Movie Review: 'Wake Up Dead Man' mixes religion and mystery in poor 'Knives Out' film
Rian Johnson targets religion in his third “Knives Out” film, “Wake Up Dead Man.” The movie features returning Daniel Craig's detective Benoit Blanc and a new star-studded cast. The story revolves around a young Catholic priest, played by Josh O’Connor, who arrives at a troubled New York parish. The monsignor, played by Josh Brolin, is found dead, leading to a classic locked-door mystery. AP critic Mark Kennedy says the film mixes humor with cultural satire but struggles with pacing. The priest and detective team up, offering some of the movie's best moments. Overall, it’s a mixed bag with a satisfying conclusion. The PG-13 rated movie hits Netflix on Dec. 12.
'Zootopia 2' roars to record-setting global box office with $556M opening
“Zootopia 2" broke box office records with a massive Thanksgiving weekend opening. The Disney sequel earned $96 million in North America over the weekend and $156 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame. Since its Wednesday opening, it has made $556 million globally, making it the highest international opening for an animated movie. “Wicked: For Good” also performed well, earning $62.8 million domestically over the weekend. The two sequels made Thanksgiving weekend a bright spot in an otherwise challenging year for theaters. “Zootopia 2" arrives nearly a decade after the original, featuring a bunny cop voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin and a scheming fox voiced by Jason Bateman.
Super Bowl 2026: Pregame performers will include Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Super Bowl pregame show will feature standout performers in Northern California. Charlie Puth will sing the national anthem, Brandi Carlile will perform “America the Beautiful,” and Coco Jones will sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The performances will take place Feb. 8 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, before the NFL’s championship matchup and halftime show featuring Bad Bunny. The NFL announced this on Sunday. The pregame performances will air on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock. In a historic first, the halftime show will include a multilingual signing program featuring Puerto Rican Sign Language.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 7-13 includes Teyana Taylor and Taylor Swift
Celebrities having birthdays during the week of Dec. 7-13 include actor-singer Teyana Taylor, actor-comedian Jamie Foxx and singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles turns 46, “Westworld” actor Jeffrey Wright hits 60 and drummer Tre Cool of Green Day welcomes 53. Other celebrities with big days include actor Judi Dench, actor John Malkovich and TV chef Bobby Flay. Actor-director Kenneth Branagh turns 65, actor Jennifer Connelly hits 55 and actor Regina Hall welcomes 55. Three celebs turn 50 — “The Big Bang Theory” actor Mayim Bialik, singer Nicole Appleton of All Saints and singer-guitarist Tom Delonge of Blink-182.
What to Stream: George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Zac Brown Band, Michelle Pfeiffer and Metroid Prime 4
George Clooney playing a dashing movie star with nagging midlife regrets in “Jay Kelly” and Zac Brown Band returning with fresh tunes are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time for the week of Dec. 1 as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the latest “Mission: Impossible” film, “The Final Reckoning,” begins streaming on Paramount+, Netflix has the American Western series “The Abandons” with women at the center of its story, and Nintendo’s Samus Aran returns with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
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A very royal Christmas. King Charles III’s charity auctions stockings made from monarch's drapes
LONDON (AP) — A charitable foundation is making 25 Christmas stockings from the drapes of King Charles III’s Sandringham estate. The festive decorations will be auctioned off to raise money for the King’s Foundation. The proceeds will support the work of the foundation, which provides training in practical skills such as hospitality and animal husbandry for more than 15,000 young people each year. There’s no need to worry about the royal windows being stripped bare, though. Buckingham Palace alone has 760 windows, creating a near limitless supply of gently used fabric.
AI country hit 'Walk My Walk' built on Blanco Brown's sound sparks questions of attribution, ethics
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An AI-generated country song, “Walk My Walk,” recently topped Billboard's country digital song sales chart. It's credited to a fictional artist named Breaking Rust, but the vocal style is based on Grammy-nominated country artist Blanco Brown. Brown was unaware of the song until friends alerted him. The track's success highlights how generative AI is disrupting the music industry, allowing anyone to create songs using models trained on real artists' voices. Brown has since released his own version of the song. He sees this as a legal and cultural issue, emphasizing the unique value real artists bring to music.
Clair Obscur leads the AP's list of 2025's top video games
In a year in which technology news was dominated by artificial intelligence, the outstanding video games were still being designed by human beings. Top of the list is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which Associated Press writer Lou Kesten calls “a landmark achievement" with profound storytelling, stunning graphics and music and impeccable voice acting. The rest of 2025's top 10 includes The Outer Worlds 2, Silent Hill f, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Donkey Kong Bananza, The Séance of Blake Manor, Avowed, Ghost of Yōtei, South of Midnight and The Alters.
25 holiday TV offerings to watch ranging from comedies to rom-coms and cozy mysteries
The holiday season is packed with festive TV specials and movies. On Dec. 1, Derek Hough hosts “The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular” on ABC, featuring artists like Nicole Scherzinger and Gwen Stefani. Reba McEntire hosts NBC's “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” on Dec. 3, with the iconic tree lighting. The Duchess of Sussex shares holiday tips on Netflix's “With Love, Meghan.” Apple TV's “The First Snow of Fraggle Rock” offers a magical tale. Hallmark, OWN, and UPtv bring new holiday movies, while classics like “The Sound of Music” and “Home Alone” air throughout December. Football fans can catch NFL games on Christmas Day.
A lost generation of news consumers? Survey shows how teenagers dislike the news media
NEW YORK (AP) — You don't have to tell Cat Murphy or Lily Ogburn about the attitudes of young people toward journalists. The profession hasn't been popular among adults for many years, but a new survey shows the extent to which teens aged 13 to 18 feel the same way; Murphy and Ogburn have seen it for years among their friends who wonder why they want to go into the field. Experts say it's a combination of their surroundings, including the most prominent politician they have known — Donald Trump — who frequently denounces “fake news” — and a lack of understanding of journalism's role in society.
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