AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 10:27 a.m. EST

Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling on the surprisingly sweet BDSM romance ‘Pillion’

Alexander Skarsgård plays a biker who begins a dom-sub relationship with a younger, more inexperienced man in “Pillion.” The film co-starring Harry Melling and directed by Harry Lighton premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival and is now playing in North American theaters. While it is explicit in its depiction, it's also surprisingly sweet and comedic too. Lighton says he refused to sanitize the sex scenes between Skarsgård and Melling's characters. The filmmaker says the story lands as “sex net positive” because the lead grows into his sexuality. Both the BDSM community and their moms have responded positively to the movie.

Movie Review: Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' is a bold but shallow take on Brontë's classic

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi play Catherine and Heathcliff in the new adaptation of “Wuthering Heights.” Filmmaker Emerald Fennell has said she wanted to make a film that captured how she felt when she read it at 14. Emily Brontë’s novel is just the starting point. In her review for The Associated Press, film writer Lindsey Bahr writes that “for all the big swings, Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ amounts to something oddly shallow and blunt: garish and stylized fan fiction with the scope and budget of an old-school Hollywood epic.” “Wuthering Heights” is rated R and opens in theaters Friday.

'Love Story' revisits JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. It's stirred some backlash

FX and Hulu’s new series “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette” retells the couple’s romance and death, and has sparked criticism from Kennedy's nephew, Jack Schlossberg. The show follows Kennedy and Bessette from an early meeting to the 1999 plane crash that kills them and Bessette’s sister Lauren. Last year, Schlossberg called the series “grotesque” and accused producers of cashing in. Producer Ryan Murphy pushed back on a podcast. Other producers and the lead actors say they tried to be ethical and sincere. The story is adapted from a bestselling book by Elizabeth Beller.

Christian Siriano invites New York Fashion Week guests into his surrealist dream

NEW YORK (AP) — Rather than rely on a dramatic set, Designer Christian Siriano let his designs speak for themselves Thursday at his New York Fashion Week show. The designer transported guests to his surrealist dream of vibrant colors and eye-catching fabrics. The designer said he wanted to invite his attendees to escape with him. The designer's fall 2026 show featured an iridescent green liquid ombré gown that the designer only had little time to transform before his show Thursday after a hold up at customs. Siriano's supermodel muse Coco Rocha closed the show in the gown as celebrities cheered her on from the sidelines.

Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars' has transformed South Korea's fine dining scene

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Netflix’s popular “Culinary Class Wars” is transforming South Korea’s fine dining scene. Bookings at fine dining restaurants have jumped threefold since the Netflix show first aired in 2024. Chef Jun Lee said that largely thanks to the show, his restaurant is so busy that international visitors struggle to get tables. Chef Kim Sung-woon said he feels like a celebrity and has received fan letters from children. The show builds on years of government efforts to promote Korean cuisine. Despite challenges including intense competition and service staff shortages, chefs see global entertainment content as crucial for elevating South Korea’s culinary status.

Love is found in unexpected places at the Berlin Film Festival

BERLIN (AP) — Two films at the Berlin Film Festival use romance to show life beyond war and politics. On Thursday, the festival opens with “No Good Men,” set in a Kabul newsroom in 2021. It follows the workplace love story of Naru, a camerawoman who fights for her son and her career. Director Shahrbanoo Sadat says a kiss scene cost her the lead actor and she had to step into the role herself. She also faced pushback from funders who were against a rom-com about Afghanistan. Another film, “Only Rebels Win,” follows a Palestinian widow who finds love in Beirut. Director Danielle Arbid calls it feminist and human.

Colorectal cancer is rising in younger adults. Here's who is most at risk and symptoms to watch for

WASHINGTON (AP) — The death of “Dawson’s Creek” actor James Van Der Beek highlights a rising trend in colorectal cancer among young adults. While overall colorectal cancer rates have inched down in recent years, rates for those under 50 have risen. It is now the top cancer killer of Americans under 50. Van Der Beek died this week at 48 from colon cancer. Doctors say people should reduce their risk by eating a healthy diet, get screened starting at age 45 and don't wait to have worrisome symptoms examined.

Actress Rose Byrne honored as Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year with parade and roast

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Rose Byrne, fresh off her Golden Globe Award win and Oscar nomination for the leading role in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” will be honored as the 2026 Woman of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Byrne, who also has starred in “Bridesmaids,” “Neighbors,” “Insidious” and “Damages,” will take part in a parade Friday through the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts. After that, she will receive her pudding pot award at a celebratory roast. She will then attend a performance of Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 177th production “Salooney Tunes.” Actor Michael Keaton is the 2026 Man of the Year. He received his pudding pot Feb. 6.

Pene Pati rises from doubted Samoan singer to one of opera's most-watched new stars

NEW YORK (AP) — Tenor Pene Pati has emerged from a childhood in Samoa and New Zealand to become one of opera’s most-watched new stars. Now 38 and booked by top houses through 2030, Pati impressed last month in his first staged performances of Massenet’s “Werther” at Paris’ Opéra Comique, a 1,200-capacity jewel box that turned down the composer’s 1887 offer to stage the premiere. Pati sang in an Auckland choir growing up and planned on a computer science career. He was encouraged to pursue piano and singing by his high school's music director.