Oscar favorite 'Anora' wins best film, director and actor at the Independent Spirit Awards
Sean Baker's "Anora" won best film, best director and best actor for Mikey Madison at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday in what could be a preview of next Sunday's Oscars. The film about a Brooklyn sex worker and her whirlwind affair with a Russian oligarch's son has emerged in recent weeks as an awards season front-runner. The Spirit Awards, held in a beachside tent in Santa Monica, California, is the shaggier, more irreverent sister to the Academy Awards, celebrating the best in independent film and television.
Norwegian drama 'Dreams (Sex Love)' takes top prize at the Berlin Film Festival
BERLIN (AP) -- A Norwegian film about love, desire and self-discovery won top honors at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. A jury headed by American director Todd Haynes awarded the Golden Bear trophy to for "Dreams (Sex Love)" by Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud. The runner-up Silver Bear went to Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro's dystopian drama "The Blue Trail." Argentine director Ivan Fund's rural saga "The Message" won the Jury Prize. The best director prize went to Huo Meng for "Living the Land." Rose Byrne was named best performer for her role as an overwhelmed mother in "If I had Legs, I'd Kick You." Andrew Scott won the supporting performer trophy for playing composer Richard Rodgers in "Blue Moon."
NAACP Image Awards will honor Kamala Harris and the Wayans Family. Here's how to watch the show
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The 56th NAACP Image Awards will celebrate the achievements of trailblazing entertainers, athletes and writers of color, recognizing their impact on culture and beyond. Former Vice President Kamala Harris will be honored Saturday evening during the ceremony in Pasadena, California, where she will receive the prestigious Chairman's Award. The Wayans Family will be inducted into the NAACP Awards' Hall of Fame.
The Oscars are more international than ever. So why is the international film category broken?
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Oscars are more international than ever. This year's lead nominee, "Emilia Pérez," is the most nominated non-English language film ever. To diversify its membership, the academy has in recent years invited hundreds of overseas voters, tipping the Oscar scales. And yet the Academy Awards' marquee category for international cinema, best international film, has been continually criticized as unjust, outdated and subject to political interference. Unlike other categories at the Academy Awards, the nominee selection for the best international film category is outsourced. Individual countries make their submission, one movie per country. For years, critics have called on the academy to change the system.
Voletta Wallace, Notorious B.I.G.'s mother and keeper of his legacy, dies at 78
NEW YORK (AP) -- Voletta Wallace, the dedicated mother of the late great rapper The Notorious B.I.G., has died at age 78. The Monroe County Coroner Thomas Yanac confirms her death to The Associated Press and says Wallace died at her home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Friday after a stint on hospice care. She died of natural causes. Wallace was a dedicated keeper of the legacy of her son, born Christopher Wallace. The Notorious B.I.G., one of the rap music greatest performers, was shot to death at age 24 in Los Angeles in 1997. The case remains unsolved. His 1994 debut album, "Ready to Die," has sold over 6 million units as of 2018 and included the hits "Big Poppa" and "Juicy."
AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech
The Associated Press is suing three Trump administration officials over access to presidential events. It's citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The AP says its case is about an unconstitutional effort by the White House to control speech -- in this case refusing to change its style from the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," as President Donald Trump did last month with an executive order.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are officially divorced and single
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are officially divorced and single. A Los Angeles judge approved their divorce settlement last month, and declared that it would take effect on Friday, six months after she filed to end their marriage. Lopez has now dropped Affleck from her legal name. The former couple reached the settlement through mediation in September. The superstar couple first dated in the early 2000s before breaking up. They eventually reunited and married in 2022. The couple said in court filings that they separated in 2023. Most of the financial details of their split were kept private.
Jerry 'Ice Man' Butler, soul singer whose hits included 'Only the Strong Survive,' dies at 85
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jerry Butler, a premier soul singer whose rich, steady baritone graced such hits as "For Your Precious Love," "Only the Strong Survive" and "Make It Easy On Yourself," has died at age 85. Butler's niece, Yolanda Goff, told The Associated Press that Butler died Thursday at his home in Chicago. A key voice for soul music made in Chicago and Philadelphia, he was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a three-time Grammy Award nominee. Butler was also an inspired songwriter who collaborated with Otis Redding on "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff on "Only the Strong Survive,"
Lady Gaga to perform a free concert on Rio's Copacabana beach in May
SAO PAULO (AP) -- Lady Gaga has confirmed that she will perform a free concert on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on May 3. The singer said on social media Friday that she has been "dying to come perform for you for years" and "was heartbroken" when she had to cancel a 2017 performance at Rock in Rio for medical reasons. At the time, she apologized and said she needed to focus on her health. Gaga's concert on the beach follows Madonna's free performance there in May. The "Queen of Pop" drew an estimated 1.6 million people to Copacabana Beach, one of the world's most famous shorelines.
Music Review: Tate McRae's 'So Close to What' entices with post-Britney Spears, dirty, breathy pop
Is Tate McRae the new princess of dirty, breathy pop? The 21-year-old has released her third studio album, "So Close to What." The generous 15-track record offers an array of serviceably sexy pop songs that harken back to the early 2000s but mostly skew modern, The Associated Press' Cristina Jaleru writes in her review. But without a massive hit, Jaleru says McRae has not yet taken the crown of pop princess from Britney Spears. There are seductive standouts: "Sports car," "Purple lace bra" and the brassy "It's ok I'm ok."