Celebrities

Detroit production of Mozart opera turns its female characters into automatons

Mike Silverman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 9:24 AM CDT

DETROIT (AP) — Audiences at the Detroit Opera House expecting their performance of “Cosi fan tutte" to begin with the overture may be surprised to hear instead a product launch from a tech company CEO.

It’s Mozart meets Artificial Intelligence, in the latest mind-bending production by Yuval Sharon, the company’s adventurous artistic director.

The opera, first performed in 1790, was the last of three collaborations between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, and despite its sublime music it has proved the least popular.

That’s due In part to the work’s uneasy mix of light-hearted farce and the cynical worldview it seems to endorse. Even the title, which translates as “Women are Like That,” suggests a misogyny that is openly expressed by one of its main characters, Don Alfonso.

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Apple Podcasts – Top New Shows

The Associated Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 10:45 AM CDT

Top New Shows (US):

1. The Editor Who Was Accidentally Texted War Plans, The Daily

2. Trump’s Escalating War With Higher Education, The Daily

3. J.F.K., The C.I.A. and the Original ‘Deep State’, The Daily

Soprano Anna Netrebko to open Royal Opera season, returning after a 6-year absence

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Soprano Anna Netrebko to open Royal Opera season, returning after a 6-year absence

The Associated Press 2 minute read 4:00 AM CDT

Soprano Anna Netrebko will return to London's Royal Opera after a six-year absence to open the 2025-26 season in a new production of Puccini's “Tosca" that starts Jakub Hrůša's tenure as music director.

She is to sing four performances from Sept. 11-21 in a new production by Oliver Mears set in a modern war-torn Rome, the company announced Wednesday. It co-stars Freddie De Tommaso and Gerald Finley.

Netrebko also is to appear in four performances of a revival of Puccini's “Turandot” from Dec. 15-23 and to give a recital on June 24, 2026.

She last sung at Covent Garden in April 2019 in Verdi's “La Forza del Destino.” Scheduled appearances in Verdi's “Nabucco” in January 2022 were canceled because of European travel restrictions.

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4:00 AM CDT

FILE - Soprano Anna Netrebko attends a news conference on the premiere of Manon Lescaut in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE - Soprano Anna Netrebko attends a news conference on the premiere of Manon Lescaut in the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

Apple TV app – Top Movies

The Associated Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 10:43 AM CDT

Top Movie Purchases and Rentals (US):

1. Last Breath (2025)

2. Babygirl

3. Wicked

US-Apple-Books-Top-10

The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 10:43 AM CDT

Top Paid Books (US Bestseller List):

1. Lethal Prey by John Sandford (Penguin Publishing Group)

2. Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel) by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic Inc.)

3. Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben (Grand Central Publishing)

US-Audiobooks-Top-10

The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 10:43 AM CDT

Nonfiction

1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins, narrated by the author (Audible Studios)

2. Not a Very Good Murderer by Ronan Farrow, narrated by the author (Audible Originals)

3. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, narrated by the authors (Simon & Schuster Audio)

Tanya Talaga, Jane Philpott among finalists for Shaughnessy Cohen Prize

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Tanya Talaga, Jane Philpott among finalists for Shaughnessy Cohen Prize

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:11 PM CDT

Journalist Tanya Talaga and former health minister Jane Philpott are among the authors shortlisted for this year's Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

The Writers' Trust of Canada announced the finalists on Wednesday, while the winner will be named at the annual Politics and the Pen gala in Ottawa in September.

Talaga, who previously won the prize in 2018, made the list for "The Knowing," which jurors describe as "a searing new perspective on how this country’s most fundamental institutions are weaponized against Indigenous communities."

Philpott, meanwhile, is shortlisted for "Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada," which the jury praises for its helpful description of the "overwhelmingly complex health-care issues at stake."

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Yesterday at 11:11 PM CDT

Writer Tanya Talaga poses for a portrait during promotional day for Audible Podcasts in Toronto, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Writer Tanya Talaga poses for a portrait during promotional day for Audible Podcasts in Toronto, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Tony Bennett’s daughters file new lawsuit against their brother over late father’s estate

Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 9:40 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Tony Bennett's two daughters have filed a new lawsuit against their brother, alleging he illegally enriched himself at their expense against their father's wishes both before and after the legendary singer's death in 2023.

Antonia and Johanna Bennett filed the lawsuit Monday in New York against D’Andrea “Danny” Bennett, who was their father's manager and heads their family trust.

“Since Tony’s death, Johanna and Antonia have discovered that Danny exercised complete and unchecked control over Tony and his financial affairs prior to and following his death through multiple fiduciary and other roles of authority that Danny has abused, and continues to abuse, for his own significant financial gain," the suit alleges.

