Bill Condon, Jennifer Lopez unveil musical 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' at Sundance
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) -- Jennifer Lopez brought some Hollywood glamour to Park City, Utah, with the debut of her new film "Kiss of the Spider Woman." On Sunday, the Sundance Film Festival hosted the premiere of the film, which is part prison drama and part lavish MGM-style musical. "Dreamgirls" filmmaker Bill Condon wrote and directed this latest adaptation of the story. Condon quoted President Donald Trump's remarks on "two genders" before the screening, telling the audience that his film has a different point of view. Lopez said it's been a dream of hers to be in a musical. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" does not yet have distribution.
Percival Everett's 'James' awarded Carnegie Medal for fiction
NEW YORK (AP) -- Percival Everett's latest honor comes from the country's public libraries. On Sunday, the American Library Association announced that Everett's "James" was this year's winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, which includes a $5,000 cash award. Kevin Fedarko's "A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon" was chosen for nonfiction. Everett's acclaimed reworking of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" from the perspective of Jim, Huck Finn's enslaved companion, has already received the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize and is a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle award.
A Sundance documentary called 'The Stringer' disputes who took AP's 'napalm girl' photo in Vietnam
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) -- The authorship of The Associated Press's renowned "napalm girl" photograph is being called into question in the new documentary "The Stringer," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. A freelance Vietnamese photographer named Nguyen Thanh Nghe claims that he took the iconic photo of Kim Phuc on June 8, 1972, not retired AP photographer Nick Ut. Ut has long been credited for the image. Representatives for the AP, who saw the film for the first time at the premiere, are contesting the implication that the company reviewed their findings and dismissed them.
What to stream: The Weeknd album, Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, 'SNL' music and 'Babygirl'
Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell starring in the wedding comedy "You're Cordially Invited" and The Weeknd's album "Hurry Up Tomorrow" are some of this week's new streaming entertainment releases. Questlove helps spotlight memorable "Saturday Night Live" music performances across the last five decades and there's a sequel to "Citizen Sleeper," the surprise gaming hit of 2022. Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson star in Halina Reijn's erotic thriller "Babygirl" and Sterling K. Brown returns to TV with a new series called "Paradise," playing as a Secret Service agent who discovers a murder that leads to shocking revelations.
Mel Gibson's 'Flight Risk' is No. 1 at box office, 'The Brutalist' expands
NEW YORK (AP) -- Critics lambasted it and audiences didn't grade it much better. But despite the turbulence, Mel Gibson's "Flight Risk" managed to open No. 1 at the box office with a modest $12 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. On a quiet weekend, even for the typically frigid movie-going month of January, the top spot went to the Lionsgate thriller starring Mark Wahlberg. Going into the weekend, Hollywood's attention was more focused on the Sundance Film Festival and on Thursday's Oscar nominations, which were twice postponed by the wildfires in the Los Angeles region. In wide release, the best-picture Oscar nominee "The Brutalist" collected $2.9 million. The comedy "One of Them Days" held well in its second weekend, with $8 million.
At Sundance, the hottest ticket in town was a Rose Byrne and Conan O'Brien psychological thriller
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) -- Rose Byrne plays a mother in the midst of a breakdown in the experiential psychological thriller "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You." Anticipation was high for the A24 film, which will be released sometime this year. Its premiere Friday at the Sundance Film Festival was easily the hottest ticket in town, with even ticketholders unable to get in. Those who did make it into the Library theater were treated to an intense, visceral, inventive story from filmmaker Mary Bronstein. It has quickly become one of the festival's must-sees. Conan O'Brien co-stars as a therapist in the film.
Kenzo finds its groove in a playful, nostalgic turn at Paris Fashion Week
PARIS (AP) -- Kenzo has delivered a refreshing jolt to a Paris Fashion Week marked by fatigue. The fall 2025 collection under the creative direction of Nigo brought a striking mix of cultural exchange, personal nostalgia and archival homage. It proved that Kenzo's playful verve is far from forgotten. Nigo teamed up this season with graffiti legend Futura in a collaboration that celebrated decades of shared influence between Tokyo and New York. Futura's iconic atom logo appeared reimagined with Kenzo's floral motifs on bomber jackets, wide-leg pants, and indigo cotton suits with kimono collars. The designs unveiled on Friday were splashed with spray-paint effects. They lent an urban and tactile edge to Kenzo's traditionally polished aesthetic.
'Yes, Queen!' Fans gather in Manhattan to cheer on author Rebecca Yarros
NEW YORK (AP) -- The event had the feel of a costume party, rock concert and family reunion as fans clapped, laughed and shouted "Yes queen!" for author Rebecca Yarros. Her appearance at The Town Hall in Manhattan on Friday night drew a capacity crowd of around 1,500. The "Empyrean" series has made Yarros one of the country's most popular and obsessed-about writers. "Onyx Storm" is the much-awaited third installment of a planned five centered on the lovers Violet and Xaden and the first since the million-selling "Iron Flame" came out in 2023. In its first week of publication, "Onyx Storm" is already approaching blockbuster levels.
What does Mexico really think of 'Emilia Pérez?'
MEXICO CITY (AP) -- It may have been embraced by the Academy, but just a day after its debut in Mexico, the acclaimed "narco-musical" Emilia Pérez was already drawing sharp rebukes for superficial portrayals of sensitive subjects. The movie by French director Jacques Audiard debuted in Mexico on Thursday on the heels of wins at Cannes and the Golden Globes, as well at 13 Oscar nominations - a record for a non-English-language film. Viewers filing out of theaters Thursday night said they had been eager or curious to see the movie after hearing it was the most nominated film at the Oscars, but left with mixed feelings.
Oscars host Conan O'Brien, still displaced by wildfires, says the show is being planned sensitively
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) -- Oscars host Conan O'Brien says he's still unable to live in his home due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and that the show's organizers "want to be sensitive to what's happened" to residents. The former "Tonight Show" host tells The Associated Press that virtually everyone he knows has been affected by the fires. He says flames got close to his home and while it survived, it won't be habitable "for a long time." O'Brien says with roughly five weeks to the Oscars, he and show organizers want to make sure they're "sensitive to what's happened." O'Brien spoke to AP at the Sundance Film Festival while premiering his new film, "If I had Legs I'd Kick You."