Today: September 20, 2024
Today: September 20, 2024

Arts

Arts

The friendship behind summer’s most charming comedy ‘Theater Camp’

There is quite a bit of history between the team behind “Theater Camp,” a loving satire of musical theater kids and their teachers that opens in theaters Friday. Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Galvin and Nick Lieberman are all, first and foremost, theater kids themselves. They’re also longtime friends. Lieberman has been making things with Platt since they were in high school. Galvin and Gordon are best friends and did a play together about a decade ago. And Galvin and Platt are currently engaged. It’s Platt and Gordon’s relationship that stretches back the furthest, though. Both children of parents in

July 12, 2023
The friendship behind summer’s most charming comedy ‘Theater Camp’
Arts

'A puddle of emotions': Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jessica Chastain, others discuss their Emmy nominations

Reactions from select nominees for the 2023 Emmy Awards. SHERYL LEE RALPH “I am a puddle of emotions! It is just absolutely crazy. It, I mean, I am living one spectacular year. … In all honesty, it could never ever be about me trying to beat that moment (of last year’s ceremony, when Ralph won her Emmy and stole the show, singing much of her speech). Maybe they’ll ask me to host it! That moment was something. as all of my friends say that’s something you worked for Sheryl. That’s something you waited for and you received the gift, now,

July 12, 2023
'A puddle of emotions': Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jessica Chastain, others discuss their Emmy nominations
Arts

Expensive court fight over Aretha Franklin's will provides cautionary tale

The long, expensive court fight over the will of soul singer Aretha Franklin provides a cautionary tale for people who want to make sure their wishes are carried out after their death — and for their families. A Michigan jury determined on Tuesday that a handwritten document by Franklin that was found in her couch after her 2018 death was a valid will. It was a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other. And it ended in victory for Kecalf and Edward Franklin, whose lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014

July 12, 2023
Expensive court fight over Aretha Franklin's will provides cautionary tale
Arts

A former Trump supporter who got caught up in a January 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox News

A former Donald Trump supporter who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, filed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday, saying the network made him a scapegoat for the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Raymond Epps, a former Marine who said he was forced from his Arizona home due to threats, is asking for unspecified damages and a jury trial. He filed his lawsuit in Superior Court in Delaware, the same court where Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox for lies broadcast following the 2020 presidential election. Shortly before a trial was to

July 12, 2023
A former Trump supporter who got caught up in a January 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox News
Arts

Patrick Mahomes, Mikaela Shiffrin win top athlete honors at The ESPYS

Patrick Mahomes was honored as best men’s sports athlete at The ESPYS, while skier Mikaela Shiffrin received the women’s sports honor on Wednesday night. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has won two Super Bowls in his five seasons and was named MVP of the game each time, including this past February. He turns 28 in September. “It was an incredible season. There was many ups, many downs,” Mahomes said. “I appreciate my teammates, my coaches, the guys that are here. I go back to camp next Tuesday, so this is a great award. But we’re going

July 13, 2023
Patrick Mahomes, Mikaela Shiffrin win top athlete honors at The ESPYS
Arts

Deadline for Hollywood actors negotiations with studio passes with no word on strike

A deadline for Hollywood actors to reach a deal with studios and streaming services passed Thursday without word on whether a strike will be called. The Screen Actors Guild -American Federation of Television and Radio Artists had set a deadline for 11:59 p.m. Wednesday — mere hours after this year’s Emmy nominations were announced — for a deal to be reached. Just after midnight Thursday, no update had been announced. If the actors strike, they will formally join screenwriters on the picket lines outside studios and filming locations in a bid to get better terms from

July 13, 2023
Deadline for Hollywood actors negotiations with studio passes with no word on strike
Arts

Helen Mirren visits Jerusalem for new film 'Golda,' says she is inspired by anti-government protests

