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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

For more than a decade, work had been nonstop in Atlanta’s booming film industry thanks to Georgia’s extremely generous tax break. Dubbed the “Hollywood of the South,” metro Atlanta became ubiquitous as a backdrop for huge projects, including Marvel films and “Stranger Things.” But work dried up last winter and has been at a near-standstill ever since the industry’s writers went on strike in May and the actors joined them in July. Writers reached a deal late last month, but with the actors strike still ongoing, many Atlanta-based performers and behind-the-scenes crew members members are grappling for financial survival.

Taylor Swift’s reimagined “1989” is here, the album that ushered in the first Peak Swift era — revisited at the height of her massive pop culture dominance. Released in 2014 and named for her birth year, the original “1989” signified a sonic rebirth. Swift had shed the Nashville country roots of her first four studio albums and announced herself a full-fledged pop superstar. “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” out Friday, takes that version of Swift — then in her mid-20s, living in New York, prepared to take on the world with an arsenal of ’80s synth sounds — and includes five unreleased “vault” tracks that deliver more clues about the artist she was then.

A new study from PEN America finds that tens of thousands of books are banned or restricted by U.S. prisons. Marquis said that the most common official reasons for bans are security and sexual content, terms that can apply to a very wide range of titles. Michigan’s list includes Elmore Leonard’s thriller “Cuba Libre,” set during the Spanish-American War. It was cited as a “Threat to the order/security of institution.” Amy Schumer’s memoir “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo” was flagged by Florida officials for both sexual content and security concerns.

The Cleveland Museum of Art has sued New York City authorities over their seizure of a headless bronze statue believed to depict the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius. A warrant signed by a judge in Manhattan on Aug. 14 ordered the seizure of the statue, which the museum acquired in 1986 and had been a highlight of its collection of ancient Roman art. The museum argues in its suit that the statue was lawfully obtained and that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has no legal authority to seize it. The warrant was secured as part of an ongoing investigation into a smuggling network involving antiquities looted from Bubon in southwestern Turkey and trafficked through Manhattan.