AP National Entertainment News

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A jury in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is expected to be in place sometime Wednesday, lawyers told a federal judge after dozens of prospective jurors were questioned over two days to see if they can judge the music mogul fairly. The lawyers

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Lizzy McAlpine is surrounded by music these days. She’s making her Broadway debut in a daring stage musical, and when she retreats to her dressing room, her own songs demand attention. “When the inspiration hits, I’ve got to write. I’ve got to have a guitar

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press Soprano Patricia Racette will become artistic director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, filling a key management position of a company she has been associated with since her debut there in 1993. General Director Andrew Jorgensen said Tuesday that she will take over on Oct. 1 from James Robinson,

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Responding to coverage of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation, the Trump administration has called journalists “despicable,” questioned CNN’s patriotism, scolded Fox News and even admitted to a mistake — in admitting to a mistake in the first place. The vigorous reaction was noteworthy even in service

By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — “Well, it took a minute,” said Spike Lee, surveying the glittering Met Gala crowd during cocktail hour through bright orange glasses that matched his New York Knicks cap. “But we’re here now, that’s the most important thing.” Lee was referring to the fact that for

NEW YORK (AP) — The sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, one of the biggest music moguls and cultural figures of the past four decades, began Monday in New York with jury selection. Twelve jurors along with six alternates will be chosen, with opening statements expected to begin May 12. The trial is expected

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer André Leon Talley’s presence could be felt everywhere at the Met Gala on Monday. The late creative director and editor at large of Vogue magazine, who died in 2022 at age 73, heavily influenced the spirit of the costume exhibit, where one of his suits was featured, and the

NEW YORK (AP) — Fashion’s biggest night got underway Monday at the Met Gala in a rainy Manhattan. This is the first Met Gala to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. This year’s theme is based on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring

By GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — At a historic edition of the Met Gala with tons of news-making moments, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky once again stole the show. The power couple is expecting their third child, the rapper A$AP Rocky revealed. “It feels amazing, you know,” gala co-chair A$AP Rocky told

By LISA BAUMANN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A longtime editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post who quit in protest early this year after editors killed her sketch criticizing the Post owner and other media chief executives working to curry favor with Trump has won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary. Ann

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer Janelle Monáe embraced Black dandyism’s elegance at the Met Gala in an all-star collaboration with Oscar winner Paul Tazewell and designer Thom Browne, completing her look with a sparkling ethical diamond brooch from 1800 Tequila for a finishing touch. Known for turning heads with her gala looks, Monáe

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is eyeing Hollywood for his next round of tariffs, threatening to levy all films produced outside the U.S. at a steep rate of 100%. Over the weekend, Trump accused other countries of “stealing the movie-making capabilities” of the U.S. and said that

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Brazilian judge on Monday ordered the arrest of a man suspected of being involved in an alleged plot to place explosives at a concert by singer Lady Gaga in Rio de Janeiro. Judge Fabiana Pagel of the Rio Grande do Sul state court did not name the suspect in

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times won four Pulitzer Prizes and the New Yorker three on Monday for journalism in 2024 that touched on topics like the fentanyl crisis, the U.S. military and last summer’s assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. The Pulitzers’ prestigious public service medal

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Percival Everett’s novel “James,” his radical reimagining of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of the enslaved title character, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. “Purpose,” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ drawing-room drama about an accomplished Black family destroying itself from within, won for drama.

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press In the criminal indictment for this week’s sex trafficking trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the document lists many of the hip-hop mogul’s aliases. Most people, especially music fans, probably already know them. From “Puff Daddy” to “P. Diddy” and even the obscure “Brother Love,” here’s a look back at Combs’

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Jeffrey Seller, the Broadway producer behind such landmark hits as “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “Hamilton,” didn’t initially write a memoir for us. He wrote it for himself. “I really felt a personal existential need to write my story. I had to make sense of where

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press While cutting together scenes for the new series “Forever,” Mara Brock Akil, who has created shows like “Girlfriends,” “Being Mary Jane,” and “The Game,” recalls asking her video editor to pause for a moment. Was there a problem? No. Akil was watching someone very right: the show’s female lead, Lovie

By CHARLOTTE GRAHAM-McLAY Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — For more than a decade, passengers at New Zealand ’s Wellington Airport have boarded flights below the figures of two giant, hovering eagles from the Hobbit films, one bearing a bellowing wizard Gandalf. With 50-foot (15-meter) wingspans and weighing 2,600 pounds (1.1 ton) each, the

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Rihanna shut down a rainy Met Gala on Monday in a pinstripe look and a huge hat, her newly announced baby bump on display after announcing her pregnancy with baby No. 3 earlier in the day. Her Marc Jacobs look included tied sleeves of a

By JILL COLVIN and JAKE COYLE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is opening a new salvo in his tariff war, targeting films made outside the U.S. In a post Sunday night on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he has authorized the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S.

By JOCELYN NOVECK and GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — When the email came from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jacques Agbobly at first didn’t quite believe it. The Brooklyn-based fashion designer had only been in the business for five years. Now, one of the world’s top museums was asking for two

By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Marvel Studios’ “Thunderbolts” opened with $76 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, kicking off the summer box office with a solid No. 1 debut that fell shy of Marvel’s more spectacular launches. All eyes had been on whether “Thunderbolts” — a

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Police in Brazil said on Sunday that two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro. The Rio event on Saturday was the biggest show of the pop star’s career that attracted an estimated 2.5

By The Associated Press For more than two decades, Sean “Diddy” Combs was one of hip-hop’s most opportunistic entrepreneurs, spinning his hitmaking talents into a broad business empire that included a record label, a fashion brand, a TV network, deals with liquor companies and a key role in a reality TV show. But U.S. prosecutors

TOETENSEN, Germany (AP) — Did you steal the sign? German pop star Dieter Bohlen is asking his fans to return a sign spelling out the name of his hometown of Toetensen. The village in northern Germany outside Hamburg is famous, well, because of Bohlen. He’s a singer, music producer, judge on Germany’s version of “American

By ELÉONORE HUGHES Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Lady Gaga gave a free concert Saturday night in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history. (…) Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The rift between Prince Harry and his family has burst into the open again with the prince’s raw television interview after losing a court case over his security. In a long and at times emotional conversation, the 40-year-old prince said he wants reconciliation, while re-airing grievances against