'SNL' 50th season premiere gets more than 5M viewers, its best opener since 2020

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NEW YORK -- The 50th season of “Saturday Night Live” is off to a strong ratings start and is a record-breaker for the streaming service Peacock.

NBC said Monday that 5.3 million people watched the premiere live, the best opening for the show since 2020, when Alec Baldwin reprised his role as then-President Donald Trump and Chris Rock hosted with musical guest Megan Thee Stallion.

The sketch comedy show welcomed back several alums this weekend for its opening skit about this year's U.S. presidential race, with Maya Rudolph playing Kamala Harris and Dana Carvey playing President Joe Biden.

The episode is the most-watched “SNL” ever on Peacock in its first weekend, NBC said.

Jean Smart hosted the 50th season premiere and country sensation Jelly Roll was the musical guest.

The opening sketch could be a preview of the season ahead, with alum Andy Samberg returning to play Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, and actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan playing Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Only Rudolph as Harris was expected, although “SNL” hadn't confirmed she would reprise the role.

The first “SNL” episode aired Oct. 11, 1975, with Lorne Michaels at the helm, just as he is now.

George Carlin hosted then and the show introduced its first cast of the so-called Not Ready for Prime Time Players: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris.

Comedian Nate Bargatze is hosting this weekend's “SNL,” with Coldplay appearing as the musical guest. NBC will air a three-hour live “SNL” celebration on Feb. 16 to mark the anniversary.

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October 01, 2024 at 12:11PM

Book Review: 'The Last Dream,' short stories scattered with the seeds of Pedro Almodovar films

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The seeds of Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's later cinematic work are scattered throughout the pages of “The Last Dream,” his newly published collection of short writings.

The stories and essays were gathered together by Almodóvar's longtime assistant, including many pieces he said he forgot about long ago. One, called “The Life and Death of Miguel,” dates back more than a half-century to the period shortly after he graduated from high school.

The screenwriter and director of iconic films like “Volver,” “Everything About My Mother,” and the breakout hit “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” writes that reading these shorter pieces again gave him new insights about himself and his work.

“Everything is in this book,” Almodóvar writes. “In it, I discover that, when I first got to Madrid in the early seventies, I was already the person I would become."

He said his story “The Visit” was transformed in 2004 into “Bad Education," a Spanish drama film he wrote and directed about a transgender woman who was sexually molested by a priest at a Roman Catholic boarding school.

In “The Visit,” Almodóvar, a gay man who was educated at a Catholic school in provincial Spain, writes about a student being forced to grope one priest, and then describes another priest who hears confession dressed as a woman.

There is also an homage to his friend and muse Chavela Vargas, a gender bending, Costa Rican-born singer who was beloved in her adopted country of Mexico, as well as in Spain, for her interpretations of traditional ranchera music from a masculine perspective.

But the main piece, the one the book takes its title from, is the star of the pack, as Almodóvar ruminates on his beloved mother's life and death, her habit of inventing happy details in the family letters she read as a favor to the illiterate neighbor who sought her help.

“My mother would fill in the gaps in the letters, tell the neighbors what they wanted to hear, often things the writers had probably forgotten but would happily have signed their names to,” he wrote.

It seems to be a memory Almodóvar has carried with him while creating his transgressive, sometimes mysterious films.

“These improvisations were a great object lesson to me,” Almodóvar writes. "They set out the difference between fiction and reality, and how reality needs fictions in order to be more complete, more pleasurable, more bearable."

___

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

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September 30, 2024 at 11:48PM

Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor who brought gritty realism to country music, has died at 88

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Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor who brought gritty realism to country music, has died at 88
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September 30, 2024 at 10:47AM

Valentino's new designer puts on maximalist Paris ready-to-wear debut

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PARIS -- Alessandro Michele’s eagerly awaited ready-to-wear Paris Fashion Week debut at Valentino was unveiled in a setting that hinted at a transformation— a living room in flux. Stools, ladders, and lamps shrouded beneath white blankets evoked a house renovation, signaling not just change, but a conscious revival of past glories. The scene, poetic and subdued, perfectly set the stage for a “maximalist-lite” spectacle that was equally haunted by history and illuminated by Michele’s unique flair.

Meanwhile, under the soaring ceilings of the École des Beaux Arts, overlooking the Seine, Sean McGirr’s sophomore ready-to-wear show for Alexander McQueen arrived with a palpable sense of relief. The shift in setting — from a bleak industrial warehouse outside Paris to this iconic venue — reflected a fresh start for McGirr, whose uncertain debut had left critics shivering, both literally and figuratively. Now, with the benefit of more time to prepare, McGirr appeared more at ease, though hints of his sometimes overly simplistic approach still lingered.

Here are some highlights of spring-summer 2025 ready-to-wear shows:

The mood was set with haunting music and the steady beat of a drum, creating an ambiance charged with drama and anticipation. Michele, who made headlines earlier this year after being named the new creative director of Valentino, following his successful reign at Gucci, brought with him much of his recognizable style. Yet there was a distinctive evolution in his vision — less overtly ostentatious, but still unmistakably eclectic.

Feathers floated on hats, soft and playful. Lingerie peeked through delicate layers. Flowers, fortune tellers’ hats, sparkling embellishments — all coalesced into an eclectic wardrobe that carried a vintage feel. Michele, it seemed, was teasing apart the DNA of both houses he knows intimately: the exuberance of Gucci and the ethereal heritage of Valentino.

Some of the pieces felt familiar to longtime Valentino admirers: the feminine nipped-waist dress, the floppy floral gown with its tiered skirt, and the iconic Valentino red that made its dramatic entrance. Yet in Michele’s hands, these classics were playfully twisted — feathers replaced fur on a billowing stole, and the result was a softer, more modern take that eschewed excessive luxury.

Jared Leto was among the VIPs who sat in the front row, a testament to Michele’s continued draw among Hollywood’s elite. The designer, who had risen to international recognition by infusing Gucci with his beloved “Geek-Chic” aesthetic, seemed to bring a similar ethos to Valentino, though filtered through a more graceful, couture lens.

Throughout his tenure at Gucci, Michele was celebrated for prioritizing his personal vision over the often suffocating codes of heritage houses, and Sunday’s show echoed that defiant spirit.

The opening tailored suit, its lapels rolled as if to ward off an unexpected London downpour, seemed a pointed metaphor — perhaps a shield against the relentless skepticism that followed his first runway outing. This season, McGirr turned to a reference steeped in both his heritage and McQueen’s early days: the dark romance of the “Banshee” show. In doing so, he anchored his own identity more deeply in the label’s legacy, embracing a Gothic allure that was more commercially viable this time around.

