Karol G, Bizzarap, Shakira and Natalia Lafourcade, won big at the Latin Grammy Awards held Thursday. Karol G’s “Mañana será bonito” was crowned best album of the year and best urban music album. Argentine producer Bizarrap took home the awards for song of the year and best pop song for “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” with the Colombian star. Natalia Lafourcade, who holds the title for most Latin Grammys in history, added another award to her record-breaking list with record of the year. Relocating the show to Seville for the first time meant that flamenco was present throughout the entire night.
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Serena Williams and Ruby Bridges will be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame next year. The Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York, announced the latest honorees on Thursday. The tennis great and civil rights icon will join eight other previously announced women who will be inducted at a televised ceremony in New York City during Women's History Month in March. Previous ceremonies have taken place at venues around Seneca Falls, the site of the first Women’s Rights Convention, where the National Women’s Hall of Fame is located.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of years of abuse including rape and beatings by R&B singer Cassie. Cassie's legal name is Cassandra Ventura. She was in a yearslong relationship with the hip-hop producer and music mogul. She says in a lawsuit filed Thursday in New York federal court that Combs plied her with drugs, savagely beat her and forced her to have sex with male prostitutes. She says he raped her as she tried to end the relationship in 2018. Combs’ attorney says he vehemently denies what he calls the “outrageous lies” and and characterized the allegations as “blackmail.”
The Las Vegas Grand Prix is an absolute spectacle of neon extravagance and Max Verstappen has absolutely no interest in the excess and opulence weaved into Formula One’s first visit to Sin City in 41 years. The reigning three-time Formula One champion called Saturday night’s race “99% show, and 1% sporting event” while complaining he felt like “a clown” standing on the stage during Wednesday night’s opening ceremony that featured multiple musical acts. Verstappen also skipped a VIP party at The Wynn in which F1 president Stefano Domenicali asked all drivers to attend.
The WWE is collaborating with the Big 12 Conference for their championship game next month, as the sports entertainment company further strengthens its relationship with various sports organizations. The Dr. Pepper Big 12 Football Championship will be held on Dec. 2 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. As part of the partnership, the game’s most outstanding player will receive a custom-made WWE championship title belt and a co-branded WWE X Big 12 logo will appear throughout the stadium and on the field.
Justin Torres’ “Blackouts” has won the National Book Award for fiction. The nonfiction prize was awarded on Wednesday night to Ned Blackhawk’s “The Rediscovery of America.” Young people’s literature was won by Dan Santat’s “A First Time for Everything.” Craig Santos Perez’s “from incorporated territory (åmot)” was cited for best poetry. Stênio Gardel’s “The Words That Remain,” translated from the Portuguese by Bruna Dantas Lobato, won for literature in translation. Honorary medals were presented to poet Rita Dove and to bookseller Paul Yamazaki. Winners in the five competitive categories each received $10,000.
Jimmy Kimmel is returning as host of the Academy Awards for the second straight year and fourth time overall. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced Kimmel's return on Wednesday. ABC is returning to its late-night host a year after bringing Kimmel back for a 2023 ceremony that drew 18.7 million viewers, the most since 2020’s pre-pandemic broadcast. In the wake of Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, Kimmel led a cautious ceremony that helped stabilize the Academy Awards after years of turmoil. The 96th Academy Awards will air live on ABC on March 10 from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Matthew Perry’s “Friends” co-stars are sharing more remembrances of the star in their first personal social media posts since the actor’s death last month. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow all posted heartfelt notes about Perry, who died Oct. 28, on Instagram on Tuesday and Wednesday. The posts have been accompanied by photos from the “Friends” set. The stars had issued a joint statement a few days after Perry’s death, saying they were devastated and that they were like a family. Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28. A cause of death has not yet been determined.
In “Next Goal Wins,” a soccer coach comes from far away to lead a hapless group of athletes. He’s a fish-out-of-water type, ill-suited for the job, but rises to the occasion and everyone feels good at the end. Wait, you’re thinking, that’s the plot of “Ted Lasso.” Well, only kind of. Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy says writer-director Taika Waititi offers a sports movie that’s not, of course, a sports movie. It is a sloppy, quirky, pop culture-studded frothy comedy that gently apes other underdog sports movies but doesn’t offer much but a mildly funny respite from reality. The PG-13 “Next Goal Wins” hits theaters Friday.