It says Danny Bennett took advantage of his father's diminished capacity late in life due to Alzheimer's disease to make deals to make millions for himself and his company, including the sale shortly before his death of Tony Bennett’s catalog and his name, likeness and image rights to the brand development firm Iconoclast.

Kendrick Lamar, Gracie Abrams and Zoe Saldaña earn Webby Award nominations, along with Nutter Butter

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Kendrick Lamar, Gracie Abrams and Zoe Saldaña earn Webby Award nominations, along with Nutter Butter

Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press 5 minute read Yesterday at 7:31 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Kendrick Lamar, Gracie Abrams, Zoe Saldaña and Nutter Butter are among the nominees for this year’s Webby Awards, recognizing the best internet content and creators.

The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences will announce the nominees on Tuesday, the result of nearly 13,000 entries from over 70 countries. The Associated Press got an early look.

A mullet-filled song about jorts performed by Will Ferrell, Nick Jonas and Jimmy Fallon was nominated for best general music video and film, and it will next face off against Abrams' 20-minute behind-the-music “The Secret of Us.”

The Generation Alpha phenomenon known as Skibidi Toilet got a nod for the fan multiverse by studio Invisible Narratives, while Donald Duck celebrated his 90th birthday by appearing on “Hot Ones” and earned a nomination for eating spicy chicken wings while steam came out of his mouth.

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Yesterday at 7:31 AM CDT

Gracie Abrams appears at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on May 6, 2024, left, Kendrick Lamar appears at a news conference in New Orleans on Feb. 6, 2025, center, and Zoe Saldana appears at the Oscars Nominees Dinner in Los Angeles on Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo)

Gracie Abrams appears at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on May 6, 2024, left, Kendrick Lamar appears at a news conference in New Orleans on Feb. 6, 2025, center, and Zoe Saldana appears at the Oscars Nominees Dinner in Los Angeles on Feb. 25, 2025. (AP Photo)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Val Kilmer, the brooding and versatile ‘Top Gun’ actor who also played Batman and Jim Morrison, dies at 65.

Nintendo Direct to unveil Switch 2 details as release date, price have yet to be announced

Ryan Kryska, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Nintendo Direct to unveil Switch 2 details as release date, price have yet to be announced

Ryan Kryska, The Associated Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:02 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Nintendo is set to provide a closer look at its highly anticipated Switch 2 gaming console on Wednesday.

The 60-minute Nintendo Direct presentation will be live-streamed at 9 a.m. EDT. A release date and price have yet to be announced, but Nintendo said earlier this year the console will hit the market in 2025.

The Switch 2 is Nintendo's latest hybrid console that can be played in hand with all of the nostalgia of a Game Boy, or connected to a screen and controller for a traditional home console experience.

A January tease of the Switch successor showcased a smooth, nearly all-black handheld console, shaped similarly but lacking the vibrant colors of its predecessor. It appears as if the Joy-Con handles might click, or even magnetize, to the screen instead of sliding into place.

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Yesterday at 11:02 PM CDT

FILE - A man walks by a Nintendo Switch display at an electronics retail chain store in Tokyo, on Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

FILE - A man walks by a Nintendo Switch display at an electronics retail chain store in Tokyo, on Oct. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara, File)

‘The Friend’: When the star of the movie is a very good boy

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

‘The Friend’: When the star of the movie is a very good boy

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press 7 minute read Yesterday at 12:58 PM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The star of “The Friend” has the loping stride of Robert Mitchum and the droopy, melancholy eyes of Peter Lorre. He has those classic Hollywood features — instantly accessible, forever unknowable — and when he walks down the street with his co-stars, Naomi Watts and Bill Murray, people’s heads turn.

“People would go, ‘Hey, get a load of the blonde,‘” Murray says before acting out a double take. “Get a load of THE DOG!’”

Bing, the harlequin Great Dane of “The Friend,” is the latest in a long line of four-legged big-screen breakout stars. But unlike canine idols before him, Bing is gigantic. Toto would fit in his paw and Asta could comfortably sit on his head. David Siegel, co-director of “The Friend,” estimates Bing has a good 40 pounds (18 kilograms) on Watts. Gentle as he is, Bing looks more like one of those hulking walkers in “Star Wars” than Lassie.

“The Friend,” which opens nationwide in theaters Friday, isn’t your average dog movie. either. Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 National Book Award-winning novel, it stars Watts as Iris, a New York author who reluctantly inherits Apollo (Bing), the cherished companion of her late mentor Walter (Murray). Their cramped coexistence is challenged not just by the pet policy of Iris’ building but by Apollo's own grief, too.

