Saudi Arabia’s first movie theater in more than 35 years will open on April 18 in the capital Riyadh. AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest movie theater chain, said Wednesday it has been granted the license to open up to 40 theaters in 15 Saudi cities over the next five years.  …

A new television documentary about Elvis Presley takes advantage of the vast collection of footage, pictures, documents and music from his estate to give a behind-the-scenes look at the king of rock ‘n’ roll. “Elvis Presley: The Searcher,” a two-part, three-hour documentary, will premiere April 14 on HBO. Director Thom …

Record producer, Ian Brennan, and his wife Marilena Delli, a photographer and documentary filmmaker, are on a quest for the unknown and unfamiliar. Their passion for discovering uniqueness in human stories and music has taken them to far-flung places around the world, from Malawi to record songs by prisoners, to …

A rapper and reality star says he was robbed at gunpoint in New Jersey in what was “one of the worst, scariest nights of my life.” Safaree Samuels says the robbery happened Monday in Fort Lee around 2 a.m. The 36-year-old told WWPR-FM two men ran up and had him …

Bill Cosby’s lawyers challenged the prosecution’s exclusion of a black woman from serving on the jury at his sexual assault retrial, alleging Wednesday that the decision was made on the basis of her race. Prosecutors pushed back, noting two blacks already have been seated on the panel that will sit …

Actor Robert Downey Jr. is joining the directors of Avengers: Infinity War in calling for fans to maintain secrecy. The star tweeted “no spoilers please.” He signed it with the #ThanosDemandsYourSilence. Thanos is the fictional Marvel Comics villain who will be portrayed by Josh Brolin in the movie. Downey plays …

Want to take a selfie on the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival? Well, you can’t. That’s the message from top festival official Thierry Fremaux, who says red carpet-selfies will be banned at this year’s star-studded event. Violators, he said on Europe-1 radio Wednesday, won’t be let in to …

A U.S. media broadcast group ordered local news anchors to read a statement expressing concern about “the troubling trend of irresponsible, one-sided news stories plaguing the country,” — then accused other networks and some members of the media for pushing their own biases. Deadspin, a sports news and blog web …

With her arms crossed and poised for action, “Wonder Woman” television actress Lynda Carter was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday as her most famous superhero character enjoys a big-screen revival. Carter, 66, was introduced by longtime friend and CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves …

Jason Clarke plunged into frigid waters, repeatedly, for his role as the late Sen. Ted Kennedy in “Chappaquiddick.” The Australian actor said his research about the accident that thwarted Kennedy’s presidential chances included jumping into Poucha Pond, the same waters the Massachusetts Democrat’s car crashed into in July 1969, killing …

A museum in Los Alamos, New Mexico — a once-secret New Mexico city that developed the atomic bomb which helped end World War II — has put an exhibit from Japan on hold because of its theme of abolishing nuclear weapons. The Los Alamos Historical Museum confirmed Monday that it …

Seven cities, or joint-bidding cities, have expressed interest in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday. Canada’s Calgary, Austria’s Graz, Swedish capital Stockholm, Sion in Switzerland, Turkey’s Erzurum, Japan’s Sapporo and a joint bid from Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo, Milan and Turin are all in the …

Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, a prominent writer and professor of gastroenterology known for creating groundbreaking medical thrillers, compelling horror and science fiction like “Beyond Metaphysics,” and “Fantasia” was laid to rest in Egypt Tuesday.  Tawfik died suddenly on Monday. He was 55. A cause of death has not been released. One …

Defence lawyers at Bill Cosby’s retrial on sexual assault charges can call a witness they say will undermine his accuser’s credibility, a Pennsylvania judge said on Tuesday, reversing his ruling that barred the same witness from the first trial of the comedian once known as “America’s Dad.” The ruling came …

A video with dozens of news anchors reading a script about “fake stories” put in stark visual terms what for weeks had largely been an academic debate about media consolidation and the Sinclair Broadcast Group’s efforts to promote a consistent message across its stations. The 98-second video, posted on Deadspin …

They chanted his name from the cheap seats: “Di-Vin-cen-zo, Di-Vin-cen-zo.” By the time Donte DiVincenzo was done doing his damage, Villanova had another title and college basketball had its newest star. The redhead kid with the nickname Big Ragu scored 31 points Monday to lift `Nova to another blowout tournament …

Steven Bochco, a writer and producer known for creating the groundbreaking police drama “Hill Street Blues,” died Sunday. He was 74. A family spokesman says Bochco died in his sleep after a battle with cancer.  Bochco, who won 10 primetime Emmys, created several hit television shows including “L.A. Law,” “NYPD …

Dialogue and social discourse are among the most effective tools for promoting cultural understanding. So is humor. That’s the tool of choice for one white, Christian comedian from South Carolina, who claims an affinity for Muslims and a spicy South Asian rice dish called Biryani. VOA’s Deewa Service correspondent Niala …

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is going into the future with his virtual reality adventure Ready Player One. Based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, the film takes place in the dystopian world of 2045, while referencing 1980s popular culture. Set more than 25 years in the future, the characters are …

Thousands of fans gathered in Washington for the city’s comic convention, called Awesome Con. During the three-day event, they meet their favorite artists and actors, have their comic books autographed, and do a little shopping. Many also dress up in costume. From Washington, VOA’s Jill Craig has more. …

From aging crooners to bubbly K-Pop starlets, some of South Korea’s biggest pop stars flew to North Korea on Saturday for rare performances that highlight the sudden thaw in inter-Korean ties after years of tensions over the North’s nuclear ambitions. The concerts in Pyongyang on Sunday and Tuesday come ahead …

The Mormon church made history and injected a bit of diversity into a previously all-white top leadership panel Saturday by selecting the first Latin-American apostle and the first apostle of Asian ancestry. The selections of Ulisses Soares of Brazil and Gerrit W. Gong, a Chinese-American, were announced during a twice-annual …

Britain’s Prince Harry and his American fiancée, Meghan Markle, have chosen a London florist beloved of the fashion industry to arrange the flower decorations for their wedding in late spring, Kensington Palace said Sunday. Philippa Craddock, whose client list includes designer Alexander McQueen and British Vogue magazine, will use seasonal …

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is going into the future with his virtual reality adventure “Ready Player One.” Based on Ernest Cline’s bestseller of the same name, the film takes place in the dystopian future of 2045, but it references 1980s popular culture. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more. …

The Easter holiday is synonymous with symbols of spring, and for kids, it means candy in their Easter baskets. From Washington, VOA’s Jill Craig finds out how much sales increase over the holiday, and what the best sellers are. …