A San Francisco chef is the first woman in the United States to be awarded three stars from the Michelin Guide. Dominique Crenn celebrated the honor on Instagram Thursday with her staff at Atelier Crenn, posting “congratulations to my amazing … Continue reading →

FIFA’s ethics committee has imposed a four-year ban on a soccer official for accepting a bribe, reportedly from former presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam. FIFA says Manuel Dende, former president of the Sao Tomean Football Association, is also fined 75,000 … Continue reading →

Angola’s most famous operatic tenor hopes to inspire more Africans to take up the classical music form. Nelson Ebo has performed around the world and is currently starring with the Heartbeat Opera company on stage in New York. He recently … Continue reading →

The Mystery Writers of America withdrew a major honor Thursday from author Linda Fairstein after other writers condemned the ex-prosecutor’s role in New York’s notorious “Central Park Five” case.  The decision, just two days after the Grand Master Award was … Continue reading →

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen has solidified his claim to be the greatest chess player in the world. Carlsen beat Fabiano Caruana of the United States 3-0 Wednesday in a rapid-chess tiebreaker game at the world chess championships in London. Carlsen and … Continue reading →

Chinese photographer Lu Guang has gone missing during a visit to China’s Xinjiang province. Lu’s wife Xu Xiaoli, who is in the United States, set up a Twitter account this week to spread information about the disappearance of the award-winning photojournalist, who … Continue reading →

Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson is returning to the big screen with adventure fantasy “Mortal Engines,” a post-apocalyptic tale of survival in his first feature film project since his award-winning adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels. The New Zealand-born director, known for … Continue reading →

One of the most famous songs of Christmas was celebrated Tuesday as it approaches its 200th anniversary, with a concert at the New York City church where “Silent Night” is believed to have been sung in the United States for … Continue reading →

Stevie Wonder wants to raise money through his benefit concert for California fire victims impacted by the catastrophic wildfires. The R&B legend announced his plan Tuesday to also help firefighters and first responders who assisted with the fires through his … Continue reading →

In the first major soiree of Hollywood’s awards season, Chloe Zhao’s elegiac, lyrical Western “The Rider” took best feature film at the 28th annual Gotham Awards.  It was a surprising, but far from baffling conclusion to the Gothams, the New … Continue reading →

“Game of Thrones” actor Jason Momoa brings the latest superhero spin-off to the big screen, this time “Aquaman,” to tell the story of the DC Comics half-human, half-Atlantean character. The 39-year-old first made an appearance in the role in 2016’s … Continue reading →

Mick Jagger likes a buzz. A natural buzz.   The Rolling Stones frontman, who will tour America next spring with his iconic band, says live shows give him a rush that can’t be matched and is the reason that at … Continue reading →

Patricia Hall went to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in 2016 hoping to learn more about the music performed by prisoners in World War II death camps. The University of Michigan music theory professor heard there were manuscripts, but she was “completely … Continue reading →

Cicely Tyson received her first and only Oscar nomination in 1972. It was for best actress for her work in “Sounder,” which she thinks of as her first major role. She wasn’t called to the stage that year — Liza … Continue reading →

When Marvin Levy says he never expected to get an Oscar, it’s not false modesty. It just wasn’t a possibility.   Levy is one of the most respected publicists in Hollywood, with more than a half century of experience at … Continue reading →

It’s official: 2018 is toxic. Oxford Dictionaries has chosen “toxic” as its international word of the year. Oxford University Press monitors changes in the English language and each year selects a word that catches the annual mood. Oxford’s lexicographers said … Continue reading →

Chris Stapleton won the most awards at the 2018 Country Music Association Awards and had the show’s best performance, almost capping a perfect night. That was until Keith Urban surprisingly won the top prize — entertainer of the year — … Continue reading →

Sigrid Nunez’s “The Friend,” a meditative novel about grief, books and, not least, a Great Dane named Apollo, has won the National Book Award for fiction. Other winners Wednesday included Jeffrey C. Stewart’s “The New Negro: The Life of Alain … Continue reading →

Idris Elba’s daughter has been chosen as the Golden Globe Ambassador to assist with the glitzy awards ceremony.   The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Wednesday that 16-year-old Isan Elba will assume the ambassador title for the 76th annual Golden … Continue reading →

Two journalists who helped cover the confirmation process of Brett Kavanaugh are working on a book about the newest Supreme Court justice.   Portfolio says Wednesday that it has a deal with New York Times reporters Kate Kelly and Robin … Continue reading →

Fans are paying tribute to Marvel Comics’ legend Stan Lee at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles. Lee – the creator of many superheroes – died on Monday at 95. VOA Correspondent Mariama Diallo reports. …