Taika Waititi would really rather just go to the beach. In an interview, the 48-year-old Māori filmmaker of the upcoming “Next Goal Wins” says he's already begun planning how he can quit Hollywood, which he calls “just sad people eating lukewarm food out of cardboard boxes in offices.” For him, the writers and actors strikes were a welcome hiatus after a long stretch of work, including the Oscar-winning “Jojo Rabbit” and 2022's “Thor: Love and Thunder.” And he'd rather keep the slower pace. “Next Goal Wins,” inspired by a 2014 documentary of the same name, is a sports movie that delights in upending the conventions of sports movies. It's in theaters Friday.
ESPN Bet, a rebranded sports-gambling app owned by Penn Entertainment, is set to launch Tuesday. Penn signed a $1.5 billion deal with ESPN for rights to the sports media giant’s name in August. Under the agreement, Penn will operate ESPN Bet while ESPN promotes the app across its online and broadcast platforms. It’s unclear when ESPN Bet will officially be available to download. A Penn spokesperson told The Associated Press that the app is planned to debut Tuesday afternoon, but did not provide a specific time. ESPN Bet is set to go live in 17 states.
Beyond the engineering, the athleticism, the speed, the luxury, fans love the sound of Formula One. It is no wonder the pinnacle of automotive engineering has caught the eye of musicians and music fans everywhere. As the sport continues to grow in popularity stateside, and with young people across the globe, race weekends are transforming into musical hotspots with A-list talent performing after the day's event. That's the case this week when Formula 1 heads to Las Vegas for a glitzy nighttime race Saturday. Tiësto, will.i.am, Mark Ronson, and an F1 booker describe the musical appeal of the sport to The Associated Press.
The BBC says two more people have come forward to complain about Russell Brand since the broadcaster launched a review into the actor and comedian’s behavior. The BBC was giving an update to its investigation after British media outlets in September published claims by four women that they were sexually assaulted by Brand between 2006 and 2013, at the height of his fame. The 48-year-old denies the allegations. The comedian worked as a BBC radio presenter from 2006 to 2008. The broadcaster said it recorded a total of five complaints against Brand. The BBC news website reported that the latest allegations are “understood to relate to his workplace conduct, and are not of a serious sexual nature.”
The Bellagio fountains on the Las Vegas Strip won't be very visible. No gondolas will be in the Venetian resort canal. And the views of the roadway from beneath the glittering casino marquees will be limited as Formula One comes to town this week. Organizers, local officials and hotel operators believe disruptions and discomforts will be forgotten amid a spectacle they hope will put Las Vegas next to Monaco on the list of host cities for Grand Prix events around the world. They expect the races Thursday through Saturday will draw some of the most monied spectators in sports to Nevada.
Author Sarah Bernstein has won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel “Study for Obedience.” The author born in Montreal accepted the award remotely from Scotland, where she had a baby just 10 days ago. Her novel is about a young woman moving to the remote north where after her arrival, a series of inexplicable events occur. The $72,000 prize honors the best in Canadian fiction. Past winners have included Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler and Alice Munro.
Fans of Prince have a chance to bid on a selection of the late star’s wardrobe and other items at an online auction this week. RR Auction of Boston, which is running the auction, said the collection includes more than 200 lots and was assembled by a French collector who had hoped to open a museum celebrating the musician. One of the highlights of the auction is a white ruffled shirt worn by Prince during his 1985 American Music Awards performance of the song “Purple Rain.” The auction house estimates its value at $15,000. Bidding closes on Thursday.
In a war where journalist access is limited, there's a flood of video available online from the Israel-Hamas war. The challenge for news outlets is that much of it is very disturbing to sift through, and much of it is fake. But some also provides important clues on how the war is unfolding, and news organizations are increasing the use and training of journalists who are adept such open source reporting. The reports by several organizations using video and other sources to investigate competing claims regarding a hospital explosion in Gaza is an example of how this form of journalism is coming into its own
Since 2008’s “Iron Man,” the Marvel machine has been one of the most unstoppable forces in box-office history. Now, though, that aura of invincibility is showing signs of wear and tear. The superhero factory hit a new low with the weekend launch of “The Marvels." It opened with $47 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The 33rd installment in the MCU managed less than a third of the $153.4 million its predecessor “Captain Marvel," launched with. Sequels, especially in Marvel Land, aren’t supposed to fall off a cliff. The previous low for a Walt Disney Co.-owned Marvel movie was “Ant-Man,” which bowed with $57.2 million in 2015.
