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  • Book Review: What’s it like to be a rental stranger? Kat Tang’s debut novel imagines an answer

    Book Review: What’s it like to be a rental stranger? Kat Tang’s debut novel imagines an answer

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    As our lives become more automated, increasingly niche jobs materialize to fill in the gaps. Ours is a society in which people hire celebrities to make birthday videos, or pay “job leaving agents” in hopes of a more frictionless quitting experience. What would it be like to be that stranger for hire, to inhabit whatever role someone paid you by the hour to be?

    Kat Tang’s debut novel, “Five-Star Stranger,” follows one man over a months-long spiral as he realizes he’s getting attached to his clients — a violation of his first rule for himself as a rental stranger — forcing him to confront his past and examine why he got into the business in the first place.

    Tang never reveals the Stranger’s real name — one of the many ways he becomes a blank slate onto which others can project what they want. He’s a self-described attractive man, whose Japanese American heritage means he can code-switch easily between white and Asian depending on his clients’ needs. His apartment is full of wigs and outfits for different personalities and occasions, and he can use makeup to age himself up or down.

    If this isn’t giving you identity crisis vibes yet, he also takes accents, mannerisms and stories from clients that he can later whip out for another gig. His evening client just wants to hear stories for an hour — so he regurgitates the stories his afternoon client told him nonstop, even adopting the original teller’s voice.

    The juxtaposition shows how an insidious isolation has crept into our hyperconnected psyche, and how loneliness might have been solved genuinely and for free had they just met the right kind of person — or anyone at all.

    But why risk rejection when you can hire someone instead? The Stranger notes that, “like everything else in this intensely connected yet deeply lonely life, there was an app for that.”

    The narration often dips into philosophical before yanking back to the safety of light-hearted and funny; a whiplash between deep interrogations of society and the Stranger’s humorous deflection to avoid getting too lost in it.

    Tang makes it easy to become engrossed in the characters. Even the brief encounters are made interesting by the psychoanalytical lens the Stranger sees them through. It’s a smart book, and it has to be to tackle such a topic in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way without digging itself into an existential hole.

    “Five-Star Stranger” starts bright, hopeful and funny. By the end it’s a tangled gloomy mess that’s strangely still hopeful, the protagonist emptied out but not empty.

    With its cool premise, great descriptions and amazing attention to emotion and relationships, “Five-Star Stranger” is a strong debut, and Tang an author to keep an eye on.

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    AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

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  • Princess Leia bikini costume from set of ‘Star Wars’ movie sells at auction for $175K

    Princess Leia bikini costume from set of ‘Star Wars’ movie sells at auction for $175K

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    HOUSTON (AP) — The gold bikini-style costume that Carrie Fisher wore as Princess Leia while making “Return of the Jedi” in the “Star Wars” franchise has sold for $175,000, according to the auction house that handled the sale.

    The costume was made famous when Fisher wore it at the start of the 1983 film when Leia was captured by Jabba the Hutt at his palace on Tatooine and forced to be a slave.

    The costume, one of the most memorable in the “ Star Wars ” movies, was sold on Friday by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

    Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president, said the costume that was sold was one that was screen tested and worn by Fisher on the movie’s set but ultimately did not make it onto the final version of the film as it was switched out for one that was more comfortable.

    The auction house said the costume sparked a bidding war among collectors.

    Maddalena said he wasn’t surprised by the attention bidders gave to the costume as well as to a model of a Y-wing fighter that took on the Death Star in the original “Star Wars” film that sold for $1.55 million. He said “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” have very avid fan bases.

    “The power of ‘Star Wars’ proves itself again. These movies are just so impactful,” Maddalena said.

    In a November 2016 interview with NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Fisher said wearing the costume was not her choice.

    “When (director George Lucas) showed me the outfit, I thought he was kidding and it made me very nervous. I had to sit very straight because I couldn’t have lines on my sides, like little creases. No creases were allowed, so I had to sit very, very rigid straight,” said Fisher, who died about a month after the interview.

    Richard Miller, who created the costume, said in an interview that’s included in a “Star Wars” box set that he used soft material to build the costume so that Fisher could move around more freely.

    “However, she still didn’t like it. I don’t blame her,” said Miller, who was the chief sculptor for Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas. “I did put leather on the back of it to help it feel better.”

    The costume had its share of critics, who thought it sexualized Fisher for the franchise’s male fan base.

    In “Interview” magazine in 2015, Fisher told actor Daisy Ridley, who starred in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “You’re going to have people have fantasies about you. That will make you uncomfortable, I’m guessing.” She pushed back against the idea of being a sex symbol and told Ridley to “fight for your outfit.”

    ___

    Follow Juan A. Lozano on X: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70

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  • Even on quiet summer weekends, huge news stories spread to millions more swiftly than ever before

    Even on quiet summer weekends, huge news stories spread to millions more swiftly than ever before

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    James Peeler’s phone blew up with messages as he drove home from church in Texas. Reading a book on her couch in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Wendy Schweiger spied something on Facebook. After finishing a late-night swim in the Baltic Sea off Finland, Matti Niiranen clicked on a CNN livestream.

    Each learned that President Joe Biden had abandoned his re-election bid minutes after he dropped a statement online without warning on a summer Sunday.

    Eight days after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, it marked the second straight July weekend that a seismic American story broke at a time most people weren’t paying attention to the news. Biden’s announcement was a startling example of how fast and how far word spreads in today’s always-connected world.

    “It seemed like a third of the nation knew it instantly,” said longtime news executive Bill Wheatley, “and they told another third.”

    News travels fast, as they say

    Wheatley, now retired and summering in Maine, had sat down to check his email and absent-mindedly refreshed the CNN.com home site on his computer. If he didn’t learn the news that way, text messages from friends would have alerted him soon after.

    At 1:46 p.m. Eastern Time, the moment Biden posted his announcement on X, an estimated 215,000 people happened to be logged on to one of 124 major U.S. news websites. Fifteen minutes later, those sites had 893,000 readers, according to Chartbeat.

    On apnews.com, 3,580 people entered the site during the 1:46 p.m. minute. Nearly an hour later, at 2:43 p.m., The Associated Press’ online news destination site hit the afternoon’s peak of 18,936 new visitors. CNN.com and its news app saw its usage quintuple within 20 minutes of the news breaking, the network said.

    Television networks broke into regular programming for the story between 1:50 and 2:04 p.m. During the relatively quiet quarter-hour before 2 p.m., a total of 2.69 million people were watching either CNN, Fox News Channel or MSNBC, the Nielsen company said. The audience on those three networks swelled to 6.84 million between 2 and 4 p.m. Eastern. Add ABC and CBS, which also had special coverage in those hours, and there were at least 9.27 million following the story on television.

    How did everybody get there so quickly? As Wheatley suggested, word of mouth played a big role. To his credit, Peeler said he didn’t open his text messages until stopping his car.

    Many people also have alerts set up on their phone.

    What to know about the 2024 Election

    • Democracy: American democracy has overcome big stress tests since 2020. More challenges lie ahead in 2024.
    • AP’s Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of information on election night, with a history of accuracy dating to 1848. Learn more.
    • Stay informed. Keep your pulse on the news with breaking news email alerts. Sign up here.

    “Our phones are constantly chirping at us and we have them with us all the time,” said Brian Ott, a media and communications professor at Missouri State University and author of “The Twitter Presidency: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage.”

    Ott and his wife were traveling in Belgrade, Serbia, and, with the time difference, had gone to bed on Sunday night before Biden made his announcement. Ott found out the next morning when he checked news sites online and told his wife when she woke up.

    “Oh, I already know,” she responded. She had logged on to X when she got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

    Since then, as he has moved on to Italy, visiting Rome and Florence, Ott said everyone he’s run into who hears he speaks English has wanted to talk to him about Biden.

