AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 11:40 a.m. EST

Gay ice hockey drama 'Heated Rivalry' becomes a surprise hit in Russia despite anti-LGBTQ+ laws

LONDON (AP) — The TV drama "Heated Rivalry" has become a global sensation, captivating audiences with its portrayal of a secret gay relationship between Canadian and Russian hockey players. The show, based on a novel by Rachel Reid, has gained unexpected popularity in Russia, despite the country's anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Journalist Mikhail Zygar believes the show's success is inspiring and could shift perceptions among Russians. While Western sanctions limit access to such content, Russians are finding ways to watch it illegally. The show's popularity is seen as a form of resistance against the oppressive regime.

Movie Review: In the Oscar-nominated 'Arco,' an apocalypse kids can get behind

Ugo Bienvenu’s Oscar-nominated “Arco” is a charming and dreamy sci-fi animated movie where environmental catastrophe and cartoony fun collide. Like “WALL-E,” there are heroic robots in “Arco.” But it’s the film’s plucky young protagonists that give Bienvenu’s future-set film its heart, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review. “Arco” is the unusual movie to exist in two future times, never our present. And it can take a moment to acclimate to both its jumbled timeline and the sheer amount of rainbows. But the French comic-book artist making his directorial debut richly imagines a 2075 future of recognizable extremes.

Movie Review: Jason Statham sticks close to the formula as a lethal former spy in 'Shelter'

Jason Statham stars in “Shelter,” living in a Scottish lighthouse as a grim-faced hero laying low. He's a former MI6 operative hiding from a conspiracy that reaches the British prime minister. Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy says Statham's character is once again tough and gruff, with a heart of gold. He’s joined by Bodhi Rae Breathnach, who plays a young woman needing his help. Bill Nighy appears as a spycraft master. The film is filled with action movie tropes, including a car chase and a dance club scene. Directed by Ric Roman Waugh, “Shelter” delivers the expected Statham action, rated R for violence and language.

‘One Battle After Another’ leads the pack in nominations for UK’s BAFTA film awards

LONDON (AP) — Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged action thriller “One Battle After Another” leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, with 14 nominations including acting nods for five of its cast. Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” is close behind with 13 nominations, while Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean tragedy “Hamnet” and Josh Safdie’s ping-pong odyssey “Marty Supreme” have 11 apiece. The winners will be announced at a Feb. 22 ceremony in London. The U.K. prizes — officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards — often provide clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards.

Shelley Read's debut novel 'Go as a River' becomes a global sensation

NEW YORK (AP) — Author Shelley Read is amazed by the global success of her debut novel, “Go as a River.” Before its U.S. release, the book secured over 30 translations. Published in 2023, it has sold more than a million copies and is being adapted into a film. The novel spans from the 1940s to the 1970s, focusing on a Colorado farm girl’s romance with an Indigenous man. Read, a longtime educator, began writing the book after retiring. Despite initial rejections, her manuscript found a home with Spiegel & Grau. Read is now working on her second novel.

New Carnegie Medal winners Megha Majumdar and Yiyun Li love libraries

NEW YORK (AP) — Novelist Megha Majumdar has won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction for her book “A Guardian and a Thief.” The American Library Association announced the award on Tuesday. Majumdar shares the honor with Yiyun Li, who won for her memoir “Things in Nature Merely Grow.” Both authors will receive $5,000 and be honored in June in Chicago. Majumdar is an immigrant from India and appreciates libraries as spaces for solitude and community. Li is originally from Beijing and discovered her love for libraries in the U.S. and now teaches at Princeton University.

Sergi López on 'Sirāt': A journey that makes you look inward

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The movie “Sirāt” follows Luis as he treks through the North African desert with his son and dog to find his missing daughter. Set against the backdrop of a hypothetical World War III, it follows nomadic youths with hippie-punk aesthetics who carry their passion for electronic music in a journey that becomes existential amid the desert dust. Star Sergi López describes it as a testament to human resilience, highlighting the importance of moving forward despite pain.

Traoré joins West Ham and says movie taught him about passion of the club's fans

LONDON (AP) — Spain winger Adama Traoré has joined West Ham from Fulham and says a movie about his new team taught him about the passion of its fans. Traoré says “it’s a massive club, a massive fanbase. I’ve been watching since I was young, when I watched a film about West Ham. I know about the fans and how much passion they have.” Traoré was likely talking about Green Street, a fictional 2005 movie that explored the culture of hooliganism in English soccer through a fan group linked to West Ham. Traoré will be united again with West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo. They previously worked together at Wolverhampton.

Chanel couture gets a breath of fresh air and stars. Armani revamps

PARIS (AP) — Fashion powerhouse Chanel stacked the Paris front row like a movie premiere Tuesday, with stars from Nicole Kidman to Dua Lipa to Penélope Cruz, then handed the spotlight to its new designer, Matthieu Blazy, for his much-anticipated couture debut. Inside the Grand Palais, the set was a dream-garden of candy-colored trees and giant pink-and-red mushrooms — a surreal antidote to the gray Paris day outside, and to the heavier mood of the world beyond the doors. Then came the clothes, and the message landed fast: lightness.