It was a collection of contrasts. The precise tailoring echoed McQueen’s subversion of British suiting, twisting and clutching fabric in ways that seemed as though it had been caught in a sudden gust. However, this wasn’t always effective. One such example — a jagged, off-white tuxedo — felt more like a costume of restraint. This overly simplistic take on tailoring lacked the subtle layering and tension that distinguished Sarah Burton’s previous work for the house.

Where McGirr truly shone, however, was in his eveningwear — an area that has become increasingly vital in the era of celebrity-driven fashion. The shimmering embroideries and featherlight silks, frayed and distressed in lilac georgette, signaled his understanding of red carpet glamour. The brushed white chiffon minidress, paired with a gold beaded and sequined jacket, made a convincing case for the designer’s growing confidence. And when the silver chains traced the body’s lines, their intricate embroidery brought a level of audacity that was finally worthy of McQueen.

The night’s high point was a look of pure excess: an extreme gown embroidered with glistening silver chains that seemed to catch every glimmer of light in the venue. It was an ensemble that Daphne Guinness herself — who watched approvingly from the front row — might have worn in a heartbeat.

Despite his strides, McGirr’s sophomore effort still carried the weight of a designer learning the ropes of a storied brand.

Akris’ Sunday collection had the audience leaning in, not for any over-the-top spectacle, but for the luxurious subtleties that Albert Kriemler so masterfully crafts. The designer, true to form, took the trench coat idea — a staple of the wardrobe — and transformed it into something distinctly Akris. With utilitarian detailing threaded through every seam, this was an exercise in functional luxury, the kind that Kriemler has long perfected. His designs don’t shout; they whisper.

The collection opened with takes on trenches, each reimagined to fuse practicality with fashion-forward flair. Minimalism, too, reigned supreme, with looks that kept embellishments at bay to let the craftsmanship shine. A flat, clean-cut fabric top paired with culottes nodded to the timeless Akris aesthetic — unfussy, luxurious, and quietly powerful. This was minimalism of the highest quality, a testament to Kriemler’s commitment to making clothes that defy the viral trend, focusing instead on timeless appeal.

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September 29, 2024 at 10:41PM

As theaters struggle, many independent cinemas in Los Angeles are finding their audience

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LOS ANGELES -- On a hot summer evening, Miles Villalon lined up outside the New Beverly Cinema, hours before showtime.

The 36-year-old already had tickets to the Watergate-themed double feature of 1976's “All the President’s Men” and 1999's “Dick.” But Villalon braved Los Angeles' infamous rush-hour traffic to snag front-row seats at Quentin Tarantino's historic theater.

This level of dedication is routine for the Starbucks barista and aspiring filmmaker, who typically sees up to six movies a week in theaters, and almost exclusively in independently owned theaters in and around Los Angeles.

“I always say it feels like church,” he said. “When I go to AMC, I just sit there. And I can’t really experience that communal thing that we have here, where we’re all just worshipping at the altar of celluloid.”

Streaming — and a pandemic — have radically transformed cinema consumption, but Villalon is part of a growing number of mostly younger people contributing to a renaissance of LA’s independent theater scene. The city’s enduring, if diminished, role as a mecca of the film industry still shapes its residents and their entertainment preferences, often with renewed appreciation after the pandemic.

Part of what makes the city unique is its abundance of historic theaters, salvaged amid looming closures or resurrected in recent years by those with ties to the film industry. Experts see a pattern of success for a certain kind of theater experience in Los Angeles.

Kate Markham, the managing director at Art House Convergence, a coalition of independent cinema exhibitors, said a key factor is the people who run these theaters.

“They know their audiences or their potential audiences, and they are curating programs and an environment for them to have an exceptional experience,” she wrote in an email.

Tarantino pioneered the trend when he purchased the New Beverly in 2007. After Netflix bought and restored the nearby Egyptian Theater, which first opened in 1922 as a silent movie house, the company reopened it to the public in November in partnership with the nonprofit American Cinematheque. It's now a bustling hub, regularly welcoming A-list celebrities premiering their projects as well as film buffs willing to stick around for hourslong marathons, like a recent screening of four Paul Thomas Anderson movies.

Further east is Vidiots. Previously existing as a Santa Monica video store before it closed in 2017, Vidiots reopened across town five years later with the addition of a 271-seat theater, bar and new crop of devotees.

“It’s literally my favorite place to be outside of my own snuggly home,” said filmmaker and actor Mark Duplass, a financial backer of Vidiots alongside dozens of other high-profile names, including Aubrey Plaza and Lily Collins.

What draws people to independent theaters can vary, from older programming to elevated food-and-drink offerings to lower prices. But many agree, above all, there is a communal aspect chains can’t match.

“The bigger places obviously have premium formats and stuff like that. But I think there’s a lot less communal connection” said Dr. Michael Hook, who attended a matinee of “Seven Samurai” at Vidiots with a Children’s Hospital Los Angeles co-worker. “You’re not just milling around with people who also have selected to go to a three-hour-long 1950s Japanese movie.”

Although the pandemic was a blow from which the box office has yet to recover, it also served as a pruning that made the movie theater landscape more sustainable for the streaming era, according to Janice O’Bryan, Comscore’s senior vice president.

“COVID weeded out some of the stuff that needed to close anyway,” O’Bryan said of the more than 500 theaters that closed nationwide. “I think that it made everything healthier.”

The theaters that survived have found niches, sometimes purposefully eschewing the chains' 4DX, reclining seats and dining services.

“For the types of films that we show, I definitely don’t want waiters walking around, bringing stuff to people and hearing the scraping of cutlery on plates,” laughed Greg Laemmle, who co-runs the Laemmle Theaters, a fixture of independent cinema in Los Angeles for nearly a century.

But Laemmle acknowledges the importance of giving audiences options beyond popcorn and soda, especially as an additional revenue source. Embracing food and drinks can sometimes turn the theater into a unique destination.

“When I normally go to a movie theater, I show up two minutes before the movie starts,” Duplass said. “I go to Vidiots like 45 minutes before the movie starts so I can get my chilled Junior Mints, I can have a drink at the bar, see some people. I go and walk around the video store.”

In February, more than 30 filmmakers — including Jason Reitman, Steven Spielberg, Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan — acquired Westwood’s Village Theater in an effort to preserve it. Also coming to the red-carpet premiere favorite? A restaurant, bar and gallery.

Like the rest of the country, LA movie theaters have had their share of pandemic-inflicted challenges — some exacerbated by last summer's strikes — including fewer movies to show.

