MONROEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — “To Kill a Mockingbird” author Harper Lee has started a nonprofit company that will produce a play about the book, ending a dispute that threatened to derail the long-running performance, a publishing group said Saturday. Dramatic Publishing Co. had refused to extend the performance rights for the production in Lee’s … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential election just getting into gear provided President Barack Obama plenty of new material to work with on the night he describes as Washington celebrating itself. “It’s amazing how time flies,” Obama told those attending the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association on Saturday night. “Soon, the first … Continue reading
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — “Call of Duty: Black Ops 3” is enlisting a few new recruits. The third installment in Treyarch’s popular military shooter saga is adding the option to play cooperatively with other gamers in the plot-driven campaign. The developer is also ditching traditional avatar customization in its multiplayer mode, instead opting … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Kim Kardashian says she and her family support her stepfather Bruce Jenner 100 percent as he goes through gender transition, even though family members are still adjusting to that news in what she called “a daily process.” Her appearance on NBC’s “Today” show Monday followed Jenner’s much-watched interview Friday on … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — Oprah Winfrey is selling the furniture, artwork, household items and clothing that once filled her Chicago home. In the market for size 10 yellow patent leather designer shoes? How about a hand-painted porcelain soup tureen valued at $6,000 to $8,000? More than 500 items with price points from $50 to $120,000 … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — Even though Comcast’s $45.2 billion bid for Time Warner Cable is dead, consolidation among the companies that pipe in our TV, phone and Internet will carry on. Combining the No. 1 and No. 2 U.S. cable companies would have put nearly 30 percent of TV and about 55 percent of … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Actress Angelina Jolie pleaded with world powers Friday to help the millions of Syrian refugees, sharply criticizing the U.N. Security Council for being paralyzed by its division over Syria’s four-year conflict. Jolie briefed the council as special envoy for the U.N. on refugee issues. Syria’s ambassador said simply of her … Continue reading
“Adult Onset” (Tin House Books), by Ann-Marie MacDonald Ann-Marie MacDonald’s latest novel, “Adult Onset,” tracks a week in the life of Mary Rose MacKinnon. A famous author of YA novels, Mary Rose is stalled on starting the last book of a popular trilogy and taking care of her two young children while her partner, … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — As a dirt-poor rookie boxer in the southern Philippines, Manny Pacquiao started his phenomenal rise to global fame not as the Pacman, as he is sometimes called, but as “Kid Kulafu.” That moniker — the title of a new local film about Pacquiao’s childhood — was taken from the label … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has the dubious honor of being popular with both pirates and viewers. After its fifth season began Sunday, users of a Twitter-owned live-streaming app shared the fantasy drama. HBO said Tuesday it sent “take down” notices to Periscope, the app that allows video streaming from users’ … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Wednesday is the deadline for filing income tax returns, a day long associated with the dread of rushing to fill out complicated forms and, perhaps, making a payment to Uncle Sam. But for most, it’s not that bad. Aside from the complicated forms, tax season generates $300 billion in tax refunds each … Continue reading
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — The publisher of “Guitar Hero” is readying a comeback tour. Activision Blizzard Inc. announced plans Tuesday to resurrect the once-popular video game franchise, which involved players rhythmically tapping guitar-shaped controllers along to music. The new entry scheduled for release this fall is titled “Guitar Hero Live” and introduces a redesigned … Continue reading
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Percy Sledge, who soared from part-time singer and hospital orderly to lasting fame with his aching, forlorn performance on the classic “When a Man Loves a Woman,” died Tuesday, April 14 in Louisiana. He was 74. Dr. William “Beau” Clark, coroner for East Baton Rouge Parish, confirmed to The Associated Press … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama says gospel music is a “ray of hope” that fueled her love of music in general. “It’s what helps connect us to God, to that higher power,” the first lady said Tuesday at a White House-arranged gospel music workshop for students from around the country. “For so many, when times … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — As if there weren’t enough upheaval in 17th-Century Salem, Massachusetts, this haunted village is about to welcome Lucy Lawless. Celebrated for such unflinching performances as Xena, Warrior Princess, and Lucretia in the “Spartacus” trilogy, Lawless is now casting her spell on “Salem,” WGN’s witch-war drama, as it begins its second season … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 