Helen Mirren, who plays Israel’s first female prime minister in her latest film, says she has been inspired by the widespread protests against the country’s current prime minister. Mirren, who portrays the late Golda Meir during the 1973 war between Israel and a coalition of Arab states in “Golda,” is visiting an Israel similarly beset by crisis as mass demonstrations take place against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s judicial system. Mirren told a news conference before the opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival that she is inspired by the protests. “I’m personally very

July 13, 2023
Helen Mirren visits Jerusalem for new film 'Golda,' says she is inspired by anti-government protests
Arts

Second season of Apple TV+'s 'Foundation' digs 'even deeper' into a galaxy-striding series

A sprawling, mighty galaxy was created in season one of “Foundation.” Now it’s time to rip it up. Season two of the ambitious Apple TV+ sci-fi series flashes forward some 140 years and it’s quickly clear that the clones who form the authoritarian order in the galaxy are losing their grip, leading to a note of chaos. “Stasis is boring in terms of drama,” said David S. Goyer, the series’ co-creator, executive producer and showrunner. “Conflict is more interesting. So we’ve introduced this monolithic genetic dynasty and now we’re starting to destroy it.” “Foundation” is built

July 13, 2023
Second season of Apple TV+'s 'Foundation' digs 'even deeper' into a galaxy-striding series
Arts

Usher's ex-wife wants to drain Georgia's largest lake, where a boater fatally struck her son

The ex-wife of R&B singer Usher is calling to drain Georgia’s largest lake, where her son was fatally injured 11 years ago. Fashion designer Tameka Foster has collected more than 2,500 signatures for her online petition imploring officials to “drain, clean, and restore” Lake Sidney Lanier, to allow for safety improvements and the removal of hazardous debris and other obstructions. Kile Glover, her 11-year-old son with Bounce TV founder Ryan Glover, died in July 2012 after a personal watercraft struck the boy as he floated in an inner tube on the lake. “Draining, cleaning, and restoring Lake

July 13, 2023
Usher's ex-wife wants to drain Georgia's largest lake, where a boater fatally struck her son
Arts

What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol'

Theatergoers in select cities will soon be able to watch “20 Days in Mariupol,” the visceral documentary on Russia’s early assault on the Ukrainian city. The 94-minute film is a joint production by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline” and has been met with critical acclaim and an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival. AP journalist Mstyslav Chernov directed the movie from 30 hours of footage he and other AP journalists shot in Mariupol in the opening days of the war. Chernov and AP colleagues Evgeniy Maloletka, a photographer, and producer Vasilisa Stepanenko were the

July 13, 2023
What to know about the harrowing Ukraine war doc '20 Days in Mariupol'
Arts

Lisa Marie Presley died from a the effects of a small bowel obstruction, coroner says

Lisa Marie Presley died from a small bowel obstruction, authorities said Thursday. The January 12 death at age 54 of the singer, songwriter and heir of Elvis Presley was ruled as being from natural causes, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner records. An autopsy report that would include more details about what led to Presley’s death has not yet been released. Presley died at a Los Angeles hospital, where she had been rushed by paramedics responding to a 911 call of a woman in cardiac arrest at her home. No indication was made public at

July 13, 2023
Lisa Marie Presley died from a the effects of a small bowel obstruction, coroner says
Arts

Striking actors to begin picketing alongside writers in fight over the future of Hollywood

Striking screen actors will begin picketing alongside writers in New York and Los Angeles on Friday in what has become the biggest Hollywood labor fight in decades. The double-barreled strike will shut down the small number of productions that continued shooting in the two months since screenwriters stopped working. Many actors made a show of solidarity on the writers’ picket lines, including Fran Drescher, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists president and former star of “The Nanny.” The union’s 65,000-member actors’ branch will now formally join them as fellow strikers. The two

July 14, 2023
Striking actors to begin picketing alongside writers in fight over the future of Hollywood
Arts

Kevin Spacey denies that crotch-grabbing was his 'trademark' pickup move

Kevin Spacey denied that grabbing men by the crotch was his “trademark” pickup move as he got increasingly testy under questioning Friday by the prosecutor who accused him of sexually assaulting four men. In a heated exchange that required the intervention of the judge, Spacey was asked about allegations he had grabbed a man backstage at a charity event in a theater. “Absolute bollocks!” Spacey replied to titters from the gallery in the packed courtroom. “Yes, because that’s exactly where you did grab him,” Prosecutor Christine Agnew snapped back. “Really?” Spacey said as he looked up at