And not all theaters have found their Tarantino or Reitman. The iconic Cinerama Dome’s closure was a blow to the city's cinephiles. Though owned and operated by the ArcLight Cinemas chain when it closed in April 2021, the Dome was a kind of singularity in Hollywood, a regular premiere spot memorialized in film and a symbol of the city's place in the industry.

Its fate remains in limbo, with reported delays to the targeting reopening date, despite parent company Decurion Corporation, who couldn’t be reached for comment, being granted a liquor license for the multiplex in July 2022.

The venues that have been preserved often have done so through some form of benefaction or aid, like the $16 billion federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, which Laemmle used during the pandemic. He said the funds were a needed bandage in June 2021. But a full recovery has been slow.

“It provided some some stability. How much remains to be seen,” he said. “The waters are still muddy.”

In some ways, thanks to the city’s history, culture and surfeit of theaters, this renaissance is restricted to Los Angeles, admits Bryan Braunlich, the executive director of the National Association of Theatre Owners Cinema Foundation.

Tarantino, who declined to be interviewed, is less likely to purchase a dying revival house in Peoria, Illinois. But, Braunlich argued, that doesn’t mean this trend can’t have an impact there.

“Hollywood and filmmakers are saying, ‘Hey, movie theaters matter,’” he said. “There are amazing independent theater owners that are thriving across the country. And I think they get a boost of confidence of like, ‘Yes, this is a great business to be in. This is a great business to invest in. And we’re not alone as film nerds doing this.’"

As Duplass reflected on his own introduction to cinema growing up in the suburbs of New Orleans, he recalled a trip to Vidiots to see “Raising Arizona” with his parents.

“I realized that I was the same age now that they were then when we first saw it in the movie theater together. And I got to hold my dad’s hand as we cried in that last scene,” he said. “We shared that movie, but we shared the passing of time in our favorite church, which is the movie theater.”

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September 29, 2024 at 10:26PM

She defended 'El Chapo.' Now this lawyer is using her narco-fame to launch a music career

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MEXICO CITY -- Riding in a black SUV with tinted windows, lawyer Mariel Colón rolls up to the gates of a remote mansion, strolling past a security guard side-by-side with Emma Coronel, the wife of notorious drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

Sporting suits and sunglasses, the pair stride into a dimly lit room full of slickly dressed men smoking cigars.

All to the roar of trumpets.

The scene is from “La Señora,” the latest music video from Colón, who spent several years working as a defense lawyer for Guzmán while he faced trial in a U.S. court. Now, at a time when regional Mexican music is becoming a global phenomenon, the 31-year-old is leveraging her association with the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel to launch her music career under the stage name of “Mariel La Abogada” (Mariel, the Lawyer).

“La Señora” features — and pays tribute to — Guzmán’s wife, who was released from prison last year and has struggled to find work. It paved the way for the two to model together last weekend during Milan Fashion Week, raising eyebrows in Italy and beyond.

“(My work) opens doors for me because of the morbid, because of people’s curiosity … They want to understand this,” Colón told The Associated Press. “I’ve always told people that Mariel is a singer who became a lawyer.”

The Puerto Rican daughter of a music director grew up listening to Mexican ballads, loving the brokenhearted passion infused in the music. She always wanted to be a singer, but her family pushed her to pursue a law degree.

She began working for Guzmán's defense team in 2018 after graduating from law school in the U.S. and stumbling upon a Craigslist ad seeking a part-time paralegal to help prepare a Spanish-speaking client for trial.

It was only later that she learned she would be working with Guzmán, taking him and Coronel as clients full time. She saw it as a “great opportunity professionally” and said she wasn't easily intimidated.

Once among the most wanted men in the world, Guzmán led his Sinaloa Cartel in a bloody war for control of the international drug trade, gaining a cinematic level of notoriety for his dramatic prison escapes before his extradition to the U.S. in 2017. Now his sons, known as “Los Chapitos,” are locked in a deadly power struggle with another faction of the cartel, leaving mutilated bodies around the state capital.

“(People ask) how I can do this job, that I’m part of the mafia, how can I sleep at night?” Colón said. “I don’t care what they say about me. I sleep very well at night.”

Colón is one of few people who maintain regular contact with Guzmán. She visits him three times a month in the maximum security prison in Colorado where he's serving a life sentence. She declined to discuss details of Guzmán’s cases, citing attorney-client privilege.

Seeking to build a rapport, Colón sings to Guzmán and other clients, who have included other Mexican drug traffickers and, for a brief time, Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

Colón serenades Guzmán with Mexican classics from bands including Los Alegres del Barranco and Tucanes de Tijuana. To this day, she said, he's among the first to hear her new music.

“Whatever genre, anything that was coming out that I liked, I would sing it to him because he doesn’t have a radio,” she said.

Her musical career began little more than a year ago, when she released her first video, “La Abogada,” which features Colón dressed in a pink suit, crooning to law enforcement from a courtroom. Like much of the genre, her music is diverse, ranging from percussion-heavy banda to character-focused ballads known as corridos.

“La Señora” features a table sprinkled with diamonds, Guzmán’s wife astride a trotting horse and strolling beside a pool.

Colón said the song was based on Coronel’s life, sending a message of redemption and second chances. It was also a way to offer the 35-year-old work, a condition of her probation.

Coronel, a former beauty queen, was released from prison last year after completing her three-year sentence for drug trafficking and money laundering in relation to her husband’s drug empire. Coronel declined to be interviewed.

“A small waist and beautiful eyes. A brain for business and a strong voice for the bad boys. She only shows her affectionate side to El Chaparrito,” Colón belts out in her ballad. “El Chaparrito,” meaning “the little shorty,” plays with Guzmán’s nickname.

Colón's musical rise coincides with a relative golden age of Mexican music, which grew 400% worldwide over the last five years on Spotify. In 2023, Mexican artist Peso Pluma bested Taylor Swift as the most streamed artist on YouTube.

While corridos have dominated for more than a century, young artists have filled stadiums by twisting the style on its head, mixing classic ballads with trap in corridos tumbados.

But it also cuts to the heart of a larger debate: Does the music capture the realities facing many Mexicans or does it glorify the narco-violence long plaguing the Latin American nation?

Narco culture has long been part of corridos, with many singers idealizing traffickers as “an aspirational figure going against the system,” said Rafael Saldívar, a researcher at the Autonomous University of Baja California.

“They’re cultural expressions speaking to the realities of the country,” Saldívar said. But “in a way they glorify these criminals, or do so in a way where some feel it’s pushing this kind of lifestyle.”

A classic example: king of corridos Chalino Sánchez used the violence around him in Sinaloa to spin lyrics while also calling out the “Sinaloa gang” for torturing and killing innocents. He was shot dead at a performance in the state's capital in 1992.

