Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died in Pennsylvania of prostate cancer on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was 68. Bambaataa’s sudden death was met with an outpouring of condolences from friends, family and fans across the world, who paid tribute to his profound and unmistakable impact…
NEW YORK — A lawyer for 34 states suing Live Nation Entertainment tried to convince a jury Thursday during an antitrust trial ’s closing arguments that the company and its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster, are monopolizing the industry and driving up concert prices. But a lawyer for Live Nation insisted in Manhattan federal court that there…
New films by Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski, Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Spain’s Pedro Almodovar will premiere at the 79th Cannes Film Festival next month. Organizers for the South of France festival, which runs May 12-23, laid out a lineup heavy on big-name international auteurs at a news conference Thursday in Paris. Cannes’ most sought-after…
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs ’ lawyers are poised to try to persuade federal appeals court judges that the hip-hop mogul was treated unfairly at the trial that sent him to prison on prostitution-related charges, and that the First Amendment should win his freedom. Combs, currently in federal prison in…
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — In the cramped backroom of a theater, Vicki Taylor glues together tiny figurines that peer over electrical boxes, canoe down drainage pipes and hide in nooks and crannies waiting to be found by someone curious enough to get on their hands and knees to search. Taylor and her husband, Rick, opened the…
NASHVILLE — Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ray Stevens broke his neck and is recovering at home after being briefly hospitalized, according to a statement published Tuesday. The 87-year-old country star, who is known for his topical satire, fell late last month, according to the statement released on his X account. He will need to wear a neck…
LOS ANGELES — The organization that puts on the Oscars has set dates for its final two shows on ABC, including the 100th Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC said Tuesday that the 99th Oscars will be held on March 14, 2027, and the 100th on March 5, 2028….
You’ll never say you didn’t hear them coming: tap shoes, where plates are added to the soles allowing the wearer to make music with each step. They’re the required equipment for the syncopated beats and rhythms of tap, which has been dubbed America’s dance. The development of the click-clacking, feet-as-instruments art form traces its roots…
LOS ANGELES — The screenwriters union and Hollywood studios reached a surprise four-year tentative agreement after roughly three weeks of negotiation. The Writers Guild of America West said on X that its negotiating committee unanimously approved a tentative agreement with The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios. The alliance confirmed the…
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Savannah Guthrie is coming back to NBC’s “Today” show Monday for the first time in more than two months since her mother’s disappearance, returning to a job she loves but is unsure how she’ll manage. Guthrie acknowledged that she’s a changed person and that it’s hard to go…
