New this week: Will Smith, 'Pinocchio' and 'George & Tammy'
This week’s new entertainment releases include Will Smith’s comeback campaign in the Antoine Fuqua movie “Emancipation,” a documentary about Broadway star Idina Menzel, the video game “Dragon Quest Treasures” and a TV series exploring the tumultuous relationship between country music stars Tammy Wynette and George Jones.
New this week: Lizzo, 'Criminal Minds' and 'The Woman King'
This week’s new entertainment releases include an live posthumous album from Tom Petty, the criminal profile spinoff series “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” a documentary about the plucky Mars Rover Opportunity and a TV series that focuses on the backstage melodrama at the Chippendale’s male strip clubs.
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Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, Celeste lead race for UK's Brit Awards
FILE - This Jan. 26, 2020 file photo shows Dua Lipa at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Dua Lipa released her sophomore album "Future Nostalgia" on March 27. Female British stars Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks and Celeste lead the competition for the Brit Awards which were announced Wednesday, March 31, 2021, with a trio of nominations apiece for the U.K. music prizes. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)LONDON – Singer-songwriters Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks and Celeste lead the competition for the Brit Awards, with a trio of nominations apiece for the U.K. music prizes. This year, that category includes four female acts: Parks, Celeste, Lipa and Jessie Ware.
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Elton John opens his Oscar night party to all this year
FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, file photo, Elton John appears after performing his nominated song, "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again," at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Attending Elton Johns long-running Oscar-night party has always been one of the hardest tickets to get. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is inviting everyone to a hour-long, virtual pre-show Oscar party special hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and with a performance by Dua Lipa. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)Attending Elton John's long-running Oscar-night party has always been one of the hardest tickets to get. The Elton John AIDS Foundation is inviting everyone to an hourlong, virtual pre-show Oscar party special hosted by Neil Patrick Harris and with a performance by Dua Lipa.
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The joy of music returns for Grammy winners, performers
Beyonce, left, and Megan Thee Stallion accept the award for best rap song for "Savage" at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish made history at the Grammy Awards. Just as joyously, dozens of creators largely sidelined for a year due to the pandemic got to make music again. 's topical “I Can't Breathe” won song of the year and Megan Thee Stallion was named best new artist. ___This story has been corrected to show the ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, not Staples Center.
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Ladies night: Beyoncé, Swift make history as others win big
Four women won the top four prizes Sunday, including Swift, who became the first female performer to win album of the year three times. Beyoncé — with her 28th win — became the most decorated woman in Grammy history. And 9-year-old Blue Ivy Carter — who won best music video alongside her mother — became the second youngest act to win a Grammy in the show’s 63-year history. Megan Thee Stallion, who won three honors, also made history and became the first female rapper to win best rap song. She's also the fifth rap-based act to win best new artist.
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A peek behind the masks, precautions at the pandemic Grammys
Associated Press entertainment reporter Marcela Isaza poses backstage at the 63rd Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Thursday, March 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES – I have covered the Grammy Awards for the Associated Press for 15 years. Built around performances, full of singing and shouting, and with the biggest crowd of any awards show, the Grammys seem uniquely wrong for a world still in the coronavirus pandemic. The AP workspace is set off with high, thick black curtains, and they are constantly replenishing us with masks and hand sanitizer. AdOutside the sprawling building, carpenters and technicians have been building the stages that will be a hub for Sunday’s awards.
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For Trevor Noah, Grammy Awards a return to in-person hosting
FILE - Trevor Noah arrives at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. Noah will host the 2021 Grammy Awards on Sunday. “If you get asked to host the Grammys, I don’t think you take long to say ‘yes,’” said the Emmy winner, who will host Sunday's Grammy Awards from downtown Los Angeles. Ad“Unlike most award shows, the Grammys also are about the performances,” said Noah. So far, Noah said venturing out to prepare for his Grammy hosting duties around other people has been “amazing” and “surreal.” While watching rehearsals, he said the performances gave him and others life.