July 14, 2023
Kevin Spacey denies that crotch-grabbing was his 'trademark' pickup move
Arts

Q&A: Robert Downey Jr. on how 'Oppenheimer' represents the Manhattan Project with nuance

Robert Downey Jr. said he came away from Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” thinking about how important context is to understand significant moments in history. The film tells the story of the controversial theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), who oversaw the development of the first atomic bomb during World War II. Downey plays former chair of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Lewis Strauss, a key figure in the revocation of Oppenheimer’s security clearance. “Oppenheimer” is out in theaters July 21. The interview, which was conducted before the actors strike was called, has been edited for

July 14, 2023
Q&A: Robert Downey Jr. on how 'Oppenheimer' represents the Manhattan Project with nuance
Arts

Woman arrested on drug charges linked to death of Robert De Niro's grandson, official says

A woman has been arrested on federal narcotics charges for allegedly selling the drugs that led to the death of actor Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson, a law enforcement official said Friday. Sofia Haley Marks, 20, was arrested Thursday by New York City police officers and federal drug agents on charges of selling drugs to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, according a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the arrest. Marks was expected to appear in federal court later Friday. There were no online booking records

July 14, 2023
Woman arrested on drug charges linked to death of Robert De Niro's grandson, official says
Arts

Hollywood's actors are joining screenwriters on strike. Here's why and what happens next

Hollywood actors are joining screenwriters in the first dual strike from the two unions in more than six decades, with huge consequences for the film and television industry. Here is a look at how it has played out, why it’s happening, and what could come next. WHAT LED TO THE ACTORS STRIKE? More than a month of talks on a new three-year contract between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the studios, streaming services and production companies that employ them led to little progress, and the tone became openly hostile in

July 14, 2023
Hollywood's actors are joining screenwriters on strike. Here's why and what happens next
Arts

Q&A: Sally Potter has made films for 50 years. Now in her 70s, she's out with a debut album

Award-winning director Sally Potter has challenged British society throughout her 50-year career, in films like “Orlando,” “The Party,” and “Ginger and Rosa.” Now, at 73, Potter’s creative resolve forges on with her first studio album, “Pink Bikini.” The LP, self-released Friday, is a semi-autobiographical collection of alternative tracks that detail Potter’s adolescence in 1960s London. Across 12 songs, the filmmaker revisits tumultuous relationships and oppressive social strictures. “There’s something very life-affirming about working in another medium, learning a new skill or making a change at what was considered to be a point in one’s life where

July 14, 2023
Q&A: Sally Potter has made films for 50 years. Now in her 70s, she's out with a debut album
Arts

The story behind Barbenheimer, the summer’s most online movie showdown

The very online showdown between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” all started with a date: July 21. It’s not uncommon for studios to counterprogram films in different genres on a big weekend, but the stark differences between an intense, serious-minded picture about the man who oversaw the development of the atomic bomb and a lighthearted, candy-colored anthropomorphizing of a childhood doll quickly became the stuff of viral fodder. There’s even some disagreement over whether it’s “Barbieheimer” or “Barbenheimer” or “Boppenheimer” or yet another tortured portmanteau — a phenomenon on which the AP Stylebook has yet to offer guidance,

July 14, 2023
The story behind Barbenheimer, the summer’s most online movie showdown
Arts

What to stream this week: Steph Curry doc, Greta Van Fleet, 'Justified' returns and 'Minx' survives

A documentary on Apple TV+ that chronicles the atypical path Stephen Curry took to becoming a basketball legend plus new tunes from the rock band Greta Van Fleet are among the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you. Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Laura McGann’s documentary “The Deepest Breath” which plunges into the world of free diving and Starz has given the workplace comedy “Minx” a new home and a berth for season two. NEW MOVIES TO STREAM — Laura McGann’s documentary “The Deepest Breath”

