AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 12:08 a.m. EST

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.

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.

From YouTuber to NASCAR driver: Cleetus McFarland expands his racing resume at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Garrett Mitchell is better known as “Cleetus McFarland” to his millions of followers gained over the years as a racing influencer. He's been called a YouTuber for years. A more fitting title might be NASCAR driver. McFarland will make his Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway on Friday and then will race in the ARCA Series the following day. He has more racing in his future, too, hinting that details are coming soon. He made four ARCA starts in 2025, beginning with the season opener at Daytona. He crashed 17 laps into that one but found more success in other events. It should pay dividends on the high banks at Daytona.

Actor Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni go to New York in required effort to avoid trial

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni came to a New York courthouse to see if her lawsuit alleging sexual harassment on the set of the 2024 romantic drama “It Ends With Us” could be settled before a May trial. They left the courthouse after seven hours Wednesday without speaking publicly. Their acrimonious yearlong litigation has cast a wide net across the entertainment world. Lively sued Baldoni and his hired crisis communications expert alleging harassment and a coordinated campaign to attack her reputation after she complained about his treatment of her on the movie set. Baldoni countersued, but that lawsuit was thrown out.

James Van Der Beek, the 'Dawson's Creek' star who later mocked his own hunky persona, has died at 48

NEW YORK (AP) — James Van Der Beek, best known as the titular character on “Dawson’s Creek,” has died at 48, according to a statement from his family posted on Instagram. The post on Wednesday says he died earlier that day. Van Der Beek shared in 2024 that he was receiving treatment for colorectal cancer. Besides “Dawson’s Creek,” which ran from 1998 to 2003, he also appeared in “Varsity Blues” and later leaned into jokes mocking his own hunky persona. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and six children.

In 'My Father's Shadow,' family memory and Nigerian history are resurrected

The British Nigerian director Akinola Davies Jr. and his brother Wale were both toddlers when their father died. As adults, they could hardly remember him. Then Wale had an idea for movie. What if, by some movie miracle, they had gotten to spend  a day with their dad? In “My Father’s Shadow,” the Davies brothers pay tribute to him in a shattering father-son tale set across such a day in Nigeria. The film, Akinola’s directing debut, has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed films of the past year, making history at the Cannes Film Festival and winning awards around the world.