Classes on celebrities like Taylor Swift and Rick Ross are engaging a new generation of law students
A South Dakota law professor who typically teaches torts and natural resources is turning his attention to Taylor Swift next semester. The self-described “Swiftie” wants to draw on music and art to help his students reconsider legal language and craft persuasive arguments. Swifties at the University of South Dakota School of Law aren’t the only ones having fun. Law professors across the country are increasingly drawing on pop culture to engage a new generation of students and contextualize complicated concepts. Courses on Swift, Rick Ross and Succession supplement traditional law school courses with fun, accessible experiences that professors say they often didn’t have themselves.
Lady Bird Johnson's own voice is helping offer new looks at the former first lady in several recent projects. Johnson began recording an audio diary in the tumultuous days after her husband, Lyndon B. Johnson, became president following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. She also recorded interviews and narrated home movies. Recent projects include a documentary titled “The Lady Bird Diaries” that premieres Monday on Hulu, a University of Texas podcast and an exhibit in Austin, Texas, at the presidential library for her husband. She died in 2007.
Former film academy president John Bailey has died at 81. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the cinematographer died Friday, including a statement from his wife, Carol Littleton. Bailey led the Academy from 2017 to 2019, presiding during the initial #MeToo reckoning. Those were tumultuous years for the film industry, during which the Academy adopted a code of conduct in response to the reckoning. Bailey himself was accused of sexual misconduct, but an investigation found no action was warranted and he denied the allegation. His presidency also saw the embrace and quick scrapping of a popular film category.
Board members from Hollywood’s actors union have voted to approve the deal with studios that ended their strike after nearly four months. Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland announced at an afternoon news conference that it was approved with 86% of the vote. The three-year contract agreement next goes to a vote from the union’s members, who will now get to learn what they earned through spending the summer and early fall on picket lines instead of film and television sets. That vote begins Tuesday and continues into December.
He was a giant of 20th-century art, but that doesn’t mean Pablo Picasso needed a big canvas. Fourteen of his sketchbooks — some smaller than, say, a compact disc cover — are on display at Manhattan’s Pace Gallery as part of “Picasso: 14 Sketchbooks,” marking 50 years since the legendary artist’s death. One of the tiniest books reveals a stunning self-portrait in pencil, with piercing eyes. The show comes at a busy time for Picasso news: His famed 1932 “Femme à la montre” (“Woman with a Watch”), portraying muse Marie-Thérèse Walter, sold for $139.4 million in New York on Wednesday, the second most valuable Picasso ever sold at auction.
Patrick Esume has been the face of NFL broadcasts in Germany for years and has played a big role in helping football to grow in a key international market. Esume says German fans grow up watching soccer so they need more explanations than a U.S. audience but also want to be entertained. Esume and his colleagues have seen their audience soar over the last few years. The NFL has estimated a rise of up to 10% this year alone. Esume coached in the former NFL Europa and is also bringing live football to a European audience as commissioner of the European League of Football.
SZA leads the 2024 Grammy nominations with 9 nods in a year where female artists dominate the leading categories.
Fans have pushed the Fisher-Price Corn Popper into the National Toy Hall of Fame. It joins baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF foam toys in the class of 2023, announced Friday. The Fisher-Price push toy was voted in by fans as part of the Toy Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary celebration. Baseball cards, Cabbage Patch Kids and NERF toys were chosen in the usual way, with input from a panel of national experts. Each year, the Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, recognizes a group of toys that have inspired creative play and enjoyed long-lasting popularity.