Last year, Peso Pluma – who paid homage to Guzmán in songs – was forced to cancel a show in Tijuana after the 25-year-old received threats from a rival of the Sinaloa Cartel that if he came it “would be your last performance.”

Later, Tijuana banned the performance of narco ballads altogether to protect “the eyes and ears” of youths as it tries to contain violence. Local authorities in northern states previously banned musicians singing narcocorridos.

Colón, who hasn't gone so far as to glorify arms or drugs, is quick to defend narcocorridos.

“There's a reason why Netflix did the ‘Narcos’ show, it's because there's an audience for it. It intrigues people,” she said. “That doesn’t mean they’re applauding or celebrating what this person did, but they do have a sort of admiration for this person or this person’s life. Not everything is violence. These people have hearts, they have families.”

While Colón plans to put out her first record in December, Coronel has leveraged “La Señora” to launch her career as a model and social media influencer.

April Black Diamond, the designer who asked Coronel and Colón to model in a side event during Milan Fashion Week, said her choice was met with “shock.”

“People evolve. My platform isn’t about judgment but about showing different dimensions of women, their strength, and resilience,” she wrote in a statement. The next day, photos of Coronel in one of the designer’s dresses appeared plastered on a billboard in New York's Times Square.

On Wednesday, Italy's National Fashion Chamber issued an “urgent” press release saying the show wasn't affiliated with official fashion week events and that brands need to follow its code of ethics.

Meanwhile, eyes on Colón and Coronel's video continue to grow, clocking around 750,000 views on YouTube.

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September 29, 2024 at 10:11PM

Footage of motorcade racing JFK to the hospital after he was shot sells for $137,500 at auction

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DALLAS -- Newly emerged film footage of President John F. Kennedy's motorcade speeding down a Dallas freeway toward a hospital after he was fatally wounded sold at auction Saturday for $137,500.

The 8 mm color home film was offered up by RR Auction in Boston. The auction house said the buyer wishes to remain anonymous.

The film has been with the family of the man who took it, Dale Carpenter Sr., since he recorded it on Nov. 22, 1963. It begins as Carpenter just misses the limousine carrying the president and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy but capturing other vehicles in the motorcade as it traveled down Lemmon Avenue toward downtown. The film then picks up after Kennedy has been shot, with Carpenter rolling as the motorcade roars down Interstate 35.

The shots had fired as the motorcade passed through Dealey Plaza in front of the Texas School Book Depository, where it was later found that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald had positioned himself from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor. The assassination itself was famously captured on film by Abraham Zapruder.

Carpenter's footage from I-35, which lasts about 10 seconds, shows Secret Service Agent Clint Hill — who famously jumped onto the back of the limousine as the shots rang out — hovering in a standing position over the president and Jacqueline Kennedy, whose pink suit can be seen. The president was pronounced dead after arriving at Parkland Memorial Hospital.

Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of the auction house, said in a news release that the film “provides a gripping sense of urgency and heartbreak.”

Carpenter's grandson, James Gates, said that while it was known in his family that his grandfather had film from that day, it wasn't talked about often. So Gates said that when the film, stored along with other family films in a milk crate, was eventually passed on to him, he wasn't sure exactly what his grandfather, who died in 1991 at age 77, had captured.

Projecting it onto his bedroom wall around 2010, gates was at first underwhelmed by the footage from Lemmon Avenue. But then, the footage from I-35 played out before his eyes. “That was shocking," he said.

The auction house has released still photos from the portion of the film showing the race down I-35, but it is not publicly releasing video of that part.

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September 29, 2024 at 10:17AM

'Saturday Night Live' launches 50th season with Jean Smart, Jelly Roll and maybe Maya as Kamala

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NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — “Saturday Night Live” is set to set off its 50th season with host Jean Smart and musical guest Jelly Roll.

Smart, the 73-year-old “Hacks” and “Designing Women” star who just won her sixth Emmy, has never hosted the NBC sketch comedy institution before in her more than 40-year career. She said on Instagram that the gig is a “bucket list” achievement for her.

Former cast member Maya Rudolph is reportedly returning to the show this season to play Vice President Kamala Harris, and if recent patterns of opening episodes with politics-of-the-moment are any indication, she could be in the premiere’s cold open at the top of the show.

Rudolph has popped up to play Harris before — and won an Emmy for it — but has yet to play the role of presidential candidate.

Lorne Michaels is still at the helm, just as he was for the first episode on Oct. 11, 1975, when George Carlin hosted and the nation got its first dose of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players: Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris.

There were two musical guests — Billy Preston and Janis Ian — playing two songs apiece, the norm in the early days.

The country singer and rapper Jelly Roll has the music role to himself Saturday, and like Smart he's a first-timer.

That debut show is documented and reenacted in the newly released Jason Reitman film “Saturday Night,” part of a wave of reflection and celebration the show is getting on the cusp of its 50th anniversary.

Upcoming episodes will feature host Nate Bargatze with musical guest Coldplay, Ariana Grande with Stevie Nicks, Michael Keaton with Billie Eilish, and John Mulaney with Chappell Roan.

Those shows will lead up to a three-hour primetime special on Feb. 16 that will serve as the official 50th season celebration. It's sure to feature a wide range of the many stars the show has spawned, including Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Downey Jr., Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell.

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September 28, 2024 at 09:02PM

At NY’s beloved Fall for Dance, highlights come from as far as Ukraine and as close as a few blocks

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NEW YORK -- The eclectic annual Fall for Dance festival is a beloved tradition among dance fans, not least for its $30 tickets — still quite a deal in New York, even if they began at $10 two decades ago.

But the best thing about it is still the variety it brings to the stage, with 15 acts over 11 days this year from artists around the world. This year’s highlights have come from as far as the Kyiv Opera House in Ukraine, and as close as a few blocks away.

You could call it a veritable United Nations of dance — which is exactly how the president of New York City Center, Michael Rosenberg, described it this week, introducing the third of five programs. He didn’t explicitly refer to the ongoing U.N General Assembly happening a bit further east, wreaking its usual traffic chaos.

There was a happier chaos happening onstage, a mishmash of extremely different styles of dance. As usual, the audience seemed to love it all — especially the more out-there elements, like dancers stalking the stage on stilts in the first program, courtesy of choreographer Andrea Miller and her Brooklyn-based Gallim company.

Fall for Dance has always lured a mix of known names — some of them trying out something new – with names unknown to most of the crowd. Among the familiar faces this year so far have been much-loved ballet stars Tiler Peck of New York City Ballet and Herman Cornejo of American Ballet Theatre, both choreographing this time (with Cornejo dancing, too).

