Entertainment

Entertainment

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 4-10 include Bradley Whitford and Dakota Johnson

The Associated Press 7 minute read 9:34 AM CDT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 4-10:

Oct. 4: Country singer Leroy Van Dyke is 97. Actor Felicia Farr (“The Player,” “Kotch”) is 94. Author Roy Blount Jr. is 85. Actor Lori Saunders (“Petticoat Junction”) is 85. Actor Clifton Davis (“Madam Secretary,” “Amen”) is 81. Actor Susan Sarandon is 80. Actor Armand Assante is 77. Actor Alan Rosenberg (“Cybill,” ″L.A. Law”) is 76. Actor Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Water for Elephants”) is 70. Actor Bill Fagerbakke (“Coach,” ″SpongeBob SquarePants”) is 69. Actor Kyra Schon (“Night of the Living Dead”) is 69. Rap producer Russell Simmons is 69. Actor Wendy Makkena (“Sister Act” films) is 68. Keyboardist Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys is 67. Keyboardist Gregg “Hobie” Hubbard of Sawyer Brown is 66. Actor David W. Harper (“The Waltons”) is 65. Singer Jon Secada is 65. Media personality John Melendez (aka “Stuttering John”) is 61. Actor Jerry Minor (“Dr. Ken,” “Community”) is 59. Actor Liev Schreiber (“The Manchurian Candidate,” “Scream 2”) is 59. Actor Abraham Benrubi (“Men In Trees,” ″ER”) is 57. Country singer-guitarist Heidi Newfield (Trick Pony) is 56. Singer-guitarist M. Ward of She and Him is 53. Actor Alicia Silverstone is 50. Keyboardist Robbie Bennett of The War on Drugs is 48. Actor Dana Davis (“Franklin and Bash,” “10 Things I Hate About You”) is 48. Actor Phillip Glasser (“Hang Time”) is 48. Singer-guitarist Marc Roberge of O.A.R. is 48. Actor Rachael Leigh Cook (“Perception,” “Josie and the Pussycats”) is 47. Actor Jimmy Workman (“Addams Family Values”) is 46. Singer Jessica Benson (3LW) is 39. Actor Melissa Benoist (“Supergirl,” ″Glee”) is 38. Actor Dakota Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”) is 37. Singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix is 35.

Oct. 5: Singer-guitarist Steve Miller is 83. Singer Brian Johnson of AC/DC is 79. Actor Karen Allen is 75. Director Clive Barker is 74. Guitarist David Bryson of Counting Crows is 72. Astrophysicist and “Cosmos” host Neil deGrasse Tyson is 68. Actor Daniel Baldwin (“Homicide: Life on the Streets”) is 66. Guitarist Dave Dederer (Presidents of the United States of America) is 62. Actor Guy Pearce (“Memento,” “L.A. Confidential”) is 59. Actor Josie Bissett (“Melrose Place”) is 56. Singer-actor Heather Headley is 52. Singer Colin Meloy of The Decemberists is 52. Guitarist Brian Mashburn of Save Ferris is 51. Actor Parminder Nagra (“ER,” “Bend It Like Beckham”) is 51. Actor Scott Weinger (“Full House,” “Aladdin”) is 51. Actor Kate Winslet is 51. Guitarist James Valentine of Maroon 5 is 48. Bassist Paul Thomas of Good Charlotte is 46. Actor Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”) is 43. Singer Brooke Valentine is 41. Actor Joshua Logan Moore (“Desperate Housewives”) is 32.

Oct. 6: Actor Britt Ekland is 84. Singer-guitarist Thomas McClary (The Commodores) is 77. Singer Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon is 75. Guitarist David Hidalgo of Los Lobos is 72. Actor Elisabeth Shue is 63. Singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet is 62. Actor Jacqueline Obradors (“NYPD Blue”) is 60. Country singer Tim Rushlow (Little Texas) is 60. Bassist Tommy Stinson (The Replacements, Guns N’ Roses) is 60. Actor Amy Jo Johnson (“Felicity,” “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”) is 56. Actor Emily Mortimer (“Mary Poppins Returns”) is 55. Actor Lamman Rucker (“Meet the Browns”) is 55. Actor Ioan Gruffudd (“Fantastic Four,” ″Horatio Hornblower”) is 53. Actor Jeremy Sisto (“Law & Order,” “Six Feet Under”) is 52. Actor Brett Gelman (“Stranger Things”) is 50. Singer Melinda Doolittle (“American Idol”) is 49. Actor Wes Ramsey (“CSI: Miami”) is 49. Actor Karimah Westbrook (“All American”) is 48. Musician Will Butler of Arcade Fire is 44.