Nearly two decades ago, Catholic priest Guilherme Peixoto started mixing up rock music at karaoke fundraisers for his debt-ridden parish in a small Portuguese village. Fast-forward to this year: After playing a set before Pope Francis’ Mass at World Youth Day, Peixoto has cemented his global following as “the DJ priest.” For Peixoto, performing at music festivals in his clerical collar and large black headphones is a way to bring a message of faith to youth who might have never heard of Jesus – and to do so in a language they can understand. Says the priest: “The world is not so closed to Jesus. But you need to speak the language.”
Hollywood’s months of labor unrest are coming to an end, but the post-strike landscape that awaits actors and writers may be far from happy-ever-after. As actors swap their picket signs for audition sides and calls sheets, they’ll be returning to an industry still in the midst of painful transformation and streaming upheaval. Even before the strike, every studio was reexamining its streaming strategy. After several years of rampant green lights, most are pulling back, looking to make fewer series and movies, cutting staff and seeking a path toward profitability
The nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards will arrive Friday. Nominees will be announced during a video stream live on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel at 8 a.m. Pacific/11 a.m. Eastern. A host of talent is on deck to announce the nominees, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jimmy Jam, Jon Bon Jovi, Kim Petras, Samara Joy and Muni Long. Only recordings released between Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 15, 2023, are eligible, so don’t expect to see album nominations for the Rolling Stones, Bad Bunny, or Drake. The 2024 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 4 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The head of an Israeli media watchdog says it was simply ‘raising questions’ by wondering whether Palestinian photojournalists who documented the Oct. 7 attack on Israel had been tipped off in advance that it had happened. The report by HonestReporting had serious implications, though. Two Israeli politicians suggested the photojournalists should be killed. Several of the world's biggest news organizations — CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press and Reuters — issued statements denying that they knew about the attack ahead of time. HonestReporting describes itself as a group that combats media disinformation about Israel and Zionism.
Politics was suddenly a topic of conversation as thousands of Taylor Swift fans eagerly lined up for the superstar’s first-ever concert in Argentina. Swifties saw themselves surrounded by posters urging them to not vote in favor of right-wing populist Javier Milei in next week’s presidential election. “Swifties Don’t Vote Milei,” read some of the posters, using the term commonly used to describe fans of the 12-time Grammy winner.
A jury says Robert De Niro’s company should pay more than $1.2 million to his former personal assistant after finding his production company engaged in gender discrimination and retaliation. While the jury found De Niro was not personally liable for the abuse, they said his production company, Canal Productions, should make two payments of $632,142 to his longtime personal assistant, Graham Chase Robinson. He has been ensnared in dueling legal claims since Robinson quit in April 2019. She has maintained that De Niro and his girlfriend teamed up against her to turn a job she once loved into a nightmare. The 80-year-old actor told jurors that the 41-year-old former assistant stole about $85,000 in airline miles from him.
Robert De Niro's company found liable in gender discrimination lawsuit filed by former personal assistant.
Police are investigating fights that erupted among pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrators on streets outside Los Angeles’ Museum of Tolerance after a private screening of video showing the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants. Police intervened to stop the Wednesday night clash but no arrests were made. The Los Angeles Times reports that 150 people attended the private screening of “Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre,” which includes graphic footage of the Hamas attacks compiled by the Israel Defense Forces. Days earlier, a Jewish man died from head injuries after a confrontation during demonstrations in suburban Thousand Oaks, northwest of Los Angeles. The death is under investigation and no arrests have been made.
Britney Spears’ “The Woman in Me” remained the country’s top-selling book in its second week of publication, although the pace of sales fell substantially. The singer’s memoir sold just over 132,000 copies last week, according to Circana, which tracks around 85% of hardcover and paperback sales. The week before “The Woman in Me” sold more than 400,000 copies. Thanks to the popularity of the audio edition, read by Oscar-nominated actor Michelle Williams, “The Woman in Me” is already a million seller, Gallery Books announced last week. Critics have praised Spears for a compelling account of her troubled life and career.
Missed your favorite actors? After nearly four months of striking, they’re coming back. Wednesday’s deal between striking actors and studios and streaming services won’t immediately restore filming to its full swing. That will take months. But the tentative agreement — which both sides say include extraordinary provisions — means that more than six months of labor strife in the film and television industries is drawing to a close. Soon, tens of thousands of entertainment sector workers could get back to work. And popular franchises, like “Deadpool,” “Abbott Elementary” and “The Last of Us,” will be a step closer to returning to screens.
