News Briefs

Displaying 3991 - 4000 of 6772

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018

Documentary on actress-activist Rose McGowan coming to E!

In this Oct. 27, 2017, file photo, actress Rose McGowan speaks at the inaugural Women's Convention in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

NEW YORK (AP) --

Actress and activist Rose McGowan will be the subject of a new documentary TV series.

E! said Tuesday it will air the first part of "Citizen Rose" on Jan. 30, which coincides with the release of her memoir, "Brave." Four more episodes will air in the spring.

McGowan helped open a national public discussion about sexual harassment and abuse when she accused Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein of raping her. Weinstein has repeatedly denied "allegations of non-consensual sex."

With the documentary, McGowan says she hopes to "amplify my message of bravery, art, joy and survival" and to "show how we can heal through art even when being hounded by evil."

She will serve as an executive producer.

Monday, Jan. 1, 2018

China's 2017 movie ticket sales rise 13.5 percent

In this Aug. 10, 2017, file photo, children use smartphones near monitors displaying Chinese action movie "Wolf Warrior 2" at a cinema in Beijing. China's total domestic movie ticket sales rose 13.5 percent in 2017 to 55.9 billion yuan ($8.6 billion), a state news agency said Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

BEIJING (AP) --

China's total domestic movie ticket sales rose 13.5 percent in 2017 to 55.9 billion yuan ($8.6 billion), a state news agency said Monday.

The top-grossing title was the mainland-made action picture "Wolf Warrior 2," which took in 5.7 billion yuan ($875 million), the Xinhua News Agency said, citing data from the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

China is the second-largest global film market and is narrowing the gap with the United States, where last year's domestic box office is estimated to have declined 2.6 percent from 2016 to $11.1 billion.

Mainland-made movies accounted for 54 percent of 2017 ticket sales, or 30.1 billion yuan ($4.6 billion), according to Xinhua.

The No. 2-grossing title was the Hollywood action movie "The Fate of the Furious," which earned 2.7 billion yuan.

Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017

Foundation donates $500,000 toward Motown Museum expansion

This Dec. 2, 2014 file photo shows the exterior of the Motown Museum in Detroit. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz, File)

DETROIT (AP) --

There's a little bit more dancing in the street at the Motown Museum as officials accept another donation supporting its expansion plans.

The Detroit museum says it's received $500,000 from the Hudson-Webber Foundation . The donation follows September's announcement of a $1 million gift from the Fred A. and Barbara Erb Family Foundation.

The expansion — pegged at $50 million — will be designed and built around the existing museum, which includes the original studio and famed "Hitsville U.S.A." sign.

Plans call for interactive exhibits, a performance theater, recording studios and expanded retail and meeting spaces.

The museum is located where company founder Berry Gordy launched his music empire. The label started in 1959 and scores of stars and hits were created before Motown decamped to California in 1972.

Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017

Halle Berry, Carol Burnett among Golden Globe presenters

In this July 22, 2013 file photo, actress and comedian Carol Burnett arrives at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) --

Halle Berry, Gal Gadot and Chris Hemsworth are among the first presenters announced for next month's Golden Globe Awards.

Other presenters announced Thursday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association include Carol Burnett, Shirley MacLaine, Hugh Grant, Kerry Washington, Emma Watson, Ricky Martin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Seth Rogan and Sharon Stone.

Oprah Winfrey also will be on hand, but she's accepting a trophy. She was previously announced as the recipient of the association's annual Cecil B. DeMille Award, which recognizes an outstanding contributor to entertainment.

The 75th Golden Globe ceremony will air Jan. 7 on NBC, with Seth Meyers as host.

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017

FX orders dance musical series "Pose," set in '80s New York

In this Nov. 16, 2017, file photo, actress Kate Mara attends the 2017 Guggenheim International Gala, hosted by Dior, at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) --

The FX channel says it's ordered a scripted dance musical series starring Evan Peters, Kate Mara and James Van Der Beek.

FX said Wednesday that the series, titled "Pose," will include what it called an unprecedented number of LGBTQ and transgender actors in ongoing roles.

The channel says the show is set in New York City in the 1980s, amid the "luxury Trump-era universe" and other social and literary circles.

Series co-creator Ryan Murphy, of "Glee" and "American Horror Story" fame, described the show as an exploration of what he called the "universal quest" for identity, family and respect.

FX says the first season of "Pose" will include eight episodes. The show is scheduled to start production in February and debut in summer 2018.

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017

Stars, fans say goodbye to "Nashville" in final season

In this July 27, 2012, file photo, Connie Britton, left, and Hayden Panettiere attend the "Nashville" panel at the Disney ABC TCA Day 2 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, File)

By Kristin M. Hall

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --

"Nashville" survived one previous cancellation, but the final curtain call is coming for the TV melodrama about the trials and tribulations of country music stars.

