Terry Hall, singer with ska icons The Specials, dies at 63

LONDON – Musician Terry Hall, who helped create of the defining sounds of post-punk Britain as lead singer of The Specials, has died. He was 63. The band announced late Monday that Hall had died after a brief illness. It called him “our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and … Read more

Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape in Los Angeles trial

LOS ANGELES – After a month-long trial and nine days of deliberations, Los Angeles jurors on Monday found Harvey Weinstein guilty of the rape and sexual assault of just one of the four accusers he was charged with abusing. But the three guilty counts involving an Italian actor and model known at the trial as … Read more

Woman caught stealing Christmas presents from Robert De Niro’s home

NEW YORK – A suspected serial burglar was caught Monday while attempting to poach Christmas presents from actor Robert De Niro’s Manhattan home, police said. Officers had been tracking the real-life Grinch amid a string of recent robberies and saw her bust into “The Godfather” and “Goodfellas” star’s townhouse around 2:45 a.m. Monday, police said. … Read more

R. Kelly manager gets a year in prison for theater threat

NEW YORK – R. Kelly’s onetime manager was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison for calling in a shooting threat that halted a screening of a damning documentary about the R&B star. The punishment won’t add to the time ex-manager Donnell Russell is already set to serve for a different effort to squelch … Read more

‘Avatar 2’ makes waves with $134 million domestic debut

“ Avatar: The Way of Water ” didn’t make quite as big of a splash as many assumed it would, but James Cameron’s big budget spectacle still helped breathe life into the box office this weekend. The sequel earned $134 million from North American theaters and $300.5 million internationally for a $434.5 million global debut, … Read more

Cecily Strong leaves Saturday Night Live after 11 seasons

After 11 seasons, Cecily Strong has said farewell to “Saturday Night Live.” A few hours before the last episode of the season Saturday, the TV show’s Instagram account posted a cue card saying, “we’ll miss you, Cecily.” The caption read “Tonight we send off one of the best to ever do it.” A two-time Emmy … Read more