A former worker has filed a sexual assault lawsuit against Antonio “L.A.” Reid, the Grammy-winning music executive who influenced the career of artists including Pink, Usher and Mariah Carey. The suit was filed Wednesday in New York federal court. It alleges that Reid twice assaulted Drew Dixon in 2001 while he was chief executive of Arista Records. It also says he harassed her and derailed her career when she rebuffed his further advances. Reid left his position as CEO of Epic Records in 2017 after a former female assistant accused him of sexual harassment. Dixon first made her allegations public that year. An attorney who represented Reid back then did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Hollywood's actors union has reached a tentative deal with studios to end its strike. The contract agreement reached Wednesday still must be approved by the union's board and its members, but the deal brings an end to the months of labor strife that has hobbled production in Hollywood. The union says the strike will be over on Thursday. Screenwriters ended their own strike on Sept. 26. It was the first time both writers and actors were on strike together since 1960. The details of the agreement were not immediately released, but are likely to be shared with the actors and the public in the coming days.
Hollywood's actors union has reached a deal with studios to end its strike after nearly four months.
Robert De Niro looked on as a lawyer for a woman who worked for him for over a decade urged a jury in closing arguments to award damages because the actor discriminated and retaliated against her. Attorney Brent Hannafan argued on Graham Chase Robinson's behalf Wednesday in Manhattan federal court after De Niro's lawyer told jurors that Robinson was a disloyal worker who stole $85,000 worth of airline miles and owes De Niro damages. The arguments capped a trial in its second week. De Niro did not comment as he left the courthouse. Jurors were expected to begin deliberations on Thursday.
A woman has filed a lawsuit against the former CEO of the Grammy Awards accusing him of a 2018 sexual assault. She also is suing the Recording Academy for negligence. The woman filed the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday. She is not named in the lawsuit but is described as an internationally known musician who once played at Carnegie Hall. She says Grammy Awards ex-CEO Neil Portnow assaulted her at a New York City hotel. A spokesperson for Portnow says the accusations are “completely false.” The Academy says the claims are “without merit.”
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were nicknamed “The A Team” when they joined Cris Collinsworth to form Fox’s top NFL broadcast crew in 2002. Buck and Aikman have long outlived that and have added something else neither could have imagined. In their 22nd season together, they have become the NFL’s longest-tenured broadcast team. The first 20 years were at Fox before they moved to ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” last year. Buck and Aikman surpassed the duo of Pat Summerall and John Madden, who worked together for 21 years on CBS and Fox.
Newsman Bob Woodruff has returned to the Iraqi roadside where a bomb nearly killed him while on assignment for ABC News in 2006. As seen in a special to air on ABC later this week, it was an emotional trip, and one that included his son Mack behind the camera. Woodruff still reports for ABC and sister companies and, he says, finally accepted that he will never be quite the same after suffering a traumatic brain injury. He says he was motivated to return partly by guilt over not having completed his job 17 years ago, and the trauma that his family went through.
Social media users are sharing a baseless claim that Dior has ditched supermodel Bella Hadid due to recent comments on the latest Israel-Hamas war, and replaced her in a new campaign with Israeli model May Tager. But Hadid’s contract with the luxury fashion house ended in March 2022, a person close to the matter told The Associated Press. And while Tager is one of several models appearing in Dior’s 2023 holiday campaign, she was also in the 2022 version — and both ads most prominently featured actor Anya Taylor-Joy. Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, for years made pro-Palestinian statements while acting as a brand ambassador for Dior.
The CMA Awards are back Wednesday to honor the top artists in country music, with Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde and Morgan Wallen among the performers. Wilson is the leading nominee for the second year in a row, competing for entertainer of the year along with Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. Wallen, Stapleton and Wilson are among the performers scheduled to take the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The show airs live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern and will stream the next day on Hulu. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will host the ceremony.
