Broadway musicians reach tentative labor deal, averting a strike
NEW YORK (AP) — The union representing Broadway’s musicians reached a tentative labor agreement with commercial producers, averting a potentially crippling strike that would have silenced nearly two dozen musicals. The American Federation of Musicians Local 802 had threatened to strike if they didn’t have a new contract by Thursday morning, after going into mediation Wednesday. The union represents 1,200 musicians. The 23 shows that could have gone silent ranged from megahits like “Hamilton” and “The Lion King” to newcomers like “Queen of Versailles” and “Chess.” It was the second Broadway labor deal in less than a week, after producers reached a deal with the 51,000-member Actors’ Equity Association.
Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, Kenny Loggins and David Byrne are among Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees
NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift, Kenny Loggins, LL Cool J, Pink, Sarah McLachlan and Talking Heads’ David Byrne are among the impressive list of nominees for the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame class. It is an eclectic mix of pop, hip-hop, folk and rock innovators. Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane M. Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of The Guess Who, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America are also nominated. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the glam rock band Kiss are also on the list of nominees. Eligible voting members have until midnight Eastern on Dec. 4 to turn in ballots.
A new Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley want to tell you a story
LONDON (AP) — There’s a new Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and they want to tell you a story. Young British actors Frankie Treadaway, Arabella Stanton and Max Lester are voicing the famous wizard characters for Audible, where all the parts are played by different actors instead of one narrator. Speaking to The Associated Press in the recording studio while laying down final takes, they say they enjoy voice acting and being in the world of Harry Potter. But one of their favorite things is having a snack cupboard and fridge filled of chocolate to keep them going. The audiobook of “Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone” releases Nov. 4.
Misty Copeland hangs up her pointe shoes after performing for adoring crowd at retirement show
NEW YORK (AP) — Ballerina Misty Copeland has taken one last passionate spin on the ballet stage before saying goodbye. American Ballet Theatre feted the trailblazing dancer Wednesday evening with a grand farewell gala. It included performances and speeches by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, who said Copeland hadn't just performed ballet — she had changed it. Copeland was the first Black female principal dancer in the company's 75-year history, and helped bring diverse audiences to the ABT stage. The 43-year-old told The Associated Press in a June interview that she felt it was time to “move to a different stage” and work toward diversity in the dance world through her Misty Copeland Foundation and also her books for young readers.
Movie Review: 'Bugonia' is a darkly comic gut punch
Yorgos Lanthimos' movies are farces, fables and experiments that reside in surreal worlds of their own. But his latest, “Bugonia,” is thrillingly, if tragically, tied to our reality, writes AP Film Writer Jake Coyle in his review. It might even be his best film. Though Lanthimos' flamboyant severity can sometimes leave you cold, “Bugonia” is a chamber-piece gut punch that's hard to shake. For starters, it’s difficult to resist any movie with a line in it like: “There’s Andromedan code all over your Instagram.” Jesse Plemons plays an eco-terrorist who kidnaps a pharmaceutical company CEO played by Emma Stone. He's convinced she's an alien.
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The men of ‘Regretting You’ on Colleen Hoover, romantic movies and shirtless scenes
The plot of the new Colleen Hoover adaptation “Regretting You” is a little wild. There’s romance, an affair, unrequited love, death and even a baby with questionable paternity. Dave Franco's character has long pined for Allison Williams’ character but ends up having a child with her sister who is having an affair with her brother-in-law. Franco said someone recently exclaimed to him, “What in the Maury Povich was that?” Franco sat down with co-stars Mason Thames and Scott Eastwood to talk about the film, shirtless scenes, their favorite tear-jerkers and the time they all watched Eastwood's Taylor Swift music video on set.
Bon Jovi is hitting the road. Band announces first tour since Jon Bon Jovi's vocal cord surgery
NEW YORK (AP) — Bon Jovi is hitting the road in 2026. The band announced a seven-night summer tour on Wednesday. The “Forever Tour” kicks off with four nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden before the band heads to Edinburgh, Scotland; Dublin and London. It will be the band's first run of shows in four years. It's the first tour since frontman Jon Bon Jovi underwent major vocal cord surgery. Bon Jovi’s last concert was April 30, 2022, in Nashville. That was detailed in the 2024 Hulu documentary, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.” An artist presale for the tour begins Tuesday at 10 a.m. Eastern. General sales launch Oct. 31, also at 10 a.m. Eastern.
Movie Review: Some tragedy, some romance, and a regretful helping of corn in 'Regretting You'
He left us in puddles of tears with “The Fault in Our Stars.” But director Josh Boone meets less success bringing another YA novel to the big screen with “Regretting You.” An intergenerational romance with an odd mix of tragedy and humor and a regretful amount of corn, the story follows Allison Williams' Morgan and Dave Franco's Jonah. They were friends in high school but married their teen sweethearts. Seventeen years later, their lives and that of Morgan's teen daughter are disrupted by a tragic accident. While the film has moments of sweetness, writes Associated Press critic Jocelyn Noveck in her review, it struggles with tonal imbalance. Opens Friday in theaters.
Malicious prosecution lawsuit by Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' shooting moves to federal court
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A lawsuit by actor Alec Baldwin alleging malicious prosecution in the 2021 fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie has been reinstated and moved to federal court. Wednesday's change of venue raises the stakes in Baldwin’s conflict with prosecutors. Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. A charge of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin was dismissed at trial in 2024 on allegations authorities withheld evidence from the defense.
Tessa Thompson finds her own 'Hedda'
TORONTO (AP) — In Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda,” Tessa Thompson’s titular socialite sows chaos. She manipulates. She cuts people to the bone with a quip. She pours more drinks. Henrik Ibsen's classic heroine is a blistering tour de force for Thompson. In the two-decade career of the 42-year-old Los Angeles native, no role has given Thompson a more complicated, contradiction-rife character into which to bring all her charisma, all her boldness, all her capacity to stir things up. For much of her life, Thompson has favored ensembles, from Marvel to “Creed,” and her roles — empathetic, thoughtful, kind — have hewed closer to her own modest personality. But in “Hedda,” Thompson is brash and brutal.
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