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BTS on 1st Grammy nod: 'It’s hard to express in words'
FILE - Members BTS pose for photos during the Golden Disk Awards in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 5, 2020. Now, the gift has returned to them — in the form of their first Grammy nomination. “‘Dynamite’ gave us huge success in Korea, of course, a Grammy nomination, a performance, so you know, life is really interesting." “It’s really hard to express in words,” Jimin said of the nomination. They said the Grammy nomination does create some pressure for the next batch of songs they produce, but they’re not letting the success get to their heads.
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New this week: 'Cherry,' 'Bloodlands' & Kids' Choice Awards
This combination photo shows key art for the Acorn TV series "Bloodlands," premiering March 15, left, key art for the Apple TV+ film "Cherry," center, and key art for Nickelodeons "Kids Choice Awards," hosted by Kenan Thompson and airing on March 13. (Acorn TV/Apple TV+/Nickelodeon via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Ad—AP Film Writer Jake CoyleMUSIC— The 2021 Grammys will hand out 84 awards Sunday, but what’s more exciting? Other performers include Chris Martin, John Mayer, Doja Cat, Maren Morris, DaBaby, HAIM, Lil Baby, Brandi Carlile, Roddy Ricch, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Mickey Guyton and Black Pumas. Ad— Grown-ups don’t have a lock on awards shows, as Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards proves once again.
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Grammy performers: Taylor Swift, BTS, Cardi B, Billie Eilish
FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2019 photo, Billie Eilish performs during the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas. Eilish will perform at this month's Grammy Awards. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Taylor Swift, BTS, Cardi B and Billie Eilish are set to perform at next week’s Grammy Awards. The Grammys were originally supposed to take place on Jan. 31 but were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Beyoncé is leading nominee with nine, followed by Swift, Lipa and Ricch, who each earned six nominations.

Grammy Awards shift to March due to pandemic conditions
NEW YORK – The 2021 Grammy Awards will no longer take place this month in Los Angeles and will broadcast in March due to a recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the crisis in California, has surpassed 11,000 COVID-19 deaths and has had 40% of the deaths in California. An average of six people die every hour from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, which has a quarter of the state’s 40 million residents. Beyoncé’s “Black Is King," which aired on Disney+, is nominated for best music film while “Brown Skin Girl,” a song dedicated to dark- and brown-skinned women, is nominated for best music video. The BET Awards was the first major awards show during the pandemic and was a success thanks to its artsy, highly produced, well-crafted pre-taped performances.
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AP's song of the year: Keedron Bryant's 'I Just Wanna Live'
This cover image released by Warner Records shows "I Just Wanna Live," by Keedron Bryant. Bryant's song was named one of the top 10 of the year by the Associated Press. Keedron Bryant, “I Just Wanna Live": During times of turmoil and unrest, people respond differently. She asked her son, then 12-year-old Keedron Bryant, to sing the song and the rest is for the history books. The song not only helped Keedron Bryant land a record deal, it helped heal the world at a time when music is a language that unites us all.
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New this week: Jingle Ball 2020 & 2 doses of Meryl Streep
MOVIES— Travel may seem closed off right now but how about a cruise with Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen? — If one Streep film wasn’t enough for you, she’s again in typically fine form in “The Prom,” parodying a diva actor in Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical. — AP Film Writer Jake CoyleMUSIC— Jon Bon Jovi has already produced an album this year with “2020” and the concert film "On a Night Like This — Bon Jovi 2020." — AP Entertainment Writer Mark KennedyTELEVISION— This season’s winner for lengthy title: “High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special,” debuting Friday on Disney +. — The CW’s “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2020,” a 90-minute special based on the annual concert, will air at 8 p.m. EST Monday, Dec. 14.
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Bad Bunny is Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2020
The Puerto Rican superstar is the music platform’s most-streamed artist of the year with 8.3 billion streams globally. With more than 3.3 billion streams, Bad Bunny’s sophomore solo album “YHLQMDLG” tops Spotify’s list of most-streamed albums globally. The album’s single, “Blinding Lights,” is Spotify’s most-streamed song of the year with 1.6 million streams globally. In the U.S., late rapper Juice WRLD was the most-streamed artist on Spotify. His album “Legends Never Die” was the platform’s most-streamed album in the U.S., while Ricch’s “The Box” was the country's most-streamed song.
