Wes Anderson on his new '50s-set film 'Asteroid City,' AI and all those Tik Tok videos
โAsteroid City" is among Andersonโs most charmingly chock-full creations, a much-layered, โ50s-set fusion of science fiction, midcentury theater and about a hundred other influences ranging from Looney Tunes to โBad Day at Black Rock.โ.
New this week: 'Outer Banks,' Adam Lambert, 'Snowfall'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include the arrival of a new Dierks Bentley album, the unveiling of Sonyโs PlayStation VR2 virtual reality headset and Tom Hanks landing on video on demand as a despondent and ornery widower in โA Man Called Otto."
New this week: John Legend, 'Serpent Queen' and 'Pinocchio'
This weekโs new entertainment releases include fresh music from John Legend and Kane Brown, Samantha Morton stars as the 16th-century queen Catherine de Medici in an edgy Starz series and a race between two upcoming โPinocchioโ films begins with Robert Zemeckisโ adaptation.
'Elvis,' 'Top Gun' tie for box-office crown with $30.5M each
Baz Luhrmannโs Elvis Presley biopic โElvisโ shook up theaters with an estimated $30.5 million in weekend ticket sales, but โ in a box-office rarity โ โElvisโ tied โTop Gun: Maverick,โ which also reported $30.5 million, for No. 1 in theaters.
Back to normal? Cannes Film Festival prepares to party
After the 2020 Cannes Film Festival was canceled by the pandemic and the 2021 edition was scaled back โ even kisses were forbade on the red carpet โ the lavish French Riviera cinema soiree is set to return with a festival that promises to be something like normal.
AP Was There: The surreal first day of the pandemic
On the day the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, Koloud โKayโ Tarapolsi reflected the views of many people when she told an Associated Press reporter: โIf we avoid each other and listen to the scientists, maybe in a few weeks it will be better."
Film crew voiced complaints before fatal on-set shooting
Hours before actor Alec Baldwin fired a fatal gunshot from a prop gun that he had been told was safe, seven camera crew members for the movie he was filming walked off the job to protest conditions and production issues that included safety concerns.
That boat in the Suez Canal is unstuck and the internet is so happy for it
Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship blocks the Suez Canal almost a week after it got stuck sideways in the crucial waterway, Monday, March 29, 2021. Engineers on Monday "partially refloated" the colossal container ship that continues to block traffic through the Suez Canal, a canal services firm said, without providing further details about when the vessel would be fully set free. After what seems like eternity (OK, it was only six days), the massive shipping boat -- that has been blocking traffic in the Suez Canal in Egypt -- is now unstuck. Some pointed out that the giant ship is basically a metaphor for our lives now. * โ Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) March 29, 2021Happy trails, giant cargo ship!
Oscars surprises, snubs include Glenn Close, โDa 5 Bloodsโ
Itโs a rare year when most of the Oscar nomination surprises are good ones, but 2020 was also a rare year for moviegoing and awards campaigns. Hereโs our rundown of the snubs and surprises in the 93rd Academy Award nominations. FEMALE DIRECTORS GET THEIR SHOTFor 92 Academy Awards, only 5 women had ever been nominated for best director and never more than one in the same year. This year, the dubious honor goes to Glenn Close for her portrayal of Mamaw in Ron Howardโs adaptation of J.D. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the film was well received, but seemed like a long shot for the major Oscars categories.
After pandemic year, weary world looks back โ and forward
The country of 60 million people has had more than 1.5 million confirmed cases, including more than 50,000 deaths. They probably have that virus.โAdMore than once during the pandemic, Kuo and others in her family encountered that kind of racism. Kuo recalls being constantly stressed; it seemed grocery store shelves were always out of basic foods and toilet paper. Or her 1ยฝ-year-old brother, who has grown from an infant into a toddler in the course of the pandemic, opens her bedroom door. A year from now, on March 11, 2022, she pictures herself doing all the things she missed in this endless pandemic year.
The Latest: Alaska opens vaccines to all 16 or older
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker shows Alaska leading states in the percentage of its population to have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Larry Hogan said Tuesday, citing improving COVID-19 health metrics and increasing vaccinations. It was unclear what authority state officials might be able to exert on federal facilities. โ County health officials in Wyoming have detected the coronavirus variant that originated in South Africa. Another 16 million doses are expected to be shipped by the end of the month.
Academy Museum to honor Sophia Loren, Haile Gerima at gala
Director Haile Gerima appears at the 65th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 2, 2008, left, and Sophia Loren arrives at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019. Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. (Photos by Andrew Medichini/AP, left, and Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is assembling a star-studded cast for its opening gala in September. Italian screen legend Sophia Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards, and Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Bob Iger are being saluted for their efforts to raise $388 million for the long gestating museum, the organization said Monday. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the historic Saban Building.