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Entertainment

Turkish comedian gets jail term for calling Erdogan ‘dictator’ but released ahead of appeal

Associated Press, The Associated Press 2 minute read 9:28 AM CDT

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a comedian to more than 19 months imprisonment on charges of insulting religious values and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He was released pending appeal.

Deniz Goktas, 32, had been held in prison since July 3 after clips of his routine, which included a reference to Erdogan as a “dictator,” were circulated online.

He was convicted Monday of insulting the president and insulting religious values, receiving a combined prison sentence of 19 months and 10 days.

Presenting a defense that caused laughter in the Istanbul courtroom, the comedian said he stood by his joke that described Erdogan as having evolved from a “shy dictator” to one “confident in his identity.”

Sports Breaking News

CBC’s ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ to return this season with PWHL games

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

CBC’s ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ to return this season with PWHL games

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 9:12 AM CDT

TORONTO - The CBC's long-running "Hockey Night in Canada" program will return this season in partnership with the Professional Women's Hockey League.

The network previously televised NHL games on the Saturday night broadcasts, but Rogers Communications and the CBC did not extend their sublicensing agreement for the upcoming season. 

The public broadcaster is pivoting to the PWHL, with a Dec. 5 matchup between Montreal and Hamilton set to be the first women's hockey game to be featured on Hockey Night. 

"Hockey is more than the NHL now," CBC Sports executive director Chris Wilson said Monday in an interview. "So for us to take the brand and spread it right now onto the PWHL for this coming season and maybe to other areas down the road, we're really optimistic that it will breathe life into the brand for the long term. 

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Updated: 9:12 AM CDT

Entertainment

Calypso icon Slinger Francisco, dubbed ‘The Mighty Sparrow,’ dies at 91, his family says

Anselm Gibbs, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Calypso icon Slinger Francisco, dubbed ‘The Mighty Sparrow,’ dies at 91, his family says

Anselm Gibbs, The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 6:03 PM CDT

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Calypso music lost one of its most emblematic voices Sunday with the death of Slinger Francisco, who was known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “Calypso King of the World.” He was 91.

Francisco, who got his breakthrough in calypso music with his 1956 hit song “Jean and Dinah,” died peacefully surrounded by his family in New York, his family said in a statement. His death came after a “brief illness,” the statement said without disclosing any other details.

“He was an institution in the entertainment industry, well admired for his skill and finesse as a singer, songwriter and mentor; beloved by many,” Francisco’s family said.

The Mighty Sparrow will be remembered as “a defining voice of our culture, a master storyteller and a towering figure whose music helped carry calypso from Trinidad and Tobago to the world,” the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation said in a statement.

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Updated: Yesterday at 6:03 PM CDT

Entertainment

‘Avengers: Endgame’ retakes box office crown; Robert Pattinson drives sales for ‘Primetime’

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

‘Avengers: Endgame’ retakes box office crown; Robert Pattinson drives sales for ‘Primetime’

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press 4 minute read Yesterday at 11:57 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Seven years after becoming the second-highest grossing film ever, “Avengers: Endgame” returned to the No. 1 spot at the box office in a victory lap for Marvel and an appetizer for the upcoming blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday.”

The rerelease grossed $26 million over the weekend and another $60 million overseas, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film, which grossed $2.8 billion in 2019, was put back into theaters with several new end-credits scenes and an introductory thank you to fans from Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans.

Among rereleases, only the 1997 release of “Star Wars: A New Hope” ($35.9 million) and the 2011 repeat of “The Lion King” ($30.2 million) have opened higher than “Endgame” in domestic cinemas.

Hollywood has increasingly turned to rereleases in recent years to take advantage of holes in the release schedule. But The Walt Disney Co. rerun, billed as “Endgame: Encore,” came out on top on an especially crowded weekend in theaters.

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Yesterday at 11:57 AM CDT

Hockey

Puck drops on new-look NHL broadcasting scene after major off-season changes

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Puck drops on new-look NHL broadcasting scene after major off-season changes

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:55 PM CDT

TORONTO - An off-season of major changes on the NHL broadcasting scene in Canada may leave some hockey fans searching through their TV guides and others digging into their wallets. 

To start, Saturday nights will feel a lot different in this country. After decades of NHL coverage, the CBC will no longer broadcast the league's games on "Hockey Night in Canada."

