“Joker,” by Todd Phillips, is a chilling stand-alone character drama on the creation of Batman’s arch nemesis. The film shows how a meek, marginalized man who suffers from mental health disorders is driven by society into a downward spiral, turning into a homicidal maniac. The strong imagery of the film …

Film star Cate Blanchett will back a global campaign on Monday to end the plight of an estimated 10 million people with no nationality amid warnings rising xenophobia is stymieing efforts to meet a 2024 deadline for eradicating statelessness.The double Oscar-winner will speak at a major meeting in Geneva aimed …

Rip Taylor, the madcap mustached comedian with a fondness for confetti-throwing who became a television game show mainstay in the 1970s, has died. He was 84.Taylor died Sunday in Beverly Hills, California, publicist Harlan Boll said.The man who would become known worldwide as Rip did not have a direct line …

Hundreds of balloons have filled the sky over Albuquerque in the city’s annual International Balloon Fiesta.Event officials sent up the green flag just before 6:30 a.m. Sunday, giving the all clear for the mass ascension.Balloons were mostly tethered to the ground Saturday because of fog and that mass ascension was …

The family of drummer Ginger Baker, the volatile and propulsive British musician who was best known for his time with the power trio Cream, says he has died. He was 80.Baker’s family said on Twitter that he died Sunday: “We are very sad to say that Ginger has passed away …

The Museum of the Bible in Washington quietly replaced an artifact purported to be one of a handful of miniature Bibles that a NASA astronaut carried to the moon in 1971 after an expert questioned its authenticity.The move follows an announcement last year that at least five of 16 Dead …

Extra layers of security, intense on-screen action and a frightening incident inside a New York theater combined to create an unsettling experience for some moviegoers who went to see “Joker” on its opening weekend.A young man who was loudly cheering and applauding on-screen murders sent some people heading toward exits …

Singers and songwriters from U.S. tribes and Canada’s First Nations are using their art to honor and raise awareness of missing and murdered indigenous people. The following is a small sampling of their efforts.”Little Star”The stop-motion animated video featuring the song “Little Star” was produced by Ontario filmmaker Sarah Legault.Sung …

Hawaiian shirt day, doughnuts, shared sheet cake: There are a lot of ways to try to raise morale in the office. But Maxim Moskalkov visited some very special workspaces where workers know the best morale boost comes on four legs.    …

Diahann Carroll, the Oscar-nominated actress and singer who won critical acclaim as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia,” has died. She was 84.Carroll’s daughter, Susan Kay, told The Associated Press her mother died Friday in Los Angeles of cancer.During her …

The United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO has appointed Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio as its goodwill ambassador for indigenous peoples.                     The 25-year-old actress made history as the first indigenous performer nominated for a best actress honor at the Academy Awards this year for her performance in the film “Roma”, …

“Joker” is getting the first laugh on its debut weekend, scoring an October box-office record with $13.3 million earned in Thursday night showings.Warner Bros. released the figures Friday morning.The strong start comes after weeks of discussion about the R-rated film and whether it will inspire some to commit violence. The …

Organizers of next year’s Tokyo Olympics are looking for new ways to battle the heat and are asking sports federations for advice, the International Olympic Committee said Thursday.IOC President Thomas Bach said Japanese organizers sent out a questionnaire to federations to see what measures they take to counter heat at …

There are no capes, no special powers and no battles between good and evil in the new “Joker” movie, whose portrayal of the most famous villain in comic book history is the most chilling twist on the character in 50 years.The Joker has been depicted on television and in movies …

It is one of the most recognizable memorials in the United States — an 80-foot-high (24 meters) sculpture of six soldiers raising an American flag atop a mountain on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II.And it has a secret hiding in plain sight.The Marine Corps War …

Harvey Weinstein has lost a longshot bid to move his sexual assault trial out of New York City.A state appellate panel rejected the request Thursday. It dismissed the movie mogul’s concerns he wouldn’t get a fair trial in the world’s media capital.The five-judge panel issued the decision after reading submissions …

By the late 19th century, slavery was over, but the American South was still rife with discrimination and injustice for rural African American sharecroppers.“They could only shop at one store, the country store, where prices were high,” says Louis Hyman, an economic historian and assistant professor at Cornell University.“It often …

Hundreds of spectators gathered recently at Washington, DC’s Wharf’s District Pier to watch an unusual competition in speed and agility. Maxim Moskalkov watched the four-legged race. …

Hundreds of spectators gathered recently at Washington, DC’s Wharf’s District Pier to watch an unusual competition in speed and agility. Maxim Moskalkov watched the four-legged race. …

Opera star Placido Domingo resigned Wednesday as general director of the Los Angeles Opera and withdrew from all future performances, following multiple allegations from women who say the legendary tenor sexually harassed them there and at opera companies around the country over a period of decades.Domingo’s departure from LA Opera …

Country music superstar Garth Brooks has more than just friends in low places. The Library of Congress said Wednesday the Grammy winner will receive the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in March 2020. Previous recipients include Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Carole King and Willie Nelson.Brooks is a …

A high-tech building named after Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Jimmy Iovine will be opened on the University of Southern California campus.Dr. Dre and Iovine are expected to attend a dedication ceremony for the Iovine and Young Hall on the campus Wednesday. The building was named after the duo who …

The sounds of artists at work fill the spacious workshops at the American College of the Building Arts in historic Charleston, South Carolina.In the Iron shop, Alex Fisher grinds down an iron door handle while Jeremiah Price and others use heat to soften the metal in theirs and hammer them …

International sporting law forbids athletes with disabilities from competing against those who don’t. Inevitably, some players outshine their counterparts despite missing limbs or senses.  VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has the story of a man with disabilities who rolls past the competition. …

Tyler Perry remembered shedding tears when he saw an Atlanta highway exit bearing the name of his television and film studio for the first time.The actor-director-writer believes he might have the same emotions during the grand opening of his massive state-of-the-art Tyler Perry Studios on Saturday night. He’s planning a …