    “My sense is that the compulsion is the same for everyone,” he said. “In our digital world, information is capital, and everyone wants to demonstrate their capital.”

    Finding out in various ways

    At his summer house in Pyharanta, Finland, Niiranen has taken a keen interest in U.S. politics, which the semiretired writer said dates to his time as an exchange student in Michigan. He had gone for a swim after 10 p.m. on Sunday, since daylight lingers longer there.

    Niiranen had read speculation that Biden might drop out, so when he sat down on his deck after getting out of the water, he checked the CNN stream and found that was the case.

    “Interesting election you have there!” he said. “I’ll be watching it.”

    Visiting family in Canaan, New Hampshire, Tracy Jasnowski was having a mostly unplugged week because of spotty internet service. Once a day, adults and children alike retreated with their devices to a spot on the lawn where the service is more consistent. That’s when she found out.

    “Honestly, I thought I might vomit,” she said. “I was shocked. I was cast adrift. I had no idea that would happen.”

    Even if she hadn’t learned it then, Jasnowski said she quickly got text messages from friends. And when her father woke up from his nap, he turned on Fox News.

    A generation or two earlier, people would have to be watching TV or listening to the radio to hear a special report about momentous news, said Wheatley, a former executive at NBC News. Then people would spread it by telling friends or family. Now with social media, text alerts and websites available at a click, news moves “much, much faster.”

    “The next logical question,” he said, “is how accurate is it?”

    Get it first, but first get it right

    It’s a mantra drummed into young journalists: Get the news fast but, more importantly, get it right. A mistake on a major, breaking story can derail a career. This month’s big stories illustrated the pressure that comes with the need for speed.

    Almost immediately after Biden’s announcement, it became a major part of the story journalists were filing that he hadn’t endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to succeed him. He did within a half hour, but that’s an eternity for those who want to raise questions or float conspiracy theories.

    Similarly, video of the Trump rally where shots were fired appeared instantly on television screens. But most initial news reports were extremely cautious, sticking to what was known: Trump was hurried off the stage by Secret Service agents. Blood was visible. There was a noise that sounded like gunshots.

    That, in turn, led some to criticize journalists for being too wary, too reluctant to call it an assassination attempt. Yet not all facts are quickly known; nearly two weeks later, at a congressional hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray said it still wasn’t fully clear whether Trump had been hit by a bullet or shrapnel. The next day, the FBI announced it had concluded it was a bullet.

    In other words, it’s common that there’s more to a story than meets the eye, and the frenzy of initial breaking news requires strong adherence to the facts available at the moment, no matter what becomes clear later.

    When Peeler arrived at his destination in Texas last week and checked on what his friends had texted him about Biden, he called up the websites of local TV network affiliates. In Pennsylvania, Schweiger turned immediately to the AP and The New York Times online.

    Both were grateful they had someplace they considered reliable to learn the facts.

    “I operate under the assumption that news is 24 hours, and that you always have people that can be pressed into service for anything at any time,” Schweiger said.

    ___

    David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.

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  • Russian media throw shade at Paris Olympics, which TV won’t show

    Russian media throw shade at Paris Olympics, which TV won’t show

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    TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Watching the Paris Olympics will be difficult for most people in Russia — and in the view of its media, it’s not really worth the effort.

    Only 15 Russian citizens will be competing in the Games and, in principle, they won’t be representing Russia. Because Russia and neighboring Belarus were banned from fielding national teams because of the war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes approved to compete will be doing so as neutrals.

    Russians have been intense Olympics fans since the days when the Soviet Union’s sports prowess was nicknamed “The Big Red Machine.” But with so few of their countrymen competing, Russia’s state TV channels aren’t broadcasting any of the events. Russians may find feeds online, but could need a virtual private network to circumvent the country’s block of some channels.

    The last time the Olympics weren’t on TV in Russia — which has won the second-largest number of medals, counting the Soviet era — was in 1984, when the Soviet Union boycotted the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

    State news channel Rossiya 24 did broadcast a report from Paris on the opening ceremony Friday night, showing dancing and plumes of colored smoke rising over the Seine River. News agencies Tass and RIA-Novosti gave it glancing attention, with terse stories saying the opening ceremony had begun, but little detail other than noting the rain drove many spectators away.

    Newspapers aren’t ignoring the Olympics entirely, but their main approach has been to accentuate the negative, writing at length about crime in Paris, the inconvenience of barricades placed throughout the city and reported food shortages for athletes.

    “The Paris Olympics is an amazing event, if not to say a phenomenon: Competitions in individual disciplines have just just started, the opening ceremony has not even taken place, and so many scandals have already accumulated that they will be enough for several Games,” Sovietsky Sport newspaper reporter Alexander Shulgin wrote Thursday.

    “I think that this Olympics will go down in history with a completely negative result,” the newspaper Sport-Ekspress quoted Irina Rodnina, a three-time figure skating gold winner and now a member of the Russian parliament, as saying.

    A whiff of schadenfreude floats through many of the stories. Writing about the fences and barriers erected in Paris, Sovietsky Sport’s Andrei Tupikov said: “Once upon a time, everyone pointed their finger at the structure of sports competitions in Russia. Many did not like the fact that before any mass events there were too many different fences and barriers around the arenas and stadiums. … In our reality the practice is slowly fading away, but in Europe it is being actively adopted.”

    Shulgin, seemingly smarting from criticism about the facilities at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, suggested Paris may face an opening ceremony embarrassment similar to Sochi’s, when a display of the Olympic rings malfunctioned.

    “If the ring did not open in Sochi, it’s scary to imagine what could happen in Paris,” he wrote, but did not follow up after the ceremony.

    No such disaster occurred, but Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Saturday compared Paris unfavorably to Sochi.

    “The Western media did not like (stray) dogs at the Sochi Games. In Paris, they were smiled at by the rats that flooded the city streets,” she said in a statement. She also called the opening ceremony “ridiculous.”

    Commentary on the Paris Games also verged into ethical and philosophical questions, such as whether one should root for the few Russians participating despite the national team’s exclusion. To receive approval from the International Olympic Committee, the athletes cannot have demonstrated support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other stipulations.

    Sport-Ekspress commentator Oleg Shamonaev analyzed the connotations of each word in the Individual Neutral Athlete designation and concluded: “The 15 ‘neutrals’ with a Russian passport who did not change their flag, despite 2 1/2 years of sanctions … are worthy not of condemnation but of respect.”

    “It’s stupid to pretend we don’t care about what happens to them at the 2024 Games,” he said.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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  • Drag queens shine at Olympics opening, but ‘Last Supper’ tableau draws criticism

    Drag queens shine at Olympics opening, but ‘Last Supper’ tableau draws criticism

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    PARIS (AP) — In an unprecedented display of inclusivity, drag queens took center stage at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, showcasing the vibrant and influential role of the French LGBTQ+ community — while also attracting criticism over a tableau reminiscent of “The Last Supper.”

    Held along the Seine River, the spectacular four-hour event featured global stars such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, both considered queer icons. The ceremony blended historic and modern French culture with a touch of kitsch, culminating in a flotilla of barges carrying thousands of Olympians.

    Nicky Doll, known for competing on the 12th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and hosting “Drag Race France,” participated in a high-octane fashion runway segment along with “Drag Race France” Season 1 winner Paloma, Season 3’s Piche, and Giselle Palmer. Initially, they stood alongside the runway, gazing fiercely at the strutting models. Later, they joined in, showcasing their own style.

    Le Filip, the recent winner of “Drag Race France,” expressed their positive “surprise” and “pride” at the ceremony’s scale and representation.

    “I thought it would be a five-minute drag event with queer representation. I was amazed. It started with Lady Gaga, then we had drag queens, a huge rave, and a fire in the sky,” they said. “It felt like a crowning all over again. I am proud to see my friends and queer people on the world stage.”