Fonda says Hollywood needs more diversity after Globes honor
In this video grab issued Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, by NBC, Jane Fonda accepts the Cecil B. deMille Award at the Golden Globe Awards. (NBC via AP)LOS ANGELES โ Just like in her career, Jane Fonda used the Golden Globesโ platform to speak on deeper issues calling for greater diversity in Hollywood while praising the โcommunity of storytellersโ as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award. While wearing an all-white suit, Fonda raised the Globesโ highest honor above her head Sunday before commending storytellers for their vital role in troubled times. She is the daughter of Oscar winner Henry Fonda, who died in 1982, and sister of Peter Fonda, who died in 2019. She launched IndieCollectโs Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors, an organization aimed to support the restoration of films helmed by women from around the world.
William McRaven adapts bestseller 'Make Your Bed' for kids
FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2014, file photo, William McRaven addresses the Texas Board of Regents in Austin, Texas. McRaven, the retired U.S. Navy admiral who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, is continuing his career as an author. McRaven is adapting his best-selling Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe the World for younger audiences. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers announced Monday that McRaven's Make Your Bed With Skipper the Seal will come out Oct. 12. William McRaven is adapting his best-selling โMake Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe the Worldโ for younger audiences.
Kate Hudson in, Spike Lee out and more Golden Globe chaos
From the Kate Hudson movie that no one has heard of to the very awkward shut out of Spike Lee, hereโs a look at some of the biggest surprises of the morning. Youโd be hard pressed to find someone who wasnโt surprised to hear Kate Hudsonโs name announced among the best actress nominees. Leeโs acclaimed Vietnam drama โDa 5 Bloodsโ was expected to be a shoo-in for any number of categories: Best picture, best director, best actor for Delroy Lindo or supporting actor for Chadwick Boseman, who died last year. The Globe nominations also tested our understanding of what constitutes a film with some interesting categorizations and nominations, putting Steve McQueenโs โSmall Axeโ anthology film series in a television category. The filmed โHamiltonโ performance on Disney+, meanwhile, was eligible in the film categories and picked up two nominations.
Jane Fonda to receive Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award
FILE - Actress Jane Fonda appears at the 71st international film festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 12, 2018. The Golden Globes will bestow the Cecil B. DeMille Award to Fonda during the 78th annual awards show next month. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES โ Jane Fonda cemented herself into Hollywood allure as a chameleonlike actor and social activist, and now the Golden Globes will honor her illustrious career with its highest honor. Fonda will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the 78th annual awards ceremony on Feb. 28, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Tuesday. She launched IndieCollectโs Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors, an organization aimed to support the restoration of films helmed by women from around the world.
Hollywood on the Potomac: A-list turns out for Biden-Harris
While stars mostly eschewed Trump's inauguration four years ago, the A-list was back for Biden. Brooks was careful to call his decision to perform on Wednesday non-political, and in the spirit of unity. He had performed during the inaugural celebration for Obama in 2009, but turned down a chance to perform for Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict. Alone with his guitar, The Boss sang his โLand of Hope and Dreamsโ in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The celebrity component only increased over time, and one of the starriest inaugurations was that of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
An inauguration unlike any other amid a pandemic, unrest
Final preparations are made ahead of the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. What to watch for on Inauguration Day:THE SWEARING-INBiden's oath of office is the only essential. Others say the first eyewitness account of a president using those words came at Chester Arthurโs inauguration in 1881. Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman will read an original poem, โThe Hill We Climb.โTHE SPEECHA presidentโs inauguration speech is designed to set the tone and the policies the new administration will pursue. The National Mall is closed and just a fraction of the tickets usually handed out for an inauguration will be distributed.
From Gaga to Garth, Miranda to Moreno: Celebs join inaugural
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)Like so much this past year, the inaugural celebration will be like no other: pared down, distanced, much of it virtual. But for actor Christopher Jackson โ the original George Washington in Broadway's โHamilton" โ performing in a virtual โballโ is a way of participating in an essential rite of American democracy. Miranda will contribute a classical recitation, joining musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake and Bon Jovi. The inaugural committee has made sure to blend this high-powered list with ordinary Americans and inspiring stories. And the โAAPI Inaugural Ball: Breaking Barriersโ celebrated the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with planned participants including actors Kal Penn, John Cho, Kumail Nanjiani and Chloe Bennet.
