How to watch and vote in the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) -- Acts from more than two dozen countries will take the stage in Basel, Switzerland, to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. The action kicks off Saturday at 9 p.m. Central European Summer Time, which is 8 p.m. in Britain and 3 p.m. EDT in the U.S. and Canada. The competition will be aired by national broadcasters in participating nations. In some territories, it'll be watchable on Eurovision's YouTube channel. In the U.S., Eurovision will stream live on Peacock. Viewers in nonparticipating countries can vote online or using the Eurovision app. Viewers in participating countries can vote by app, phone or text message.
Key moments from first week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
NEW YORK (AP) -- Testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial has opened a window into what prosecutors say was the sordid world of group sex, drugs and violence beneath his glittering, jet-set persona. Much of the testimony that began on Monday was hard to watch. Combs ex-girlfriend, Cassie, recounted being beaten and pressured into degrading sexual performances with strangers. A lawyer for the Bad Boy Records founder conceded Combs was a jerk and a swinger prone to violence, but argued he wasn't a sex trafficker.
Music Review: Morgan Wallen's 'I'm The Problem' will be everywhere. Buckle up
NEW YORK (AP) -- Country megastar Morgan Wallen's fourth studio album will be everywhere imminently if it isn't already, writes Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman in her review. Like his earlier records, the 37-track release is a long collection of earworm hooks and twangy big belts about whiskey and women. Those are the kind of songs that have made Wallen unignorable. Most of his songs deal with heartbreak and self-deprecation with lyrical specificity and a total lack of pretension. Sherman says that is appealing to both a fluid listenership who likes his use of indie and hip-hop elements as well as country radio loyalists looking for something familiar. But it is not revelatory.
Kazuo Ishiguro: 'When you go from book to film, that's a fireside moment'
CANNES, France (AP) -- Movies are a regular presence in author Kazuo Ishiguro's life in part because filmmakers keep wanting to turn his books into them. That includes "Remains of the Day," "Never Let Me Go" and Taika Waititi's upcoming film of Ishiguro's most recent novel, "Klara and the Sun." And now, his first novel, "A Pale View of Hills," is a movie, too. Kei Ishikawa's film by the same name premiered Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival in its Un Certain Regard section. Seeing "A Pale View of Hills" turned into an elegant, thoughtful drama is especially meaningful to Ishiguro because the book, itself, deals with inheritance, and because it represents his beginning as a writer of fiction.
Ari Aster's 'Eddington,' about America losing its mind in 2020, finds a mixed reception at Cannes
CANNES, France (AP) -- Ari Aster's COVID-era Western "Eddington." premiered to a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival. It's about a 2020 America quickly losing its mind to conspiracy theories, TikTok and political extremism. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as a muddled, mistake-prone sheriff who runs for mayor in a fictional New Mexico town, it was among the most feverishly awaited American films at Cannes. It marks the first time in competition at the French festival for Aster. "Eddington" plunges into the pandemic psyche of the United States, plotting a small-town feud that swells to encompass nationwide events including mask mandates, the death of George Floyd and right-left divisions.
Cannes promotional stunts, once a feature of the festival, go missing
CANNES, France (AP) -- You can get nostalgic about almost anything at the Cannes Film Festival, even Jerry Seinfeld on a zip line in a bumblebee costume. For many years, Cannes has played host not just to an endless stream of artistically ambitious movies, but to some of Hollywood's most extreme promotional gambits. With so many films packed into the 12-day festival and with much of the world watching, there are high stakes to standing out in Cannes. But in recent years, the Cannes stunt has turned into an endangered species. Hopes that Tom Cruise might revive a dormant tradition passed with the relatively sedate premiere of "Mission: Impossible -- Final Reckoning."
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen faces showdown against 'the world.' Will it end in a draw?
BERLIN (AP) -- Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is playing a single game against 140,000 people worldwide. The mega-match potentially could overturn expectations by ending in a draw in the next few days. "Overall, 'the world' has played very, very sound chess from the start," Carlsen said Friday. The online game, billed as "Magnus Carlsen vs. The World," began April 4 on Chess.com. It is the first-ever online freestyle match featuring a world champion. As a freestyle match, the bishops, knights, rooks, queen and king are randomly shuffled around the board while the pawns remain in their usual spots.
Still finding trouble in the woods: 'Blair Witch Project' star at center of Maine road dispute
FREEDOM, Maine (AP) -- Heather Donahue starred in the low-budget hit movie "The Blair Witch Project" and has been embroiled in a spat with locals in her tiny Maine town after she started marking trees to help people find their way in the dense forests. It's a twist of fate harkening back to her long ago movie career. Donahue had been a member of the town's governing board but lost a recall election recently after a controversy about whether a rural road was public or private. She says she is putting the saga behind her and getting back to enjoying a quiet life in Maine.
Singer Chris Brown's tour in question as UK judge orders him into custody on assault charge
LONDON (AP) -- Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown's upcoming tour has been thrown into question as a British judge ordered him held in custody while facing allegations he beat a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Brown, 36, appeared in Manchester Magistrates' Court on Friday to face one count of causing grievous bodily harm and was ordered held in custody until his next hearing June 13 in London. That's the same day he is due to take the stage in Frankfurt, Germany on the third date of his world tour. He was arrested at a Manchester hotel on Thursday morning.
What Depardieu's conviction and Cannes' response means for #MeToo in France
PARIS (AP) -- This was a week of reckoning for powerful men in France's film industry. The country's most famous male actor, Gérard Depardieu, was convicted of sexual assault. The Cannes Film Festival barred another performer accused of rape from walking the red carpet two days later. The decisions sent a message France had long resisted: that artistic brilliance may no longer shield those who abuse their power. The verdict has revived the question of whether a country that celebrates seduction and irreverence finally hold its male icons to account.