    Among their bold performances was a scene that seemed to evoke Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” featuring the drag queens and other performers in a configuration reminiscent of Jesus Christ and his apostles. This segment drew significant attention — and mixed reactions.

    “The (French) government knows what it’s doing. They want to show themselves in the best way possible. They showed no restraints in expression,” Le Filip told The Associated Press.

    On the other hand, prominent far-right politician Marion Maréchal denounced the performance on social media.

    “To all the Christians of the world who are watching the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation,” she posted on the social platform X, a sentiment that was echoed by religious conservatives internationally.

    “… because decapitating Habsburgs and ridiculising central Christian events are really the FIRST two things that spring to mind when you think of #OlympicGames,” Eduard Habsburg, Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, posted on X, also referencing a scene depicting the beheading of Marie Antoinette.

    Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, afterward drew attention away from “The Last Supper” references, saying that hadn’t been his intention.

    Le Filip responded to the criticism of the scene with a touch of humor and sorrow.

    “It feels like the words of somebody who didn’t get on the guest list. We could all be laughing together. It’s sad to me, honestly,” they said.

    Inter-LGBT President James Leperlier was more circumspect, arguing that France still has significant strides to make in inclusivity.

    “We know in the LGBTQ community in France we are far from what the ceremony showed. There’s much progress to do in society regarding transgender people. It’s terrible that to legally change their identity they are forced to be on trial,” Leperlier said.

    He also highlighted the disparity in acceptance, saying that the community is not visible in other official ceremonies and “has difficulty being heard.”

    “If you saw the opening ceremony last night you’d think it was like that normally, but it’s not. France tried to show what it should be and not what it is,” he said.

    The opening ceremony came as drag and the voguing nightclub scene in France has experienced a revival. The cabaret club Madame Arthur, founded in 1946 in the ashes of World War II, is one of the world’s oldest continually running LGBTQ+ theaters. It opened as Europe was only just beginning to understand the extent of the widespread murder of members of the queer community in WWII and is currently experiencing a massive renaissance.

    Drag is not just a pastime; for many minority French communities who feel alienated over tensions arising from divisive politics and scars from the anti-gay marriage protests a decade ago, it’s a statement of defiance. Many gay Black and Arab youths — especially those from Paris’ less affluent and religiously conservative suburbs — and others who feel a sense of disconnect with French society find voguing and drag events safe places where their identities can be expressed without fear of reprisal.

    Despite the backlash, Le Filip believes the opening ceremony will ultimately transcend controversy.

    “The message of the show is freedom, and it’s a good postcard for France,” they concluded.

    ___

    Associated Press journalist John Leicester contributed reporting.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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  • Paris’ Olympics opening was wacky and wonderful — and upset bishops. Here’s why

    Paris’ Olympics opening was wacky and wonderful — and upset bishops. Here’s why

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    PARIS (AP) — Paris: the Olympic gold medalist of naughtiness.

    Revolution ran like a high-voltage wire through the wacky, wonderful and rule-breaking Olympic opening ceremony that the French capital used to astound, bemuse and, at times, poke a finger in the eye of global audiences on Friday night.

    That Paris put on the most flamboyant, diversity-celebrating, LGBTQ+-visible of opening ceremonies wasn’t a surprise. Anything less would have seemed a betrayal of the pride the French capital takes in being a home to humanity in all its richness.

    But still. Wow. Paris didn’t just push the envelope. It did away with it entirely as it hammered home a message that freedom must know no bounds.

    A practically naked singer painted blue made thinly veiled references to his body parts. Blonde-bearded drag queen Piche crawled on all fours to the thumping beat of “Freed From Desire” by singer-songwriter Gala, who has long been a potent voice against homophobia. There were the beginnings of a menage à trois — the door was slammed on the camera before things got really steamy — and the tail end of an intimate embrace between two men who danced away, hugging and holding hands.

    “In France, we have the right to love each other, as we want and with who we want. In France, we have the right to believe or to not believe. In France, we have a lot of rights. Voila,” said the audacious show’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly.

    Jolly, who is gay, says being bullied as a child for supposedly being effeminate drove home early on how unjust discrimination is.

    The amorous vibe and impudence were too much for some.

    “Know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation,” posted far-right French politician Marion Maréchal, adding a hashtagged “notinmyname.”

    Here’s a closer look at how Paris both awed and shocked.

    A 21st-century update of Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’

    DJ and producer Barbara Butch, an LGBTQ+ icon who calls herself a “love activist,” wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got a party going on a footbridge across the Seine, above parading athletes — including those from countries that criminalize LGBTQ+ people. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.

    The tableau brought to mind Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper,” which depicts the moment when Jesus Christ declared that an apostle would betray him.

    Jolly says that wasn’t his intention. He saw the moment as a celebration of diversity, and the table on which Butch spun her tunes as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.

    “My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

    Still, critics couldn’t unsee what they saw.

    “One of the main performances of the Olympics was an LGBT mockery of a sacred Christian story – the Last Supper – the last supper of Christ. The apostles were portrayed by transvestites,” the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, posted on Telegram.

    “Apparently, in Paris they decided that since the Olympic rings are multi-colored, they can turn everything into one big gay parade,” she added.

    The French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops deplored what it described as “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity” and said “our thoughts are with all the Christians from all continents who were hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes.”

    LGBTQ+ athletes, though, seemed to have a whale of a time. British diver Tom Daley posted a photo of himself recreating the standout Kate Winslet-Leonardo DiCaprio scene from “Titanic,” only with the roles reversed: He was at the boat’s prow with arms outstretched, as rower Helen Glover held him from behind.

    Is that a revolver in your pocket?

    When a giant silver dome lifted to reveal singer Philippe Katerine reclining on a crown of fruit and flowers, practically naked and painted blue, audiences who didn’t think he was Papa Smurf may have guessed that he represented Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and ecstasy.

    But unless they speak French, they may not have caught the cheekiness of his lyrics.

    “Where to hide a revolver when you’re completely naked?” he sang, pointing down to his groin. “I know where you’re thinking. But that’s not a good idea.”

    “No more rich and poor when you go back to being naked. Yes,” Katerine continued.

    Decades after Brigitte Bardot sang “Naked in the Sun,” this was Paris’ reminder that everyone starts life in their birthday suit, so where’s the shame?

    Paris museums are full of paintings that celebrate the human form. Gustave Courbet’s “Origin of the World” hangs in the Musée d’Orsay. The 16th-century “Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sisters,” showing one bare-breasted woman pinching the nipple of another, hangs in the Louvre.

    France sends a message

    Clad in a golden costume, French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura strode confidently out of the hallowed doors of the Institut de France, a prestigious stronghold of French language, culture and commitment to freedom of thought. Even without a note being sung, the message of diversity, inclusion and Black pride was loud.

    The most listened-to French-speaking artist in the world was a target of fierce attacks from extreme-right activists when her name emerged earlier this year as a possible performer at the show. Paris prosecutors opened an investigation of alleged racism targeting the singer.

    Nakamura performed with musicians of the French military’s Republican Guard, who danced around her.

    Au revoir, closed minds and stuffy traditions.

    Off with their head!

    When London hosted the Summer Games in 2012, it paid homage to the British monarchy by giving Queen Elizabeth II a starring role in the opening ceremony. Actor Daniel Craig, in character as James Bond, was shown visiting the head of state at Buckingham Palace before the pair appeared to parachute out of a helicopter over the stadium.

    The French love to joyfully tease their neighbors across the English Channel and, perhaps not incidentally, took a totally different, utterly irreverent tack.

    A freshly guillotined Marie Antoinette, France’s last queen before the French Revolution of 1789, was shown clutching her severed head, singing: “The aristocrats, we’ll hang them.” Then, heavy metal band Gojira tore the Paris evening with screeching electric guitar.

