Movie Review: Gosling, Lord and Miller make science fun in ‘Project Hail Mary’
Ryan Gosling plays a man stranded on a spaceship in the new film “Project Hail Mary,” opening in theaters on March 20. His character Ryland Grace wakes up from a coma alone in space, with no memory of how he got there. As his memory comes back, he teams up with an alien to try to figure out why the sun is dying. Phil Lord and Chris Miller direct the film based on an Andy Weir story. In her review, Associated Press Film Writer Lindsey Bahr says that it's as fun as it is awe-inspiring. It's rated PG-13.
'Dancing with the Stars' pro Mark Ballas leaps back to Broadway in 'Chicago'
NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Ballas returns to Broadway in “Chicago,” and he reunites with former “Dancing with the Stars” partner Whitney Leavitt. Next month, Ballas starts playing slick lawyer Billy Flynn opposite Leavitt's Roxie. Ballas says the timing feels full circle. He first auditioned for “Chicago” in London at 18. He says he reached the final callbacks. He says casting turned him down because he was too short. Ballas says he already knows the show. He learns by rehearsing, then watching performances over and over. He also calls Bob Fosse his all-time favorite choreographer.
Gustavo Dudamel's tenure as New York Philharmonic music director opens at Radio City Music Hall
NEW YORK (AP) — Gustavo Dudamel starts a new era as music director of the New York Philharmonic in September, and he wants it to feel bold and modern. The orchestra announced a three-part opening to launch his first season in New York after 17 seasons with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dudamel begins at Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 10. He then leads a 9/11 anniversary concert at the World Trade Center site. His first Geffen Hall subscription program includes John Adams’ “On the Transmigration of Souls,” plus new music and Prokofiev. Dudamel will conduct a European tour one month into his tenure.
White House war promo videos marry action movies, sports and video games to real-life combat footage
Through its social media feed, the White House has sent out a series of pumped-up videos that mix real Iran war explosions with movie action heroes, video game footage and sports heroes. That's led some critics, including an official with the U.S. Catholic Church, to accuse the administration of trivializing a real-life conflict. One of the posts describes its video as “JUSTICE THE AMERICAN WAY.” Two actors, Ben Stiller of the movie “Tropic Thunder” and Steve Downes, who portrays the protagonist Master Chief in the video game Halo, said they hadn’t given permission for the depiction of their characters and demanded that they be removed.
Oscars performers include trio behind HUNTR/X, Misty Copeland, Josh Groban and Raphael Saadiq
Oscars producers are revealing more details about the starry performances set for the show. On Tuesday they revealed Josh Groban will make an appearance during the March 15 telecast. The show will feature two major performances of Oscar nominated songs, “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters” and “I Liked to You” from “Sinners.” The singing voices behind HUNTR/X will perform their song as expected. And Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will be on hand for the “Sinners” moment, as will Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Conan O'Brien is returning to host the live broadcast Sunday.
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Tommy DeCarlo, who became longtime singer of Boston after a Myspace tribute, dies at 60
Tommy DeCarlo, who sang with the band Boston for nearly 20 years after posting a Myspace tribute to the band’s original singer, has died at 60. On Monday, DeCarlo’s children said he died after months of battling brain cancer. Boston’s original singer, Brad Delp, died in 2007. DeCarlo worked at a Home Depot in North Carolina at the time. He recorded a tribute song to Delp and Boston covers and posted them on Myspace. Founding Boston guitarist Tom Scholz invited him to sing at a tribute show and then asked him to join the group. DeCarlo toured with Boston for nearly 20 years.
Multiple gunshots fired near Rihanna’s LA home and a woman is taken into custody
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Multiple gunshots were fired at the Los Angeles home of Rihanna and police have taken a woman into custody. That's according to the Los Angeles Police Department and local news reports. Police say there were no injuries following the Sunday shooting. It's not clear if Rihanna was home at the time. Police say they took a 35-year-old woman into custody. The law enforcement officials did not identify the residents of the home. Emails seeking information were sent to Rihanna’s publicist and manager. Local news outlets say Rihanna lives in the home. Property records show it is owned by a trust run by someone linked to her foundation.
Margot Robbie, Oprah watch Blazy transform Chanel with color and craft
PARIS (AP) — Chanel’s Matthieu Blazy is still building. Six months into his tenure at the Parisian stalwart, the designer staged his second ready-to-wear collection at Paris Fashion Week Monday, where brightly colored cranes rose from a holographic floor — a deliberate signal that the construction is ongoing. For Parisians who have spent years staring at the real thing above Notre-Dame cathedral, the set was perhaps less dreamy than intended. The audience inside the Grand Palais suggested the foundations are solid: Margot Robbie, Oprah, Jennie, Kylie Minogue, Lily-Rose Depp, Teyana Taylor and Olivia Dean all turned up to watch the next floor go on.
Justice Department and Live Nation reach settlement over illegal monopoly case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says it's reached a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, California-based Live Nation Entertainment that will benefit consumers by letting competitors play a role in ticket sales and force Live Nation to give up control of 13 amphitheaters. Some states, though, are not joining the deal and say they'll continue a trial in New York federal court. The case alleged there was an illegal monopoly over live events in America. The settlement announcement angered a judge who said he was kept out of the loop. The government has said Live Nation's monopoly costs consumers. Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
Q&A: Activists, 'sister-friends' Gloria Steinem and Leymah Gbowee channel their bond into a new book
They call themselves “sister-friends.” Now, two celebrated women’s rights activists from different parts of the globe, Gloria Steinem and Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee, have turned their unique bond into a children's book. “Rise, Girl, Rise: Our Sister-Friend Journey. Together for All” is a joint biography and a call to action for a new generation. Illustrated by Kah Yangni, the colorful book draws upon a friendship of over 20 years between Steinem and Gbowee, the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Liberia. It traces their childhoods on separate continents, and their paths to activism as adults. In interviews, the authors say that despite the title, the book is for boys, too.

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