LOS ANGELES – Ten of the top albums of the year, as chosen by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman. It was a blockbuster year across genres, but only a few could make AP’s list. (SZA’s “SOS” released in December 2022, Ice Spice’s “Like…?” isn’t a full-length release, and the 11 Grammy nominations for “Barbie … Read more
NEW YORK – When Paul Giamatti made “Sideways” with Alexander Payne, he stayed in a little house in the middle of a large vineyard. At the end of a day of shooting, he would drive home in darkness, with the hills of Napa Valley around him. Giamatti was then a respected character actor, but this … Read more
Jayson Hefner ran 26 miles carrying a 100-pound bag on his back. SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Marathon update: Jayson Hefner tried but didn’t break the world record for running a marathon carrying 100 pounds on Sunday. He ran the California International Marathon in 5:43:48. Hefner explained his performance and thanked his supporters in an Instagram post. “Was … Read more
LONDON – Spotify says it’s axing 17% of its global workforce, the music streaming service’s third round of layoffs this year as it moves to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable. In a message to employees posted on the company’s blog Monday, CEO Daniel Ek said the jobs were being cut as part of … Read more
From a hot dog vendor to head of the formidable mercenary army Wagner Group, his rise through Russian society could easily be described as meteoric. But it all came to a sudden end when the plane carrying him and others mysteriously exploded. The Aug. 23 death of Yevgeny Prigozhin put an exclamation point on what … Read more
Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend. Her concert picture, “ Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” opened in first place with $21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday. The post-Thanksgiving, early December box office is notoriously slow, but “Renaissance” defied the odds. Not accounting for inflation, it’s the … Read more
NEW YORK – It’s the end of the road for Kiss. But it’s not the end of Kiss. The hard-rocking quartet from New York City played final live concerts Friday and Saturday at Madison Square Garden, culminating a half century of rocking and rolling all night and partying every day. And there was a surprise … Read more