    Freedom: Does anyone do it better than the French?

    ___

    AP journalists Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jim Heintz in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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  • Nita Ambani inaugurates India House, a first for the country at the Olympics

    Nita Ambani inaugurates India House, a first for the country at the Olympics

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    PARIS (AP) — Fresh off the year’s most extravagant wedding, Nita Ambani inaugurated the India House for the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

    The first of its kind at an Olympic Games for India, the temporary house is meant to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The endeavor was born from the partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, which Ambani founded and chairs.

    “Today we gather here at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 to open the doors to a dream. A dream that belongs to 1.4 billion Indians. A dream to bring India to the Olympics and our shared dream to bring the Olympics to India,” Ambani, an International Olympic Committee member, said in her address.

    India House is one of several hospitality houses that spring up around the Games, affiliated with participating countries or brands. This is a smattering of what’s on offer from Saturday through Aug. 11, the day of the closing ceremony:

    — Tributes to Indian architecture and artistic motifs (think tigers and peacocks)

    — Virtual reality tourism

    — Cricket matches

    — Workshops on block printing

    — Henna tattooing and Bollywood dance

    — A lounge for athletes

    — Food, of course, which ranges from biryani and mutton curry to curd rice and several desserts.

    “It’s beautiful, it’s colorful. It’s smiles, it’s joy, it’s happiness. It’s India,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the event. “It’s what we all love, the entire world. The world is here today. And India House unites the world.”

    Infantino was there to encourage the development of soccer in India, whose men’s team ranks 124th and women’s team 67th in their respective FIFA standings.

    “In India, football is fantastic,” he said. “Together, we make it grow even more. And, I’m here for that. So to all Indians: Watch us, football is coming seriously now in India.”

    India has sent 112 athletes in 16 sports to the Olympics.

    In addition to daily activities, India House will have performances, including an opening night concert from famed Bollywood playback singer Shaan. Sunday is “Bollywood Day” but will feature an hourlong session with ex-cricketer and coach Rahul Dravid on the future of cricket at the Olympics.

    Men’s and women’s cricket, played in the Twenty20 format, will be added at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

    Ambani was accompanied by her husband, Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire industrialist who is Asia’s richest man. It’s been a busy month for the couple: Their youngest son, Anant Ambani, was married just two weeks ago in an elaborate, global celebrity-filled affair that many have dubbed the wedding of the year.

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  • Talk of Olympic fashion — and the Paris rain — at starry Ralph Lauren fashion event

    Talk of Olympic fashion — and the Paris rain — at starry Ralph Lauren fashion event

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    PARIS (AP) — Fashion. Sports. And of course, the rain.

    Those were the topics — separately, and together — on everyone’s lips as a gaggle of luminaries from sports, entertainment and media packed into Ralph Lauren’s Paris eatery Saturday evening in yet another high-wattage celebrity Olympic gathering in the French capital.

    The starry crowd at Ralph’s Restaurant included Oscar winner Jessica Chastain, Nick Jonas, John Mulaney and Alan Cumming, among other entertainers. First lady Jill Biden arrived late and drew a large crowd around her.

    “Saturday Night Live” executive producer Lorne Michaels was there, pointing to his shoes and noting they were still wet from the previous evening’s epic, and rainy, opening ceremony. “These shoes are not all-weather,” he explained. The ceremony had left many drenched, but most still very happy to be there — including Michaels.

    “Let’s put it this way, I was watching in a place with a lot of stars, and nobody was complaining,” he said.

    Also not complaining: the Olympic athletes in attendance, who’d spent much of the previous evening on a boat in the rain. Had they been worried about catching cold?

    “It was a thought,” said Jeffrey Louis, a member of the U.S. breaking team competing in the sport’s Olympic debut, “but then I figured we’d just all get sick at the same time.”

    “So we all embraced it,” added Louis, who said he had tried to cover up with a poncho briefly, but when he put it down, someone swiped it. But he survived the rains in good health — in any case, his competition is not until the end of the Olympics.

    Likewise, Chiaka Ogbogu, a U.S. volleyball player, decided to not to worry about colds. “We’re in it, so might as well not worry about it,” she said she thought at the time. Also, she noted: Athletes are some of the toughest people out there. They can deal with colds.

    Ogbogu, who is competing in her second Olympics after Toyko in 2021, said she was delighted to be at a Ralph Lauren event because she is a self-described “fashion nerd.” Asked which team uniform she liked the best — besides her own Team USA kit, which she was wearing — she noted the elegant Mongolian uniform, which has been widely acclaimed. She also admired Haiti’s vibrantly colored designs, which likewise have gained attention

    Singer-actor Nick Jonas cited a special reason for loving the Indian uniforms in the three colors of that country’s national flag: “My wife’s Indian,” he noted, referring to spouse Priyanka Chopra. He’d just flown into Paris a few hours earlier for a whirlwind few days at the Games, during which he plans to watch gymnastics with star SImone Biles, among other things.

    Jonas missed the chance to see the opening ceremony in person — and to get wet — but watched it on TV. He said he was amazed by the production values — noting in particular the French tricolor smoke billowing over a bridge. “That was like nothing I’ve ever seen,” he said.

    As for fashion — the theme of the night — almost everyone seemed to agree that these 2024 Olympics had taken fashion up a notch. Ogobogu, the volleyball player, said it was “almost inevitable — I mean, it’s Paris!”

    David Lauren, the label’s chief branding and innovation officer and son of founder Ralph Lauren, who did not attend, attributed it partly to the rise of social media and how quickly images of Olympic fashion travel these days, as compared to 2008 when the label began outfitting the U.S. team.

    To make his point, he whipped out his phone and showed an Instagram video of LeBron James, a U.S. flag bearer with Coco Gauff, being readied in his white Lauren jacket with red-and-blue trim. It had nearly 850,000 likes.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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  • Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon and Sheryl Lee Ralph of ‘The Fabulous Four’ cherish longtime friends

    Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon and Sheryl Lee Ralph of ‘The Fabulous Four’ cherish longtime friends

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    From “Beaches” to “First Wives Club” and “Hocus Pocus,” Bette Midler has starred in a number of projects where women aren’t just at the center of the story — but also female friendship is a major theme.

    “The most fun ones are the women ones, I have to say,” said Midler in a recent interview.

    Her latest project is working alongside Susan Sarandon, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Megan Mullally in “The Fabulous Four.” Midler plays Marilyn, a widow getting married who wants her besties from her 20s to be bridesmaids. The production was granted a waiver to film last year during the Hollywood strikes which meant they had to be nimble and open to last-minute changes to get the job done quickly.

    “It was like someone blew the whistle and we all got on a plane,” recalled Sarandon. “It really was lucky that we had four women who were such pros and who were game to go under those circumstances.”

    While she and her co-stars were focused because they were working under a special circumstance, Sarandon says they made a point to cheer each other on for a big on-camera moment or scene.

    “When it was somebody’s time to be celebrated, we celebrated that person. And when somebody else had their scene, we were all standing around while they got their moment,” Sarandon said, adding that on some sets, actors choose to “not be really involved when it’s not about them.”

    As for friendships, Midler says “there’s nothing like having an old friend because they knew you when.” Two particular people come to mind when she thinks about her own friendships. One is the sister of a close friend who died. “The other is the girl that I came to New York with when we were both 19.”

    “They don’t take any bs from you, and you really can be yourself,” said Midler.

    Sarandon relies on “six women” and “scores of gay guys that have been in my life for 30, 40 years.”

    “We’ve been through kids and divorces and whatever, and I definitely count on them and sometimes disagree with them, but they are definitely in my tribe,” she said.

    Ralph, an Emmy winner for her role on ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” still keeps in touch with her childhood best friend, Elizabeth. “I’ll hear from her on social media every now and again,” she said.

