Netflix releases a posthumous interview with Eric Dane after his death from ALS

Eric Dane did not believe in an afterlife.

“I think when the lights go out, it's over," he said in an interview for “Famous Last Words," a Netflix series that's available now. “I do believe that once we go to sleep or however it is we — we go, once we're gone, we're gone.”

He also hoped in the interview that his two daughters, Billie and Georgia, would remember how he was present in their lives. He went to beach volleyball games and dance recitals, adding that he'd seen “The Nutcracker” many times and his review was, "That thing drones on, man.”

The “Grey's Anatomy” and “Euphoria” actor died Thursday less than one year after he announced he was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which is a fatal nerve system disease.

What is ALS, the disease that killed actor Eric Dane?

Eric Dane, known for his roles on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria,” died this week from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 53.

The fatal nervous system disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, killed Dane less than a year after he announced his diagnosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ALS is rare. In 2022, there were nearly 33,000 estimated cases, say researchers, who project that cases will rise to more than 36,000 by 2030.

The disease is slightly more common in men than in women and tends to strike in midlife, between the ages of 40 and 60.

Alyssa Milano, Selma Blair, Ashton Kutcher and more remember Eric Dane, dead at 53

Friends and co-stars across Hollywood are mourning Eric Dane, the actor known for his iconic role as Dr. Mark Sloan — aka McSteamy — on ABC's “Grey's Anatomy.” Dane, who announced his ALS diagnosis less than a year ago, died Thursday at 53.

Ashton Kutcher

“The Franklin strip fanatics fantasy football league will miss Mr. Eric Dane. We know you’ll be watching from the booth. Miss you, buddy. Let’s keep fighting the fight to solve ALS.” — the actor and “Valentine’s Day” costar, on X.

Nina Dobrev

Mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar, who created mirrored dreamscapes across Philadelphia, dies at 86

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia-based mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar, known for creating mirrored dreamscapes on buildings across the city, has died, according to a nonprofit art center he created.

Zagar died Thursday at home of complications from heart failure and Parkinson’s disease, Philadelphia's Magic Gardens announced in a statement. He was 86.

Born in Philadelphia, Zagar returned to the city with his wife, Julia, in 1968 after a Peace Corps stint in Peru. Over the years, he created hundreds of public mosaics, many of them along the city’s funky South Street corridor, where they lived.

“He loved South Street, the city of Philadelphia, and the community fostered here with all of his heart," Emily Smith, executive director of the nonprofit, said in a statement.

Music Review: Hilary Duff is a pop star reincarnate on ‘Luck… or Something’

Hilary Duff is a pop star once more. That is, if a pop star ever really stops being a pop star.

Over 10 years since her last record — 2015’s “Breathe In. Breathe Out.” — Duff is back with “Luck… or Something,” a witty, and glittery, set of 11 pop songs that track the years that have passed since her teenage stardom. That brings existential questions, haunting what-ifs, some self-deprecating reflection and a healthy dose of cringe and nostalgia.

Once a Disney Channel darling known best for playing the sometimes-illustrated middle schooler Lizzie McGuire, Duff is now 38 and married with four kids. There's been a perspective shift since she was making shimmery dance-pop and angsty breakup tunes in the early 2000s (think: “What Dreams Are Made Of,” “Come Clean," “So Yesterday”). “Mature,” the album's lead single, makes that clear with cutting lyrics that recall an unfortunately familiar dynamic, between a young woman and an older man: “Bet she loves when she hears you say / You're so mature for your age, babe.” As present-day Duff reminisces, she's making it clear to the listener that she is older and wiser — but also forgiving of her younger self.

That's because nostalgia is still key here, and Duff is well aware of that. Her return to the pop stage was launched with a mini-tour that saw her preview some of these new songs alongside those old hits to the delight of fans in Toronto, London, New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Her promotional videos have featured old costumes, props and flip phones. For the cover of this month's Glamour magazine, Duff peered over her shoulder from the back of a moped — an image fans were quick to connect to 2003's Italy-set “The Lizzie McGuire Movie.”

