Country star Keith Urban will debut a new song on the Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday inspired by the allegations of sexual assault and harassment hurled against Harvey Weinstein. BMI country songwriter of the year Ross Copperman said that the widening sexual harassment crisis that has developed after multiple …

For every era of film in the last half-century, there’s a memorable Donald Sutherland role.   Whether it’s his breakthrough performance in “The Dirty Dozen,” his portrayal of a demented arsonist in “Backdraft” or playing a ruthless president in “The Hunger Games” films, Sutherland’s career spans roughly 140 films in …

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are celebrating their 10-year anniversary — as hosts of the Country Music Association Awards. The duo has hosted the show consecutively since 2008, and they return Wednesday for the 2017 CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. While Underwood and Paisley plan to …

Sean Combs says he was only joking when he announced over the weekend that he had changed his nickname from Diddy to Love, as in Brother Love. The rapper and producer took to Twitter and Instagram to set the record straight after he says he learned “you cannot play around …

The 150 poems in the Book of Psalms represent a range of human voices and emotions, and are among the Bible’s most widely read verses. They have been a source of solace for generations. “Historically, what the psalms have been for are challenging times,” says Lincoln Center’s director of programming, …

Egyptian activists condemned American actress Helen Hunt on Tuesday for her participation in a government-organized youth conference they say is whitewashing authorities’ appalling human rights record and suppression of free speech. The open letter by Mona Seif and other well-known human rights advocates gained nearly 300 signatures by Tuesday afternoon. …

The opening ceremony of Brazil’s World Cup in 2014 also marked the kickoff of a campaign by teenager Werá Jeguaka Mirim to fight for indigenous land rights through his rap songs. He had been selected, with three other children, to free a peace dove at the ceremony, but in an …

“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda made sandwiches, took selfies and announced a partnership with a nonprofit group for a $2.5 million hurricane recovery fund during a trip Tuesday to Puerto Rico.   Miranda said seven local groups already have received grants from the New York-based Hispanic Federation, which helps Latino agencies. …

Retired Major League Baseball pitcher Roy Halladay was killed Tuesday when his private plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near St. Petersburg, Florida. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said Halladay, a former All-Star, was flying a light sport plane called an ICON A5. There was nobody else on board. …

Singer songwriters Rodney Crowell and Kelsea Ballerini and hit country songwriter Ashley Gorley were honored at the ASCAP Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday.   Crowell, who announced earlier this year he was cancelling all his 2017 tour dates due to a health issue, was given the Founder’s …

Sony Pictures on Monday withdrew a movie starring Kevin Spacey from a Los Angeles film festival following sexual misconduct allegations against the actor, but said it was going ahead with a planned U.S. movie theater release in December. “All the Money in the World,” about the 1973 kidnapping of teenager …

President Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday plans to demolish a culture center in Istanbul named after the founder of modern secular Turkey, in a move critics see as another attempt by the Islamist-rooted ruling party to roll back secularism. It marks Erdogan’s second attempt to tear down the Ataturk Culture …

Mariah Carey, the artist with the most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, is one of the nominees for the 2018 Songwriters Hall of Fame.   Carey, who co-wrote 17 of her 18 No. 1s, earns her first nomination for the prestigious prize. The Songwriters Hall gave …

Highway 20 took national parks traveler Mikah Meyer through North Cascades National Park in Washington state, offering him breathtaking views of the mountains. “I had heard that the mountains were rugged, but this is far more dramatic than I imagined,” he gushed. He got a slightly different perspective on those …

Leaked papers revealing investments in tax havens by the world’s wealthy suggest U2 frontman Bono used a company based in low-tax Malta to buy part of a shopping mall in Lithuania. The Guardian newspaper says the “Paradise Papers” document trove reveals that the singer was an investor in Maltese company …

The U.S. Civil War ended more than 150 years ago, but some Americans gather on old battlefields to re-enact this historic era in great detail today. They buy uniforms, authentic weapons, gather food typical of that era and sleep in tents on their ancestors’ battlefields. These re-enactments come at a …

They are among the most underprivileged children in Lebanon, and now their voices can soar. For several months, conductor and composer Salim Sahab auditioned youngsters, most of whom work, for a choir of 300. With Syrian and Palestinian refugees selected along with Lebanese children, hopes are that the unifying power …

Many organizations across the United States sponsor food drives, urging people to contribute canned and nonperishable food for families that are hungry or homeless. While most campaigns consist of a large box with a “Donate Here” sign, an annual design competition in New York City takes a more creative approach …

Netflix said Friday night that Kevin Spacey will no longer be a part of House of Cards and it’s cutting all other ties with the actor after a series of allegations of sexual harassment and assault.   “Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes …

A 21-year-old artist in Ivory Coast has found an eye-catching new way to draw attention to the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment — by sculpting her hair into the image of a man lifting a woman’s skirt. Laetitia Ky creates elaborate hair sculptures in order to emphasize black women’s natural …

The New York City Police Department said Friday that it had a credible narrative from an unidentified woman who has made a rape allegation against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and was gathering evidence for a possible arrest warrant. Reuters requests for comment from Weinstein’s representative and his attorney were not …

An Ohio waitress says model Chrissy Teigen left her the largest tip of her life.   Mikayla Scott says she was working at a Centerville Outback Steakhouse on Oct. 27 when Teigen, her daughter and several others came in.   The 21-year-old says she was nervous serving the model, but …

We’re blasting off with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending Nov. 4, 2017. We greet one new song this week, and you don’t have to wait long. Number 5: Imagine Dragons “Thunder”  Imagine Dragons is back in a big …

Alex Ovechkin’s new “social movement” to support President Vladimir Putin received Kremlin backing Friday. The Washington Capitals captain said Thursday on Instagram he was starting a group called Putin Team to “show everyone a strong and united Russia.” Ovechkin added that he has never hidden his feelings about Putin and …

City officials say the return of Philadelphia’s iconic “LOVE” statue will take a few more months. The city Parks & Recreation department announced Thursday the Robert Indiana sculpture is still being restored. The sculpture was on display at a plaza next to City Hall while its permanent home, Love Park, …