    “My friend Carol — we met at the Miss Black Teenage America pageant. We’re still friends to this day. All the ladies from ‘Dreamgirls,’ — Loretta Devine, Jenifer Lewis, Jennifer Holliday — we still talk. There are just so many of those relationships, and you don’t have to start from the beginning. You can just pick up right where you were.”

    It’s her appreciation for her own longtime friendships that made Ralph want to be in “The Fabulous Four.”

    “I loved the fact that they weren’t 19, 20 or 30 or 40. These were seasoned women, or, as we say in the vernacular, grown (expletive) women living their lives.”

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  • Justin Timberlake’s lawyer says pop singer wasn’t intoxicated, argues DUI charges should be dropped

    Justin Timberlake’s lawyer says pop singer wasn’t intoxicated, argues DUI charges should be dropped

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    Justin Timberlake ’s lawyer said Friday that the pop singer wasn’t intoxicated during a traffic stop last month, as he seeks to get his drunken driving charge in New York’s Hamptons dismissed, citing errors in documents submitted by police.

    But Sag Harbor Village Justice Justice Carl Irace ordered Timberlake to be re-arraigned Aug. 2 with the corrected paperwork.

    He also agreed the former NSYNC member, who is currently on tour in Europe, could appear virtually for the proceeding. Timberlake didn’t attend Friday’s hearing as his appearance was waived in advance.

    Timberlake’s lawyer, Edward Burke, said after the hearing that police made “very significant errors” and expects the charge to be dismissed. He also maintained that Timberlake didn’t drive drunk.

    “He was not intoxicated,” Burke told reporters outside court. “I’ll say it again. Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated.”

    Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, described the paperwork issue as a “ministerial error” and that an amended charging document was filed July 2.

    “The facts and circumstance of the case have not been changed or amended,” spokesperson Emily O’Neil said in an email.

    Burke, in a follow-up statement, suggested there were other problems with the arrest documents but didn’t elaborate.

    “The police made a number of very significant errors in this case,” he said. “In court today, you heard the district attorney try to fix one of those errors. But that’s just one and there are many others. Sometimes the police make mistakes and this is just one of those instances.”

    Timberlake respects law enforcement and the judicial process and cooperated with officers and treated them with respect throughout his arrest last month, Burke added.

    Tierney’s office declined to respond to Burke’s comments.

    “We stand ready to litigate the underlying facts of this case in court, rather than in the press,” O’Neil said.

    Timberlake was charged with the misdemeanor on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane in Sag Harbor, a onetime whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” that’s nestled amid the Hamptons, around 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.

    The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor was driving a 2025 BMW around 12:30 a.m. when an officer stopped him and determined he was intoxicated, according to a court document.

    “His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the court papers said.

    Timberlake, 43, told the officer at the time that he had one martini and was following some friends home, according to the documents. After being arrested and taken to a police station in nearby East Hampton, he refused a breath test.

    The 10-time Grammy winner began performing as a young Disney Mouseketeer, rose to fame as part of the boy band NSYNC and embarked on a solo recording career in the early 2000s.

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Karen Matthews in New York contributed to this story.

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  • Pharrell advocates for reviving arts competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton event

    Pharrell advocates for reviving arts competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton event

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    PARIS (AP) — If given the chance, Pharrell Williams would reintroduce arts competition into the Olympics, reviving a tradition that’s been missing for nearly 80 years.

    Williams is aiming to reinstate arts competitions back on the world’s biggest sports stage, starting with raising awareness through his star-studded Louis Vuitton event Thursday in Paris. He passionately shared his goal to see the tradition revived by the Olympics in 2028 the night before the Games’ opening ceremony.

    “We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” Williams before the event. “Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in. … Why not take this moment to bring awareness?”

    Art competitions first came into fruition at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. However, the International Olympic Committee ended the competitions in the 1948 games. An attempt to bring it back was denied four years later.

    Williams, the musician-turned-designer, hosted the ritzy A-list event at the Louis Vuitton Foundation building. Attendees included popular figures such as LeBron James, Steven Spielberg, Mick Jagger, Zendaya, Anna Wintour, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, Rosalía, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah and Zac Efron.

    Williams called the inside of the event like an “indoor carnival.” He curated a select group of world-renowned artists including KAWS, Daniel Arsham and Derek Fordjour to design interactive art installations.

    Some of the sports represented at the event included archery, tennis, basketball and equestrianism along with carnival games. “The game will begin on the inside tonight,” he said.

    Through donations, Williams said he wanted the event to support Olympic hopefuls as well as 36 athletes across 11 different countries who are competing on the Refugee Olympic Team this year.

    “We get to raise money for the other athletes who don’t have the means to get the gear or proper training equipment,” said Williams, who added that he spoke about creating music for the games with Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC.

    The famed producer said he recorded a track called “Triumph is Cosmos.”

    “This is like the victory lap around the solar system,” he said.

    ___

    AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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  • Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance

    Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance

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    Catch up on AP’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, with performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and more. Follow AP’s live coverage.

    PARIS (AP) — Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony — except it was all prerecorded.

    The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing “Mon Truc en Plumes” in a tribute to French ballet dancer, actor and singer Zizi Jeanmaire. She was accompanied by a troupe of eight dancers carrying pink feather fans, all in custom Dior costumes, before she moved on to the piano.

    “Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music—I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth—Paris,” the singer wrote on X after her performance.

    The singer’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why her performance was prerecorded.

    See AP’s best photos from the 2024 Paris Olympics

    1 of 30 | 

    The cauldron rises by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)


    2 of 30 | 

    The cauldron is lit by torch bearers Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)


    3 of 30 | 

    The Olympic Flame rises on a balloon after being lit in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)


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    Singer Celine Dion performs from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)


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    A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


    6 of 30 | 

    A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


    7 of 30 | 

    IOC President Thomas Bach speaks as Tony Estanguet, president of 2024 Paris Olympics looks on in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


    8 of 30 | 

    United States’ Coco Gauff and Lebron James take photos as they travel along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis,Pool)


    9 of 30 | 

    A performer rides a mechanical horse along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)


    10 of 30 | 

    The Olympic flag is carried onto the stage in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


    11 of 30 | 

    Egypt athletes leap while participating in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)


    12 of 30 | 

    Logan Edra, of the United States breakdancing team, dances as she travels along with teammates on the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)


    13 of 30 | 

    Athletes from the United States travel by boat down the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)


    14 of 30 | 

    A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame over a building along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, Pool)


    15 of 30 | 

    Ceremonial smoke in the colors of the France flag appear over the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)


    16 of 30 | 

    Athletes travel by boat along the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)


    17 of 30 | 

    Lady Gaga performs in Paris, France, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)


    18 of 30 | 

    A performer sits on a bridge in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)


    19 of 30 | 

    Athletes from Spain travel by boat down the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)


    20 of 30 | 

    The Eiffel Tower gives backdrop to athletes riding on boats along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, Pool)


    21 of 30 | 

    Team Greece’s boat parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)


    22 of 30 | 

    Visitors are seen on a bridge ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Zhang Yuwei/Pool Photo via AP)


    23 of 30 | 

    Stephen Curry of the United States takes a photo prior to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024.(Quinn Rooney/Photo Photo via AP)


    24 of 30 | 

    Spectators wave French national flags while waiting at the Seine river front in Paris, France, for the start of opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)


    25 of 30 | 

    Serena Williams arrives in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)


    26 of 30 | 

    Athletes of Israel take a selfie aboard a boat in the floating parade on the Seine River in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Nir Elias/Pool Photo via AP)


    27 of 30 | 

    The boat carrying the Olympic Refugee team makes its way down the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)


    28 of 30 | 

    Spectators wait for the start of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)


    29 of 30 | 

    Security patrol by boat in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)


    30 of 30 | 

    Entertainers Ariana Grande, right, and Cynthia Erivo arrive in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)



    An Associated Press reporter saw Gaga begin to warm up around three hours before the opening ceremony started, performing for about an hour before waving to fans as she walked off.

