Heat exhaustion is the cause of death of a Brazilian fan who attended a concert of singer Taylor Swift in November, a forensics report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday shows.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, passed out during Swift's second song in the Nov. 17 concert in Rio de Janeiro, "Cruel Summer," and died hours later at a local hospital. Temperatures in the city that day were at about 40 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit).
Full StoryPop star Shakira was immortalized in her Colombian hometown of Barranquilla, where officials unveiled a giant bronze statue of the music diva known around the world for her catchy tunes and exhilarating moves.
The six-meter (20-feet) tall monument depicts the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner in one of her famous belly dancing outfits, with her hips swaying to her right and her arms raised gracefully toward the sky.
Full StoryThe rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has a long history of making antisemitic comments, apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post written in Hebrew on Tuesday.
"I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions," Ye wrote.
Full StoryLee Sun-kyun, a popular South Korean actor best known for his role in the Oscar-winning movie "Parasite," was found dead in a car in Seoul on Wednesday, authorities said, after weeks of an intense police investigation into his alleged drug use.
Police and emergency officers initially found Lee in what they believed was an unconscious state in the car parked on a street in northern Seoul. Emergency officers later confirmed he was dead, according to Seoul's Seongbuk police station.
Full StoryIt's perhaps appropriate that the latest Aquaman movie is about a lost kingdom. In many ways, this mini-franchise is just that, a Jason Momoa kingdom that could just quietly sink below the cinematic waves.
At least Momoa is going out swinging in "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom," an overstuffed tale that goes from desert to ice, steals from other movies like a coked-up magpie and says goodbye at the near-operatic level of a mid-franchise Marvel flick. Much of it doesn't happen underwater at all.
Full StoryWomen's rights activists have criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for appearing to take sides with actor Gérard Depardieu by saying the film star who is facing sexual misconduct allegations "makes France proud."
Speaking on Wednesday night on TV channel France 5, Macron described himself as a "big admirer" of a "great actor." Macron added: "He makes France proud."
Full StoryExuberant performances from a cast led by Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks breathe life into Blitz Bazawule's stirring "The Color Purple," adapted from the Tony-winning Broadway production.
Alice Walker 's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel, which Steven Spielberg turned into the 1985 film, may be an unlikely book for such bright adaptations. Walker's novel, told through Celie's letters penned to God, is harrowingly bleak in its tale of trauma, poverty, abuse and rape. Much of Walker's "The Color Purple" doesn't scream song and dance.
Full StoryThe "Barbie" power ballad "I'm Just Ken" and AP and Frontline's documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" just got one step closer to an Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday shortlists in 10 categories, including best original song, documentary feature, international feature, original score, and crafts like hair and makeup, visual effects and sound.
Mstyslav Chernov's "20 Days in Mariupol" was shortlisted in both the documentary and international feature categories, representing Ukraine in the latter.
Full StoryShe's Barbie. He's just Ken. And now, it's Christmas.
On Wednesday, Ryan Gosling — the Ken to Margot Robbie's "Barbie" in the film — released the "I'm Just Ken" EP alongside collaborators Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. It features the original Grammy-nominated, '80s-style power ballad from the movie, also titled "I'm Just Ken," as well as three remixes: the stripped down "I'm Just Ken (In My Feelings Acoustic)," the dance floor ready "I'm Just Ken (Purple Disco Machine Remix)," and the festive "I'm Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie)."
Full StoryA romance that united sports and music fans, a celestial wonder that drew millions of eyes skyward and a spiritual homecoming for some Native American tribes were just some of the moments that inspired us and brought joy in 2023.
In a year that saw multiple wars, deadly mass shootings, earthquakes, wildfires, sexual harassment stories and other tragedies, these events were among those that broke through the tumult of 2023 and made people feel hopeful.
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