Adidas says it may write off the remaining 300 million euros ($320 million) worth of Yeezy shoes left unsold after it cut ties with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The company said Wednesday that it will decide in the coming weeks whether to sell them next year to generate more donations to groups fighting antisemitism. The shoe and sports clothing company, which cut ties with Ye in October 2022 after he made antisemitic remarks online, has sold 750 million euros worth of the shoes in two stages earlier this year through Adidas smartphone apps and its website. Part of the profits went to groups like the Anti-Defamation League.
People magazine has named Patrick Dempsey as its Sexiest Man Alive. The actor and race car driver takes the mantle from “Captain America” star Chris Evans, who was 2022’s selection. The pick was announced Tuesday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” The “Grey’s Anatomy” star joked to People that he's always “been the bridesmaid” in the selection process, but also said he hadn't thought he'd be considered. Dempsey stars in the upcoming Michael Mann film “Ferrari.” The 57-year-old told The Associated Press last year that he did all the driving himself, calling it “the best role I’ve ever had.” The People edition with Dempsey’s cover story will be out Friday.
Nintendo is developing a live-action film based on its hit video game “The Legend of Zelda.” The Japanese maker behind the Super Mario franchise said Wednesday said it's financing the movie with Sony Pictures Entertainment. It will be directed by Wes Ball, the American director of the upcoming “Planet of the Apes” film. It’s being co-produced by Nintendo and Arad Productions Inc., which is behind the live-action Spider-Man films and headed by Avi Arad. The move highlights Nintendo’s strategy to leverage various aspects of its business, including theme parks and merchandising to boost machine and software sales, and vice versa.
Celebrities have joined Britain’s Prince William on the “green carpet” in Singapore for the third Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, where five winners ranging from solar-powered dryers to combat food waste to making electric car batteries cleaner were unveiled. The Prince of Wales said at the first ceremony held in Asia that the solutions presented by all 15 finalists proved that “hope does remain” as the devastating effects of climate change are felt across the world. Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, actors Donnie Yen, Lana Condor and Nomzano Mbatha, as well as Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin presented the award to winners in five categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change. The winners each won $1.2 million.
Tiger Woods now has his hands in everything about TGL. He helped develop the tech-infused golf league. He's playing in it. And now he's a team owner. Woods and investor-owner David Blitzer are leading the sixth and final team called Jupiter Links Golf Club. Blitzer is the first person to have a ownership stake in five North American major sports leagues. That includes the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils. Woods will be part of Jupiter Links. He says he's looking forward to playing and starting a new chapter as a team owner. The league begins Jan. 9.
A former Southern California street gang leader charged with killing rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996 is expected to learn his court date for his murder trial. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is due in court Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty last week and remains jailed in Las Vegas. The 60-year-old is originally from Compton, California. He was arrested Sept. 29 outside a Las Vegas-area home. He has said publicly in recent years that he orchestrated the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur and wounded rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight. Davis is the only person still alive who was in the vehicle from which shots were fired.
Serena Williams will be honored at Monday’s Council of Fashion Designers of America awards for her career and contributions to American fashion. Williams, who retired from tennis last year, is the first athlete to win the CFDA’s Fashion Icon award. In addition to her groundbreaking tennis career, she is being honored for her work as a designer herself, as an entrepreneur and as a philanthropist. The fashion industry’s equivalent of the Oscars will be held at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan and hosted by Anne Hathaway.
Universal and Blumhouse's video game adaptation “Five Nights at Freddy's” topped the North American box office in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” placed second. The weekend had plenty of high-profile films opening or expanding, including Sofia Coppola's “Priscilla” and Meg Ryan's “What Happens Later.” But in aggregate it's also one of the slowest weekends of the year. Before the SAG-AFTRA strike, this was the weekend “Dune: Part Two” was supposed to open. When Warner Bros. and Legendary pushed that opening back to March 2024 and no other blockbuster stepped in to take its spot.
Rich Eisen has had many memorable moments during his long tenure at NFL Network. This weekend though might end up being tough to beat. Saturday marks 20 years since NFL Network went on the air with Eisen anchoring “Total Access.” On Sunday, Eisen will call one of the biggest games of the first nine weeks when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany.