    Gaga’s appearance was a surprise — she was not listed on a program provided to the media in advance — but was heavily rumored after the singer and actor was spotted in Paris.

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  • Music Review: Ice Spice flexes her flow on brief debut album, ‘Y2K!’

    Music Review: Ice Spice flexes her flow on brief debut album, ‘Y2K!’

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    Virality, it could be assumed, is a gift and a curse.

    Hit big online and channel that momentum into mainstream appeal, then the work comes: How does an artist sustain success? Ice Spice, the laidback Bronx rapper born Isis Naija Gaston with the too-cool-for-school, lackadaisical flow and the bright orange curls now iron straight, knows a thing or two about the topic. First came the raunchy “Munch (Feelin’ U),” with its delightful dismissal of “You thought I was feeling you?” (the song inspired the name of her fanbase, who are called Munchkins). Then there was the effortless, SpongeBob SquarePants-referencing “Bikini Bottom.”

    Her 2023 debut EP, “Like..?,” produced by her longtime collaborator RiotUSA, only further confirmed her talents; “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” with U.K. hyperpop-garage producer-artist PinkPantheress became the song of the summer. Hell, even Taylor Swift tapped her for a remix of her hit “Karma.” Ice Spice, in two short years, has become a four-time Grammy nominee — and one of the most divisive names in mainstream rap — before she even released an album.

    “Y2K!” is Ice Spice’s first full-length project, but don’t expect an introduction. (The title functions in that way, sort of: Ice Spice was born on Jan. 1, 2000, perhaps emblematic of her aesthetic ideology and prescience for her future, social media-indebted success. It is hard to think of another MC that better encapsulates the current moment.) At the core of “Y2K!” are her immediately quotable — and let’s be honest here, meme-able — booty-shaking bars, ripe for internet consumption. And so are the cheeky hooks that made her household name.

    Image

    A few songs directly recall the Ice Spice listeners have grown to know: Like “Think U the S—- (Fart),” which leans into her characteristic playfulness while maintaining her necessary bravado. “Think you the s—-?” Ice Spice recites in the chorus. “You not even the fart.” Or “Gimme A Light,” which samples Sean Paul’s dancehall classic “Gimme the Light.”

    Across the release’s 23-minute run time, drill is still a priority, as she mentions on “Gimme A Light”: “Let’s talk drill / Who bigger than she?” she posits. Brevity is also a strong suit of Ice Spice’s — she understands modern attention spans and she cuts the fat across the album.

    Previously released single “Phat Butt” might’ve been the clearest tease of some new sonic explorations in the world of Ice Spice, still one indebted to Nicki Minaj. She launches into a quick nod to Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” in the intro (“Uh, Man”) and works in a sample of the 2005 hit “I Think They Like Me” by rap group Dem Franchize Boyz with Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow. Closer “TTYL” sees Ice Spice raising her voice for a rare rap-rock kiss-off. Standout “BB Belt” is bed-squeaking Jersey Club.

    The 10-track release uses collaborations sparingly: the self-referential, trap “Oh Shhh…” with Travis Scott, nods back to “Deli” in certain lyrics, the hard-hitting “Bitch I’m Packin’” with Gunna, and the infidelity-revenge anthem “Did It First,” brings the hottest contemporary rapper, Central Cee.

    Across “Y2K!”, Ice Spice flexes her lackadaisical flow and traverses new territory, pushing her voice in subtle moments — if only there were more. If anything, this is the New York rapper further manicuring her distinctiveness, offering listeners a hot, short and sweet album.

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  • Warner Bros. Discovery sues NBA for not accepting its matching offer

    Warner Bros. Discovery sues NBA for not accepting its matching offer

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    Warner Bros. Discovery has sued the NBA after the league did not accept the company’s matching offer for one of the packages in its upcoming 11-year media rights deal.

    The lawsuit was filed on Friday in New York state court in Manhattan.

    WBD, the parent company of TNT Sports, is seeking a judgement that it matched Amazon Prime Video’s offer and an order seeking to delay the new media rights deal from taking effect beginning with the 2025-26 season.

    The NBA signed its deals with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday after saying it was not accepting Warner Bros. Discovery’s $1.8 billion per year offer. The deals will bring the league around $76 billion over 11 years.

    “Given the NBA’s unjustified rejection of our matching of a third-party offer, we have taken legal action to enforce our rights,” TNT Sports said in a statement. “We strongly believe this is not just our contractual right, but also in the best interest of fans who want to keep watching our industry-leading NBA content with the choice and flexibility we offer them through our widely distributed WBD video-first distribution platforms – including TNT and Max.”

    NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement that “Warner Bros. Discovery’s claims are without merit and our lawyers will address them.”

    WBD says in the lawsuit that “TBS properly matched the Amazon Offer by agreeing to telecast the games on both TNT and Max. The Amazon Offer provides for Cable Rights, including TNT Rights, because the offer is for games that TBS currently has the right to distribute on TNT via Non-Broadcast Television, which includes both cable and Internet distribution.”

    WBD also claims under its contract it “has the right to ‘Match a Third Party Offer that provides for the exercise of (NBA games) via any form of combined audio and video distribution.’”

    The lawsuit is another chapter in a deteriorating relationship between the league and Turner Sports that has gone on nearly 40 years. Turner has had an NBA package since 1984 and games have been on TNT since the network launched in 1988.

    TNT’s iconic “Inside the NBA” show has won numerous Sports Emmy Awards and has been a model for studio shows.

    However, the relationship started to become strained when Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an RBC Investor Conference in November 2022 that Turner and WBD “don’t have to have the NBA.”

    Warner Bros. Discovery and the league were unable to reach a deal during the exclusive negotiating period, which expired in April. Zaslav and TNT Sports Chairman/CEO Luis Silberwasser said throughout the process, though, that it intended to match one of the deals.

    WBD had five days to match a part of those deals after the NBA’s Board of Governors approved the rights deals on July 17.

    WBD received all of the contracts the next day and informed the league on Monday that it was matching Amazon Prime Videos offer.

    The NBA announced on Wednesday that it was not considered a true match.

    “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans,” the league said when it did not accept the WBD deal. “Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have also committed substantial resources to promote the league and enhance the fan experience.”

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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  • Harris makes a pre-taped appearance on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ to urge Americans to vote

    Harris makes a pre-taped appearance on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ to urge Americans to vote

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris crashed the season finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” urging Americans to vote in an appearance that was taped before President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid.

    The episode caps the series’ ninth season and is streaming Friday on Paramount+. It opens with an announcer saying that programing is being interrupted for an “extra special ‘Drag Race’ viewing party.”

    The scene cuts to the Democratic vice president smiling broadly and saying into the camera, “Hi, everyone. It’s Kamala Harris. Each day, we’re seeing our rights and freedoms under attack, including the right of everyone to be who they are, love who they love — openly and with pride.”

    Clad in a purple suit that nicely complements the hot-pink couch where she’s seated with actor Cheyenne Jackson and surrounded by other celebrities and stars from the show, Harris continues: “So, as we fight back against these attacks, no one is alone.”

    “We are all in this together, and your vote is your power, so please make sure your voice is heard this November and register to vote,” the vice president concludes.

    That prompts Jackson to proclaim, “Can I get an amen?” and Harris and others happily cry, “Amen!” The vice president, like many on the set, holds up her hands in a gesture of praise before adding, “Now on with the show.”

    Harris and others then clap to RuPaul’s song “A Little Bit of Love,” as some of the assembled hoist placards promoting the website vote.gov. Harris laughs along as one sign is mistakenly held upside down. RuPaul, the show’s host, does not appear in the clip.

