AP National Entertainment News

By MELINA WALLING Associated Press HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Watching his dad make a brand-new miniature train car look old, placing the wooden parts to weather in the sun and rain, pulled Peter Martínez into the world of miniatures. He recalls his father, who made model trains mostly for collectors or hobbyists, wondering why anyone

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British writer Allan Ahlberg, author of more than 150 children’s books including classics like “Each Peach Pear Plum” and “The Jolly Postman,” has died, his publisher said Friday. He was 87. Penguin Random House said Ahlberg died on Tuesday. It did not give a cause of death.

By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors said they now expect music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs could face a prison sentence “substantially higher” than the four to five years they once thought he was likely to face after his conviction on two prostitution-related charges. They made the observation late Thursday in a

By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer Veteran producer Lynette Howell Taylor has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Taylor will succeed Janet Yang in the role, presiding over the organization that puts on the Oscars, film academy CEO Bill Kramer said Thursday. An academy member since 2014, Taylor has

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press Chances are, you’ve heard Julia Whelan’s voice. She’s the award-winning narrator behind more than 600 audiobooks by a long list of bestselling authors including Taylor Jenkins Reid,Emily Henry, Michael Crichton, V.E. Schwab and Kristin Hannah. She’s also narrated long-form articles for The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair. You

By MIKE SCHNEIDER and KATE PAYNE Associated Press Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan ‘s death last week was caused by a heart attack, according to a Florida medical examiner’s report released Thursday. Hogan, 71, whose real name was Terry Bollea, previously had leukemia and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, the report from the District Six

By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked a judge to throw out his guilty verdicts on prostitution-related counts or grant him a new trial, saying such convictions are without precedent. “This conviction stands alone, but it shouldn’t stand at all,” the Wednesday filing said. Combs’ lawyers argue that his two felony

By ITZEL LUNA Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Justin Timberlake has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, the former NSYNC star said on Instagram Thursday. Timberlake shared the news in a post commemorating his Forget Tomorrow tour, which wrapped in Turkey on Wednesday, adding that the disease “can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically.”

By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Get those banjos ready, because this isn’t a joke: Actor and comedy legend Steve Martin will co-host the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards for the first time, alongside Grammy-award winning roots musician Alison Brown. This year’s show will take place Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern,

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. fashion retailer American Eagle Outfitters wanted to make a splash with its new advertising campaign starring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney. The ad blitz included “clever, even provocative language” and was “definitely going to push buttons,” the company’s chief marketing officer told trade media outlets.

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Kamala Harris will have a memoir out in the fall on her historic presidential run. The book is called “107 Days,” the length of her abbreviated campaign, and will be published by Simon & Schuster on Sept. 23. “Just over a year

By DAVID BAUDER AP Media Writer For several years when he was at CNN, Sam Feist was in charge of “Crossfire,” the show that set a template for televised political combat. Now that he runs C-SPAN, Feist is going in another direction. The public affairs network debuts “CeaseFire” this fall, described as an attempt to

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by actor Alec Baldwin for malicious prosecution and civil rights violations in the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western movie “Rust.” The judge in a ruling made public Wednesday dismissed the case without prejudice for

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. fashion retailer American Eagle Outfitters wanted to make a splash with its new advertising campaign starring 27-year-old actor Sydney Sweeney. The ad blitz included “clever, even provocative language” and was “definitely going to push buttons,” the company’s chief marketing officer told trade media outlets.

By ELISE RYAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Reneé Rapp was clear on her intentions for her sophomore album, “Bite Me,” from the start. “I wanted to love this,” Rapp says. “I wanted to be able to walk away from this and be so proud of myself and impressed, no matter what anybody else

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 HILARY FOX and PAN PYLAS Associated Press BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Ozzy Osbourne returned to the “home of metal” for the last time on Wednesday as an emotional Birmingham honored one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans paid their respects to the band’s frontman as his hearse made its way

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 ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press Tracee Ellis Ross, the actor best-known for her roles in shows like “black-ish” and “Girlfriends,” happens to be single and without children, but she doesn’t let either hold her back from experiencing a fulfilling, joyful life, especially when it comes to vacations. When friends and family can’t join her, or