July 14, 2023
What to stream this week: Steph Curry doc, Greta Van Fleet, 'Justified' returns and 'Minx' survives
Arts

Hollywood on the picket line – 5 unsung films that put America’s union history on the silver screen

Actors Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh were among those who walked out of the premiere of ‘Oppenheimer.’ Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images Some of Hollywood’s top stars are joining screenwriters on the picket line after the main U.S. actors union voted to take part in an ongoing strike. SAG-AFTRA, which represents more than 150,000 screen and stage actors, announced on July 13, 2023, that its members would go on strike. In so doing, they join members of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike for several weeks. Battles between Hollywood

July 14, 2023
Hollywood on the picket line – 5 unsung films that put America’s union history on the silver screen
Arts

2 suspects in the fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph in Memphis to stand trial in March

A judge on Friday set a trial date for two men charged in the killing of rapper Young Dolph in a daytime ambush at a bakery in Memphis, Tennessee. Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith are scheduled to stand trial March 11 in the fatal shooting of the Memphis-born rapper, Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee said during a hearing. Johnson and Smith have pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in the November 2021 shooting of Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr. A motive for the killing has not been disclosed.

July 14, 2023
2 suspects in the fatal shooting of rapper Young Dolph in Memphis to stand trial in March
Arts

On the picket lines with Hollywood's actors and writers, from LA to New York

It’s a “Strike Girl Summer.” So read a picket sign as the sidewalks of Hollywood and midtown Manhattan teemed with actors on Day 1 of their strike, protesting alongside the writers who have been at it since May. Together, the two guilds have ground the entertainment industry to a halt. On both coasts, though, there was a buoyant mood in the air as picket lines were reinvigorated by the support of some of the 65,000 actors who comprise SAG-AFTRA (98% of members voted to approve a strike back in June). This is Hollywood’s biggest labor fight

July 15, 2023
On the picket lines with Hollywood's actors and writers, from LA to New York
Arts

‘Mission: Impossible’ debuts with $80M over five days, igniting box office but missing expectations

After a globe-trotting publicity blitz by star Tom Cruise, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” launched with a franchise-best $80 million over five days, though it came in shy of industry expectations with a $56.2 million haul over the three-day weekend. The Paramount Pictures debut was boosted by strong overseas sales of $155 million from 70 markets. But while a $235 million worldwide launch marked one of the best global openings of the year, “Dead Reckoning” couldn’t approach the high-speed velocity of last summer’s top film, “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Dead Reckoning Part One,” the seventh

July 16, 2023
‘Mission: Impossible’ debuts with $80M over five days, igniting box office but missing expectations
Arts

Editorial cartoonists' firings point to steady decline of opinion pages in newspapers

Even during a year of sobering economic news for media companies, the layoffs of three Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists on a single day hit like a gut punch. The firings of the cartoonists employed by the McClatchy newspaper chain last week were a stark reminder of how an influential art form is dying, part of a general trend away from opinion content in the struggling print industry. Losing their jobs were Jack Ohman of California’s Sacramento Bee, also president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists; Joel Pett of the Lexington Herald-Leader in Kentucky and Kevin

July 16, 2023
Editorial cartoonists' firings point to steady decline of opinion pages in newspapers
Arts

Child star Mia Armstrong is working on a picture book about her experiences with Down syndrome

Child star and activist Mia Armstrong has a picture book coming out next year about her experiences with Down syndrome, what her publisher calls “all the joys and challenges.” Random House Children’s Books announced Monday that Armstrong’s “I Am a Masterpiece!” will be released next January. Illustrated by Alexandra Thompson and co-written by Armstrong and author Marissa Moss, the book is Armstrong’s way of helping kids see the world as she sees it. Armstrong has spoken often about Down syndrome, and has called it her “superpower.” “I wrote this story because I want to inspire other

July 17, 2023
Child star Mia Armstrong is working on a picture book about her experiences with Down syndrome

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