    Harris, a former U.S. senator from California, is not the first Democratic politician to appear on the show, which is based in Los Angeles. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a guest judge in 2020.

    Biden announced he was leaving the presidential race and endorsing Harris last weekend. The vice president has since stepped up her campaign and travel schedule.

    ___

    Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

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  • Top 20 Global Concert Tours from Pollstar

    Top 20 Global Concert Tours from Pollstar

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    The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of July 29, 2024 :

    TOP 20 GLOBAL CONCERT TOURS

    1 Luke Combs $6,466,347 49,074 $131.77
    2 Dead & Company $4,762,012 16,000 $297.63
    3 Kenny Chesney $4,034,019 35,233 $114.49
    4 Bad Bunny $3,798,369 15,063 $252.16
    5 Zach Bryan $3,045,272 16,361 $186.12
    6 Justin Timberlake $2,969,791 13,592 $218.49
    7 blink-182 $2,598,386 21,886 $118.72
    8 Pearl Jam $2,390,775 13,595 $175.85
    9 Chris Brown $2,210,310 13,216 $167.24
    10 Aventura $2,163,072 13,471 $160.56
    11 Luis Miguel $1,905,689 11,760 $162.05
    12 TOMORROW X TOGETHER $1,748,099 11,562 $151.19
    13 Noah Kahan $1,660,298 15,909 $104.36
    14 Lady Gaga $1,638,194 5,299 $309.11
    15 Feid $1,579,603 12,899 $122.45
    16 Olivia Rodrigo $1,548,512 15,136 $102.30
    17 Karol G $1,506,498 17,890 $84.21
    18 Nicki Minaj $1,488,774 11,987 $124.19
    19 Take That $1,415,069 11,439 $123.70
    20 Melanie Martinez $1,343,567 13,377 $100.44

    For free upcoming tour information, go to www.pollstar.com

    ___

    TOP 20 GLOBAL CONCERT TOURS

    1 Luke Combs $6,466,347 49,074 $131.77
    2 Dead & Company $4,762,012 16,000 $297.63
    3 Kenny Chesney $4,034,019 35,233 $114.49
    4 Bad Bunny $3,798,369 15,063 $252.16
    5 Zach Bryan $3,045,272 16,361 $186.12
    6 Justin Timberlake $2,969,791 13,592 $218.49
    7 blink-182 $2,598,386 21,886 $118.72
    8 Pearl Jam $2,390,775 13,595 $175.85
    9 Chris Brown $2,210,310 13,216 $167.24
    10 Aventura $2,163,072 13,471 $160.56
    11 Luis Miguel $1,905,689 11,760 $162.05
    12 TOMORROW X TOGETHER $1,748,099 11,562 $151.19
    13 Noah Kahan $1,660,298 15,909 $104.36
    14 Lady Gaga $1,638,194 5,299 $309.11
    15 Feid $1,579,603 12,899 $122.45
    16 Olivia Rodrigo $1,548,512 15,136 $102.30
    17 Karol G $1,506,498 17,890 $84.21
    18 Nicki Minaj $1,488,774 11,987 $124.19
    19 Take That $1,415,069 11,439 $123.70
    20 Melanie Martinez $1,343,567 13,377 $100.44

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  • Kevin Spacey’s waterfront Baltimore condo sold at auction after foreclosure

    Kevin Spacey’s waterfront Baltimore condo sold at auction after foreclosure

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    BALTIMORE (AP) — Kevin Spacey’s $5.6 million waterfront condominium in Baltimore has been sold at auction amid the disgraced actor’s financial struggles following a slew of sexual misconduct allegations.

    Last summer, a London jury acquitted Spacey on sexual assault charges stemming from allegations by four men dating back 20 years. That was his second court victory since he saw off a $40 million lawsuit in 2022 in New York brought by “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp.

    But Spacey said in an emotional interview with British broadcast host Piers Morgan last month that he was millions of dollars in debt, largely because of unpaid legal bills, and facing foreclosure on the Baltimore property.

    Spacey moved to the Baltimore area when he started shooting the hugely popular political thriller “House of Cards” there in 2012. Speaking through tears during the interview, Spacey said he would have to go back to Baltimore and put all his things in storage. He said he nearly had to file for bankruptcy a couple times but managed to dodge it.

    His luxury condo on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor sold at auction Thursday morning for $3.24 million, according to the auctioneer’s website. It sits on a floating pier and boasts six bedrooms, seven full baths, an elevator, sauna, home theater, rooftop terrace, multiple verandas and a four-car garage.

    A small group of potential buyers gathered on the steps of the downtown Baltimore Circuit Court building and made their bids, according to local media reports. The suggested opening bid was $1.5 million.

    The winning bidder was acting as proxy for a real estate developer and local businessman whose identity hasn’t been disclosed, The Baltimore Sun reported.

    During tearful testimony in a London courtroom last summer, Spacey denied the allegations against him and told the jury how they had destroyed his acting career as the #MeToo movement gained momentum in the U.S.

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  • ‘Twisters’ tears through Oklahoma on the big screen. Moviegoers in the state are buying up tickets

    ‘Twisters’ tears through Oklahoma on the big screen. Moviegoers in the state are buying up tickets

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    MOORE, Okla. (AP) — Grace Evans lived through one of the most powerful and deadly twisters in Oklahoma history: a roaring top-of-the-scale terror in 2013 that plowed through homes, tore through a school and killed 24 people in the small suburb of Moore.

    A hospital and bowling alley were also destroyed. But not the movie theater next door — where almost a decade later, Evans and her teenage daughter this week felt no pause buying two tickets to a showing of the blockbuster “Twisters.”

    “I was looking for that element of excitement and I guess drama and danger,” Evans said.

    Her daughter also walked out a fan. “It was very realistic. I was definitely frightened,” said Charis Evans, 15.

    The smash success of “Twisters” has whipped up moviegoers in Oklahoma who are embracing the summer hit, including in towns scarred by deadly real-life tornadoes. Even long before it hit theaters, Oklahoma officials had rolled out the red carpet for makers of the film, authorizing what is likely to wind up being millions of dollars in incentives to film in the state.

    In its opening weekend, the action-packed film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell generated $80.5 million from more than 4,150 theaters in North America. Some of the largest audiences have been in the tornado-prone Midwest.

    The top-performing theater in the country on opening weekend was the Regal Warren in Moore, which screened the film in 10 of its 17 auditoriums on opening weekend from 9 a.m. to midnight. John Stephens, the theater’s general manager, said many moviegoers mentioned wanting to see the film in a theater that survived a massive tornado.

    “The people who live in Tornado Alley have a certain defiance towards mother nature,” he said, “almost like a passion to fight storms, which was depicted by the characters in ‘Twisters.’”

    Lee Isaac Chung, who directed the film, considered placing the movie in Oklahoma to be critically important.

    “I told everyone this is something that we have to do. We can’t just have blue screens,” Chung told the AP earlier this year. “We’ve got to be out there on the roads with our pickup trucks and in the green environments where this story actually takes place.”

    The film was shot at locations across Oklahoma, with the studio taking advantage of a rebate incentive in which the state directly reimburses production companies for up to 30% of qualifying expenditures, including labor.

    State officials said the exact amount of money Oklahoma spent on “Twisters” is still being calculated. But the film is exactly the kind of blockbuster Sooner State policymakers envisioned when they increased the amount available for the program in 2021 from $8 million annually to $30 million, said Jeanette Stanton, director of Oklahoma’s Film and Music Office.

    Among the major films and television series that took advantage of Oklahoma’s film incentives in recent years were “Reagan” ($6.1 million), “Killers of the Flower Moon” ($12.4 million), and the television shows “Reservoir Dogs” ($13 million) and “Tulsa King” ($14.1 million).

