What's going to win best picture? We rank the Oscar field
NEW YORK (AP) -- The inner-Vatican machinations of "Conclave" have nothing on this year's Oscar race. Just as Edward Berger's film juggles various candidates for the papacy, the race for best picture at the Academy Awards has seen one favorite replaced by another, and then another. While some clarity has lately emerged, with a handful of big wins for Sean Baker's "Anora," it seems likely to be a nail biter until a winner is declared at the March 2 Oscars, when white smoke unfurls from the Sistine Chapel, we mean the Dolby Theatre.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs sues NBC over new documentary as he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges
NEW YORK (AP) -- Sean 'Diddy' Combs is suing NBC Universal over a documentary that he says falsely accuses him of being a serial murderer who had sex with underage girls as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in New York says "Diddy: Making of a Bad Boy" included statements that NBC Universal either knew were false or published with reckless disregard for the truth. The founder of Bad Boy Records is seeking no less than $100 million in damages. Spokespersons for NBC Universal didn't immediately comment. Combs has been in custody since September. His trial is slated to start in May.
White House says it has the right to punish AP reporters over Gulf naming dispute
NEW YORK (AP) -- The White House says news organizations that refuse to use President Donald Trump's new name for the Gulf of Mexico are telling "lies." It insists it will continue to bar Associated Press journalists from presidential events. Trump has decreed that the international body of water be called the Gulf of America. It borders Mexico, the United States and other nations. In its influential Stylebook, the AP said it would continue to use Gulf of Mexico while also noting Trump's decision. The White House's attempt at regulating language used by independent media -- and the punitive measures attached to it -- mark a sharp escalation in Trump's dealings with news organizations.
The relationship between the White House and its press corps is time-tested -- and can be contentious
When the Trump administration barred Associated Press reporters from presidential events, it did so after an or-else demand that the news agency change its style from the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America," in line with the president's executive order. It was an attempt to control the content of an independent news report, a "plain" violation of the First Amendment's free speech protections, the organization said in a statement. Analysts say it's vital to American democracy to have a "pool" of independent fact-based outlets, such as the AP, publishing their accounts about the president, ensuring that people around the world get information beyond the "self-interested accounts provided by the president and his public relations team."
12 times 'Saturday Night Live' made a cultural bang over the past 50 years
NEW YORK (AP) -- "Saturday Night Live" was intended for countercultural comedy. Fifty years later, it is firmly part of the culture. Some memorable moments from 50 seasons include Eddie Murphy going undercover as a white man, the time Ashlee Simpson was caught lip-syncing and when Sinéad O'Connor ripped up a photo of the pope. Less than three weeks after 9/11, "Saturday Night Live" aired one of its most memorable openings with Rudy Giuliani. It tackled the #MeToo movement with a pitch-perfect music video called "Welcome to Hell" and the joke-rap digital short "Lazy Sunday" was the first TV show clip to have a viral second life online.
Movie Review: Marvel treads water with 'Captain America: Brave New World'
Celebrate Valentine's Day this year with "Captain America: Brave New World," which Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy calls a highly processed, empty calorie, regret-later candy of a movie. The story gathers familiar Marvel characters and blends them into a White House conspiracy-meets-international violent face-off in the Indian Ocean. Director Julius Onah does well with the action but fumbles the quieter moments and has editing that's the opposite of crisp, not helped by script writers who ape military language and use grandiose sentiment. Anthony Mackie and Harrison Ford are marooned in a movie that feels like it's just treading water. Rated PG-13, it opens in theaters Friday.
Paul McCartney rocks the Bowery. Inside his surprise NYC concert
NEW YORK (AP) -- Paul McCartney has staged a surprise performance before a small crowd in New York. His previous show in the area took place at MetLife Stadium, capacity 82,500. Tuesday's surprise appearance at the Bowery Ballroom was in front of, at most, 575. McCartney announced the show just hours before taking the stage. The news swept through Manhattan and beyond, sending New Yorkers racing to the Bowery for a chance to snag a ticket. If the location was stripped down, the former Beatle didn't put on a minimized show. Rather, he put on a blistering tour through his entire catalog, from Beatles classics to Wings hits.
Harry Connick Jr. to premiere composition at Carnegie Hall for 100th anniversary of mother's birth
NEW YORK (AP) -- Harry Connick Jr. will premiere a composition for the 100th anniversary of his mother's birth for Carnegie Hall's 2025-26 season. The upcoming season celebrates the Declaration of Independence with a festival titled: "United in Sound: America at 250." Connick has tentatively titled the work "Elaboratio" and will play piano in the performance for his Carnegie main stage debut on May 22, 2026, exactly 100 years after the birth of Anita Frances Livingston. The program is to be repeated the following night. His manager called Carnegie Hall executive director Clive Gillinson seven years ago to reserve the date.
Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and Phish get Rock Hall nominations
NEW YORK (AP) -- Mariah Carey, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and Phish are some the 2025 nominees for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It's a list that also includes two sets of musical brothers who have had public feuds and recent reunions -- the Black Crowes and Oasis. The Hall revealed the list of 14 performer nominees Wednesday, including Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, Maná, Soundgarden and the White Stripes. The 2025 Inductees will be revealed in late April. Nominees will be voted on by more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals.
Movie Review: Bridget Jones is middle-aged now. And we still love her, just as she is
It's been nearly 25 years since Bridget Jones, aka Renée Zellweger, first stood in that snowy street and kissed Mark Darcy for a very happy ending. Now, Bridget is in her 50s and Mark is, sadly, gone. Who will become Bridget's happy ending? What's enjoyable about "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy," the fourth film in the franchise, is that Bridget -- now a mom of young kids -- still makes us care so darned much about her, writes Associated Press critic Jocelyn Noveck in her review. Hugh Grant is back for the last chapter of Bridget's story, and newcomers Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor are appealing additions. Starts streaming Thursday on Peacock.