Bohan became the newspaper’s top editor in September

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Melanie Moore, who runs the Ohio-based Cincy Book Bus, is one of hundreds of booksellers who received a pleasant surprise for the holidays: a check for $500 from author James Patterson. “I’ve never taken a salary. All profits from the bookstore go to buy books

LONDON (AP) — Iceland’s national broadcaster said Wednesday it will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest because of the participation of Israel, joining four other countries in a walkout of the pan-continental music competition. Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia told the European Broadcasting Union last week that they will not take part in the

By DÁNICA COTO and EVENS SANON Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Compas, a beloved Haitian music and dance genre inspired by merengue and infused with percussion, made UNESCO’s cultural heritage list on Wednesday. The syncopated rhythm, created in the 1950s, wafts from bars, bedrooms and businesses across Haiti, lifting spirits and providing solace from

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer Sophie Kinsella, who has died at age 55, had a special talent for characters who persevered through the most embarrassing mishaps — often of their own making. Here are five novels that helped keep readers laughing, and relating, over the past 30 years. “The Tennis Party” (1995) Fellow writers

By LIAM McEWAN Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three years ago, Arden Cho was ready to walk away from acting. She’d landed her first lead role in the Netflix series “Partner Track,” only to see it canceled after one season. She was heartbroken. Her agent wouldn’t let her go. “She refused to say ‘You’re

By The Associated Press The youngest is 16. The oldest are 40. Two are newly minted Emmy winners. Two had dreams of professional soccer. Two count Tom Cruise as a pivotal co-star. And two changed career tracks in college. But there’s one thing all five have in common: a banner 2025. The Associated Press has

By The Associated Press Owen Cooper emphatically announced himself to the world in 2025. The “Adolescence” star became the youngest male acting winner at the Emmy Awards. He was just 15. It was his first professional job. The young English actor’s rocket-fueled arrival was just one of several notable career turns that got the world