AP Entertainment
AP-Entertainment
Amy Griffin’s ‘The Tell’ is Winfrey’s new book club choice
NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has chosen a new memoir by venture capitalist Amy Griffin for her book club. Griffin’s “The Tell” was published Tuesday and looks back at the childhood trauma that haunted Griffin as an adult. The book has been promoted as a “journey of healing and truth-telling.” Griffin is the founder of G9 Ventures. Her investments have included Goop, Bumble and Hello Sunshine. Her interview with Winfrey can be seen on Winfrey’s YouTube channel. Winfrey established her book club in 1996 and currently presents it in partnership with Starbucks. Winfrey’s conversation with Griffin took place at a Starbucks in Chicago.
Book Review: Brian Castleberry aims for a Jonathan Franzen-style saga with ‘The Californians’
Brian Castleberry’s new novel, “The Californians,” spans eras of American history, telling the story of two intersected families. “It can be overwhelming at times,” writes AP reviewer Rob Merrill, who also praises the book for what it has to say about the act of creating art. There’s a helpful family tree in the preface and between chapters there are also snippets from letters, text messages, and more news stories and reviews, all designed to establish the time period and fill in plot details before we return to the story’s characters. The book is on sale this week.
Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder delight at Roberta Flack’s ‘Celebration of Life’ memorial
NEW YORK (AP) — Lauryn Hill made a surprise appearance and Stevie Wonder performed at a memorial ceremony for Grammy-winning singer and pianist Roberta Flack in New York. Flack died last month at age 88. Her intimate vocal and musical style made her a top recording artist of the 1970s and influential long after. On Monday, a “Celebration of Life” memorial for Flack featured Hill covering two of Flack’s top hits and Wonder doing his own, “If It’s Magic.” The public “Celebration of Life” for Flack took place at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
Timeline of the Menendez brothers’ murder case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The district attorney of Los Angeles says he does not support the resentencing of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The brothers have spent more than 30 years in prison for killing their parents at their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday that his office was withdrawing his predecessor’s request for a resentencing because the brothers have repeatedly lied about why they killed their parents. Hochman says they “fell short” of taking full responsibility for their crimes. The brothers have argued that they committed the crimes in self-defense after years of abuse by their father.
Disney didn’t copy ‘Moana’ from a man’s story of a surfer boy, a jury says
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has quickly rejected a man’s claim that Disney’s “Moana” was stolen from his story of a young surfer in Hawaii. A Los Angeles federal jury deliberated for only about 2 ½ hours Monday before deciding that the creators of “Moana” never had access to writer and animator Buck Woodall’s outlines and script for “Bucky the Surfer Boy.” A defense attorney argued that the evidence overwhelmingly shows that “Moana” was the creation of John Musker and Ron Clements, the directors and writers behind such Disney classics as “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin.”
Michelle Obama and her brother to launch a podcast with weekly guests
NEW YORK (AP) — Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will host a new weekly podcast series starting this month featuring a special guest pulled from the world of entertainment, sports, health and business. “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” will address “everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us,” according to a press release. IMO is slang for “in my opinion.” Some of the guests slated to speak to the former first lady and Robinson, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, include the actors Issa Rae and Keke Palmer and psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik.
Manchester United reveals plans for the ‘world’s greatest’ soccer stadium to replace Old Trafford
LONDON (AP) — Manchester United has unveiled plans to build the biggest stadium in the United Kingdom. A proposed 100,000-seater arena would be the “world’s greatest football stadium,” part owner Jim Ratcliffe says. Under the plans, the 20-time English champion says it will build next to its existing Old Trafford ground. That means it will not need to relocate during the construction process. United did not say how much the stadium would cost to build or reveal a timeline for its completion. British billionaire Ratcliffe paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25% stake in United last year and made the construction of a new stadium one of his priorities.
Book Review: ‘All the Other Mothers Hate Me’ is a breezy read from Sarah Harman
Sarah Harman’s first novel, “All the Other Mothers Hate Me,” “is a breezy read with more than a few lol moments,” writes AP reviewer Rob Merrill. The plot centers around a single mom’s bumbling efforts to clear her son’s name after a classmate goes missing from a posh London private school. Harman writes eloquently about motherhood in the story’s final pages. She’s created a character in Florence that readers will like spending time with, so who knows, if enough of them buy the book, maybe this is the start of a No. 2 Ladies’ Detective Agency. The novel is on sale Tuesday.
Amazon Prime to stream Trump’s ‘The Apprentice’ reality show
The long-running reality TV show that boosted Donald Trump’s profile will begin streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. The company announced Monday that the first seven seasons of “The Apprentice” will be available on its streaming platform. Amazon says the first season will premier Monday. Subsequent seasons will arrive every week until late April. Trump expressed enthusiasm for the news on Truth Social and in a statement included in Amazon’s statement. The announcement is the latest indication that Amazon is attempt to strengthen its relationship with Trump, which was testy during his first term.
Louis Vuitton’s cinematic take on travel has a lot of celebs and some bumps along the way
PARIS (AP) — Just days after an unexploded World War II bomb near Paris’ Gare du Nord briefly stole headlines, a different kind of spectacle unfolded across the street: Louis Vuitton’s fashion show extravaganza Monday evening. The only explosions here at Paris Fashion Week were in fabric, form and a frenetic imagination. When designer Nicolas Ghesquière emerged for his bow, the audience’s adulation reached a fever pitch, so much so that French first lady Brigitte Macron, in a rarely seen display of exuberance, leapt to her feet to plant a kiss on him.