William Shatner is releasing a metal album featuring Henry Rollins, Zakk Wylde

William Shatner is about to boldly go straight into the mosh pit.

The 94-year-old Canadian actor announced Thursday an upcoming metal album that will feature 35 of heavy music's biggest names, including former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde.

According to a release, the project will contain covers of songs by Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, as well as original songs written by the "Star Trek" icon's team.

Shatner said in a statement the project was sparked by his involvement in metal group Nuclear Messiah's upcoming album "Black Flame," where he voiced an intro piece created with ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland.

Lukas prize finalists spotlight Baldwin biography and a searing look at Ukraine’s war

NEW YORK (AP) — A biography of James Baldwin, a deep and personal probe into the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a revelatory history of the American West inspired by a 19th century photograph are among this year's finalists for prizes established in honor of the late investigative journalist J. Anthony Lukas.

The finalists in three categories were announced Thursday by the Columbia Journalism School and the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, which oversee the Lukas Prize Project.

Danielle Leavitt's “By the Second Spring: Seven Lives and One Year of the War in Ukraine” is a nominee for the $10,000 Lukas Book Prize, given for works that exemplify “literary grace, commitment to serious research and original reporting.” Others cited are Bench Ansfield's “Born in Flames: The Business of Arson and the Remaking of the American City,” Rich Benjamin's “Talk to Me: Lessons from a Family Forged by History,” Mariah Blake's “They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals” and Jeff Hobbs' “Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America.”

Nicholas Boggs' “Baldwin: A Love Story,” one of last year's most acclaimed books, is a finalist for the $10,000 Mark Lynton History Prize. The other nominees are Martha A. Sandweiss' “The Girl in the Middle,” based on the picture of a Native girl from an 1868 photograph; Sven Beckert's “Capitalism: A Global History,” William Dalrymple's “The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World” and Siddharth Kara's “The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery.”

Met Opera’s 2026-27 season has 17 productions, its fewest in at least 60 years

NEW YORK (AP) — Despite encouraging box office figures for the season's first half, the financially strapped Metropolitan Opera scaled back its 2026-27 schedule with its fewest productions in at least 60 years.

The Met announced Thursday it will present 17 productions, its lowest total in a non-truncated season since the company moved to Lincoln Center in 1966. There are just five new stagings, and revivals of three popular operas account for 71 of the 187 individual opera performances (38%): Puccini’s “Tosca” and “La Bohème,” and Verdi’s “Aida.”

“It makes more sense for us, and this is an experiment — to present these works in extended runs,” Met general manager Peter Gelb said. “And by double-casting them, it also is more economic in terms of how many different shows are playing in one week.”

Ticket sales of 72% this season are up from 70% in the first half of 2024-25.

Music Review: Mumford & Sons finds a new folk rhythm on the collaborative ‘Prizefighter’

Less than a year since the release of Mumford & Sons' long-awaited fifth studio album “Rushmere,” the English folk rock band is back with a sixth: “Prizefighter,” an introspective but still upbeat return to their stomp-clap form, now bolstered by new voices.

The album finds the band, made up of lead singer Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane and Ben Lovett, alongside many collaborators. Aaron Dessner of The National coproduces all 14 tracks; features from Chris Stapleton, Gigi Perez of “Sailor Song” viral fame, Hozier and Gracie Abrams punctuate the album. Brandi Carlile, Finneas, Kevin Garrett, Jon Bellion and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver round out the writing credits, alongside Dessner and the band.

Carlile provided inspiration for the single “Rubber Band Man,” a banjo and acoustic guitar-set reflection on flexibility and recovery featuring verses from Hozier. (Mumford said lyrics for the song came to Carlile in a dream.)

Hozier’s verse, lyrically dense but sonically open, distills the song's thesis: “But don't hold to yourself / With hard mortar and stone / Be a rubber band man / Make the water your bones.”