The emotional highlight, though, was the two-night appearance of the National Ballet of Ukraine, a troupe that has managed to remain operating in Kyiv despite huge hardship. In its first New York performance in decades, the company opened the festival with “Wartime Elegy,” an evocative piece by one of the world’s leading choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky.

Currently an artist in residence at New York City Ballet, Ratmansky has a deep connection to the material. Born in St. Petersburg to a Russian mother and a Ukrainian father, he grew up in Kyiv. When he premiered “Wartime Elegy” at Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle in 2022, he unfurled and held aloft a Ukrainian flag during curtain calls. In program notes for Fall for Dance, he joins the dancers in honoring their colleagues who have fallen in warfare.

The piece, featuring four male and four female dancers, both began and ended on somber tones. But in the middle, men who’d been dressed in black suddenly appeared in folk costumes. The moody (and gorgeous) piano and strings music by Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov shifted to spirited tunes, and the men leaped into folk-style dancing with abandon.

The audience laughed along. But soon the dancers' bodies seemed to be collapsing, as the choreography again reflected pain, not joy. The curtain closed with one woman standing in arabesque, leg raised behind her, as if to say, quite like the troupe itself, that she wasn't going anywhere.

Peck, who has been starting to build an impressive choreographic resume as she continues to lead NYCB as one of its top ballerinas, presented one of three pieces commissioned by the festival: “Piano Songs,” a spirited solo for ABT dancer Aaron Bell, to the music of Meredith Monk. The 81-year-old composer delighted the crowd by appearing for a curtain call.

The highlight of another program was “The Specter of the Rose, by Cornejo, the Argentine dancer who recently celebrated his 25th anniversary with ABT. It was a reimagining of the short Fokine ballet about a young girl who returns from a ball in her gown and dreams of the spirit of the rose, who materializes to dance with her. Here, it was modernized, with Cornejo bare-chested and in jeans, and his partner, sprite-like ABT ballerina Skylar Brandt, in little jean shorts.

The dancing was everything you’d hope from two classical dancers at the top of their game, with Cornejo showing that the years have not diminished his high-flying leaps and turns — even in denim.

The festival continues through Sunday.

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September 28, 2024 at 07:47AM

Kamali's sophomore show for Chloé in Paris dazzled with lightness

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PARIS -- Chemena Kamali’s sophomore collection for Chloé was a luminous exploration of femininity, blending the house’s heritage with a fresh, sensual energy for spring. Set against a backdrop of sun-faded apricots, blushes and soft whites, the collection captured Kamali’s vision of a summer that she surmised as: “when you pause, escape, explore and recharge.” It celebrated Chloé’s free-spirited DNA, infused with a lightness that felt both nostalgic and forward-looking.

Here are some highlights of Thursday's shows at Paris Fashion Week:

“There’s a liberating expression of total freedom,” Kamali said, of her spring display.

This freedom flowed through silk charmeuse gowns, lingerie-inspired crop tops and peek-a-boo designs.

Echoes of Karl Lagerfeld’s 70s Chloé lingered in exaggerated shoulders and standout pieces, like a loose-fitting, vivid blue coat. “Chloé is not a passing moment; it’s an eternal state of mind,” Kamali noted, grounding her collection in the house’s long-standing ethos of optimism and instinct.

Layering played a central role, but Kamali kept it light and intuitive, reflecting what she called a “very personal way of dressing.” Sheer fabrics and sun-worn lace mixed effortlessly with ribbed jerseys, creating looks that felt weightless and spontaneous, a signature of Kamali’s debut collection. “What matters to me is the feeling and intuition,” she said.

A standout moment came in the form of a dramatic trapeze-shaped silk gown, its dynamic silhouette swirling with movement. It epitomized Kamali’s ability to honor Chloé’s romantic roots while infusing a modern sensibility. “The mood is light, weightless, sensual and joyful,” she explained. That joyful freedom was a defining thread from start to finish.

With her second outing, Kamali proved she is the right designer to lead Chloé. She crafted a spring collection that balanced nostalgia and sensuality while pushing the house toward a bright, optimistic future.

Casey Cadwallader delivered a striking debut for Mugler, equal parts theatrical and innovative. The hair, sculpted into harsh fringes like a viper’s fang, set the tone for a collection defined by sharp architectural lines. Curving lapels adorned tight jackets, while tendrils of latticed silk flowed into skirts that bled vibrant yellows, creating a visual spectacle.

The collection boldly embraced femininity, featuring a bust that echoed the form of seashells and a densely packed bustier resembling a diving whale. This daring aesthetic aligns with Cadwallader’s aim to infuse the brand with a fresh energy, moving away from the extravagance that some original Mugler fans long for. However, the theatrical elements, while captivating, may prompt questions about whether they overshadow the essence of traditional fashion presentation.

Oversized tubular arms complemented a webbed skirt-coat, while a transparent loose trench evoked the look of a sea medusa, reinforcing Cadwallader’s commitment to pushing boundaries. This collection showcases a provocative take on body-conscious design and inclusivity, aiming to resonate with a diverse audience.

Yet, Cadwallader’s choice to prioritize multimedia and performance raises concerns. Critics may feel this direction dilutes the brand’s identity, diverting from the high-fashion roots that established Mugler’s reputation. The sentiment that the house is now focused more on entertainment than on pure fashion is a conversation that continues to unfold.

As the audience reacted with applause, it was clear that while not everyone may embrace this new vision, those who do are eager for more.

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September 27, 2024 at 02:11AM

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan finalize their divorce after 6 years and avoid trial

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LOS ANGELES -- Actors Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan have reached a settlement to finalize their divorce and avoid a forthcoming trial, six years after she first filed to end their marriage and years after both entered other long-term relationships.

The couple stipulated to the terms in a court filing Wednesday. It means that Tatum and Dewan will avoid a trial, scheduled to begin in December, over the splitting of assets and custody of their 13-year-old daughter, Everly. The proceedings may have made many of their private details public.

Details of the settlement were kept confidential under the agreement, which must still be approved by a judge.

Both have long been in other relationships, Tatum with actor and director Zoë Kravitz and Dewan with actor Steve Kazee, with whom she has had two children.

Both Dewan and Tatum began their careers as dancers in music videos. They met as co-stars of the 2006 dance movie “Step Up.” They married in July 2009.

They announced their split in April 2018, saying jointly on social media that they had decided to “lovingly separate as a couple” but remained best friends.

She filed for divorce six months later, and in November of 2019, a judge declared them divorced and single. But a yearslong fight over finances and custody continued and appeared to be growing more heated as the trial approached.

