AP Entertainment
AP-Entertainment
FireAid, a benefit for LA wildfire relief, is almost here. Here’s how to watch and donate
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Some of the biggest names in music will come together on Thursday to raise money for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief efforts. FireAid will take over two Inglewood, California venues on Jan. 30th. Those are the Kia Forum starting at 6:00pm PST and the Intuit Dome starting at 7:30pm PST. All proceeds will benefit those affected by the fires. The lineup includes Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and more. Between the performances there will be celebrity and non-celebrity speakers, including those who lost their homes, first responders and firefighters. There will also be packages spotlighting those impacted.
Nora Roberts is happily defying genres, 250 books in
NEW YORK (AP) — Nora Roberts is so prolific she had to take up a pen name so her publisher could release more of her books each year. It’s not just about her speed. It’s also her range. She’s written more than 250 books, from romantic one-offs and fantasy-themed trilogies to a three-decade-old police procedural series. The 60th book of that “In Death” series is being released in February. And Roberts has no plans to stop writing. She told the AP in a rare interview that she enjoys writing in various genres and doesn’t see herself as a romance writer anymore. She also said she writes six to eight hours a day, and can write anywhere anytime. Her biggest fear? Not having the next idea.
Patti Smith apologizes for canceling show after collapsing onstage in Brazil
SAO PAULO (AP) — Singer Patti Smith told The Associated Press by phone that she was fine after collapsing during a presentation in Brazil. Following the incident on Wednesday night, she returned to apologize to then audience for needing to end the show early. Video published on social media showed her lying on the ground. Cultura Artística Theater, a small concert hall in downtown Sao Paulo, said Thursday morning the artist had been experiencing a severe migraine in recent days and felt dizzy on stage during her performance.
Academy Museum sets Bong Joon Ho, ‘Barbie’ exhibits for spring 2025
This spring the Academy Museum will take movie fans inside the mind of “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho and the world creation of Greta Gerwig’s candy-colored “Barbie.” New exhibitions for Spring 2025 include deep dives into Bong Joon Ho’s inspirations and the vision of the production designer team behind “Barbie,” “Anna Karenina” and “Beauty and the Beast,” the organization announced Thursday. Academy Museum director Amy Homma says in a statement that the “exhibitions will showcase the incredible diversity of voices, stories, and cultures that have shaped the movie industry and the global film community.”
Rihanna appears at trial of A$AP Rocky and outshines key testimony on alleged shooting
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Superstar singer Rihanna made her first appearance at the trial of her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, and may have outshined key testimony in the case. Rocky is on trial for two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and could get more than 24 years in prison if he’s convicted. As Rihanna watched on in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom, Rocky’s former friend and accuser testified that Rocky pulled out a gun, shot at him and injured his hands on a Hollywood street in 2021. The man, known as A$AP Relli, will undergo cross-examination on Thursday.
In ‘2000 Meters to Andriivka,’ Oscar winner takes viewers back to Ukraine’s front lines
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Two years after “20 Days in Mariupol” debuted in Park City, Utah, Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winner Mstyslav Chernov is back at the Sundance Film Festival with a new dispatch from Ukraine. “2000 Meters to Andriivka” is a harrowing portrait of modern warfare that puts audiences on the front lines of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Associated Press spoke to Chernov about “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” a co-production between The AP and PBS Frontline, the cognitive dissonance of whiplashing between a movie release and the front lines as well as his responsibility to Ukraine. “2000 Meters to Andriivka” is playing in competition at the festival.
BBC apologizes to staff who felt they were unable to raise concerns about comedian Russell Brand
LONDON (AP) — The BBC has apologized to staff members who felt unable to complain about the conduct of actor and comedian Russell Brand because of his status after an internal review found that concerns about his behavior weren’t handled appropriately. The investigation by Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints, identified eight complaints about Brand, including allegations that he had sex on BBC premises and exposed himself in the studio. Johnston found that only one of those complaints was formally made to management at the time.
With leaked footage from the inside, Sundance doc shows horrifying conditions in Alabama prisons
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — Incarcerated men in the Alabama prison system risked their safety to feed shocking footage of their horrifying living conditions to a pair of documentary filmmakers. The result is “The Alabama Solution,” which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Directed by Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman, the film will have a theatrical release before it debuts on HBO sometime this year, but the specific dates and details are still being worked out. And while it is still early, the impact, Jarecki says, has already been seen, including a class action labor lawsuit.
Dave Matthews won’t perform at FireAid or a MusiCares benefit, citing a critical family illness
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dave Matthews will no longer perform at FireAid, the star-studded benefit concert organized for Los Angeles-area wildfire relief taking place Thursday. He also will not perform at the MusiCares Person of the Year benefit gala on Friday. According to a post shared to the official Dave Matthews Band Instagram account, it is “due to a critical illness in the family.” Matthews was scheduled to perform alongside John Mayer for the first time at FireAid, which will be held at the Kia Forum on Thursday. MusiCares is an organization that helps music professionals who need financial, personal or medical assistance.
Movie Review: Graphic novel hero ‘Dog Man’ gets the Hollywood treatment and it’s ruff going
Whether or not you’ll enjoy the “Dog Man” movie is sort of dependent on how much you’re a fan of the graphic novels. Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy is split. Creator Dav Pilkey’s quirky, kinetic world has nicely made the visual leap to the big screen, but something is missing. The Hollywoodization — like a ray blasted from a typical Pilkey lumbering robot — has leveled-out the idiosyncrasy and overstuffed the narrative. Newcomers may be stunned — and not in a good way. Kennedy says the guerilla feel of the books has given way to a blockbuster, explosion-filled, deep message film about fatherhood, optimism and love.