    Stanton said she’s not surprised by the success of “Twisters,” particularly in Oklahoma.

    “You love seeing your state on the big screen, and I think for locals across the state, when they see that El Reno water tower falling down, they think: ‘I know where that is!’” she said.

    “It’s almost as if Oklahoma was a character in the film,” she added.

    In the northeast Oklahoma community of Barnsdall, where two people were killed and more than 80 homes were destroyed by a tornado in May, Mayor Johnny Kelley said he expects most residents will embrace the film.

    “Some will and some won’t. Things affect people differently, you know?” said Kelley, who is a firefighter in nearby Bartlesville. “I really don’t ever go to the movies or watch TV, but I might go see that one.”

    ___

    Follow Sean Murphy at www.x.com/apseanmurphy

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  • Robert Downey Jr. is returning to ‘Avengers’ films as a villain in 1 of Marvel’s Comic-Con twists

    Robert Downey Jr. is returning to ‘Avengers’ films as a villain in 1 of Marvel’s Comic-Con twists

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    SAN DIEGO (AP) — Marvel Studios returned to San Diego Comic-Con with dancing Deadpool variants and a choir for a panel that included news about the next two “Avengers” films and surprise guests, including Harrison Ford and Robert Downey Jr.

    Downey is returning to Marvel’s films, but not as Iron Man. He’ll play the villain Victor Von Doom, or Doctor Doom, in at least one of the upcoming “Avengers” movies. Downey kicked off Marvel’s movie successes in “Iron Man” and played the popular character in nine films, but on Saturday appeared wearing Dr. Doom’s mask and a green cloak.

    “New mask, same task,” Downey said to frenzied cheers.

    The Russo brothers, who will be directing the movie featuring Downey, said his appearance in the film is “proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multi-universe.”

    The reveal capped a jubilant return by Marvel to Comic-Con’s Hall H.

    Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige kicked off the panel by saying that due to this weekend’s success of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe had now topped $30 billion in box-office earnings. In a nod to a scene in the movie, a choir sang Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” before Feige spoke.

    “Deadpool & Wolverine,” released Thursday, has already broken one record and could shatter more in its opening weekend. Feige used Saturday’s panel to chart the course ahead for the MCU, revealing Ford’s character in the next “Captain America” film and revealing “Avengers: Secret Wars and “Avengers: Doomsday” as the titles of the next two films in the epic superhero team-up series. “Doomsday” will hit theaters in 2026.

    Feige said all the actors introduced Saturday would appear in the upcoming “Avengers” movies, which will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The brothers guided the “Avengers” franchise through its sprawling storyline capped by “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019 that included the death of Downey’s Tony Stark/Iron Man character.

    “When we directed ”Avengers: Endgame,” Joe and I truly believed that it was the end of the road for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because we had put all of our passion, our love, our imagination into “The Winter Soldier,” into “Civil War,” into “Infinity War,” climaxing all of it with “Avengers: Endgame,” Anthony Russo said. “That four movie run was incredible and it left us creatively spent with all of our emotions on the film. In the time since, through a very special story, Joe and I have come to potentially see a road forward with you.”

    They called “Secret Wars” the “biggest story that Marvel Comics ever told,” and Joe said it was the first comic book run he read as a child that made him “fall in love with comics.”

    Saturday’s session comes after Marvel skipped the convention last year due to the Hollywood strikes, which prevented writers and actors from speaking on panels.

    The cast of “Captain America: Brave New World” — Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Ramirez and Anthony Mackie — joined the stage first and teased details about the upcoming film. Esposito revealed that he will be playing the villain, Seth Voelker, also known as Sidewinder.

    When asked about what it was like to join a Marvel project, Esposito said it was a “dream come true.

    “When your dreams come true and you get the call, you walk through the door,” he continued. “I have a great deal of gratitude for all the fans who really had this dream come true, because it was fan casting that linked us together.”

    The cast then stepped aside to share a scene from the movie on the big screen, which revealed that President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Ford, is hoping to rebuild the Avengers with Mackie’s Sam Wilson. It also showed Ford’s character transform into the Red Hulk.

    Ford joined the panel after fans were treated to clips from the movie and flexed his muscles to the roaring crowd. He also expressed excitement over his latest role, saying, “I am delighted, and proud to become a member of the Marvel Universe.”

    The cast and director of “Thunderbolts(asterisk)” also surprised fans with a short clip from the movie. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and David Harbour (in full costume and speaking in character as the Red Guardian at first) stormed the stage and shared some more details about their characters.

    The film is slated to be released in May 2025.

    The final film teased at the panel was “The Fantastic Four,” starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The movie will begin filming on Tuesday in London, Feige said.

    He said the film will hit theaters in almost exactly one year in July 2025.

    Following a video director Matt Shakman created specifically for Comic-Con that featured the cast in full ’60s glory, he and Feige revealed the official title of the film, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

    The session included no mention of Jonathan Majors, who played the villain Kang the Conqueror and was previously a major part of Marvel’s “Avengers” plans. The actor was fired by the studio after he was convicted in December of assaulting a former girlfriend. He was sentenced to a yearlong counseling program in April and avoided jail time.

    Marvel already took over Hall H on Thursday with an electric panel celebrating “Deadpool & Wolverine,” in which the audience was treated to a full screening and surprise guests joining stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on stage.

    The mounting enthusiasm for the film at Comic-Con was reflected across the country as the fans rushed to see it in theaters, securing the film as the new record holder for the Thursday preview for an R-rated movie. The comic book film sold an estimated $38.5 million worth of movie tickets from preview screenings Thursday.

    The “Deadpool & Wolverine” success woke up a sleepy year for Marvel and assuaged worries about its box-office underperformance in late 2023. The superhero factory hit a record low in November with the launch of “The Marvels,” which opened with just $47 million.

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  • Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade

    Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade

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    PARIS (AP) — Celine Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance: closing out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower.

    Nearly two years after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion belted Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the roughly four-hour spectacle. Her appearance had been teased for weeks, but organizers and Dion’s representatives had refused to confirm whether she was performing.

    On a page dedicated to Dior’s contributions to the opening ceremony, the media guide referred to “a world star, for a purely grandiose, superbly scintillating finale.”

    This photo released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services shows Canadian Singer Celine Dion performing at the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Olympic Broadcasting Services via AP)

    Dion had been absent from the stage since 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of her tour to 2022. That tour was eventually suspended in the wake of her diagnosis.

    The rare neurological disorder causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which were affecting Dion’s ability to walk and sing. In June, at the premiere of the documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she told The Associated Press that returning required therapy, “physically, mentally, emotionally, vocally.”

    “So that’s why it takes a while. But absolutely why we’re doing this because I’m already a little bit back,” she said then.

    Even before the documentary’s release, Dion had taken steps toward a comeback. In February, she made another surprise appearance, at the Grammy Awards, where she presented the final award of the night to a standing ovation.

    For Friday’s performance, Dion’s pearl outfit was indeed designed by Dior. Speaking on French television, the Paris organizing committee’s director of design and costume for ceremonies, Daphné Bürki, recalled Dion’s enthusiasm for the opportunity.

    “When we called Celine Dion one year ago she said yes straight away,” Bürki said.

    Dion is not actually French — the French Canadian is from Quebec — but she has a strong connection to the country and the Olympics. Dion’s first language is French, and she has dominated the charts in France and other French-speaking countries. (She also won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with a French-language song … representing Switzerland.) And early in her English-language career — even before “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” — she was tapped to perform “The Power of The Dream,” the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

    Dion’s song choice also evoked a sports connection: Piaf wrote it about her lover, boxer Marcel Cerdan. Cerdan died soon after she wrote the song, in a plane crash.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Sylvie Corbet, Jerome Pugmire and Samuel Petrequin contributed.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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