Trump says he's hosting the Kennedy Center Honors recognizing Stallone, Kiss, Gaynor and others
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sylvester Stallone, Kiss, and Gloria Gaynor are among the luminaries being celebrated at the annual Kennedy Center Honors. Donald Trump says he's hosting the Sunday night gala in Washington, and that'll be a presidential first. Since returning to office in January, the Republican has made big changes to the performing arts institution. He's ousted the leadership and had himself voted in as chair. The honorees are being celebrated for their influence on American culture and the arts. It's expected to be emotional for Kiss members after the recent death of their original lead guitarist, Ace Frehley.
Puerto Rico salsa giant Rafael Ithier, who led El Gran Combo for more than half a century, dies
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Rafael Ithier, a beloved musician and a founder of the legendary salsa band El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, whose hits have inspired Bad Bunny and other icons, has died. He was 99. An attorney for the Ithier family, Víctor Rivera, confirmed the musician’s death to radio station WKAQ late Saturday. Ithier was a self-taught pianist, arranger, composer, music producer and orchestra conductor of what many consider was the best salsa orchestra in the world. Ithier led El Gran Combo for more than half a century with his trademark smile and black mustache.
Nobel laureates arrive for a week of events and awards in Stockholm and Oslo
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Nobel week is underway in Stockholm and Oslo, with laureates holding news conferences and lectures before receiving their prestigious prizes. Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, who won the literature prize for his surreal and anarchic novels, is expected to give a lecture in Stockholm on Sunday. The Nobel judges describe him as a "great epic writer" known for absurdism and grotesque excess. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado plans to come to Oslo this week to receive her award. Nobel Prize ceremonies are held on December 10, marking Alfred Nobel’s death anniversary.
A Russian opera again opens La Scala's season as the theater defends art over politics
MILAN (AP) — Milan’s Teatro alla Scala celebrates its gala season premiere with a Russian opera, Dmitry Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.” It marks the second time since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine that a Russian opera is featured. Instead of protests, a flash mob will demonstrate for peace. The opera, highlighting women's conditions in Stalin’s Soviet Union, was blacklisted in 1936. The Italian left-wing party +Europa plans a demonstration to support Ukraine and European democracy. American soprano Sara Jakubiak makes her La Scala debut in the challenging title role. Stage director Vasily Barkhatov sets the opera in a 1950s cosmopolitan Russian city.
Trump awards medals to the Kennedy Center honorees in an Oval Office ceremony
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has presented medals to the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees during an Oval Office ceremony. The recipients are actor Sylvester Stallone, singers Gloria Gaynor and George Strait, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford. The Republican president said the group was “perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center Honorees ever assembled.” Songs by Gaynor and Kiss were played on a sound system in the Rose Garden patio just outside the Oval Office as reporters waited to be admitted. Trump also joined the honorees at a traditional dinner at the State Department on Saturday.
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Darlene Love can't escape her holiday classic, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” She hears it everywhere, from the post office to the grocery store. Released in 1963, the song is as iconic as Bing Crosby's “White Christmas.” Love performed it for years on David Letterman's show and continues to sing it on other platforms. Her career began when Phil Spector signed her in 1962. Love fondly recalls their sessions, despite a complicated relationship with Spector. She also shares a long friendship with Cher, who sang backing vocals on “Christmas.” Love believes the song endures because its lyrics resonate universally.
Tony-nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris arrested in Japan for alleged ecstasy smuggling
TOKYO (AP) — Prominent American playwright Jeremy O. Harris, known for his Tony-nominated “Slave Play,” has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of smuggling ecstasy. Officials said Saturday Harris was arrested at Naha Airport in Okinawa on November 16th with 0.0275 ounces of MDMA in his tote bag. He had traveled from London via Taiwan for sightseeing. Authorities believe the drug was for personal use and are investigating further. Harris' representatives have not commented on the case. Japanese law allows for up to 23 days of custody before indictment, and drug smuggling convictions can lead to multiyear prison terms.
Vanity Fair parts ways with Olivia Nuzzi amid Robert F. Kennedy Jr. controversy
NEW YORK (AP) — Vanity Fair is parting ways with West Coast editor Olivia Nuzzi amid controversy over her past coverage of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A statement Friday from Nuzzi and the magazine says they have mutually agreed to let her contract expire at the end of the year. Nuzzi had been a star reporter for New York magazine until the fall of 2024. It was revealed she had an intense personal relationship with Kennedy, now head of the department of Health and Human Resources. Nuzzi had profiled Kennedy for the magazine but didn't disclose her relationship with him.
What Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. means for the movies
Netflix’s deal to acquire Warner Bros. is shaking up the entertainment industry. Warner Bros., one of Hollywood’s oldest studios, is part of the “big five” and plays a key role in theatrical releases. The studio currently has three of the top five earning films domestically. There are many questions about how Netflix’s ownership might change things, including antitrust scrutiny and the future of theatrical releases. Netflix says it plans to support theater releases but may shorten exclusive windows. The impact on movie theaters and filmmakers is uncertain, with concerns about the global exhibition business and reactions from top directors.
George Clooney reflects on fame, failure and a life in movies with 'Jay Kelly'
George Clooney plays a movie star with regrets in “Jay Kelly.” The film, streaming Friday on Netflix, is fiction, co-written and directed by Noah Baumbach, who assembled a starry cast including Adam Sandler, Laura Dern and Billy Crudup to tell a story about Hollywood, fame and parenthood. Clooney and the others were all eager to sign on before they'd even read the script. The making of the film had everyone reflecting on their own lives in the business and the personalities involved. Sandler shadowed his agent to prepare to play Jay Kelly's manager, and Dern did the same with her publicist.
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