Here are all the celebrities performing at Joe Bidenโs inauguration
(Getty Images)WASHINGTON โ Inauguration Day may look wildly different this year, but itโll still be star-studded. and Garth Brooks are expected to appear in-person at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, according to inauguration officials. Washington and Longoria will participate in President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration day events. Bon Jovi, Timberlake and Lovato will perform at a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States. Outside the official events, one of the more prominent galas each inauguration is The Creative Coalition's quadrennial ball, a benefit for arts education.
INAUGURATION EXPLAINER: Bidenโs event will be very different
The outgoing president traditionally attends the inauguration to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power. And there will be no inaugural balls for Biden, Harris and their spouses to dance the night away. But in the wake of the violent Jan. 6 mob attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters, all semblance of normality might be gone. Biden, first lady Jill Biden, Harris and second gentlemen Douglas Emhoff will later visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The inauguration comes just two weeks after the insurrection at the Capitol by Trump supporters as Congress was confirming Biden's victory.
Stars return to inauguration, with J.Lo, Gaga set to perform
FILE - In this Nov. 2, 2020 file photo, Lady Gaga performs during a drive-in rally for then Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Try Lady Gaga and J. โIn the end, I donโt think having Lady Gaga or J. โLady Gaga is as big as you can get, and she is very talented,โ he said. โIf I were being inaugurated and I could have Lady Gaga, I would take it.โ
Tom Hanks heads TV special celebrating Biden's inauguration
Bon Jovi, Timberlake and Lovato will perform at a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States. (AP Photo)NEW YORK โ Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. It will also be streamed live on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW, DirectTV and U-verse. The inauguration will look different from other presidential inaugurations because of last weekโs riot at the U.S. Capitol. The event was already going to be pared down because of COVID-19; Biden had asked supporters to say home and watch from afar.
'Wonder Woman 1984' debuts with pandemic-best $16.7M
This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Gal Gadot in a scene from "Wonder Woman 1984." โWonder Woman 1984โ grossed an additional $19.4 million in international markets where it began playing a week earlier. But WarnerMedia is counting on โWonder Woman 1984โ to matter more to HBO Max, which wobbled in its initial rollout. Warner Bros. nevertheless seized on the returns for โWonder Woman 1984โ as the best as could be expected, given the circumstances. Streaming numbers weren't provided for โSoulโ or โWonder Woman 1984.โ WarnerMedia said nearly half of HBO Maxโs subscribers watched โWonder Woman 1984โ on its first day on the streaming platform, though it didn't say how long constituted a watch.
New this week: 'Soul,' a Tom Hanks film & 'Bridgerton' on TV
This image released by Disney-Pixar shows the character 22, voiced by Tina Fey, left, and Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx, in a scene from the animated film "Soul." But with more than half of U.S. theaters closed, two of the biggest movies of the year โ โSoulโ and โWonder Woman 1984โ โ will be going straight to streaming. โ Also arriving Christmas Day is โWonder Woman 1984,โ Patty Jenkins' sequel to her barrier-breaking 2017 film. With Gal Gadot returning, โWonder Woman 1984โ fast-forwards from 1918 to the โgreed is goodโ decade. โ AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy___Catch up on APโs entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.
Clooney honored by MoMA as actor, director and humanitarian
Clooney was honored Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, by co-stars and colleagues at the annual film benefit for the Museum of Modern Art, held virtually. MoMAโs annual film benefit raises funds to bring great works of film to the museumโs collection. Also giving virtual tributes Monday evening were actors Felicity Jones, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Chandler and Demian Bichir, who appear in โA Midnight Sky,โ which Clooney stars in and directs. The benefit featured clips from some of Clooneyโs many films: โMichael Clayton,โ โSyriana,โ "The Descendants,โ โGravity,โ and โGood Night, and Good Luck,โ among others. In earlier comments to The Associated Press, Clooney said โGood Night, and Good Luckโ was probably his proudest professional accomplishment.
Film Academy Museum completes pre-fundraising goal
After 8 years and 13,000 donors including the likes of Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has reached and exceeded its pre-fundraising goal. Academy Museum director and president Bill Kramer said Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, that the new museum has raised $388 million. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)It took eight years and 13,000 donors including the likes of Barbra Streisand and Steven Spielberg, but the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has reached and exceeded its pre-fundraising goal. Academy Museum director and president Bill Kramer said Friday that the new museum has raised $388 million. Located in Los Angeles at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, the Academy Museum is set to open on April 30, five days after the 93rd Academy Awards.
A festival hit waylaid by the virus, โThe Climbโ peddles on
FILE - Writer/director Michael Angelo Covino, left, and actor Kyle Marvin pose during a portrait session to promote their film "The Climb" at the 72nd international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 18, 2019. With each lurch forward, we have to get our bearings for where Mike (Michael Angelo Covino) and Kyle (Kyle Marvin) are now. Joined on a Zoom call, Kyle and Mike are hundreds of miles apart. After Cannes, Covino and Marvin landed distribution from Sony Pictures Classics, rode the festival circuit and won a Film Independent Spirit nomination. When Covino and Marvin hit a wall while writing, they'd go for a ride to clear their heads and talk it over.
