NEW YORK (AP) — Ron Howard is taking command of the Han Solo “Star Wars” spinoff after the surprise departure of directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Lucasfilm announced their replacement director Thursday, two days after Lord and Miller left the project over creative differences. Howard gives the reeling production a veteran hand in the … Continue reading
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — From the squiggly, pink handrails outside the entrance to the front hall decorated with scenes from “And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street” — a real street just blocks away — the new Amazing World of Dr. Seuss museum says, “You’re off to Great Places!” Walking into the … Continue reading
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Johnny Depp is 53 years old but he doesn’t look a day over 26 in the new “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie — at least for a few moments. There was no plastic surgeon involved, heavy makeup or archival footage used to take the actor back to his boyish “Cry Baby” … Continue reading
“Wonder Woman ” has been the subject of so much superfluous fuss, it’d be easy to forget that behind all of the hand-wringing and both symbolic and real pressure to succeed there’s actually a movie meant to entertain. Yet, like the heroine at its center, “Wonder Woman” the movie rises with powerful grace above the … Continue reading
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Latest on the blast at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England (all times local): 6 p.m. Pop group Take That has postponed its planned three shows at the Manchester Arena Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The band had already canceled its Tuesday show in nearby Liverpool following the deadly bomb … Continue reading
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Latest on the blast at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England (all times local): 5:30 p.m. The chiefs of Italy’s police and intelligence forces, along with a British security official, have met to review anti-terrorism measures in light of the Manchester bomb blast, which occurred four days ahead of … Continue reading
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota judge has ruled that Prince’s six siblings are the heirs to his estate. In a ruling made public Friday, Carver County District Judge Kevin Eide declared that Prince died without a will and that his sister, Tyka Nelson, and five half-siblings are his heirs. There are people who filed appeals … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — A 1982 artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat sold for a record $110.5 million at Sotheby’s auction of contemporary art Thursday night. Sotheby’s said the sale of “Untitled” was an auction record for the artist. It also set a record price for an American artist at auction. The painting’s graffiti-like typography depicts a … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — A man steered his car onto a sidewalk running through the heart of Times Square and mowed down pedestrians for three blocks Thursday, killing a teenager, then emerged from his wrecked vehicle wild-eyed and waving his arms before he was subdued by police and bystanders. The driver, a 26-year-old U.S. Navy … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trivia question: Where is the memorial to President John F. Kennedy in Washington? If you said the Kennedy Center — not just the bronze bust of Kennedy inside but the entire building and all that happens there — you’d be correct. You’d also be better-informed than most Washingtonians. This year, in honor … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — On a scaffold several stories high beneath the dome of a Cairo church, Ayman William paints for the glory of God, unfazed by recent attacks against his fellow Coptic Christians in Egypt. The church, deep within the dusty alleyways of one of the many “informal” neighborhoods that have sprung up to accommodate … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — The sale of nine Soviet-era masterpieces that fetched $3 million at a London auction in 2014 is causing uproar in Moscow’s art community, where it was largely perceived as a theft of the family jewels. The sale of the paintings, one of which now has a place of pride in a Moscow … Continue reading
THE CONVERSATION) Once upon a time, mathematicians imagined their job was to discover new mathematics and then let others explain it. Today, digital tools like 3-D printing, animation and virtual reality are more affordable than ever, allowing mathematicians to investigate and illustrate their work at the same time. Instead of drawing a complicated surface on … Continue reading
NEW YORK (AP) — An album containing a rare photograph of 19th century abolitionist and Underground Railroad hero Harriet Tubman was sold Thursday at a New York City auction for $161,000 — far exceeding presale estimates. Swann Galleries said the circa late 1860s image and other items in the album sold for a hammer price … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — Fritz Koenig, a German sculptor whose work “The Sphere” became a symbol of resilience after the 9/11 attacks in New York, has died. He was 92. Koenig, a well-known artist thanks to his distinctive large statues and sculptures, created the ball-shaped bronze over a four-year period starting in 1967. Originally called “Grosse … Continue reading
LONDON (AP) — One of the largest paintings by Surrealist master Rene Magritte could set a record for the artist when it is goes up for sale with an estimated price of 14 million pounds ($17.5 million). Christie’s auction house told The Associated Press Monday that it will offer “La Corde Sensible” (“Heartstrings”) in London … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — All eyes in Paris were on the debut solo couture display from Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli following the move of his design partner to Dior. And if the rousing applause was any indication, his sublime styles of ethereal goddesses were a hit for the guests that included Kristin Scott Thomas, “La Vie … Continue reading
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Marta Becket, a dancer and artist who spent decades presenting one-woman shows at a remote Mojave Desert hall that she made famous as the Amargosa Opera House, has died. Becket died Monday at her home in Death Valley Junction, California, said Jeff Mullenhour, the Inyo County deputy coroner in Lone Pine, … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — Singer-model Vanessa Paradis was the image of the doting mother at Chanel’s Art Deco-inspired spring-summer collection, looking on proudly as daughter Lily-Rose Depp emerged as the star of the show. Here are the highlights from the second day of Paris couture week: ___ CHANEL’S MIRRORED SHOW At Chanel, the sparkling, reflective decor … Continue reading
POTSDAM, Germany (AP) — Some of Claude Monet’s famous water lily paintings are among the impressionist and modern art works that went on show Thursday at a faithfully reconstructed 18th century town house in Potsdam, just outside Berlin. The Barberini Museum is the brainchild of Hasso Plattner, a co-founder of software company SAP. Plattner initiated … Continue reading
