AP National Entertainment News

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press In Starz’s “Outlander,” Caitriona Balfe’s Claire Fraser is bold and brave. She can also think on her feet in high-pressure moments. Her husband Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan, is protective and empathetic. In a new prequel series out Friday, called “Outlander: Blood of My Blood,” we see how they

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — With deep knowledge of Stephen King’s books and curiosity about their inspirations, writer Sharon Kitchens began a journey around Maine. As she learned about the real-life settings and people behind such fiction as “IT” and “Salem’s Lot,” she arranged them into an online map and

By ITZEL LUNA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actor Gina Carano has settled her federal lawsuit against Lucasfilm and its parent The Walt Disney Co. over her claim that she was fired from “The Mandalorian” in 2021 for expressing right-wing views on social media. The specific terms of the agreement were not made available.

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and talent manager, has died of cancer, his family said Thursday. He was 48. “Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years,” a representative for the Blackstock family shared in a statement to The Associated Press. “He passed away

By The Associated Press Dean Cain, the actor best known for portraying Superman on a 1990s television show, wants to join the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. In an interview with Fox News this week, Cain said he’d already spoken to the agency responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda. Assistant

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets will honor the 60th anniversary of the Fab Four’s performance at Shea Stadium when they host the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 15 for The Beatles Night at Citi Field. The 1965 performance was a milestone because The Beatles became the first rock band to perform a major

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN Associated Press SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian authorities have banned 25 books in Kashmir that they say propagate “false narratives” and “secessionism” in the disputed region, where strict controls on the media have escalated in recent years. The ban threatens people with prison time for selling or owning these works by authors

By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Nestled on a narrow, one-way street among Yale University buildings, a pizza joint and an ice cream shop, Toad’s Place looks like a typical haunt for college kids. But inside the modest, two-story building is a veritable museum of paintings and signed photos depicting the

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ESPN’s much-discussed streaming service finally has its launch date. The network announced Wednesday that its direct-to-consumer service and enhanced app will debut Aug. 21. The announcement coincided with Disney’s quarterly earning report. This week’s expanded deals with the NFL and a new partnership with WWE provides ESPN with more

By SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS Associated Press Eddie Palmieri, the avant-garde musician who was one of the most innovative artists of rumba and Latin jazz, has died. He was 88. Fania Records announced Palmieri’s death Wednesday evening. Palmieri’s daughter Gabriela told The New York Times that her father died earlier that day at his home in New

LONDON (AP) — And now for something completely different: Britain’s Royal Mail has issued stamps celebrating the absurdist comedy of Monty Python. The 10-stamp series announced on Thursday celebrates some of the troupe’s most iconic characters and catchphrases, from “Nudge, nudge” to “The Lumberjack Song.” Six stamps depict scenes from the sketch-comedy TV series “Monty

By ITZEL LUNA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — If there’s one thing Zach Cregger learned while writing and directing his upcoming horror movie “Weapons,” it’s that the best laughs won’t come from the jokes he writes. The film follows Cregger’s 2022 solo directorial debut “Barbarians,” the widely celebrated genre-bending horror. This time, the young

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Country superstar Brad Paisley and Americana powerhouse Emmylou Harris will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the organization announced Wednesday. The new class also includes Steve Bogard and Tony Martin in the contemporary songwriter category, Jim Lauderdale in the contemporary songwriter/artist category and Don Cook in

By MIKE SILVERMAN Associated Press SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The Jemez and Sangre de Cristo mountains had vanished into the night sky by the time Ryan Speedo Green sang his first words as Wotan in Wagner’s “Die Walküre.” Still, their invisible presence around the Santa Fe Opera House was a fitting backdrop, since Wagner

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — After teaming up on a bestseller about the murder of four University of Idaho students, James Patterson and Vicky Ward are collaborating on a book about the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the hunt for his alleged killer, Luigi Mangione. Little, Brown

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ESPN will continue to broadcast the NFL Draft as well as obtaining new digital rights for its upcoming direct-to-consumer service. The two agreements were announced Wednesday morning, two hours before the Walt Disney Company announced its third-quarter earnings. It also came after the NFL and ESPN announced a nonbinding

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer Ever since the NFL announced it was looking to sell NFL Network and other media assets, ESPN had been seen as one of the favorites to make a deal. Nearly five years later, a framework is finally in place. The NFL announced Tuesday night that it has entered into

By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of people gathered Tuesday evening at a funeral service for famed wrestler Hulk Hogan, who died last month at 71. The private service was held at the same church where Hogan, whose real name was Terry Bollea, was baptized in 2023. He died after suffering

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman charged with selling Matthew Perry the dose of ketamine that killed him is headed for a September trial. Jasveen Sangha’s trial — the only one forthcoming in the death of the “Friends” star after four other defendants reached plea agreements with prosecutors —

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s messy. A guitar once played by two members of the Rolling Stones is at the center of a dispute between the band’s former guitarist Mick Taylor and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 1959 Gibson Les Paul was donated to

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Abracadabra, feel the beat under your feet — Lady Gaga is back on top. The “Mayhem” musician tops the 2025 the MTV Video Music Award nominations with 12, ending Taylor Swift’s two-year run in the top spot. Gaga is up for best collaboration, pop, direction,

By The Associated Press Alex Ovechkin has partnered with a Russian technology company to produce a movie, series or documentary about his NHL career. Yandex and its streaming platform, Kinopoisk, announced the agreement Tuesday. Ovechkin this past spring broke Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record and has scored 897 going into the final season of his

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo i s the latest author to be welcomed into the inner circle of Oprah Winfrey book club picks. Winfrey announced Tuesday that she had selected Russo’s “Bridge of Sighs,” a 2007 novel centered in a rural New York community. Russo

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t go home from jail to await sentencing on his prostitution-related conviction, a judge said Monday, denying the rap and style mogul’s latest bid for bail. Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into

By JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Post is launching a California tabloid newspaper and news site next year, the company announced Monday, bringing an assertive, irreverent and conservative-friendly fixture of the Big Apple media landscape to the Golden State. In the process, it is creating a 21st-century rarity: a

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Hank Hill is back and he’s the same ol’ Hank Hill, but a lot of things around him have changed. The lovable animated hero of “King of the Hill” has returned from a 15-year lull and he isn’t sure what boba tea is, how ridesharing

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press BAYREUTH, Germany (AP) — Less than 41 hours after his final bows for singing the title role of “Lohengrin” at Munich’s Bavarian State Opera, Piotr Beczała was 150 miles (241 kilometers) away at the Bayreuth Festpielhaus for a different production of the same Wagner opera. Wagner’s roles are among the

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer Former SAG-AFTRA executive director David White was elected interim executive director of the NFL Players Association on Sunday night. White replaces Lloyd Howell, who stepped down last month amid a series of revelations that created a distraction for the players’ union. “We have full faith in David to