AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 2:05 p.m. EDT

Bill Maher will win the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain humor prize following White House denial

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center says Bill Maher will win the prestigious Mark Twain humor prize. The center made the announcement Thursday, less than a week after the White House forcefully denied the award would go to the comedian, who has had a hot-and-cold relationship with President Donald Trump. A Trump administration official says the situation changed after further conversations between the Kennedy Center and event organizers. Maher says he just had the award explained to him and it’s like an Emmy, except he wins. The Kennedy Center has presented the award since 1998 to recognize those who've made significant contributions to humor and commentary. Conan O’Brien won last year.

Fetty Wap has a lot to say on 'Zavier.’ It’s his first album since being released from prison

NEW YORK (AP) — Melodic rapper Fetty Wap was released from federal prison to home confinement in January after serving just over half a six-year sentence for his role in a drug trafficking scheme. On Friday, he releases a new album titled “Zavier.” The artist born Willie Maxwell II tells The Associated Press that the album features a lot of different sounds. Collaborators include Tink, Wiz Khalifa, Max B and Fetty Wap's sisters. Fetty Wap says he didn't want to make an album about his incarceration, but he didn't want to avoid it either. He hopes “Zavier” gives his audience a feeling of “good energy” and “positivity.”

Movie Review: 'Two Prosecutors' is a perfect nightmare of state corruption

Sergei Loznitsa’s “Two Prosecutors” is a nightmare of government corruption so perfectly composed that, by the time it reaches its chilling conclusion, you feel nearly as entrapped as its young protagonist, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review. The film is set at the height of Stalin's Great Purge, in 1937. A young prosecutor just three months into the job attempts to visit a prisoner. It was not exactly an opportune time for a young lawyer hardly out of college to stroll into the belly of Stalin’s bureaucratic beast and start asking questions. What follows has the neatness of a dark parable of political persecution.

Italy traces stolen Bond girl fortune to Tuscan vineyards and villas

MILAN (AP) — Italian police say they have seized about 20 million euros in property and assets linked to money stolen from Swiss actor and original Bond girl Ursula Andress. Financial police said Thursday that the haul includes property, land, artworks, along with financial holdings in Florence and the Tuscan countryside. Investigators opened the case after Andress reported  fraud to Swiss authorities. She says advisers swindled her over the course of eight years. Italian authorities said the stolen funds moved through foreign companies and deals meant to hide their origin. Police do not say if anyone has been arrested.

Verdicts against social media companies carry consequences. But questions linger

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two landmark jury verdicts against social media companies have arrived in a long line of lawsuits alleging harm to children who use platforms including Instagram and YouTube. Penalties in excess of $380 million were assigned by the juries in California and New Mexico in cases that hold uncertain implications for Meta and YouTube. The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm. New Mexico's trial is heading toward a second phase to determine whether Meta created a public nuisance with its social media platforms and should pay for public programs to fix matters.

Dash Crofts of Seals & Crofts, known for hits 'Summer Breeze' and 'Diamond Girl,' dies at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Darrell “Dash” Crofts, who teamed with childhood friend Jim Seals for such 1970s soft-rock hits as “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Get Closer,” has died at 87. Seals & Crofts were native Texans who had known each other since high school and had played together in various groups before becoming a duo in the late 1960s. They were part of a wave of million-selling soft-rock bands that included America, Bread and the Carpenters. “Summer Breeze,” “Diamond Girl” and “Closer to You” all reached the Top 10, while their other popular singles included “I’ll Play for You” and “Hummingbird.”

A soothing study session: Students cram in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw as musicians play

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw turns its famous main hall into a quiet study space, with live classical music playing as students work. At a recent session, students sit in the red seats with laptops, books, and coffee. They study for exams and write dissertations while musicians perform pieces by Pachelbel, Handel and Schubert. Some movie music also slips in. Students say the music feels calm and helps them focus. A neurologist says music can help some people enter a productive “flow” state. The venue started the sessions during COVID. Organizers say it helps welcome younger audiences.

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer-winning author who turned unlikely subjects into bestsellers, dies at 80

Tracy Kidder, an award-winning narrative nonfiction writer who turned everything from computer engineering to life in a nursing home into unexpected bestsellers, has died. He was 80. Kidder’s longtime publisher Random House confirmed his death in a statement Wednesday. Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his 1981 work “The Soul of a New Machine,” which delved into the work of a fledgling computer company long before most people cared about the inner workings of Silicon Valley. Over the ensuing decades, Kidder immersed himself in worlds he was previously unfamiliar with, including life in a fifth-grade classroom and how two friends maintained their dignity in a nursing home.