AP Entertainment

Entertainment:

MARIAH CAREY’S CHRISTMAS TUNE TOPS BILLBOARD CHARTS AGAIN
UNDATED (AP) – Mariah Carey has made a bit of chart history. Her holiday tune, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” has gone from No. 2 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Billboard says it’s the first time any song has gone No. 1 during three distinct runs. The song hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017, before rising to No. 1 in December 2019 for three weeks – and for another two weeks in December of last year.

NO WORD OF PROGRESS IN FATAL STABBING OF RAPPER DRAKEO THE RULER
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The search continues for suspects in the fatal stabbing of Drakeo the Ruler. He was killed Saturday backstage at a Los Angeles musical festival where he was to perform. Other acts booked to the same event included Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Ice Cube. The event was canceled by festival organizers after the stabbing. Drakeo the Ruler was 28.

CHARLI XCX URGES FANS TO GET VACCINATED
UNDATED (AP) – Charli XCX is urging her fans to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated against COVID-19. The British pop star says she was “devastated and heartbroken” that she wasn’t allowed to perform on “Saturday Night Live” because of a spike in cases in New York linked to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. In a post to her fans announcing her performance was scrubbed, Charli XCX urged her fans to “look after yourselves” by getting the vaccine, if they hadn’t already.

LIL DURK GETS ENGAGED
UNDATED (AP) – As is usually the case, a lot of couples will be “putting a ring on it” during the holidays. And hitmaker Lil Durk is getting that romantic business out of the way early – and in public. Billboard reports over the weekend, Lil Durk popped the question to his longtime girlfriend India Royale during his performance at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday. He dropped to a knee and asked, “Do you wanna be my wife?” Just his popping the question caused the crowd to erupt, even before India Royale could answer yes. The two reportedly began dating in 2017.

CHRIS NOTH OUSTED FROM “THE EQUALIZER” AFTER SEXUAL ASSAULT CLAIMS
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The fallout continues for Chris Noth after a pair of bombshell accusations of sexual assault. The actor has been fired from the CBS series “The Equalizer.” In a joint statement, CBS and Universal Television say Noth will no longer be part of filming, a decision they say is “effectively immediately. The statement says he will appear in at least one last upcoming episode. Noth plays an ex-CIA director on “The Equalizer,” which stars Queen Latifah. His reps have had no immediate comment on the decision to bounce him from the show.

”SEX AND THE CITY” STARS ISSUE STATEMENT ABOUT NOTH
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Three of the stars of “Sex and the City” have issued a statement on Chris Noth, who played “Mr. Big” in the TV series, its movies and the current sequel, “And Just Like That.” Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis say they’re saddened by the sexual assault allegations against Noth – but also say they support the women accusing him. One of the accusers says it was her hearing that Noth had returned to his role in the new “Sex and the City” spinoff that triggered her – and prompted to go public with her sexual assault allegation against the actor.

LATEST “SPIDER-MAN” MOVIE NOW SECOND-BIGGEST OPENER EVER
UNDATED (AP) – “Spider-Man: No Way Home” had already posted great numbers over the weekend – putting itself in third place for the best debut weekend ever. Now, the numbers are even greater. Sony reports the new Spider-Man did well enough to become the second-biggest opening weekend ever, behind only “Avengers: Endgame.” It made $351.1 million when it made its debut in April, 2019. The new Spider-Man movie is the biggest grossing debut of the pandemic era.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT PROSECUTORS CRITICIZED FOR HANDING OF ACTOR’S CASE
CHICAGO (AP) – “A major failure of operations.” That’s how a special prosecutor describes the handling of the initial case against former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. The finding is in a report prepared by special prosecutor Dan Webb – and made public yesterday. It blasts State’s Attorney Kim Foxx and others in her office for making misleading public statements about the Smollett case. Foxx’s office first charged Smollett for filing a false police report claiming he was the victim of a racist and anti-gay attack. Prosecutors later dropped the charges, claiming the case wasn’t strong enough to win a conviction. But special prosecutor Webb picked up the case, reinstated the charges – and won convictions on five of the six felony charges against Smollett earlier this month.