SAG Awards presenters will include Grande, Chalamet, Erivo and Yeoh
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Mikey Madison and other stars of the top Screen Actors Guild Awards film nominees will be among the presenters at Sunday's ceremony. Organizers announced Thursday presenters will also include "Wicked" co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Bowen Yang. The musical is the leading nominee at the show, which will be streamed live on Netflix. Chalamet is nominated for his performance as Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown," Gomez is part of the nominated ensemble for "Emilia Pérez" and Madison is nominated for best female actor in a film role and as part of the "Anora" ensemble. The 31st annual SAG Awards will be presented beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Amazon MGM takes creative reins of James Bond, ending an era of family control of 007
NEW YORK (AP) -- In a James Bond shakeup that stirred the film industry, MGM Amazon announced that the studio has taken the creative reins of the 007 franchise after decades of family control. Longtime Bond custodians Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said Thursday they would be stepping back. Amazon MGM Studios, Wilson and Broccoli formed a new joint venture in which they will all co-own James Bond intellectual property rights. But Amazon MGM will have creative control. Financial terms weren't disclosed. The deal is expected to close sometime this year. Bond had been a family business since Albert "Cubby" Broccoli secured the rights to adaptations of Ian Fleming's novels and put out 1962's "Dr. No."
An Argentine court drops charges against 3 people tied to the death of singer Liam Payne
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- A court in Argentina has dropped charges of criminal negligence against three of the five people indicted in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer who fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last October. In its decision, obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, the Argentine federal appeals court ordered the other two defendants in the case to remain in custody. They are facing prosecution on charges they supplied the famed British boyband star with narcotics. The charge of negligent homicide carries a sentence of one to five years in prison in Argentina.
From 'The Brutalist' to 'Wicked,' where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated movies
The 2025 Oscars season is in full swing but figuring out where to watch everything can be overwhelming. Take "The Brutalist," a film that's been dominating conversations since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September and just got 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture. The 215-minute postwar saga is finally expanding wide this weekend. Leading nominee "Emilia Pérez" is easier to find. It's on Netflix. The Associated Press has pulled together a guide for what you need to know about this season's big contenders, and where to watch them. Several films like "Conclave" are available on streaming services.
Stax Music Academy's teen students mark 25th anniversary, Black History Month with concert
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- The Stax Music Academy in Memphis is marking its 25th anniversary with Black History Month-themed concerts on March 28. The after-school program teaches young musicians how to sing, dance and play instruments. More than 4,000 students have graduated since it started in the Soulsville neighborhood where Stax Records produced soul and R&B hits in the 1960s and 1970s. Every high school senior has been accepted to a college or university since 2008. Students take pride in continuing the legacy of the influential record company where Otis Redding cut "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay," Sam and Dave worked on "Soul Man," and The Staple Singers made "Respect Yourself."
ESPN and Major League Baseball will end their national television deal after 2025 season
ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball games -- at least in its current form -- will conclude at the end of the 2025 season. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro informed baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday morning that the network was opting out of the final three years of its contract, two people told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss financial matters. ESPN and MLB both made statements Thursday night confirming the end of the current rights deal. There was a March 1 deadline for MLB and ESPN to opt out of the final three years of their contract. The sides agreed to a seven-year deal in 2021 that averaged $550 million per season.
Kim Sae-ron's death underscores the huge pressure on South Korean celebrities
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Actor Kim Sae-ron's death adds to the list of celebrity deaths in South Korea that underscore the enormous pressure they face under the gaze of a relentlessly unforgiving media that pounces on their every misstep. Experts express concern about increasingly provocative coverage as traditional media compete with YouTube channels and other social media sources for clicks, further dimming the prospects for reforms. Kim rose to stardom as a child actor with the 2010 thriller "The Man from Nowhere" and garnered acclaim and popularity for other acting roles. But she was condemned and ridiculed for many aspects of her life after a drunken-driving crash in 2022.
What's going on with the Kennedy Center under Trump?
Until a few weeks ago, the biggest news to come out of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., was its annual celebration of notable American artists. That has changed since the return of Donald Trump. In the first month of his second term, the president has ousted the arts institution's leadership, filled the board of trustees with his supporters and announced he had been elected the board's chair -- unanimously. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says, "The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke.
Movie Review: 'The Monkey' is a family drama with guts -- the kind that spill all over the place
Hal and Bill are twins, growing up with their single mom, abandoned by their dad. There's another, unwelcome member of the family: a mechanical organ grinder monkey they can't get rid of. This monkey -- please, don't call it a toy -- unleashes murderous mayhem whenever someone turns its key. "The Monkey," Osgood Perkins' follow to his horror hit "Longlegs," features an endlessly inventive string of killings that may appeal to many who enjoy creative gore, writes Associated Press critic Jocelyn Noveck in her review. But the director's attempts to mix in a deeper exploration of family dynamics make for a tonally uneven experience at best. Opens Friday in theaters.
TV procedurals up their game, with doctors on cruises and quirky single moms solving crimes
NEW YORK (AP) -- "Watson" is an unusual TV medical procedural. The CBS series stars Morris Chestnut as the titular character who leads a team of medical detectives set in a present-day Pittsburgh populated with characters from the Sherlock Holmes universe. "Watson" is not alone among the networks jazzing up the tried-and-true procedural. ABC's "Doctor Odyssey" puts a medical procedural aboard a luxury cruise ship. CBS has Kathy Bates in "Matlock" playing an underestimated retirement-age lawyer with a twist. CBS' "Elsbeth" and ABC's "High Potential" are heavy on the quirky but competent crime-solvers. Supercharging network procedurals comes as streaming increasingly offers subscribers a highly curated selection of unconventional series with big names and high production values.