Sportsnet will continue to broadcast most NHL games after Rogers Communications extended its rights agreement with the league for 12 years at a cost of $11 billion. Bell Media's TSN/RDS will still broadcast some regional games and the Amazon Prime Monday Night package is shifting to Wednesdays. 

"I think that we're being re-educated in how sports are going to be digested by the general population in that you can no longer just click on your old favourite channel and your game is there," said Michael McKinley, author of “Hockey Night in Canada: 60 Seasons.”

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:55 PM CDT

Entertainment

Taylor Swift becomes most-awarded artist in MTV VMAs history, dedicates top prize to Dolly Parton

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Taylor Swift becomes most-awarded artist in MTV VMAs history, dedicates top prize to Dolly Parton

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 4:13 AM CDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift broke records at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, as she is known to do.

The pop powerhouse received the inaugural Artist Director Honors on Sunday night, becoming the most-awarded artist in VMA history.

Previously, she was tied with Beyoncé for the title, with 30 VMAs each. The new award is meant to recognize artists “whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling."

“I got to start making music videos and being a part of music videos 20 years ago,” Swift said in her speech, adding that she's been involved in making roughly 60 music videos, 18 of which she wrote and directed.

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Updated: 4:13 AM CDT

Entertainment

Kennedy Center put off planned repairs despite known structural issues, former employees allege

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Kennedy Center put off planned repairs despite known structural issues, former employees allege

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

Kennedy Center officials were long aware of serious structural issues that they cited as new problems after the abrupt decision to close the performing arts venue this month, a group of former employees allege in a letter to Congress.

The center’s executive director and chief operating officer, Matt Floca, did not treat the roofing issues as priorities and in April halted a funded plan to address them, according to the letter Thursday signed by David Seide, a lawyer representing the anonymous whistleblowers.

Floca denied their allegations, saying recent investigations of the leaks exposed new hazards at the building.

In a September court declaration, Floca noted there were “acute risks to public safety" when the aging building temporarily closed its doors after an inspection of a deteriorating roof terrace canopy and a partial ceiling collapse. The former employees, however, claim those “acute” issues were known previously by Floca, who joined the Kennedy Center as vice president of facilities in 2024.

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Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

Entertainment

Jennifer Lopez brings diva wattage as Dolce & Gabbana refreshes its Sicilian inheritance

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Jennifer Lopez brings diva wattage as Dolce & Gabbana refreshes its Sicilian inheritance

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

MILAN (AP) — Jennifer Lopez brought diva wattage to Dolce & Gabbana’s runway show for Spring Summer 2027 on Saturday, taking her front-row seat in a dark velvet suit with matching cap and equestrian boots while fans outside screamed to catch just a glimpse of her.

The collection treated the house's Sicilian codes as an inheritance to be updated rather than abandoned: a trousseau passed from grandmother to granddaughter, including nubby tweed suits updated with leopard trim and skirt, youthful bloomers and bra tops cut from checked tablecloth print worn with sheer stockings, and lace slips embellished with fringe and beads.

Crocheted doilies, which if not inherited can be easily found in Italian markets, became demure skirts and dresses.

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana courted younger customers with the generational exchange, mixing glammed-up denim with gardening boots, while preserving their signature black dresses, lingerie looks and animal prints.

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Saturday, Sep. 26, 2026

Entertainment

The Tragically Hip, Feist enter Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

The Tragically Hip, Feist enter Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame

Kaitlyn McGrath, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 12:11 PM CDT

TORONTO - The memory of the late Gord Downie was in sharp focus as the Kingston alt-rock band The Tragically Hip were among four musical acts inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at a star-studded gala held at Toronto's Massey Hall on Saturday night.

As members of The Tragically Hip took the stage to accept the honour, the band paid tribute to their bandmate, who died in 2017 after he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of brain cancer.

Guitarist Rob Baker shared a message he said was from Downie, "who couldn't be here."

"I stood before the songwriters' cabal, bearing gifts of drugs and alcohol. That's not enough, and that's not all. Wait over there until your numbers called. I stood before the songwriters' cabal, all wide-eyed and enthralled, just to be included at all," said Baker, who stood on stage alongside his bandmates Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois.

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Updated: Yesterday at 12:11 PM CDT

Entertainment

Demna sells a new Gucci fantasy as Moschino’s new designers loosen up the joke

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Demna sells a new Gucci fantasy as Moschino’s new designers loosen up the joke

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press 4 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

MILAN (AP) — Gucci creative director Demna moved beyond the strict archetypes of his debut collection and fixed his gaze on the fashion house’s luxe heritage for his all-important second collection, previewed Friday during Milan Fashion Week.