Lionsgate announced in November that after 120 episodes, the time had come for the series to end. The sixth and final season premieres Jan. 4 on CMT. It will air in two parts, with the finale coming this summer.

Although it was always soft on ratings, the fans — who called themselves Nashies — were loyal to the series starring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, who both earned Golden Globe nominations for their roles. "Nashville" spawned more than a dozen soundtracks featuring songs from the series, concert tours with the actors and singers, and a tourism boom in the Southern city where it was filmed.

ABC canceled the show after the fourth season. Fans mounted enough enthusiasm online for the series to be revived for two more seasons on CMT, but Britton's exit last More

Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017

Media face challenges in rush to sexual misconduct reckoning

In this April 27, 2016 file photo, Tavis Smiley appears at the 33rd annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards in Los Angeles. Smiley said that he isn't just angry at PBS for firing him on sexual misconduct charges. He's angry about his depiction in the media. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

By David Bauder, Media Writer

NEW YORK (AP) --

Talk-show host Tavis Smiley isn't just upset with PBS for firing him on sexual misconduct charges. He's upset about his depiction in the media.

Smiley believes that if he hadn't talked publicly about romantic relationships with subordinates at his company, the behavior that led to his downfall, the public would make little distinction between him and those who have been accused of sexual assault or rape.

Conflation of different forms of misbehavior — the idea itself is controversial — is one of the issues facing media organizations covering the fast-moving story of sexual misconduct that went into overdrive with investigations into Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's behavior.

"The media is painting with too broad a brush," Smiley said. "We have lost all sense of nuance and proportionality in how we cover these stories."

Actor Matt Damon was torched for broaching the topic recently. He told ABC News that all accused men More

Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017

Kenneth Branagh teases return of old friends in "Death on the Nile"

In this Nov. 20, 2017, file photo, Kenneth Branagh attends the 45th International Emmy Awards at the New York Hilton in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

By Ryan Pearson, Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) --

Kenneth Branagh is teasing the return of "old friends" in his planned sequel to "Murder on the Orient Express."

Branagh is expected to both direct and reprise his role as the fancifully mustachioed lead character Detective Hercule Poirot in "Death on the Nile," another mystery based on an Agatha Christie novel, which screenwriter Michael Green will return to adapt.

Branagh says he's excited to gather an ensemble cast that could possibly include bringing back some "old friends" to explore "primal human emotions" like "obsessive love and jealousy and sex" that make for a "very dangerous atmosphere."

The tense whodunit "Murder on the Orient Express" featured an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz and Michelle Pfeiffer. It was a global hit after its release in early November. Branagh says he was glad to see audiences responding to his quirky portrayal of Poirot and looks forward to seeing how More

Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017

Vice apologizes for "boy's club" after sex harassment report

Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith

NEW YORK (AP) --

Two co-founders of Vice Media are apologizing for a "boy's club" culture that fostered inappropriate behavior after an investigative report uncovered rampant sexual harassment at the New York-based company.

The New York Times on Saturday reported that it found four settlements involving allegations of sexual harassment or defamation against Vice employees, including the current president, Andrew Creighton.

The newspaper also talked with more than two dozen women who say they experienced or witnessed sexual misconduct at the company, which has grown from a fringe Canadian culture magazine to a major news outlet. The alleged episodes included groping and forced kisses.

Co-founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi sent a note to staff Saturday saying the company let people down in failing to create a safe and inclusive workplace.

Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017

Jodie Foster goes behind the camera for Netflix's "Black Mirror"

This image released by Netflix shows Rosemarie Dewitt, left, and Aniya Hodge, seated right, in an episode of "Black Mirror," directed by Jodie Foster. Season four of "Black Mirror," will be available for streaming on Netflix starting Dec. 29. (Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix via AP)

By Mark Kennedy, Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) --

The first movie that Jodie Foster ever directed was about a single mom raising a son. Her latest project behind the camera is also about a single mom — but this time one who is raising a daughter.

For an episode of the Netflix series "Black Mirror," Foster had to dig deep into mother-daughter dynamics to tell the story of a mom so anxious about her girl that she turns to a sophisticated surveillance tool.

Foster is a mother of two boys — and her debut as a director was "Little Man Tate" in 1991 — so she reached back to how she interacted with her own mom and the push and pull that involved. It's different with boys, she said.

"When you're raising a man, you're just so in awe at how different they are," she said. "It's just so amazing to you how different they are in every way — not just the physical ways but how they think. It's very easy to understand that they are separate from you. It's not so easy, I think, with female children More