NFL players score a shot at Hollywood through hands-on training sessions with filmmaker Deon Taylor
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) -- Filmmaker Deon Taylor has built a pipeline for pro athletes to transition into a filmmaking post career with the Hidden Empire Sports Collective. He recently launched the entertainment division focused on elevating athletes' voices through content creation and intellectual property development with training sessions with more than 20 former and active NFL players at his studio office in Santa Monica, California. It's the third year of program -- which has featured panelists including entertainers Tyrese Gibson and Master P along with NFL player Vernon Davis. This year, athletes eager to break into film had the opportunity to learn from Taylor and Ephraim Salaam, who successfully transitioned from the NFL to Hollywood.
Movie Review: 'Novocaine,' with Jack Quaid, is a shot of bloody action-comedy
The hero at the heart of "Novocaine" can't feel pain. The new film in theaters Friday stars Jack Quaid as Nate, an ordinary guy whose disability becomes his saving grace when attempting to save a hostage from violent criminals. Associated Press Film Writer says in her review that it might be a stretch in logic and overstay its welcome. But, Bahr says, "On the heels of some bad action comedies like 'Love Hurts,' 'Novocaine' is pretty enjoyable" thanks in part to Quaid's leading performance and the light touch of the never-too-serious script. A Paramount release, "Novocaine" is rated R.
Fluttering arms, aching calves, bursting lungs: 'Swan Lake' is a ballerina's Mount Everest
NEW YORK (AP) -- Much of the world knows the story of "Swan Lake," the most iconic of all ballets. Few know exactly how punishing the lead role of the swan queen can be. This season at New York City Ballet, three new swan queens arrived at the lake. The three ballerinas making debuts in the famed dual role of Odette/Odile say it was a childhood dream fulfilled -- and also one of the most difficult physical feats they've ever achieved. It's a role that demands stellar technique, uncommon physical stamina, emotional resilience, killer calves -- and even carbo-loading.
For busy actor Brian Tyree Henry, a change between projects seems to be as good as a rest
Since breaking out as rapper Paper Boi in the FX series "Atlanta," Brian Tyree Henry's become one of the busiest actors in Hollywood. He's worked with leading directors, including Barry Jenkins, and Steve McQueen, and big-name actors like Brad Pitt and Chris Hemsworth. Henry's been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony and an Oscar. His latest project, premiering Friday, is the limited series "Dope Thief" for Apple TV+. Henry and Wagner Moura play friends who pose as federal agents to seize -- or steal -- drugs and cash. Their lives are upended when they rob the wrong people.
Harvey Weinstein appears in court as judge issues rulings shaping his looming #MeToo retrial
NEW YORK (AP) -- Harvey Weinstein's #MeToo retrial next month will largely be an abridged version of the original, with one big addition: a charge based on an allegation from a woman who wasn't a part of the first case. But at a key pretrial hearing Wednesday, the disgraced movie mogul's lawyers cautioned that because Weinstein's 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction was overturned, the past isn't prologue -- it's almost entirely irrelevant. New York's Court of Appeals threw out Weinstein's conviction last year, setting the stage for a retrial starting April 15 in state court in Manhattan. Prosecutors say it could take about five weeks. How the retrial will play out began to take shape Wednesday as Judge Curtis Farber ruled on a number of outstanding issues.
Fashion trends for fall: Big shoulders, even bigger coats and a color story to dye for
PARIS (AP) -- Paris has spoken and fashion's final authority has laid down the law: This fall it's all about power shoulders, enveloping outerwear and a color palette that runs the gamut from somber to surreal. The Milanese softened up with romance and New York went hard on Y2K grunge. But Paris countered with a sense of sartorial surety in a wardrobe built for the sharp the serious, and the spectacular. Coats are enormous, tailoring is back in play and the drama is dialed up on every front.
Movie Review: An unhinged John Malkovich can't help the cult-horror misfire 'Opus'
In the new horror movie "Opus," we are introduced to Alfred Moretti, the biggest pop star of the '90s, with 38 No. 1 hits and albums as big as "Thriller," "Hotel California" and "Nebraska." If the name Alfred Moretti sounds a little unlikely for a global superstar, that's the first sign "Opus" is going to stumble, says Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy. John Malkovich leans into his regular off-kilter creepy to play the man at the center of this serious misfire, a movie that also manages to pull "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri back to earth. The R-rated mess lands in theaters Friday.
Amy Griffin's 'The Tell' is Winfrey's new book club choice
NEW YORK (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey has chosen a new memoir by venture capitalist Amy Griffin for her book club. Griffin's "The Tell" was published Tuesday and looks back at the childhood trauma that haunted Griffin as an adult. The book has been promoted as a "journey of healing and truth-telling." Griffin is the founder of G9 Ventures. Her investments have included Goop, Bumble and Hello Sunshine. Her interview with Winfrey can be seen on Winfrey's YouTube channel. Winfrey established her book club in 1996 and currently presents it in partnership with Starbucks. Winfrey's conversation with Griffin took place at a Starbucks in Chicago.
Capping the Paris fashion season, Saint Laurent touts the art of powerful shoulders
PARIS (AP) -- Saint Laurent closed Paris Fashion Week in dramatic fashion, with the Eiffel Tower glowing against the night sky and a vast black onyx stage polished to a mirror-like sheen. Designer Anthony Vaccarello's fall collection refined the house's codes into pure, striking silhouettes -- where sharp tailoring and commanding shoulders set the tone. Models moved with quiet authority across the onyx stage, their looks defined by bold proportions, rich textures, and a stripped-back sense of power. "Chanel gave women freedom. Yves Saint Laurent gave them power." The famous words of Saint Laurent's partner Pierre Bergé, echoed in every cut and contour.
Documentary aims to unlock the unsolved killing of Detroit urban fiction writer Donald Goines
DETROIT (AP) -- Who killed Donald Goines? Producers of a documentary on the life of the prisoner-turned urban fiction writer of novels about the violence, drugs and prostitution that he surrounded himself with in Detroit are hoping the answer hasn't been lost to time -- or the streets. It's been more than 50 years since Goines and his common-law wife, Shirley Sailor, were found shot to death in 1974 in their flat in Highland Park, a small enclave of Detroit. No arrests were made. Goines wrote 16 books over a short span of several years. His raw, stark and undiluted writings are filled with the urban street life imagery of the late 1960s and early 1970s.