Travis Kelce has declined to discuss Taylor Swift’s status for Sunday’s game in Germany — and their status as a couple. The Chiefs tight end spoke at a press conference but wouldn’t say whether the pop star plans to attend the game against the Miami Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park. The Chiefs arrived Friday morning and practiced at the campus of the German national soccer team in Frankfurt. He says, "I’m going to keep my personal relationship personal." Kelce says it's “pretty much a coincidence” that his stats are much better this season when Swift attends his games.
Filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have given audiences thrilling, terrifying front-row seats to incredible feats of human ambition in their documentary work. From Alex Honnold’s white-knuckle climb up Yosemite’s El Capitan in the Oscar-winning “Free Solo” to “The Rescue,” their understanding of the personalities capable of such impossible accomplishments is unparalleled in filmed storytelling. It is not surprising, then, that they’d be interested and uniquely equipped to tell the story of Diana Nyad’s treacherous 110-mile swim from Cuba to Key West at age 64 for their first narrative film. “Nyad” is now available to watch on Netflix.
Long before “Friends” made its official debut in China, the show was a word-of-mouth phenomenon in the country. In the wake of Matthew Perry’s death at 54, fans in China are mourning the loss of the star who felt less like a distant celebrity and more like an old friend. While “Friends” didn’t debut in China until 2012, the show had become popular more than a decade earlier thanks to bootleg DVD and hard drive copies. Many Chinese fans learned English through the show and got a peek into American life. The uncensored underground version also opened a window into topics that weren’t broached on Chinese television
Fans of hip-hop, country, pop, funk, R&B and rock all have reason to cheer the 2023 class entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Missy Elliott, Kate Bush, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius and the late George Michael will be inducted into the hall on Friday night. The ceremony is also streaming live for the first time on Disney+. Also entering the hall are The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, DJ Kool Herc, Link Wray, Al Kooper and Elton John’s longtime co-songwriter Bernie Taupin, 29 years after his writing partner.
The Texas Rangers' 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks for their first championship on Wednesday night drew the largest audience of this World Series. However, it was not enough to prevent the five-game series from being the least-watched Fall Classic in recorded TV history. Nielsen and Fox said Thursday the World Series averaged 9.11 million viewers, less than the 9.79 million average from the 2020 series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games. Wednesday night’s game averaged 11.48 million on Fox, a jump of 3 million compared to Tuesday night’s audience. The total audience across Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox streaming platforms was 11.64 million.
The final Beatles recording featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo is here. Released Thursday and titled “Now and Then,” the song comes from a batch of unreleased demos written by the late John Lennon in the ’70s. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr used the tape to construct the songs “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” released in the mid-1990s. But there were technical limitations to finishing “Now and Then.” That changed in 2022, 21 years after Harrison's death, when Starr and McCartney were able to utilize the same artificial intelligence restoration methods used during the making of “The Beatles: Get Back" to complete “Now and Then.”
The former street gang leader charged with leading the drive-by killing of Tupac Shakur in 1996 in Las Vegas is expected to plead not guilty to murder. But questions remain whether he’ll hire a defense lawyer or a judge appoints one at taxpayer expense. Duane “Keffe D” Davis is due for arraignment after local defense attorney Ross Goodman said Wednesday he won't handle the case. He was arrested outside a suburban Las Vegas home that police raided months earlier — drawing new attention to Shakur's unsolved killing. Prosecutors say Davis implicated himself in interviews and a 2019 tell-all memoir about his gang life in Southern California.
While Usher gears up for his 2024 Super Bowl halftime performance, the singer will lean on his previous experience of hitting the NFL’s biggest stage to help him prepare. The Grammy winner says he’s using his appearance with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011 as a “cheat sheet.” He will headline the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 11 — the same day he’s expected to release his ninth studio album “Coming Home.” As Usher prepares for the Super Bowl stage, he’s taking a moment to bring awareness to early Type 1 diabetes screening through the 1 Pledge movement, which launched Wednesday.
Henry Winkler has written more than a dozen children’s books and is now out with a memoir, a feat that surprises him because he’s battled severe dyslexia all his life. In “Being Henry: The Fonz... and Beyond,” Winkler writes about an unhappy childhood, growing up with parents who called him dummer hund, the German term for dumb dog, because he didn’t do well in school. Winkler also writes about landing the role of Arthur Fonzarelli, the Fonz, on TV’s “Happy Days.” The role made him an overnight star, but Winkler says he never took fame or himself too seriously.
