Waiting for Odysseus: In wartime Kyiv, an ancient story finds new meaning
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — War’s timeless ache — death, captivity, the agonizing wait and the pull of home — has found a new stage in wartime Kyiv, with Homer’s epic reimagined as a contemporary Ukrainian odyssey. The play “Odysseus, Maeotis” is ready to open in the Ukrainian capital as the ancient tale enjoys a global […]
Voice actor Peter Cullen, who gave Optimus Prime his baritone, has died
NEW YORK (AP) — Peter Cullen, a prolific voice actor who enlivened scores of TV series, specials and movies, including Optimus Prime in the syndicated 1984 series “Transformers” and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoon franchise, has died. He was 85. His agent, Kevin Motley, said Cullen died Wednesday at his home in Los […]
Alabama Shakes roars back with album ‘I Must Be Dreaming’
NEW YORK (AP) — Alabama Shakes has returned with the band’s first album in 11 years and it turns out that craft beer played a big part in the reunion. Not drinking it, exactly. Singer and guitarist Brittany Howard was chilling following her second solo album, 2024’s “What Now,” when she was contacted by Bo […]
Yung Filly returning to Britain before Australian rape trial next year
PERTH, Australia (AP) — British social media celebrity and rapper Yung Filly can return to Britain before he stands trial in Australia next year on charges of raping a fan, a judge ruled on Thursday. The 31-year-old Columbian-born entertainer, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, was convicted by a District Court of Western […]
Black scholar’s memoir published weeks after he died facing plagiarism charges
LONDON (AP) — Britons who saw Professor Jason Arday’s life and death dissected by weeks of headlines covering allegations about his academic qualifications and personal accomplishments can now read his version of the story. Simon & Schuster will on Thursday publish Arday’s memoir “Great and Unfortunate Things,” which tells the story of how an autistic […]
Yayoi Kusama, who splashed polka dots across art world, dies at 97
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world, has died, her studio said Thursday. She was 97. Kusama died Aug. 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama Studio said. “She continued to paint until her final days, never setting aside […]
Dolly Parton helped transform East Tennessee with her music and investment
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dolly Parton didn’t just sing lovingly about her Tennessee mountain home. She spent her life elevating an often-overlooked region to showcase what long inspired her music and sparked a tourism boom that forever changed those living against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains. And it is because of that deep […]
‘Coyote vs. Acme’ review: Courtroom drama wastes cartoon icons
Some Hollywood decisions defy logic. Like, who looked at the world of Looney Tunes, those unhinged cartoons of our youth, and thought: Let’s add a bunch of personal injury lawyers. Such is the premise of the clunky, too-earnest, live-action-toon-hybrid “Coyote vs. Acme,” a film initially mothballed by the studio only to later be featured in […]
Blake Lively awarded $400,000 in legal costs after judge’s ruling
NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively will get just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought in legal costs from actor and director Justin Baldoni after they settled their fight over the production of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Lewis J. Liman explained in a written […]
Tim Curry, iconic character actor, dies at 80
Tim Curry, a character actor who created a gallery of delicious, very loony villains for stage and screen, including Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” has died. He was 80. Curry, who suffered a stroke in 2012 that put him in a wheelchair, died Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles, according to […]