Lights, camera, glitter ball: The Eurovision Song Contest reaches its grand final
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) -- The world's largest live music event has reached its glitter-drenched conclusion with the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Acts from 26 countries will perform on Saturday to some 160 million viewers for the continent's pop crown. Bookmakers say the favorite is KAJ, representing Sweden with ode to sauna culture "Bara Bada Bastu," followed by Austrian singer JJ's pop-opera song "Wasted Love." Acts from France, the Netherlands and Finland are also strong contenders. Israel's Yuval Raphael has won many fans with her anthemic "New Day Will Rise," but also faced protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.
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.
Musician charged with Chris Brown in alleged London nightclub assault
LONDON (AP) -- British police say a musician and friend of Chris Brown has been charged alongside the Grammy-winning singer on allegations they beat and seriously injured a music producer at a London nightclub in 2023. Omololu Akinlolu, who performs under the name "Hoody Baby," is due to appear Saturday in Manchester Magistrates' Court on a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Brown was jailed without bail on the same charge Friday, throwing his upcoming tour into question. Akinlolu is a rapper from Dallas, Texas, who has collaborated with Brown and Lil Wayne. Police say Akinlolu is charged in connection with the same incident as Brown.
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" has 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.