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Bad Bunny caps week of awards and Grammy-noms with new album
FILE - Bad Bunny performs a medley at the Billboard Latin Music Awards in Las Vegas on April 25, 2019. Bad Bunny, who has nine nominations at the 2020 Latin Grammys, will also perform at the awards show on Nov. 19. AP: You had to cancel your planned performance at the American Music Awards after testing positive for the coronavirus. More than a Bad Bunny album, this is a Benito album. Bad Bunny: It forced me to be even more productive because I was alone at home doing nothing.
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BTS, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa react to Grammy noms
Oh my God.” — Megan Thee Stallion, during a livestream after the Recording Academy president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told the Houston-based rapper about her nominations. —“Ohhhhh I need a bad (explicit) Grammy date.” — Freddie Gibbs, whose album “Alfredo” is nominated for best rap album, said on Twitter. —“You’re joking,” — a teary-eyed Dua Lipa, nominated six times including for album, record and song of the year, said during a livestream. Her album “Lady Like” is nominated for best country album, while “More Hearts Than Mine” featuring Sam Ellis and Derrick Southerland is up for best country song. !” — Billy Ray Cyrus, the father of Noah Cyrus, who is nominated for best new artist, said on Instagram.
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A 'Black Parade' Grammys: Beyoncé leads with 9 nominations
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Beyoncé is bringing her Black parade to the Grammys: The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine. A winner of 24 Grammys, Beyoncé becomes the second-most nominated act in the history of the awards show with 79 nominations. Beyoncé is only behind her husband Jay-Z and Quincy Jones, who have both earned 80 nominations each. Jay-Z picked up three nominations this year for his contributions to Beyoncé’s songs: He co-wrote “Black Parade” and “Savage,” thus earning nominations for song of the year, best R&B song and best rap song. Instead, multiple nominations went to Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch, who each earned six nominations and followed Beyoncé as the second-most nominated acts.
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New this week: 'Saved by the Bell,' Miley Cyrus & McCarthy
(Trae Patton/Peacock via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. The Melissa McCarthy comedy, her latest with director-husband Ben Falcone ("Tammy," “The Boss"), had been headed to theaters but will instead debut Thursday on HBO Max. —AP Film Writer Jake CoyleMUSIC— Miley Cyrus is ready to rock ‘n’ roll on her new album. The pop star recruited some famous rock stars to help on her seventh studio release “Plastic Hearts,” including Stevie Nicks, Billy Idol and Joan Jett. Everyone wears wear full hazard protection gear as they navigate a “giant house of cards.”— Can you have a “Saved by the Bell” without Screech?
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Swift wins top prize at AMAs, says she's re-recording music
In this screen shot provided by ABC on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2020, Taylor Swift accepts the award for artist of the year at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (ABC via AP)NEW YORK – Taylor Swift won her third consecutive artist of the year prize at the American Music Awards, but she missed the show for a good reason: She said she's busy re-recording her early music after her catalog was sold. She also won favorite music video and favorite pop/rock female artist, winning three honors and tying Bieber, Dan + Shay and the Weeknd for most wins Sunday. Breakthrough singer-rapper Doja Cat performed and won new artist of the year and favorite soul/R&B female artist. And Megan Thee Stallion — won favorite rap/hip-hop songs for “WAP" with Cardi B — performed “Body" from her recently released debut album “Good News."
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And the Grammy nomination goes to ... Megan? Harry? Weeknd?
Others who may earn nominations include Lewis Capaldi, Summer Walker, Morgan Wallen, Doja Cat, BLACKPINK, Ingrid Andress, Snoh Aalegra, Skip Marley, Mickey Guyton and CNCO. Ricch should also earn nominations for his guest appearance on DaBaby’s international hit “Rock Star,” helping him become the show’s overall top nominee. ________FOLKS LOVE FOLKLORETaylor Swift’s last two albums, “Lover” and “reputation,” didn’t earn nominations for album of the year. The seven-member group’s hit “Dynamite” could snag a nomination for best pop duo/group performance, and their latest album could compete for best global music album. 3 on pop charts, should earn a nomination for best country performance and best country song.