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Yesterday at 12:58 PM CDT

Actor Naomi Watts poses for a portrait with her Great Dane co-star Bing, to promote the film "The Friend" on Monday, March 24, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

Actor Naomi Watts poses for a portrait with her Great Dane co-star Bing, to promote the film

Ontario to spend $35M to help rebuild Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Ontario to spend $35M to help rebuild Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre

Liam Casey, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Yesterday at 11:43 AM CDT

TORONTO - Ontario will spend $35 million to help the Shaw Festival rebuild the Royal George Theatre.

Tourism Minister Stan Cho says the funding will be used to build a larger, more modern theatre as the province looks to beef up the economy in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the surrounding region.

The province says the theatre's construction will create 550 jobs and once built, the venue will have 20 per cent more seating as well as new rehearsal and work spaces.

The Royal George Theatre will close permanently later this year and the rebuild is expected to be completed in 2029.

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Yesterday at 11:43 AM CDT

Minister Stan Cho attends question period at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto on November 28, 2023. Ontario will spend $35 million to help the Shaw Festival rebuild the Royal George Theatre. Tourism Minister Stan Cho says the funding will be used to build a larger, more modern theatre as the province looks to beef up the economy in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the surrounding region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Minister Stan Cho attends question period at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto on November 28, 2023. Ontario will spend $35 million to help the Shaw Festival rebuild the Royal George Theatre. Tourism Minister Stan Cho says the funding will be used to build a larger, more modern theatre as the province looks to beef up the economy in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the surrounding region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

With the box office down, James Gunn predicts summer of ‘Superman’ to the rescue

Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

With the box office down, James Gunn predicts summer of ‘Superman’ to the rescue

Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 10:35 PM CDT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The 2025 box office has been hit with a deficit. Can the James Gunn-dubbed “summer of ‘Superman’” save it?

Warner Bros. showed off a diverse and starry slate of its upcoming films on Tuesday — but the night was carried on the shoulders of Clark Kent.

“I really do believe in this movie. And I do believe that there is a lack of human kindness, or at least a degradation of human kindness,” Gunn said. "This is a movie that celebrates kindness and human love.”

At the annual CinemaCon convention and trade show in Las Vegas, Gunn — the director and writer of the first film in the new iteration of the connected DC Universe — also brought out its stars, who gushed over their experience making the film.

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Yesterday at 10:35 PM CDT

James Gunn, from left, writer, director, and producer of the upcoming film "Superman," Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and David Corenswet, cast members of the upcoming film "Superman," appear onstage during the Warner Bros. Pictures presentation at CinemaCon on Monday, April 1, 2025, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

James Gunn, from left, writer, director, and producer of the upcoming film

Josh Brolin and Michael Mann pay tribute to Val Kilmer after his death at age 65

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Josh Brolin and Michael Mann pay tribute to Val Kilmer after his death at age 65

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: 2:26 AM CDT

Actor Josh Brolin and director Michael Mann are among those paying tribute to Val Kilmer, who died Tuesday at age 65. Here's a look at some of the reactions.

“See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those. I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.” — Josh Brolin on Instagram.

“While working with Val on ‘Heat’ I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character. After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.” — Michael Mann, in a statement.

"RIP Val Kilmer. Thank you for defining so many of the movies of my childhood. You truly were an icon.” — actor Josh Gad on Instagram.

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Updated: 2:26 AM CDT

FILE - Actor Val Kilmer attends the British premiere of his new movie "Alexander" in London, Jan. 5, 2005. (AP Photo/John D McHugh, File)

FILE - Actor Val Kilmer attends the British premiere of his new movie

Elizabeth Strout and Miranda July are among finalists for the Women’s Prize for Fiction

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Elizabeth Strout and Miranda July are among finalists for the Women’s Prize for Fiction

The Associated Press 2 minute read 4:53 AM CDT

LONDON (AP) — American authors Elizabeth Strout Miranda July are among finalists announced Wednesday for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, alongside four debut novelists exploring the search for freedom in different countries and cultures.

Pulitzer Prize winner Strout’s Maine-set mystery novel “Tell me Everything” and writer'-filmmaker July’s “All Fours,” in which a “semi-famous artist” seeks a new life, are shortlisted for the 30,000 pound ($39,000) prize. It's open to female English-language writers from any country.

The contenders also include Dutch writer Yael van der Wouden’s postwar story “The Safekeep” and German-born poet Aria Aber’s novel “Good Girl,” about a teenager exploring her dual German-Afghan heritage.

Also on the list are Iran-born writer Sanam Mahloudji’s intergenerational family saga “The Persians,” and “Fundamentally” by Nussaibah Younis, about an academic trying to rehabilitate women caught up with the Islamic State group.

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4:53 AM CDT

FILE - Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

FILE - Yael Van Der Wouden arrives at the Booker Prize award dinner in London, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

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