AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 9:31 a.m. EDT

Select list of nominees for 2026 Tony Awards

NEW YORK (AP) — The Tony Award nominations have been announced, featuring a strong lineup for 2026. Competing for best musical are “The Lost Boys,” “Schmigadoon!,” “Titanique,” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).” In the best new play category, nominees include “The Balusters,” “Giant,” “Liberation,” and “Little Bear Ridge Road.” June Squibb becomes the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history at 96 and Danny Burstein is now the most-nominated male actor in Tony history. Twenty-four shows got at least one nomination across the 26 Tony categories. The awards ceremony will take place on June 7 at Radio City Music Hall.

Inside the Met Gala, an Olympic champion learns just how famous she's become

NEW YORK (AP) — Guests ascended the famous steps of the Metropolitan Museum and entered a lobby transformed to resemble an Italian garden, with a huge moon hanging from the ceiling. While harpists serenaded them, they waited to greet the gala co-chairs or headed to cocktails in the airy Engelhard Court. The gala attracted new controversy this year by aligning itself with Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos. Some argued, though, that billionaires have always been a part of the Met Gala. The gala is also a place where a new celebrity, like skater Alysa Liu or TV star Connor Storrie, can fully realize how famous they are.

Oprah Winfrey selects Scottish author Douglas Stuart's 'John of John' for her book club

NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has chosen Douglas Stuart's “John of John” as her latest book club pick. “John of John” is the third novel by the Scottish author best known for “Shuggie Bain,” winner of the Booker Prize in 2020. Winfrey has long been a presence for the 49-year-old author. Growing up in a Glasgow household without books, Stuart didn’t know much about the literary world beyond the recommendations given by Winfrey. She was a favorite of daytime television watchers, even in Scotland. Decades later, he would be contacted by Winfrey herself with the news of her book club choice.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have ended their 'It Ends With Us' dispute in a settlement

NEW YORK (AP) — Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have agreed to end their legal battle over the acrimonious production of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us.” The two sides settled their legal dispute on Monday ahead of a planned trial over Lively’s claims that Baldoni conspired with publicists to preemptively destroy her reputation after she privately accused him of sexually harassing her on the movie set. Baldoni directed the film and starred in it with Lively. He denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. Baldoni said the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.

Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Janelle Monáe take artistic liberties with Met Gala dress code

NEW YORK (AP) — Fashion biggest night is making a statement this year with its dress code, “Fashion is art." Global Editorial Director of Vogue Anna Wintour and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute curator, Andrew Bolton, are putting their stamp of approval on the idea. A-list stars and cultural tastemakers took the Met steps Monday as part of the fundraising event for the museum's Costume Institute. Guests from Vogue red carpet correspondent Emma Chamberlain to professional tennis player Naomi Osaka aren't playing it safe this year with custom works of art in honor of the dress code.

Netflix's 'Lord of the Flies' is a harrowing descent into horror. The cast had a ball

NEW YORK (AP) — A new Netflix series adapts William Golding's “Lord of the Flies,” exploring chaos among boys stranded on a tropical island. The show, premiering Monday, follows more than two dozen British boys in the 1950s as they descend into tyranny. David McKenna, who plays Piggy, suggests the story's themes remain relevant today. Adapted by Jack Thorne and directed by Marc Munden, the series highlights different characters in each episode. Filming took place in Malaysia, and despite challenges, the cast bonded. The series examines democracy's fragility and the dangers of groupthink, with a modern twist on the classic tale.

Daniel Kraus’ 'Angel Down' and Bess Wohl's 'Liberation' are among Pulitzer winners in the arts

NEW YORK (AP) — Pulitzer Prize judges have awarded the fiction prize to Daniel Kraus for “Angel Down,” a World War I narrative told in one long sentence. Bess Wohl's “Liberation,” exploring 1970s feminist consciousness-raising groups, received the drama prize. The winners were announced Monday. Jill Lepore's “We the People” won for history, and Amanda Vaill's “Pride and Pleasure” took the biography award. Yiyun Li’s memoir about her sons' suicides and Brian Goldstone's work on homelessness were also recognized. Juliana Spahr won the poetry prize, while Gabriela Lena Frank received the music award for “Picaflor.”

Associated Press global investigation into government surveillance efforts wins Pulitzer Prize

NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press has won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for stories on the expansion of government surveillance efforts in China and the role that U.S. tech firms played in it. The Pulitzer board recognized AP staffers Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau and Aniruddha Ghosal, along with contributor and independent journalist Yael Grauer for what it called “an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance." Also included was a story about the expansion of license plate surveillance of drivers in the United States.