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Cardi B, Dolly Parton, Dua Lipa to be honored by Billboard
NEW YORK – Cardi B has only released one major single this year — the hit “WAP" — but it's enough for Billboard to name her Woman of the Year. Billboard announced the honor Wednesday and the Grammy-winning rapper will be celebrated at the music brand's 15th Annual Women in Music Event, which will stream live on Dec. 10 at billboardwomeninmusic.com at 8 p.m. EDT. Jennifer Lopez will receive the Icon Award at the event and Dolly Parton will earn the Powerhouse Award. Other honorees include pop star Dua Lipa (Powerhouse Award), R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle (Rising Star Award) and singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez (Impact Award). Outside of “WAP" — which co-stars Megan Thee Stallion and spent four weeks at No.
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BTS, Lady Gaga win top awards at MTV Europe Music Awards
FILE - Korean pop band BTS attends the 2019 Variety's Hitmakers Brunch in West Hollywood, Calif., on Dec. 7, 2019. The South Korean boy band BTS HAS won a leading four awards including best song for Dynamite and best group at the MTV Europe Music Awards Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020 while Lady Gaga took home the best artist prize. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
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BTS, Lady Gaga win top awards at MTV Europe Music Awards
The South Korean boy band BTS HAS won a leading four awards including best song for Dynamite and best group at the MTV Europe Music Awards Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020 while Lady Gaga took home the best artist prize. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)The South Korean pop group BTS won a leading four awards including best song for “Dynamite” and best group at the MTV Europe Music Awards Sunday night, while Lady Gaga took the best artist prize. Coldplay won best rock, Haley Williams got best alternative and Little Mix was named best pop. And the best Latin award went to Karol G, who also won best collaboration for “Tusa” featuring Nicki Minaj. David Guetta, who won best electronic, also performed at the show from a stage in Budapest.
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The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch lead AMA nominations with 8 each
In this video grab issued Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020, by MTV, The Weeknd performs "Blinding Lights" during the MTV Video Music Awards. (MTV via AP)LOS ANGELES – The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch are the leading nominees for this year’s American Music Awards with eight apiece. Many, like the BET Awards, Country Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards, have opted for a mix of live and pre-taped performances. Billie Eilish, an awards favorite since her sweeping wins at the Grammy Awards, scored two nominations, for favorite alternative rock artist and favorite social artist. Dan + Shay earned three nominations, including for favorite country duo or group, where they’re up against Florida Georgia Line and Old Dominion.
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Celebrities unite to various get-out-the-vote efforts
This combination photo shows Justin Bieber, from left, Dua Lipa and Demi Lovato who will take part in various planned events urging Americans to vote. (AP Photo)NEW YORK – In the final days before the U.S. election, celebrities from Kerry Washington to Billie Jean King and Danai Gurira are urging Americans to vote. — The hourlong “Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy” will be hosted by Alicia Keys, America Ferrera and Kerry Washington. — The NFL's voting campaign includes Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Russell Wilson, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley. There's also an “Latinos Vote” extension campaign with NFL legends and celebrities encouraging the Latino community to vote that includes Victor Cuz, Roberto Garza and Wilmer Valderrama.
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New this week: Mariah Carey, Gloria Steinem & 'South Park'
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES— "The Glorias ": Julie Taymor's film, based on Gloria Steinem's 2015 book “My Life on the Road,” is a biopic with verve and flair. Johnson's latest, premiering Friday on Netflix, is a playful eulogy to her father as she slowly loses him to dementia. — AP Music Editor Mesfin FekaduTELEVISION— If laughter is good medicine, then it’s “South Park” to the rescue. Meanwhile, Randy deals with his alleged role in the viral outbreak that has the town of South Park on defense.