Sarah McLachlan, Allison Russell to toast Joni Mitchell at the Junos

The Juno Awards are doubling down on emerging stars and enduring talent for this year's broadcast.

Breakout country artist Cameron Whitcomb will perform at the 55th annual show, while acclaimed singer-songwriters Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell will deliver a musical salute to folk icon Joni Mitchell.

Organizers have confirmed Mitchell is set to attend the Junos to accept a lifetime achievement award. The 82-year-old Canadian artist is coming off her 11th Grammy win after taking home best historical album earlier this month.

‘Love Story’ is revealing just how much Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s style has endured

Grainy paparazzi shots on social media show her hailing a cab in a black slip dress. Walking the streets of New York in an oversize coat. Wearing that signature red lipstick.

Nearly three decades after her death at age 33, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy is back in the spotlight as one of fashion’s most powerful style influencers. The new TV series “Love Story” chronicles her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr., and many fans are watching for the clothes.

In an era dominated by conspicuous branding and obvious cosmetic enhancements, Bessette Kennedy’s enduring appeal lies in what she did not do.

She had no platform, no brand partnerships, no social media presence.

The former Prince Andrew went from helicopter pilot to trade envoy to royal pariah

LONDON (AP) — He was reportedly his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite, but the former Prince Andrew has long been a headache for Britain's royal family.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Thursday, his 66th birthday, on suspicion of misconduct in public office in an inquiry stemming from his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. He is the first senior British royal to be arrested since King Charles I, almost 400 years ago.

Born a prince in 1960, Andrew is the third child and second son of the queen and her husband Prince Philip. His elder brother Charles was destined for the throne. Andrew took a tried-and-tested route for younger royal sons: military service.

After 22 years in the Royal Navy, including combat operations as a helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands War, Andrew was named Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment in 2001. His frequent taxpayer-funded travel saw him dubbed “Air Miles Andy” by the press.

Former Prince Andrew arrested and held for hours on suspicion of misconduct over ties to Epstein

LONDON (AP) — The former Prince Andrew was arrested and held for hours by British police Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his links to Jeffrey Epstein, an extraordinary move in a country where authorities once sought to shield the royal family from embarrassment.

It was the first time in nearly four centuries that a senior British royal was placed under arrest, and it underscored how deference to the monarchy has eroded in recent years.

King Charles III, whose late mother lived by the motto “never complain, never explain,” took the unusual step of issuing a statement on the arrest of his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

“Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,’’ the king said. “As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter.’’

Barbara Kingsolver returns with ‘Partita,’ her first novel since ‘Demon Copperhead’

NEW YORK (AP) — For her first novel since the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Demon Copperhead," Barbara Kingsolver is taking on a subject she rarely discussed in public while growing up in a small Kentucky town: classical music.

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Thursday that “Partita” will be published Oct. 6. (Faber will release the book two days later in the UK). Like “Demon Copperhead,” “The Poisonwood Bible" and other Kingsolver novels, it's centered on a rural community. But in “Partita,” the main character is a married woman and onetime pianist haunted by a passion for music that she never lived out.

In the 1970s, Kingsolver herself was a music scholarship student at DePauw University who switched her major to biology after deciding she stood little chance of making a career out of playing classical piano. At the same time, she had ambitions to become a writer. She worked in journalism and published poetry and short fiction before completing her first novel, “The Bean Trees,” which came out in 1988.

“All my life, I’ve loved both language and music in a hungry, passionate way that happily entwines them in my brain. A novel about a classical musician never occurred to me, though, because of the sorts of people I write about," Kingsolver said in a statement. “I was the weird country kid who loved reading Tolstoy and playing Bach, but I kept those interests to myself. Finally, now, it strikes me as a worthy project to ask who made these rules, that small-town fiddlers and country music fans don’t feel welcome in a symphony hall, and vice versa?”