The rapper Future has promised to give a $2,000 scholarship and pair of concert tickets to a fan at each stop on his Legendary Nights tour.The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that eligible fans must be active area college students who follow Future’s FreeWishes Foundation on Instagram and submit an essay on …

Oprah Winfrey is taking her motivational spirit on the road early next year with an arena tour to promote a healthier lifestyle.The talk-show host and chief of OWN television network said Wednesday that she will launch the “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour starting Jan. 4 in Fort …

The lawyer for American rapper A$AP Rocky says his client won’t appeal his assault conviction for a June 30 street brawl in Stockholm.Slobodan Jovicic told Sweden’s TT news agency Wednesday that the rapper doesn’t have the energy to appeal.   A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, had pleaded …

Saber Sessi was working the night shift at a municipality vehicle depot in Carthage, Tunisia, when he signed off on five bulldozers in the early hours of July 9.Unbeknownst to him, the intended target for those bulldozers was his home.”I opened the gate, I handed [the keys] over and then …

Set somewhere in rural eastern Europe towards the end of World War II, “The Painted Bird” is a sombre tale of a young boy trying to survive a harsh wilderness and the cruelty of strangers, and is described by one of its stars as “timeless.”Based on a 1965 novel by …

“Harry Potter” actor David Thewlis plays a father desperate to understand his adult daughter’s choices in “Guest of Honour,” an exploration of a family relationship with hidden secrets.The movie, directed by Atom Egoyan, begins with Veronica, a former high school music teacher recently released from jail, meeting a priest to …

A father tying up his daughter’s laces in the rain, a priest doubting his faith and a man being tied to a post and then abandoned all make up little slices of life in film’s “About Endlessness,” a reflection on humanity, be it kind or cruel.The Swedish director on Tuesday …

Five years ago, for her 27th birthday, Lorelei Bandrovschi gave up drinking for a month on a dare. She was a casual drinker and figured it would be easy. It was, but she hadn’t banked on learning so much about herself in the process.“I realized that going out without drinking …

Comic actor Kevin Hart’s wife says he’s “going to be just fine” following a weekend car crash that left him with a major back injury.   Eniko Hart was questioned by a TMZ reporter while visiting him at the hospital Monday. She gave no details beyond that assurance, and the …

Veteran film director Brian De Palma, maker of “Carrie” and “Scarface,” has no intention of retiring yet, though he is 78, and is now working on a horror movie inspired by the scandal engulfing Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.Some 70 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct dating back decades. Once …

Timothee Chalamet is already one of the most acclaimed young actors working today, but he says that the prospect playing young Henry V in “The King” was terrifying.”It was a real challenge for me,” Chalamet said Monday at the Venice International Film Festival, where the film is having its world …

Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky hopes a new documentary film about his life chronicling his journey from being Russia’s richest man to an exiled dissident will open the West’s eyes to the nature of modern Russia.The film, “Citizen K”, was made by Oscar-winning U.S. filmmaker Alex Gibney and premiered at the …

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart was hospitalized Sunday with major back injuries after his car crashed into a ditch, according to highway authorities.According to the California Highway Patrol report, Hart was riding in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda — a powerful vintage car — with two other people in the wee …

Atop a string of green mountains in Saudi Arabia, a monthlong festival drew a medley of yoga enthusiasts, extreme adventure seekers, tourists and traditional Saudi families — many wearing colorful flower crowns native to the region as the kingdom looks for ways to revamp its image and build up tourism.The …

African beats are spreading worldwide due largely to a growing African population around the globe. But it’s not just audiences from the diaspora that are dancing to the rhythm. As VOA’s Jesusemen Oni reports, the international rise of afro beats is causing a stir in the music industry and influencing …

Former state Sen. Bill Larkin, a World War II veteran who served as a state lawmaker in New York for four decades, died Saturday. He was 91. His family announced the death Sunday, calling Larkin a “dedicated public servant, soldier and statesman.” Larkin represented a stretch of the Hudson Valley as an …

Greek-born French director Costa-Gavras has been recognized for his “particularly original contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema” at the Venice Film Festival, where the Oscar winner also presented his new movie about the Greek debt crisis.The 86-year-old filmmaker, known for “Z” and “Missing,” was presented with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to …

Italian bodybuilder, boxer and actor Franco Columbu, one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s closest friends, has died at age 78.    Columbu died in a hospital in his native Sardinia on Friday afternoon after becoming ill while he was swimming in the sea.    His longtime friend Schwarzenegger tweeted:I love you Franco. I will …

Valerie Harper, who scored guffaws and stole hearts as Rhoda Morgenstern on back-to-back hit sitcoms in the 1970s, has died. She was 80.    Longtime family friend Dan Watt confirmed Harper died Friday, adding the family wasn’t immediately releasing any further details.  Harper was a breakout star playing the lovable sidekick …

This Monday is Labor Day in the United States — a holiday linked to workers’ rights and wearing white.That may sound strange, but it is true. Many Americans put away their white clothes on Labor Day and do not wear them again until the following May, after Memorial Day.One reason …

Jet-car speed racer Jessi Combs, known by fans as the “fastest woman on four wheels,” has died in a crash in Oregon’s Alvord Desert while trying to break a speed record, local authorities said Wednesday.Combs, 39, died Tuesday afternoon while racing in a dry lake bed in a desert in remote Harney …

New York City garbage man Nelson Molina has been seeing value in other people’s garbage for the past three decades. For years he has been saving unique items that their owners threw away. Vladimir Lenski met with the unusual collector.   …

After celebrating her two-decade-plus career at the MTV Video Music Awards with a performance featuring a slew of her hits, Missy Elliott knew she did a great job when the first text she received after the performance was from another musical icon and longtime friend: Janet Jackson.”She was like, ‘You …

Marvel Comics is celebrating its 80th anniversary with a massive issue that pays tribute to its history and introduces a new object with implications for the superhero universe going forward.The Marvel Comics 1000 issue, available Wednesday, pays homage to many of Marvel’s most recognizable characters, including Iron Man, the Hulk …

Just across the East River from Manhattan, Brooklyn has a thriving local art scene. One of the borough’s most interesting artists is Misha Tyutyunik, known as MDot, who has found some interesting places to display his work. Nina Vishneva met with the artist. Anna Rice narrates her story. …