Cher is obviously a superstar but even a superstar is happy to be the opening act when it comes to Santa. Organizers of this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have nabbed the Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner for their 97th annual event. Cher will make her appearance just before the parade’s end, signaled by the arrival of Santa’s sleigh. This year’s parade will feature 16 giant character balloons, 26 floats, 32 novelty and heritage inflatables, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns, and eight performance groups. The parade airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.
TGL is the tech-infused golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. And now they're sharing exactly what it is and how it works. The league says each match will be 15 holes involving three players from the four-man teams. The first nine holes will be alternate shot. The last six holes will be singles. Each player will compete for two holes. The long shots will be from real grass, rough or sand to a screen that is 20 times the size of a standard simulator. Get to within 50 yards and the shots are real toward an adaptable green.
The city of Philadelphia has picked the winning design for a Harriet Tubman statue outside City Hall after facing criticism over its original choice of an artist who’d been selected without competition. New Jersey-based artist Alvin Pettit beat out four other semifinalists. His 14-foot bronze statue will portray the famed abolitionist as a military leader. City officials originally offered the commission to a white sculptor from North Carolina. A group of artists and activists protested, saying the city should have held an open competition to give a chance to other artists, including Black artists. City officials then issued an open call that drew dozens of submissions.
Sofia Coppola learned a long time ago that in order to have full creative freedom, she'd have to to get creative with budgets and timelines. Though to look at her latest film, “Priscilla,” a continent and decade-spanning portrait of Priscilla Presley's life with Elvis, you wouldn't know that it was shot in 30 days, mainly in Toronto. Coppola spoke to The Associated Press about her eighth film, which has gotten her some of her best reviews since “Lost in Translation” and the wave of support she's been able to witness firsthand with the release of her first book.
The stars of “Friends” say they are mourning the “unfathomable” death of Matthew Perry. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer say in a joint statement to People magazine that they "utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew.” Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home Saturday, and investigation is ongoing. The “Friends” actors say they “were more than just cast mates” with Perry. They say they “are a family.” Perry, who played Chandler Bing throughout the show’s 10 seasons, is being mourned worldwide. Fans are placing flowers and heartfelt tributes outside the New York building that served as an exterior for the show.
Texas’ extra-inning comeback victory over Arizona According to Nielsen, Fox averaged 9.17 million for the game telecast. It is only the sixth World Series game that didn’t attract at least 10 million viewers.was the least-watched Game 1 recorded in World Series TV history. The Rangers’ 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks in 11 innings averaged 9.35 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox’s streaming service. The previous low was 9.48 for the opening game in 2020 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. That was played during the pandemic, coincidentally in Arlington, Texas.
Matthew Perry was mourned on social media by “Friends” creators, co-stars and some very famous fans. They include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his mom on the hit sit-com “Friends,” as well as Adele. Perry played Chandler Bing on NBC’s “Friends” for 10 seasons. He was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday. Trudeau, who attended elementary school with Perry while their parents worked together, thanked Perry for the laughs. Adele, who didn't know the “Friends” star personally, took time at her Las Vegas show to address the loss. Others who posted online included Morgan Fairchild, Selma Blair and Wendell Pierce.
Matthew Perry, who starred as Chandler Bing in the hit series “Friends,” has died. He was 54. The Emmy-nominated actor was found dead of an apparent drowning at his Los Angeles home on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times and celebrity website TMZ, which was the first to report the news. Both outlets cited unnamed sources confirming Perry’s death. His publicists and other representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Perry’s 10 seasons on “Friends” made him one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York.
Barcelona has aligned with The Rolling Stones its “clasico” game against Real Madrid. Mick Jagger and fellow Stones member Ronnie Wood turned up to see the home side wear special shirts featuring the iconic logo of his legendary rock group. Barcelona’s players wore special shirts for the game featuring the Rolling Stones’ iconic “hot lips” logo in place of its normal shirt sponsor. The shirts were also on sale. Before kickoff Barcelona displayed a mosaic of burgundy and blue along with a huge Rolling Stones logo.