Before the settlement, Dewan had been arguing for two separate trials, one over custody and one over finances. Tatum had objected.

Tatum starred in the “Magic Mike” movies and “21 Jump Street." He has an extended cameo in “Deadpool & Wolverine" and recently appeared as the lead in the Kravitz-directed “Blink Twice," but Tatum acted very little in the years immediately after the split.

“Time just kind of got away,” Tatum told The Associated Press in 2022. “Really, being a dad sort of just swept me away for almost four years. I kind of got lost in doing that.”

Dewan appeared in several other dance films after “Step It Up" and is now a regular on the ABC series “The Rookie.”

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September 27, 2024 at 01:18AM

Nevada high court orders dismissal of Chasing Horse sex abuse case but says charges can be refiled

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LAS VEGAS -- The Nevada Supreme Court has ordered the dismissal of a sprawling sex abuse indictment against Nathan Chasing Horse, while leaving open the possibility of charges being refiled in a case that sent shockwaves throughout Indian Country and led to more criminal charges in the U.S. and Canada.

Proceedings in the 18-count criminal case have been at a standstill for more than a year while the former “Dances with Wolves” actor challenged it. The full seven-member court’s decision, issued Thursday, reverses earlier rulings upholding the charges by a three-member panel of the high court and a state judge.

Kristy Holston, the chief deputy public defender representing Chasing Horse, had argued that a definition of grooming presented to the grand jury without expert testimony had tainted the state’s case. Holston said prosecutors also failed to provide the grand jury with evidence that could have cast a doubt on the allegations against Chasing Horse, including what she described as inconsistent statements made by one of the victims.

The high court agreed.

“The combination of these two clear errors undermines our confidence in the grand jury proceedings and created intolerable damage to the independent function of the grand jury process,” the court said in its scathing order.

Holston declined to comment. Prosecutor Stacy Kollins did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

The ruling directs the judge overseeing the case in Clark County District Court to dismiss the indictment without prejudice, meaning the charges can be refiled.

“The allegations against Chasing Horse are indisputably serious, and we express no opinion about Chasing Horse’s guilt or innocence,” the order says.

The high court’s order for dismissal won’t take effect immediately. Prosecutors have about three weeks to ask the court to reconsider.

Chasing Horse is charged with sexual assault of a minor, kidnapping and child abuse. He has pleaded not guilty.

The 48-year-old has been in custody since his arrest last January near the North Las Vegas home he is said to have shared with five wives. He is unlikely to be released from custody, even after the high court's decision, because he faces charges in at least four other jurisdictions, including U.S. District Court in Nevada and on the Fort Perk Indian Reservation in Montana.

Chasing Horse is best known for portraying Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves.” But in the decades since starring in the Oscar-winning movie, authorities said, he built a reputation as a self-proclaimed medicine man among tribes and traveled around North America to perform healing ceremonies.

He is accused of using that position to gain access to vulnerable girls and women starting in the early 2000s, leading a cult and taking underage wives.

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September 27, 2024 at 01:03AM

Movie Review: ‘Saturday Night’ is thinly sketched but satisfying

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We are at the apex of “Saturday Night Live” appreciation. Now entering its 50th year, “SNL” has never been more unquestioned as a bedrock American institution. The many years of cowbells, Californians, mom jeans, Totino's, unfrozen caveman lawyers and vans down by the river have more than established “SNL” as hallowed late-night ground and a comedy citadel.

So it’s maybe appropriate that Jason Reitman’s big-screen ode, “Saturday Night,” should arrive, amid all of the tributes, to remind of the show's original revolutionary force. Reitman’s film is set in the 90 minutes leading up to showtime before the first episode aired Oct. 11, 1975.

The atmosphere is hectic. The mood is anxious. And through cigarette smoke and backstage swirl rushes Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), who’s trying to launch a new kind of show that even he can’t quite explain.

“Saturday Night,” which opens in theaters Friday and expands in the coming weeks, isn’t a realistic tick-tock of how Michaels did it. And, while it boasts a number of fine performances, I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone hoping to see an illuminating portrait of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players.

No, Reitman’s movie is striving for a myth of “Saturday Night Live.” Michaels’ quest in the film — and though he never strays farther than around the corner from 30 Rock, it is a quest — is not just to marshal together a live show on this particular night, it's to overcome a cigar-chomping old guard of network television. (Milton Berle is skulking about, even Johnny Carson phones in.) In their eyes, Michaels is, to paraphrase Ned Beatty in “Network,” meddling with the primal forces of nature.

In mythologizing this generational battle, “Saturday Night” is a blistering barn-burner. In most other ways (cue the Debbie Downer trombone), it’s less good. Reitman, who penned the script with Gil Kenan, is too wide-eyed about the glory days of “SNL” to bring much acute insight to what was happening 50 years ago. And his film may be too spread thin by a clown car’s worth of big personalities. But in the movie’s primary goal, capturing a spirit of revolution that once might have seized barricades but instead flocks to Studio 8H, “Saturday Night” at least deserves a Spartan cheer.

A clock ticking down to showtime runs as ominously as it might in “MacGruber” throughout “Saturday Night.” Nothing is close to ready for air. John Belushi (Matt Wood) hasn’t signed his contract. Twenty-eight gallons of fake blood are missing. And, most pressing of all, the network is poised to air a Carson rerun if things don't take shape. An executive pleading for a script is told, “It’s not that kind of show.”

What kind is it? Michaels, himself, is uncertain. He’s gathered together a “circus of rejects,” most of them then unknown to the public. There is Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula) and Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien). Also in the mix are Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun), who spends much of the movie complaining about the untoward things the cast has been doing to Big Bird, Andy Kaufman (Braun again), Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podany) and the night’s host, George Carlin (Matthew Rhys).

Most of them pass too quickly to make too much of an impression, though a few are good in their moments — notably Smith, playing up Chase’s braggadocio, O’Brien and Morris. Garrett Morris, the cast's lone Black member, is in a quandary over his role — because of his race and because he was a playwright before being cast. Though “SNL” was revolutionary, it hardly arrived a finished product. Morris here is a reminder of the show’s sometimes — and ongoing — not always easy relationship to diversity, in race and gender.

It also wasn’t always such a break from what came before. When Chase faces off with Berle in a contest over Chase’s fiancee, Jacqueline Carlin (Kaia Gerber) — one of the movie’s few truly charged scenes — they seem more alike than either would like to admit.

It’s not a great sign for “Saturday Night” how much better the old guard is than the young cast. Along with Simmons’ Berle is Willem Dafoe’s NBC executive David Tebet. He provides the movie its most “Network”-flavored drama, seeing “a prophet” in Michaels and, despite wavering skepticism, urging him to be “an unbending force of seismic disturbance.” Also in the mix — and a reminder that the suits had newbies, too — is Dick Ebersol (a refreshingly genuine Cooper Hoffman ), a believer in Michaels but only up to a point.

