Artists threaten legal action against Venice Biennale over inclusion in visitors' ballot
MILAN (AP) — Dozens of artists at this year’s Venice Biennale are threatening legal action if their names aren't removed from a visitor voting ballot. The Biennale opened on May 9 without its usual jury awards after the jury quit in protest of Israel’s and Russia’s participation. Instead, visitors can vote for the best national pavilion and participant. Artists, curators, and commissioners say the voting lacks transparency and have requested their names be removed. The Biennale responded by keeping names on the ballot to ensure freedom of expression but said signatories won't be considered for prizes. The artists are now considering legal steps.
The Literary Arts Fund to distribute $7.7 million in grants to 40 organizations
NEW YORK (AP) — The Literary Arts Fund has announced $7.7 million in grants across 40 organizations in 19 states. The recipients include the National Book Foundation and the North Carolina Writers' Network. The fund was conceived before President Donald Trump took office, and cut federal support for the arts during his second term. The fund was initiated by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and six other philanthropies. Its managers plan to distribute at least $50 million over five years. Executive Director Jen Benka said the grants will provide vital support for reading and writing.
Movie Review: 'Scary Movie 6' brings back the Wayans and the Core Four for a rapid-fire horror spoof
The latest installment of the “Scary Movie” franchise, “Scary Movie 6,” features the Wayans family humor, blending cartoonish, topical and absurd elements, the AP's Mark Kennedy says. The script is a series of loosely connected skits parodying horror films and current events, like the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The original Core Four characters return, now adults, facing Ghostface: Marlon Wayans’ Shorty, Shawn Wayans’ Ray, Anna Faris’ Cindy and Regina Hall’s Brenda. The film includes numerous celebrity cameos and references, maintaining its signature irreverent style. The R-rated movie opens in theaters Friday.
Whither ‘60 Minutes’? As turmoil unspools in public, CBS News show’s ultimate health is debated
NEW YORK (AP) — A stunning week of revelations of discord at “60 Minutes” has raised a host of questions, and left people inside and outside the network wondering about the program's ultimate health. The turmoil began last Thursday when CBS News leader Bari Weiss introduced sweeping changes at "60 Minutes," firing top staff and bringing in a new chief with no TV broadcast experience. Scott Pelley, one of the show's most important faces, is also out after a confrontation with bosses. Some fear the program is crumbling, while others see it as evolving. Former executive producer Jeff Fager worries about losing Pelley, calling his work essential to the broadcast.
Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi has died at 56
PARIS (AP) — Acclaimed Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi has died at 56. The French presidency announced her death on Thursday, highlighting her role as a leading figure in French culture and a devoted advocate for freedom. Satrapi was best known for her autobiographical comic book and film "Persepolis," which won international acclaim. She was a passionate advocate for women's rights and film education. Satrapi's work often highlighted the struggles of Iranian society, especially women. Her husband, Swedish film producer Mattias Ripa, died last year.
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Steven Spielberg on his faith in alien life, the future of the movies and the power of empathy
NEW YORK (AP) — Steven Spielberg's “Disclosure Day” returns Hollywood’s preeminent big-screen craftsman to one of his most abiding questions: Are we alone? Coming nearly half a century after “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Disclosure Day” is a grand bookend for one of the most cosmically-minded moviemakers of our time, whose dreams of extraterrestrial life have shaped all of ours. But while Spielberg grants his 1977 film was “speculative,” “Disclosure Day,” he insists, is the real deal. In an interview, Spielberg tells The Associated Press that his belief in alien life has turned into a conviction. “Disclosure Day,” he says, is too real to be called science fiction.
Shia LaBeouf gets probation after pleading guilty to punching bargoers during Mardi Gras
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shia LaBeouf has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to punching people outside a New Orleans bar during Mardi Gras. An attorney for LaBeouf says the actor will also be required to attend an alcohol treatment program under the sentence handed down Wednesday by an Orleans Parish judge. Video of the Feb. 17 encounter shows a shirtless LaBeouf shoving one person to the ground and hitting another person in the face, “causing his nose to possibly dislocate,” according to a New Orleans police report. Police also said LaBeouf repeatedly used homophobic slurs. He pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery.
Movie Review: Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas hit the right notes in 'Power Ballad'
From “Sing Street” to “Flora and Son,” writer-director John Carney has made unabashedly earnest tales where a song changes lives. Yet the song doesn’t quite remain the same in his latest, “Power Ballad,” a movie that begins with the gentle sweetness Carney is known for, but detours into something more discordant, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle. Paul Rudd stars as the front man for a wedding band that has an unlikely one-night collaboration with a former boy band star, played by Nick Jonas.
Wim Wenders pulls 1975 film over nude scene with then-13-year-old Nastassja Kinski
The filmmaker Wim Wenders has pulled his 1975 movie “The Wrong Move” due to a nude scene featuring a then-13-year-old Nastassja Kinski. Now 65, Kinski has urged Wenders to reedit the film. Last month, she told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung that Wenders “didn't protect me.” The German filmmaker of “Paris, Texas” and “Wings of Desire” on Wednesday issued a statement apologizing to Kinski. Wenders said he was “withdrawing it from all current forms of distribution and exhibition,” including streaming services and broadcast television. Representatives for Kinski did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Dutch court allows rapper Ye concerts in the Netherlands
AMSTERDAM (AP) — A judge in Amsterdam has rejected an appeal by a Jewish organization to block two performances by rapper Ye, finding the concerts are not a threat to public order. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has drawn widespread controversy in recent years for a series of antisemitic remarks and Dutch authorities have been under mounting pressure to cancel the gigs. The court said Wednesday there were no grounds to bar Ye from performing.
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