AP National Entertainment News

By KRYSTA FAURIA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — During his best director acceptance speech at this year’s Academy Awards, Sean Baker zealously spoke about the importance of theatergoing, particularly the increasingly threatened independently-owned cinemas. Baker was accepting the award for “Anora,” which won five of the six Oscars it was nominated for that night.

ROME (AP) — Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner is featured on Andrea Bocelli’s new single, “Dust and Glory” that was released Friday. The song, which blends Italian and English, mixes Bocelli’s vocals with spoken verses from Sinner. It’s a tribute to the struggle and beauty of life’s journey, and “the fine line that turns dust

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Brown, 36, wearing a blue suit, white shirt and black-rimmed glasses, was arraigned in London’s Southwark Crown Court

By JUWON PARK and MARIA SHERMAN Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Suga, a rapper and songwriter in the global K-pop sensation BTS, has been discharged from South Korea’s mandatory military service, marking the official return of all seven members from their enlistment duties. The label confirmed that Suga completed his alternative service duties

By MARIA SHERMAN and JUWON PARK Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — It’s official. All seven members of the massively popular K-pop group BTS have completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. Rapper Suga was the last of the bandmates to be released Wednesday from his duties as a social service agent, an alternative to

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Nero’s ancient Rome and Jazz Age New York were similar. That is the message of “The Comet/Poppea,” an intriguing combination of Monteverdi’s 1643 opera “L’incoronazione di Poppea” and George E. Lewis’ “The Comet,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist this year. The mashup conceived by director Yuval Sharon

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — In a new production of “Evita,” one of the biggest moments isn’t on the stage. Midway through the show, Rachel Zegler, playing Argentine first lady Eva Perón, emerges onto an exterior balcony at the London Palladium and sings “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina,” to whoever is passing

By The Associated Press Friday marks the 50th anniversary of “Jaws.” It remains one of the most beloved and rewatched movies of all time. But how good is your knowledge of the some of lore surrounding Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece? Read on and see how much you know about “Jaws.” What was the nickname given

By COLLEEN BARRY Associated Press MILAN (AP) — Global sales of personal luxury goods are ”slowing down but not collapsing,” according to a Bain & Co. consultancy study released Thursday. Personal luxury goods sales that eroded to 364 billion euros ($419 billion) in 2024 are projected to slide by another 2% to 5% this year,

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — What makes a great song of the summer? Is it an up-tempo pop banger? Something with an earworm chorus? Does it need to feature the words “summer,” “sunshine,” or another synonym — “California” — in the title? How could anyone attempt a song of the

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer In the early days of Israel’s attack on Iran, U.S.-operated Radio Farda, which broadcasts in the Persian language in Iran, debunked a state media report that an Israeli pilot had been shot down and captured. Its journalism has continued despite the Trump administration’s threat to its future, along with

By GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When Jeezy released his commercial debut two decades ago, he prepared a contingency plan in case his musical aspirations weren’t achieved. “You don’t know if you’re going to be around in 20 years,” said the drug dealer-turned-rap legend. “The streets change fast. But it’s also

By LESLIE AMBRIZ Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — As fans removed their caps and stood for the national anthem Saturday night at Dodger Stadium, they were met with a surprising rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Latin pop and R&B singer Nezza stood in front of the crowd, closed her eyes and belted the song

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A pit bull puppy peeing off a balcony. Mounted antlers in the kitchen on a crooked nail. Pink boiled eggs stay afloat in the brine. For its dedicated audience, the North Carolina alt-country-meets-indie rock band Wednesday is an exemplar in evocative songwriting, where whole worlds

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and PETROS GIANNAKOURIS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece is honoring the late clarinetist Petroloukas Chalkias, whose hypnotic, note-bending performances over the course of more than 70 years made him a hero of mountain folk music. Chalkias, who died at 90 over the weekend, lay in state Wednesday at the Athens

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jeff Ross, a comedian known for hosting brutal roasts of celebrities, is coming to Broadway this summer with a one-man autobiographical show that will offer fans a softer, more intimate side. “The hard part for me is letting go of a bit of my armor

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Fashion Writer MILAN (AP) — Francesco Risso is stepping down as Marni creative director after a decade, the OTB Group announced Tuesday, marking yet another high-level creative shift in the fashion world. OTB Chairman Renzo Rosso called Risso “a unique designer and an artist at heart,” adding, “I wish him only

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — TV chef Anne Burrell, who coached culinary fumblers through hundreds of episodes of “Worst Cooks in America,” died Tuesday at her New York home. She was 55. The Food Network, where Burrell began her two-decade television career on “Iron Chef America” and went on to other

ANDREW DALTON LOS ANGELES (AP) — An actor who worked on the Tyler Perry-created TV drama “The Oval” has filed a lawsuit alleging Perry leveraged his industry power to repeatedly sexually assault and harass him while keeping him quiet. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by actor Derek Dixon, who appeared on 85

CHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly collapsed in prison and was hospitalized, attorneys said in court filings this week, adding the details to the singer’s extraordinary allegations of a murder plot by prison officials that he argues require temporary release on home detention. Government lawyers have dismissed the claims as a “fanciful conspiracy.” Kelly, 58, is

By MARTINA REBECCA INCHINGOLO Associated Press MATERA, Italy (AP) — Matera, in the south of Italy, is known as the “City of Stones” for its architecture. For the next season of “The Chosen,” it’ll be known by another name: Jerusalem. With its ancient caves, breathtaking scenery, dramatic cliffs and houses made of stone, Matera is

LONDON (AP) — Alfred Brendel, a pianist and poet renowned for his refined playing of Beethoven over a six-decade career, died Tuesday at his home in London. He was 94. Brendel’s death was announced by the public relations agency Bolton & Quinn. Born in what is now the Czech Republic, Brendel gave his first recital

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Thirty-five years after Tom Cruise received his first Oscar nomination, he’s finally getting a trophy. It’s not for his death-defying stunts, either. At least, not exclusively. Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and “Do The Right Thing” production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary Oscar statuettes at

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — A century after the city of Berlin banned swimming in the Spree River because it was so polluted it could make people sick, there’s a push by swimmers to get back into the water. Around 200 people jumped into the slow-moving, greenish water Tuesday to show that

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The possibility that music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs might testify at his federal sex trafficking trial all but vanished Tuesday after his lawyer predicted a defense presentation lasting as little as two days and a judge said jurors could begin deliberations as

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James may be daydreaming about Prime Day deals in his new Amazon commercial, but there’s no fantasy when it comes to his real-life focus: getting his knee healthy in time for training camp. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar plans to return for his

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the “Friends” star’s overdose death will plead guilty, according to an agreement filed in court Monday. Dr. Salvador Plasencia agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, according

By SAFIYAH RIDDLE and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The man shot and killed while participating in the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City was a successful fashion designer and former “Project Runway” contestant who devoted his life to celebrating artists from the Pacific Islands. Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39,

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Culture Writer PARIS (AP) — The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum and a global symbol of art, beauty and endurance, has withstood war, terror, and pandemic — but on Monday, it was brought to a halt by its own staff, who say the institution is crumbling under the weight of mass