Ultimately, this is Michaels’ show, and he’s played winningly by LaBelle, the “Fabelmans” star, even if the characterization, like much of “Saturday Night,” is a little thin. Sometimes by his side, as he races to get the show ready is the writer and Michaels’ then-wife, Rosie Shuster (the excellent Rachel Sennott), who you want more of.

It seems to be an unfortunate truth that dramatizations of “Saturday Night Live” inevitably kill it of laughter. That’s true here just as it was in Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” The exception to that, of course, is Tina Fey’s “30 Rock,” which was smart enough to abandon all the “SNL” mythology and focus on what’s funny.

This “Saturday Night” may have a legacy of its own; a lot of this cast, I suspect, will be around for a long time. And, ultimately, when the show finally comes together, it’s galvanizing. The cleverest thing about Reitman’s film is that it ends, rousingly, just where “SNL” starts.

“Saturday Night,” a Columbia Pictures release is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for language throughout, sexual references, some drug use and brief graphic nudity. Running time: 108 minutes. Three stars out of four.

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September 27, 2024 at 12:48AM

Biography of 18th century poet Phillis Wheatley is winner of George Washington Prize

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NEW YORK -- The author of a new biography of Phillis Wheatley, one of the country's first major poets, has received a $50,000 history award.

David Waldstreicher's “The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet's Journey Through American Slavery and Independence" is this year's winner of the George Washington Prize, which honors works arising from the Revolutionary War era. Wheatley was the first American Black woman to publish a book and was among the most famous writers of her time, her many admirers including Washington.

The Washington prize is jointly presented by Washington College, the Gilder Lehman Institute of American History and by the maintainers of Washington's home in Mount Vernon, Virginia.

“Phillis Wheatley was admired by George Washington, and she led an extraordinary American life. Despite enslavement to a Boston merchant family, she rose to become an unforgettable poet. Her exquisite verse was fearless in questioning issues such as slavery and discontent with British rule," Doug Bradburn, president and CEO of Mount Vernon, said in a statement. "David Waldstreicher’s compelling biography offers a long overdue account of Wheatley’s life and works, expanding our understanding of America’s complex history.”

The prize was created in 2005, with previous winners including Ron Chernow, Annette Gordon-Reed and Rick Atkinson.

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September 26, 2024 at 12:11PM

Movie Review: Visually stunning, emotionally powerful, 'The Wild Robot' is everything

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In the opening scenes of “The Wild Robot,” a chirpy metal android with a state-of-the-art processing unit wanders around a forest asking confused animals if it can help them, offering discount codes and stickers for future customers. “Did anyone order me?” it asks.

We did, it turned out. This adaptation of Peter Brown's winning middle grade novel is an absolute movie triumph, a soulful sweet-sad animated journey that may have your kids asking why you're tearing up so much. It is destined to be ordered and reordered.

Chris Sanders, the writer-director of “How to Train Your Dragon,” “The Croods” and “Lilo & Stitch,” is the writer and director here. The assignment is daunting: Turn a beloved book with a few illustrations into a full-length movie without losing its tangy heart. Sanders didn't just nail it; he lasered it.

“The Wild Robot” is the fish-out-of-water tale of a futuristic helper robot who ends up marooned on an island when a storm sinks its container ship. It learns to adapt and connect with critters it has no programming for, even adopting the cutest gosling you'll ever see (sorry, Ryan).

The robot — ROZZUM unit 7134, or “Roz” for short — is voiced by Lupita Nyong’o in a spectacularly nuanced performance, sprightly robotic at first and eventually natural and wry. The other voice actors — Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Matt Berry and Ving Rhames — aren't just hired guns that other animated movies use to entice an audience. Each is wonderfully calibrated.

The movie keeps the basic structure of the book but ups some characters — like elevating the importance of Pascal's red fox — and has a tendency to go a little Hollywood, like sending a robot army after Roz and setting everything on fire. But it never lags, the visual effects are startling, and its soul is intact.

“The Wild Robot” is often a story about programing — natural and artificial — and how that can help and hinder. “I do not have the programing to be a mother," Roz tells a mother possum (a superb O'Hara). She replies: “None of us does.”

Roz has ended up on an island where survival of the fittest and instinct are the rule, where animals don't sing and dance but struggle and hunt each other. “Kindness is not a survival skill,” our robot is told by the fox.

“The Wild Robot” is also a celebration of adoption and found families. The push-and-pull of being a parent is there, as is the celebration of friendship. And there is death, an honest reminder of the struggle to stay alive.

Visually, it is stunning, a textured world that is almost painterly. You can see snowflakes settle on mottled fur, moss on rocks, individual leaves in a den. The images of a tree covered in butterflies is so spectacular it should be a poster we all can frame. No offense to Roz, but regular computer-generated efforts — “Transformers One,” we're looking at you — look lackluster in comparison.

Roz accidentally causes the death of a goose family, save for an unbroken egg. That orphan is now Roz's obligation — she must teach it to eat, swim and fly, culminating in winter migration. And she must face tough questions — about how a robot came to raise a little goose. “He found where he belongs,” Roz says with cheerful sadness when her gosling swims to a group of geese.

What is home is another theme: Roz feels the pull to return to her factory but only out of obligation. Her heart is on this island and the friends she has made, especially after making a safe place for all creatures during a freezing winter. Her kindness changes the way the animals see each other, even if it cannot change their appetites.

Being a mother changes Roz, too, unmooring her from her ones and zeroes, making her improvise and even willing to break some rules, like learning to lie to create a creative bedtime story. A busted-up robot from the shipwreck is stunned by what Roz has become when she stops by to consult: “You should not feel anything at all.”

As for you? You're going to have all the feels. Surrender. Is this the best animated movie of the year? Totally, so far. It might even be the best movie of the year. See you at the Oscars, Roz.

“The Wild Robot,” a Universal release in theaters Friday, is rated PG for action/peril and thematic elements. Running time: 101 minutes. Four stars out of four.

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September 25, 2024 at 11:11PM

Rapper Fatman Scoop died of heart disease, medical examiner says

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HAMDEN, Conn. -- Hip-hop artist Fatman Scoop, who collapsed onstage while performing in Connecticut last month, died of heart disease, the state medical examiner's office has determined.

The official cause of death for the performer, born Isaac Freeman III, was hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a spokesperson for the Connecticut medical examiner's office said Wednesday.

