It was 50 years ago the sci-fi epic “2001: A Space Odyssey” by author Arthur C. Clarke and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, opened in theaters across America to mixed reviews. The almost three-hour long film, was too cerebral and slow-moving to be appreciated by general audiences in 1968. Today, half a …

The weirder it gets, the more Lakeith Stanfield looks right at home.   It was Stanfield, as the bodysnatched Andrew Hayworth, personifying the nightmare of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.” In Donald Glover’s “Atlanta,” his cosmically lackadaisical pot-smoking philosopher Darius is the epitome of the show’s freewheeling surrealism. And in Boots …

“Space Jam 2?” A whole new “House Party” franchise?  With the leadership of LeBron James, anything is possible.  As James comes from Cleveland to Los Angeles looking to take the Lakers to more championships with a blockbuster $154 million contract announced this week, he could also push those two 1990s …

Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer gets in front as well as behind the camera for the thriller In Darkness, a movie she began writing nearly 10 years ago when frustrated by the lack of “three-dimensional” roles for women. The 36-year-old, also known for television series The Tudors and The …

The revitalized Gateway Arch National Park was dedicated Tuesday, the culmination of a $380 million public-private partnership that Missouri political leaders see as a template for the future of the national park system. Several hundred people stood in steamy heat for a ceremony in the shadow of the 630-foot-tall (192-meter-tall) …

The “Ant-Man” sequel may be about tiny superheroes, but the film is making a big statement about female empowerment by featuring Evangeline Lilly’s The Wasp not only in the title, but giving her a larger stake in Marvel’s sprawling movie franchise. “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” the 20th film in the …

The International Basketball Federation, or FIBA, is conducting an investigation into a bench-clearing brawl between Australia and the Philippines that led to the ejection of 13 players. The fight broke out during a 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying game Monday in the Philippine Arena outside Manila. Australia was leading the …

Like fans all over soccer-mad Brazil, Carlos Junior followed every move the national team made on the field Monday in its 2-0 victory over Mexico. He wiped his brow every time Mexico closed in but failed to score. He banged the table or a drum when Brazil took a shot …

“Hembe-lembeh!” yells Ahmad Isah, the host of Nigeria’s “Brekete Family” radio program. “Olo-lolo!” shouts his audience — more than 100 people who have crammed into his studio, looking for justice. “Brekete Family” is a show which promises to help Nigeria’s downtrodden redress wrongs — a format, says Isah, born out …

Senegal’s national football team returned home from the World Cup last week after losing to Colombia and becoming the first country knocked out under new rules on discipline. Senegal’s defeat means all five African teams have been eliminated from the World Cup’s knockout stage – the first time since 1982 …

LeBron James is signing with the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time to join one of the NBA’s most iconic franchises. James’ agency made the announcement Sunday in a release, saying he has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract. The game’s best all-around player …

Kicking the ball and working as a team is the message DC Scores seeks to send to children and young people in the U.S. capital. This program focuses on learning to play one of the most popular sports in the world, soccer. And also, as Cristina Caicedo Smit reports, through …

Intricate design, white flowers and see-through veils. A happy bride proudly wears her perfect wedding attire, this time, however, made from toilet paper! June is a popular month for weddings, so the 14th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest took place in June in New York. As Elena Wolf reports, …

Botanical artist Carol Malone-Brown is seated, bent forward, intently concentrating on a painting she is working on of a green apple with leaves. She carefully puts a small amount of paint on one leaf using the “dry brush” method — mixing tiny drops of water with watercolors and then using …

Botanical art illustrates the delicate beauty of plant species, frequently in watercolor paintings. A series of botanical art exhibits featuring native plants is being showcased in 25 countries around the world. The idea is to highlight botanical art and the diversity of plants worldwide. In the United States, 46 pieces …

Football’s cruel mistress — the penalty shootout — arrives at the World Cup on Saturday after a packed fortnight of group games, ready to dispense her characteristic doses of unbridled joy and heartbreak in the knockout stages. There has been a penalty shootout at every World Cup since 1982 in …

“To grow up as a child in Congo, according to God’s will, is to grow up in paradise,” Col. Mamadou Ndala says in the opening scenes of “This Is Congo,” a film making its theatrical release Friday in the United States. Strolling outside the eastern city of Goma where he …

Gowns and ensembles worn by Carol Burnett, Cher and Raquel Welch are going up on the auction block. The clothing was created by 78-year-old fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie, who has been honored for his work in motion pictures, television and the fashion industry. Julien’s Auctions says the highlights …

Drake confirms he’s a father on his new album. The 31-year-old rapper from Canada released “Scorpion” on Friday. In two songs on his fifth album, he addresses rumors that he fathered a son with a former French adult-film star. In “Emotionless,” Drake raps, “I wasn’t hiding my kid from the …

Seventy years ago this month, a major record company, Columbia Records, introduced the first LP, or long-playing record. The new format revolutionized music sound recording and was quickly adopted as the new standard by the recording industry. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Sony has pressed a very limited quantity of …

In the months leading up to the 2019 Super Bowl, some of Atlanta’s bare walls will get a makeover. The city of Atlanta and the Super Bowl Host Committee have partnered with arts group WonderRoot to launch “Off the Wall.” The project will create up to 30 murals focusing on …

Attorneys for Meek Mill are asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to remove a Philadelphia judge from his case days after she denied his new trial request. In a filing late Wednesday, the rapper’s attorneys say Judge Genece Brinkley’s actions in court showed she had an opinion before hearing Mill’s request. …

Kristen Wiig doesn’t look much like a villain in a photo released for Wonder Woman 1984. Director Patty Jenkins on Wednesday tweeted the first look at Wiig as Wonder Woman’s foe, Cheetah. Wiig is dressed as Barbara Minerva, the mortal who morphs into a powerful nemesis. Wiig’s character is shown …

Melting glaciers and rising seas in Greenland; raging fires in Northern California; a relentless drought in Somalia and the disappearing Amazon forests. Famine, Feast, Fire and Ice are the four installments in a virtual reality (VR) documentary on climate change by filmmakers Eric Strauss and Danfung Dennis.   The series, …

Alec Baldwin is calling for citizens to support and for Congress to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the 2016 election. The actor, known for portraying President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” appears as himself in a video billed as an op-ed piece launched by Trump Crimes Watch. …