The runway was transformed into a luxury Gucci boutique, where Cardi B, wrapped in white faux fur, and Donatella Versace, wearing a stole from Demna’s first Gucci collection, sat on cushioned sofas. Brand ambassador Jannik Sinner took a seat beside Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

Models broadcast nonchalance as they strolled through the boutique, casting their eyes over jewelry cases, shelves of handbags and racks of ready-to-wear.

At a moment when the luxury business is struggling, the setting made the commercial imperative unusually explicit: These were clothes intended not merely to project an image, but to move from rack to wardrobe. And the runway offered flexible propositions for eager consumers.

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

Entertainment

Canada’s literary awards say publishers are in best position to sniff out AI

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canada’s literary awards say publishers are in best position to sniff out AI

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

TORONTO - Canada's top literary prizes say they largely rely on publishers to ensure the books they award were authored by humans, not artificial intelligence. 

The executive directors of Writers' Trust of Canada and the Giller Foundation both said Friday that they have policies barring AI-written works from their awards.

Their responses come as one of France's top literature prizes pulled a Canadian author's debut novel from its long list over allegations he wrote the book with generative AI, which he has denied. 

"Writers' Trust is clear in its guidelines for every prize: Works containing AI-generated text, in whole or in part, are not eligible," David Leonard said in an email. 

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

Entertainment

Taxpayer-funded pro-Trump TV ad campaign grows with new spot, wider reach

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Taxpayer-funded pro-Trump TV ad campaign grows with new spot, wider reach

Ali Swenson, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

The Trump administration on Friday appeared to ramp up its use of U.S. government-funded political advertisements promoting President Donald Trump, airing its second TV ad in three days while expanding its spending on the first to at least $443,000.

The White House maintains the ads are “public service announcements” like those used by past presidents, but multiple lawmakers of both parties on Thursday criticized the first one, questioning its legality and appropriateness given its political nature, proximity to November's midterms and the use of taxpayer funds.

The new, minute-long ad features scenic videos of Mount Rushmore at night with quotes and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country’s 250th anniversary.

“We know that this is not an ending,” Trump says in the ad. “This is only the beginning of the golden age of America.”

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

Entertainment

U2 goes back to school to put on a show where it all began 50 years ago

Peter Morrison And Brian Melley, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

U2 goes back to school to put on a show where it all began 50 years ago

Peter Morrison And Brian Melley, The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

LONDON (AP) — Irish band U2 returned to school Friday to put on a surprise class in rock and roll where they formed a half century ago.

The band ripped through a seven-song set including an encore of “With or Without You” for hundreds of students in the schoolyard of Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin and a crowd of others who got word of the gig or — like a construction crew several floors up a nearby building — were lucky to be within earshot and have a bird's eye view.

“We escaped the lab — how’s the experiment going for you?” Bono said as he pointed to the science classrooms.

The band got its start at the school 50 years ago when a 14-year-old Larry Mullen posted a note on a message board reading: “Drummer seeks musicians to form band.”

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

Entertainment

Ed Sheeran, Global Citizen, CBGB and All Things Go cancel concerts because of nor’easter

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Ed Sheeran, Global Citizen, CBGB and All Things Go cancel concerts because of nor’easter

The Associated Press 3 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Ed Sheeran can't be in love with the shape of this forecast.

A weekend nor'easter bound for New England has prompted the cancellation of the English pop singer's concerts Friday and Saturday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, about 22 miles (37 kilometers) southwest of Boston. Refunds will be provided.

“Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” concert promoter Messina Touring said in a statement Friday.

The decision “was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority,” the company said.

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

Business

Quebec author dropped from Goncourt amid AI, plagiarism allegations

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Quebec author dropped from Goncourt amid AI, plagiarism allegations

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

MONTREAL - Quebec author Thélyson Orélien has lost his spot in the running for one of France’s most prestigious literary prizes over allegations that he used artificial intelligence to write his first book.

The Académie Goncourt announced Friday that it had removed Orélien’s novel, “C’était ça ou mourir,” which translates to “It was either that or dying'' from the running for the Prix Goncourt amid allegations that the book was written using artificial intelligence, and separate plagiarism allegations involving his earlier work.

The decision marks the latest fallout from a controversy that has quickly spread through the French-language literary world, prompting Orélien’s Quebec publisher to suspend promotion of the novel, citing Orélien’s well-being, and a Quebec book fair to cancel his appearances.

Orélien, who earlier this week vehemently denied using AI to write the novel, declined on Friday to respond to the new allegations or provide further comment. 

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Friday, Sep. 25, 2026

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