In 1517, Michelangelo climbed Mount Altissimo in Tuscany and found the marble of his dreams. It was, the Renaissance master wrote, “of compact grain, homogeneous, crystalline, reminiscent of sugar.” He deemed it perhaps even more precious than that from nearby Carrara, where he had obtained marble for some of his …

The premiere of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS’s subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the Television Critics Association on Tuesday that much time had been spent discussing how to create this new world for …

Money! Power! Glamour! Catfights! The CW’s reboot of “Dynasty” will have much in common with the classic 1980s original. But the new “Dynasty” aims to “kick it up a notch,” says Elizabeth Gillies, who plays Fallon Carrington, daughter of wealthy industrialist Blake Carrington, on the show. Pamela Sue Martin played …

Former FBI Director James Comey has a book deal. Flatiron Books told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Comey is writing a book about leadership and decision making that will draw upon his career in government. Comey will write about experiences that made him the FBI’s best-known and most controversial …

Spoiler alert- U.S. cable channel HBO says it’s been hacked and its programming has been targeted. The network is behind the hit fantasy show ‘Game of Thrones’ And there’s potentially some bad news for its fans. Entertainment Weekly claims the theft includes the script of an unaired episode, but no …

Among the many issues that made the Russian doping scandal so difficult to detect, then fix, was that track and field’s own leaders were mixed up in the corruption. To prevent repeats, the International Association of Athletics Federations, or IAAF, created the Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent operation that will …

Just in the unlikely case that the world of athletics did not know what they will be missing once Usain Bolt walks away in less than two weeks, the Jamaican superstar’s final eve-of-race news conference rammed home the message on Tuesday. These events have become part and parcel of every …

The Pennsylvania childhood home of author John Updike is nearing its transformation into a museum and literary center. The future of the Shillington home had been uncertain until The John Updike Society purchased it in 2012. Since then, the society has worked to re-create the 1930’s vibe of the late …

The war in Syria destroyed more than its cities. It destroyed its soul, says American drummer and photographer Jason Hamacher, who has recorded a large collection of Syrian religious music in an effort to preserve it. Arman Tarjimanyan reports. …

Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Oscar-nominated actor and celebrated author whose plays chronicled the explosive fault lines of family and masculinity in the American West, has died. He was 73.   Family spokesman Chris Boneau said Monday that Shepard died Thursday at his home in Kentucky from complications related …

Los Angeles reached an agreement Monday with international Olympic leaders that will open the way for the city to host the 2028 Summer Games, while ceding the 2024 Games to rival Paris, officials announced Monday.   The arrangement would make LA a three-time Olympic city, after hosting the 1932 and …

The only known surviving Italian issue poster for the classic movie “Casablanca” has sold for $478,000 in Dallas at a public auction of vintage movie posters.   The firm Heritage Auctions says the price ties a record for the highest amount paid for a movie poster at a public auction. …

Ulaanbaatar’s urban music scene is buzzing with a new vibe created by a hip-hop duo mixing into their sound the traditional art of throat singing, or “Khoomei,” as Mongolians refer to it. Rap group Fish Symboled Stamp, named for a fish-shaped seal traditionally used to brand horses in the landlocked …

John Morris, a celebrated American photo editor who brought some of the most iconic photographs of World War II and the Vietnam War to the world’s attention, has died at 100. His longtime friend, Robert Pledge, president and editorial director of the Contact Press Images photo agency, told The Associated …

The Vatican’s Sistine Chapel Choir is embarking on its first U.S. tour in 30 years, hoping to show audiences in New York, Washington and Detroit that it has abandoned the habits that earned it a reputation as the “Sistine Screamers.”    The group of 20 adults and 30 boys, colloquially …

Jessica Williams says it’s a great time to be an actress of color, and applauds Netflix for leading the way in promoting diversity.   Williams, who cut her teeth as a correspondent on “The Daily Show,” takes on her first starring role in the streaming network’s original film, “The Incredible …

A collection of yawing mouths and extracted teeth, booming stereo speakers and colorful hookah pipes adorn shop fronts in Somalia, a colorful contrast to the airbrushed artworks of big business. Somali mural artist Muawiye Hussein Sidow, also known as “Shik Shik,” is the man responsible for the art that features …

Models endured waits of up to six hours in their quest to become elaborate human canvases in an Austrian town this weekend, as the 2017 World Bodypainting Festival and world championships got under way. The event sees participants decorated not just in paint, but in elaborate latex makeup, creating appearances …

In the rubble of Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, a team of dedicated woodworkers is finding inspiration to re-create what was lost. The centuries-old Char Narayan and Hari Shankara temples were destroyed by the massive April 2015 earthquake that shook the Himalayan nation, killing nearly 9,000 people. The temples were the jewel …

In June of 2016, Mikah Meyer set out on an ambitious journey — to visit all 417 national park sites in America. He estimates it will take him three years to complete his non-stop journey. One-third of the way through his adventure, he shared highlights – and lowlights – with …

Married country stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are sharing the love by handing out wedding gifts to fans. Jude and Jamie Blanchard attended Brooks’ show in Lafayette, Louisiana, last month with a sign that read: “Best Week Ever. Garth this Friday, our wedding next Friday.” Brooks took notice and …

HBO says production will begin next year on a miniseries about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.   The five-part series will star Jared Harris as a Soviet scientist tapped by the Kremlin to investigate the accident.   The series will dramatize the events of the 1986 Ukrainian nuclear catastrophe that resulted …

Justin Bieber left a photographer with minor injuries after police in California say the singer accidentally hit the man with his pickup truck.   Beverly Hills police Sgt. Matthew Stout tells The Associated Press the 57-year-old photographer was hospitalized following the Wednesday night incident.   Video posted by ABC News …

A lawyer for Madonna says the star and her twin daughters Stella and Estere have accepted damages form the publisher of the Mail Online website over an article that was a “serious invasion of privacy.”   Madonna sued Associated Newspapers over a January story giving details of her adoption of …

After the hordes of tourists with their cameras and selfie sticks depart from the Tower of London every evening, a private drinking hole for Beefeaters comes to life within the walls of the royal fortress. Officially called Yeoman Warders and instantly recognizable with their distinctive hats and uniforms, the 37 …