AP National Entertainment News

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For all of Elizabeth McGovern’s acting career, someone else wrote her lines. Now it’s her turn. The “Downton Abbey” star pivots from British aristocracy to classic Hollywood royalty this summer to portray screen legend Ava Gardner in a play she wrote. “It’s an incredible feeling

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge says Russian soprano Anna Netrebko can move forward with her case claiming national origin discrimination by the Metropolitan Opera, which dropped her after she refused to repudiate President Vladimir Putin over Russia’s campaign against Ukraine. The decision by U.S. District Judge Analisa Nadine Torres in Manhattan was made

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Whether it serves as a chill escape from the onslaught of the real world or simply a way to beat vacation doldrums, a viral Roblox game about gardening has become the surprise hit of the summer. Grow a Garden, created by a 16-year-old in a few days, has shattered

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — For Buddy Guy — a stalwart and staunch defender of the blues — there’s nothing more important than keeping his chosen genre at the forefront of conversation. It comes naturally: Guy is one of America’s greatest guitar players, a singular artist with a thick roster

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — No matter the time on Martha’s Vineyard, a shimmering glow will be powered by the star presence of Black filmmakers, actors and tastemakers like Issa Rae, Mara Brock Akil and Michelle Obama who are shaping culture on their own terms. For two-plus decades, the

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A long-rumored and “unapologetic” memoir by Sen. John Fetterman will be released this fall, his publisher said. Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced on Wednesday that “Unfettered” is scheduled for Nov. 11. In the memoir, the Democrat will open up about his rise

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A comic novel about a cynic’s struggles to connect with others has won a $10,000 award named for a widely-respected author and editor, the late Gabe Hudson. Kate Greathead’s “The Book of George” is this year’s recipient of the Gabe Hudson Prize, which is administered

By JANIE HAR Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Fans of the Grateful Dead are pouring into San Francisco for three days of concerts and festivities marking the 60th anniversary of the scruffy jam band that came to embody a city where people wore flowers in their hair and made love, not war. Dead &

By JAIMIE DING Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man charged with ordering the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas is asking the Nevada Supreme Court to dismiss his murder charges. Duane “Keffe D” Davis filed an appeal with the court Tuesday after a lower court judge upheld his charges.

MONTREAL (AP) — Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry had dinner together in Montreal this week. A communications consultant for the restaurant Le Violon confirmed Tuesday that the former prime minister and the singer spent about two hours at the fine-dining spot Monday evening. Photos of the meetup published by TMZ sparked

By CHRISTINE FERNANDO and COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Kevin Huigens wipes away tears as he gazes upon the statue of Cubs’ legend Ryne Sandberg outside Chicago’s famed Wrigley Field. Flowers, Cubs caps, American flags and — of course — baseballs, litter the base and the ground beneath. “I believed in him,” said

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is asking a judge to free him on a $50 million bond while he awaits sentencing in October after a jury found him not guilty of the most serious federal charges he faced earlier this month. In a court filing Tuesday, Combs’ lawyer argued that conditions

By NAYARA BATSCHKE Associated Press SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean authorities said Tuesday they turned six valuable watches stolen from Canadian actor Keanu Reeves — including an engraved Rolex worth at least $9,500 — over to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, months after recovering them in a police raid. The FBI will arrange for

By MARIA SHERMAN, KARENA PHAN and JUWON PARK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — In the colorful, animated, musical world of “KPop Demon Hunters,” everyone is a fan. The general public rocks T-shirts supporting their favorite idols. They hold light sticks and stare starry-eyed at stadium stages; they scream, they cry, they cheer, they buy

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Indian author Kiran Desai, who won the Booker Prize and then didn’t publish a novel for almost two decades, is up for the award again with her long-awaited follow-up. “The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” the 677-page tale of two young Indians making their way in the

President Donald Trump is asking a federal court in Florida to force Rupert Murdoch to give a deposition for the president’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal within 15 days, citing the media mogul’s age and physical condition. Trump sued the Journal, owned by Murdoch, in the U.S. District Court of southern Florida on July

By JOVANA GEC Associated Press SIMANOVCI, Serbia (AP) — Villages and castles from 12th-century England came to life in a small town in Serbia for the filming of a new series about Robin Hood that has just wrapped in the landlocked country in southeast Europe. The 10-episode take on England’s beloved medieval outlaw who, in

By The Associated Press Benicio Del Toro starring in Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme”and Reneé Rapp’s second studio album 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: Jason Momoa brings his

By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom Lehrer, the popular song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his

By LINDSEY BAHR and ITZEL LUNA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marvel’s first family has finally found box office gold. “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” the first film about the superheroes made under the guidance of Kevin Feige and the Walt Disney Co., earned $118 million in its first weekend in 4,125 North American

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — George Lucas finally came to the stage at Comic-Con Sunday to an ovation from thousands, some holding light sabers in the air, with soaring “Star Wars” music filling the room. The 81-year-old, appearing for the first time at San Diego’s pop cultural extravaganza, looked decidedly

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Comic-Con got a lot of Ryan and a little bit of Rocky at a panel on “Project: Hail Mary,” the forthcoming film that’s equal parts space adventure, real-science deep-dive, broad comedy and relationship drama. “What’s up Hall H!” a giddy Ryan Gosling in a trucker

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Director James Gunn got an ovation from thousands for “Superman” in the most fitting place of all — Comic-Con. Among the highlights of day three of the San Diego pop culture spectacular was a sincere tribute to the director who’s now helming Warner Bros.’ DC Comics screen universe, even if John

BOSTON (AP) — Astronomer — the company whose CEO resigned after being caught on a KissCam at a Coldplay rock concert embracing a woman who was not his wife — is trying to move on from the drama with someone who knows the band pretty well. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who was married to Coldplay’s frontman

By SARAH JONES-SMITH Associated Press “Who they came to see?” Beyoncé asks as she performs her 2023 single “My House” during the Cowboy Carter tour. For many, the answer has been Blue Ivy. Blue Ivy Carter, the Grammy-winning artist’s 13-year-old daughter, is more present than ever on stage, and fans are impressed by the growth