'The West Wing' cast reunites again, this time for a book
NEW YORK โ The stars of โThe West Wingโ are once again joining together, this time for a book about the award-winning White House television drama. On Monday, Dutton announced that it had acquired โWhat's Next: A Citizen's Guide to The West Wing,โ organized by actors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with the participation of Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney and series creator Aaron Sorkin among others. โWhat's Nextโ will combine memories of the NBC program, which ran from 1999-2006, with โa powerful case for competent and empathetic leadership, and for hope and optimism in what lies ahead," according to Dutton, which has not set a release date. In a joint statement, Fitzgerald and McCormack said the book was "for the millions of fans who love the show, and also to show how that love, hope and optimism it has engendered has been channeled into real world service and action. The series won four consecutive best drama series Emmy Awards beginning in 2000.
Documentary tries to prove existence of dead Lincoln photo
โI've seen enough of these things to know that this is a whole lot of hysteria about something that is not Lincoln,โ said Harold Holzer, whose 1984 book, โThe Lincoln Image: Abraham Lincoln and the Popular Print,โ traced the 130 known photographs of the former president. Braun goes through a lengthy process herself, consulting with facial recognition experts, medical experts, a ballistics expert, Lincoln scholars and descendants of Ulke. The facial experts said the man in the image had a slight scar under the lip consistent with one Lincoln had. The image has been seen by several people in the community of Lincoln experts and is not believed, Holzer said. In one of the last photographs of Lincoln taken alive, his once-full beard was wispy, almost a goatee, he said.
Popular UK author Victoria Hislop granted Greek citizenship
In this photo provided by the Greek Prime Minister's Office, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, meets the popular British author Victoria Hislop at Maximos Mansion in Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Hislop has been granted honorary Greek citizenship and met with the prime minister of Greece. In her first book, The Island, published in 2005, the action takes place near the Greek island of Crete. Her most recent, Those Who Are Loved, is set in Athens and other Greek islands. (Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office via AP)
Popular UK author Victoria Hislop granted Greek citizenship
In this photo provided by the Greek Prime Minister's Office, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, meets the popular British author Victoria Hislop at Maximos Mansion in Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Hislop has been granted honorary Greek citizenship and met with the prime minister of Greece. In her first book, The Island, published in 2005, the action takes place near the Greek island of Crete. (Dimitris Papamitsos/Greek Prime Minister's Office via AP)ATHENS โ British author Victoria Hislop was granted honorary Greek citizenship Thursday and met with the prime minister of Greece. Honorary Greek citizenship may be granted in recognition of an individual's special contribution to the country.
Biden campaign 'flooding the zone' with celebrity backers
The four-time Grammy winner isn't the only Biden playlist mainstay helping his campaign against President Donald Trump. Still, Biden has gone beyond celebrities in search of campaign surrogates. Stars generate candidate buzz, help with fundraising and can build campaign event crowds even for those online. His reelection campaign has been holding its own online events with top supporters nearly every night for months and says its online events average 2.6 million views per broadcast, though its headliners are often the presidents children. The Trump campaign has also seized on Biden's preferred venue for participating in online events, a basement studio in his Delaware home accusing the former vice president of hiding from voters.
Hanks, Fonda and more stars amuse at Oscars rehearsals
(AP Photo/John Locher)LOS ANGELES, Calif. โ Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell are standing on the Oscars stage performing some hilarious material for a few dozen people who are in stitches watching the two comedians. Louis-Dreyfus and Ferrell are just a few of the stars who circulated in and out of the Dolby Theatre to rehearse Saturday, including Tom Hanks, Salma Hayek, Jane Fonda and Mahershala Ali. But the stars werenโt always confined to the stage, especially if they arrived a little early. Makeup artists Antonio Rael has been standing in for big stars for 34 years. Rael was talking about the stand-ins but that doesnโt mean some of the stars arenโt anxious as well.
More celebs join Michelle Obama's voter outreach drive
NEW YORK, NY โ Election Day is over, but Michelle Obama is still trying to get out the vote. Obama is already a co-chair, along with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Faith Hill, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, and basketball star Chris Paul. When We Vote, a nonprofit, describes itself as a nonpartisan group dedicated to increasing voter participation. The announcement Thursday marks a year until the 2020 elections, which includes the presidential race. ___This story has been corrected to delete incorrect reference that the 2020 general elections are happening a year to the date of Thursday.