Fatman Scoop, 53, collapsed while performing in Hamden on Aug. 30 and was taken to a hospital.

His family said later on Instagram that “the world lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.”

A New York City-born rapper and hype man, Fatman Scoop was known for his single “Be Faithful,” which topped charts in Europe in the early 2000s, and for his contributions to hits by Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey and others.

His family cherished him as “the laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage,” his relatives said.

“His music made us dance and embrace life with positivity," his family members said. "His joy was infectious and the generosity he extended to all will be deeply missed but never forgotten.”

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September 25, 2024 at 09:11PM

Judge suspends arrest order of a top Brazilian country music star amid money laundering probe

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RIO DE JANEIRO -- A Brazilian judge Tuesday suspended the preventive arrest of one of the country's most popular country music stars in connection with a money laundering investigation, a court source with access to the ruling told The Associated Press.

A court staffer in the state of Pernambuco confirmed that local Judge Eduardo Guilliod Maranhão issued a writ of habeas corpus to keep singer Gusttavo Lima out of jail in connection with the case. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the case, which is still sealed.

Another judge in Pernambuco state had ordered the singer's arrest for allegedly facilitating the escape of two people under investigation in the probe, which has already resulted in orders to arrest almost two dozen others.

The judge who ordered Lima's arrest, Andrea Calada de Cruz, wrote in her ruling that she was calling on Interpol to issue a red alert to apprehend four people still at large, noting that two of them traveled to Europe with Lima earlier this month and remained there.

Lima's attorneys said in a statement that the singer welcomed the habeas corpus granted on Tuesday. They said he believes the previous decision “established a series of assumptions” to seek his arrest.

Lima has 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify, 45 million followers on Instagram and 20 million on YouTube.

____

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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September 25, 2024 at 09:47AM

Book Review: Sally Rooney’s latest novel 'Intermezzo' examines unacknowledged grief

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Ivan and Peter Koubek’s father has just died, but neither seems willing to talk much about it, let alone to one another. After all, it’s not like the two brothers are even friends.

Peter, the eldest by a decade, pities his awkward, 22-year-old brother, a competitive chess player whose prowess for the game hasn’t done much to build his social skills or self-esteem. But after meeting Margaret, an older woman who’s emerging from the shadow of her own crisis, Ivan’s life has begun to blossom — and the same cannot be said for Peter. A human-rights lawyer — once optimistic, now jaded — Peter’s self-medicating and can’t stop sabotaging his relationships with Naomi, a wry, carefree college student, and Slyvia, his former flame and longtime love.

The days after tragedy are often hard to navigate and “Intermezzo,” the fourth novel from Irish author Sally Rooney, is a portrait of grief not fully internalized. In her astutely intimate style, Rooney wades through the convoluted emotions that follow tragedy: certainly heartache, but also relief and longing, guilt and joy, all on the cusp of transformation.

In sketching the contours of her characters, Rooney alternates between the perspectives as she did in her last novel, “Beautiful World, Where Are You.” Her dialogue, characteristically bare and without quotation marks, lends a distinct musicality to her prose.

As Peter’s mind becomes untethered by pills, Rooney’s close third-person voice dances over the line of spoken and unspoken, slurring together in long, drawn-out paragraphs as he wanders the streets of Dublin — meandering sentences broken by sharp staccatos of self-pity.

Ivan meanwhile, follows the well-trod path of other stunted men, intelligently methodical yet rambling, grasping at emotions with insufficient words. These instances of almost are where Rooney shines. She teases out near-ruptured emotions never fully felt by the conscience, untethering them from reality for our voyeuristic pleasure.

When Ivan first meets Margaret, Rooney notes that he has “an involuntary mental image of kissing her on the mouth: not even really an image, but an idea of an image, sort of a realization that it will be possible to visualize this at some later point.”

Margaret herself is struck by the uncanny sense that “life has slipped free of its netting” following her first encounter with Ivan. “It means nothing,” she thinks, then quickly course corrects. “That isn’t true: it means something, but the meaning is unfamiliar.”

This is often the meter of metamorphosis, the mundane swirl of emotions flirt past, illegible and unrealized until they inevitably burst, fully formed and so wholly overwhelming that they cannot be contained. And it is at this in-between, restrained and circumspect, where Rooney situates her novel — consider the title.

Intermezzo, an unexpected move in chess that interrupts the typical sequence of exchanges, is a risk that upends the game’s perceived balance, raising the stakes.

In the tense, messy contradictions of communal grief, Rooney weaves together beautiful whole cloth.

___

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

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September 24, 2024 at 09:11PM

Man convicted of sending his son to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock gets 31 years to life

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LOS ANGELES -- A man convicted of sending his 17-year-old son into a restaurant to rob and kill rapper PnB Rock was sentenced Monday to 31 years to life in prison.

Judge Connie Quinones handed down the sentence to Freddie Trone, 42, in Los Angeles County Superior Court. A jury on Aug. 7 found Trone guilty of one count of murder, two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery.

Both sides at Trone's trial agreed that the teen walked into Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles in South Los Angeles in September 2022 and shot the Philadelphia hip-hop star, whose legal name is Rakim Allen, while robbing him of his jewelry as he ate with the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.

The prosecution said he was acting on his father’s orders, while the defense, which plans to appeal, said Trone was only an accessory after the fact.

“I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Rakim Allen,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “His life was cut short by an act of violence that no family should have to endure.”

Trone's attorney, Winston McKesson, said he disagreed with the judge. He said she declined at sentencing to give the reasons why his client was a “major participant” in the crime, as usually occurs.

He told The Associated Press after the sentencing there was no evidence that Trone was part of planning a killing, nor evidence he knew his son was armed. McKesson said a gun found with Allen was not sufficiently explained at trial, and the jury violated the judge's instructions by doing its own investigating with the evidence, including slowing down video they were shown in real time. He plans to file a notice of appeal.

Deannea Allen, the rapper's mother, traveled from their hometown of Philadelphia to give a statement in the Compton courtroom.

“I do not understand how a parent could directly put their child in danger. I just can’t comprehend it. That one action had a ripple effect, and it has ruined many lives,” Deannea Allen said, according to Rolling Stone. “Rakim was the shining light in our family. He was a star to us.”

Trone's now-19-year-old son was also charged with murder but is in the custody of the juvenile system. A judge has found that he is not currently competent to stand trial.

The AP does not typically name minors who are accused of crimes.

PnB Rock was best known for his 2016 hit “Selfish” and for guest appearances on other artists’ songs such as YFN Lucci’s “Everyday We Lit” and Ed Sheeran’s “Cross Me” with Chance the Rapper. He was 30.

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September 24, 2024 at 08:26AM