Screenwriters union and Hollywood studios reach four-year tentative agreement
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Screenwriters and Hollywood studios have reached a tentative deal after a few weeks of negotiation. The Writers Guild of America and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced the deal late Saturday. The four-year agreement is longer than a typical contract. It still needs approval from the guild’s board and members. The terms of the deal are not immediately announced. But it is expected to include several union priorities such as better health care plans and more protection against artificial intelligence. The tentative deal comes three years after writers went on a historic strike that partially brought Hollywood to a standstill. Actors and directors are still negotiating new contracts with the studios.
Canada's Artemis II astronaut gives thumbs-up to 'Project Hail Mary' starring Canadian Ryan Gosling
HOUSTON (AP) — The new space movie “Project Hail Mary” starring Ryan Gosling is getting rave reviews more than halfway to the moon. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said Saturday that he and his Artemis II crewmates got to watch the film with their families before launching on the lunar fly-around. He said it was really fun watching the movie while getting ready for his own space adventure. Gosling, a fellow Canadian, sent best wishes to the four astronauts ahead of Wednesday's liftoff.
Ye attempts a comeback with sold-out LA-area concert, support from Lauryn Hill
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The artist formerly and possibly again known as Kanye West reveled in support from one of his musical idols, Lauryn Hill, as he staged a sold-out Southern California concert meant to mark a comeback from years of controversy. Eleven months after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler” and just over two months after publishing an apology letter for his antisemitism, Ye let his two decades of hits — and 70,000 screaming fans — speak the loudest on Friday night at SoFi Stadium. Hill joined Ye on a stage for the first time ever for an energetic rendition of his 2004 hit “All Falls Down,” which originally sampled her voice.
Eulogy for the CIA Factbook: The free standard for world facts, long an educational staple, is gone
The Trump administration has shut down the CIA World Factbook, and there's much lamenting about the demise of a free source that many people used to check basic facts about countries. The end came on Feb. 4 in a “fond farewell” post from the spy agency. The CIA says the decision reflects an agency whose core mission has changed over the years. Factbook fans say they'll miss the trusted reference point that had its origins in World War II-era intelligence work. It went public in 1975 and became a classroom staple and a soft-power tool. But to critics, the Factbook never really stayed truly neutral.
'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' cast aren't the only influencers sowing curiosity about the church
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Latter-day Saint influencers have found an enthusiastic audience across the country, curious about their faith and family, but they are often imperfect and unofficial representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of these social media influencers and the influencers-turned-reality stars on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” have created a version of the faith that appears more modern and flexible than the actual church leadership might like. Influencers who have more faith-focused content have said they feel the reality show is not representative of their experiences in the church or their lives in Utah.
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Kids ate the multiplex: How family movies are taking over moviegoing, one blockbuster at a time
NEW YORK (AP) — As “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” lands in theaters, coloring stations, collectible popcorn containers and mascot Marios are all in place to entice arguably the most prized moviegoers to Hollywood today. Kids. Despite a lot of talk about the imperiled future of moviegoing, future moviegoers are turning out in droves and fueling today’s biggest blockbusters. By Sunday, Universal Pictures expects the five-day opening of the “Super Mario” sequel to reach $186 million domestically, and around $350 million worldwide. That would make it easily the biggest hit of the year. Increasingly, the multiplex belongs to kids.
Movie Review: Wahoo! ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ levels up the magic
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day return to voice Mario and Luigi in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which opens theaters globally on Wednesday. The sequel to the 2023 smash takes the Brooklyn plumbers, Princess Peach and Toad into space to help save Rosalina from a vengeful Bowser Jr. In her review for The Associated Press, film writer Lindsey Bahr writes that while the movie adds some family drama and backstories, and some unsavory merchandising, it's largely committed to keeping things light and playful and in the spirit of the games. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is a Universal Pictures release rated PG.
Movie Review: 'The Drama' squanders Robert Pattinson and Zendaya on a grim, poorly thought set-up
Kristoffer Borgli’s film “The Drama” follows a soon-to-marry couple whose relationship falls apart after a drinking game reveals a shocking secret. The Associated Press' Mark Kennedy says in his review that the movie wastes the star power of Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. After Zendaya's character admits she once planned a school attack as a bullied teen, her would-be husband spirals and grows paranoid. He doubts their future marriage and even struggles with intimacy. Kennedy says the film sells itself as a sexy rom-com, but it turns grim and chaotic and adding a school shooting plot is tone deaf. The R-rated movie opens in theater Friday.
Hollywood's narrative on UFOs and ETs reaches back many decades
Hollywood has driven how Americans envision little green men with big eyes and bigger heads. But fiction soon could be separated from — or revealed as — fact if government agencies release secreted files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs as called for last month by President Donald Trump. Duke University professor Priscilla Wald says the science fiction genre has shaped how people think about intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Retired Navy Rear Admiral Timothy Gallaudet has been pushing for the government to release what it knows about unidentified flying objects and unidentified aerial phenomena. He says Hollywood long has been preparing the public for the possibility of intelligent alien life visiting Earth.
Surprise! Zendaya wears something blue, after the old, new and borrowed
NEW YORK (AP) — First she wore something old. Then new, then borrowed — and now blue. Zendaya showed up at her New York premiere for “The Drama” in a dazzling blue Schiaparelli couture ball gown, completing a bridal tease she'd begun weeks ago. The fashion reveals have accompanied Zendaya's promotional tour for “The Drama,” in which she co-stars with Robert Pattinson as a couple whose wedding plans go seriously awry following a dark revelation. The film, which has attracted controversy and mixed reviews, opens Friday in theaters.

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