MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 25, 2021--

Minnesota’s Congressional delegation on Monday is introducing a resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince, citing his “indelible mark on Minnesota and American culture,” The Associated Press has learned. The medal is one of the nation’s highest civilian honors and past recipients include George Washington, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, the Tuskegee Airmen and the Dalai Lama. Prince, whose hits include “Little Red Corvette,” ″Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry,” died in 2016. The resolution for Prince is led by U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat who represents Minneapolis, and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who represents the state.

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 25, 2021--

CAMERA OPERATOR SAYS ALEC BALDWIN HAD BEEN CAREFUL WITH WEAPONS ON FILM SET

In a decision with potential ramifications across European museums, France is displaying 26 looted colonial-era artifacts for one last time before returning them home to Benin. The wooden anthropomorphic statues, royal thrones and sacred altars were pilfered by the French army in the 19th century from Western Africa. President Emmanuel Macron suggested in 2017 that France now needed to right the wrongs of the past. It laid down a roadmap for the controversial return of the royal treasures taken during the era of empire and colony. The French will have a final glimpse of the objects to be shown in the Musée du quai Branly–Jacques Chirac from 26-31 October.  

On Oct. 25, 1962, author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

James Michael Tyler, the actor known widely for his recurring role as Gunther on “Friends,” has died. He was 59. Tyler died Sunday at home in Los Angeles from prostrate cancer, said his manager, Toni Benson. Tyler was first diagnosed with advanced prostrate cancer in 2018. Tyler had appeared briefly in 1990s series like “Just Shoot Me!” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” before being cast as a background character in the second episodes of “Friends” in 1994. Over the show’s 10-year-run, he became the most frequently recurring guest star on the series playing Gunther, the Central Perk worker with an unrequited affection for Jennifer Aniston's Rachel. 

Jay Black, the front man for the 1960s rock band Jay and the Americans, who crooned the soaring vocals to hits like “This Magic Moment,” “Cara Mia” and “Come a Little Bit Closer,” has died. He was 82. In a statement, the band announced the death of Black, born David Blatt. Jay and the Americans bandmate and vocalist Sandy Deanne said Black died Friday from complications of pneumonia. Rolling Stone reported that Black had suffered from dementia in recent years. Black joined Jay and the Americans in 1962, replacing the group’s first singer, Jay Traynor.  

The tragedy that unfolded on a New Mexico movie set when Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun, killing a cinematographer, has led to calls for fundamental change in Hollywood. Some are saying real guns should be banned on sets. From a change.org petition to a network TV drama that has banished real weapons from the set, supporters of the move say there is no justification for taking any risks when computers can create gunshots in post-production. Halyna Hutchins was killed when Baldwin fired a weapon that a crew member told him was safe.

On Oct. 24, 1957, singer-actor Bing Crosby married singer-actor Kathy Grant.

Khris Middleton scored 28 points, Giannis Antetokounmpo added 21 and the Milwaukee Bucks held on to beat the San Antonio Spurs 121-111 on Saturday night. Doug McDermott scored 25 points and Keldon Johnson added 20 for San Antonio, which lost its second straight after a season-opening victory at home over Orlando. Every Milwaukee starter scored in double figures, and George Hill added 15 points off the bench.

The film industry and its unions provide guidelines on how to deal safely with prop guns on movie sets. But in states where movie-making is big business, lawmakers and regulators rely on those suggested practices rather than regulate on-set firearm use. The lack of strict gun safety rules is under scrutiny after a cinematographer was killed by a prop gun on the New Mexico film set of “Rust.” Court documents state an assistant director handed actor Alec Baldwin a loaded weapon and told him it was safe to use. In New Mexico, as in other states, most of the legislative debate over the entertainment industry has focused on tax credits and incentives to lure it.

The shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the set of the Alec Baldwin movie “Rust” is a reminder of the dangers that can exist on film and television sets. As authorities investigate why a crew member handed Baldwin a loaded gun instead of one safe to use, industry leaders will look for ways to avoid similar tragedies. On-set fatalities have led to safety reforms in the past. A helicopter crash that killed actor Vic Morrow and two children on the 1982 set of “Twilight Zone: The Movie” led to new rules for filming with choppers. Gun safety rules were adopted after actor Brandon Lee was fatally shot while filming “The Crow” in 1993.

Conjurers and cheats, hustlers and hoaxsters. Those were some of the things that interested the grizzled Ricky Jay. The widow of the sleight-of-hand artist, card shark, author and scholar turned over nearly 2,000 curiosities he collected to Sotheby's for an unusual upcoming auction. Jay died in 2018 at age 72, leaving behind a vast trove of rare books, posters, broadsides and other artifacts that honored many who came before him. The Sotheby's Ricky Jay Collection is valued in total at $2.2 million to $3.2 million. Divided into 634 lots, it's the focus of a live auction Wednesday and Thursday.

On Oct. 23, 1941, the Disney film “Dumbo” was released.

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

This week’s new entertainment releases include new albums from Ed Sheeran and The War on Drugs as well as “Army of Thieves,” a prequel to Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” which invites viewers to join a Europe-trotting heist. On the small screen, Colin Kaepernick and moviemaker Ava DuVernay are the co-creators of Netflix’s “Colin in Black and White,” a six-episode, half-hour series inspired by the Black activist and former NFL quarterback’s teen years. Trekkies and sci-fi fans might like the animated series “Star Trek: Prodigy,” debuting Thursday on Paramount+  when some young alien outcasts swipe a starship.

Writer and former Nicaraguan Vice President Sergio Ramírez says he will live in exile in Spain, after the government of President Daniel Ortega tried to arrest him and banned his latest book. The 79-year-old writer served as vice president during Ortega’s first government from 1985 to 1990. But in the mid-1990s he distanced himself from Ortega, along with other intellectuals and former guerrillas. Ramírez retired from politics in 1996, but continues to be an important voice in the country. In September, Ortega's government issued an arrest warrant for him for “acts that foment and incite hatred and violence.” Ramírez initially intended to live in Costa Rica.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The African Princes of Comedy Tour (APCTour) gets bigger every year as the best African stand-up comics from around the world descend to provide top-notch comedy shows across the country. The APCTour continues the East Coast Takeover at the SA Café…

ALCS-RED SOX/ASTROS

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died Thursday after a prop firearm that actor Alec Baldwin was holding discharged on the New Mexico set of “Rust.” Director Joel Souza was also hit and injured but has since been released from the hospital. The sheriff’s department is investigating and many things are still unknown, including whether Hutchins was killed by a real bullet or a blank. On movie sets, weapons masters are in charge of the weapons and must be present when a weapon is being used. And according to guidelines of the Actors’ Equity Association, firearms must be loaded by the prop master, armorer or experienced persons working under their direct supervision.

Peter Scolari, who appeared on the TV series “Newhart” and Girls," has died. His manager says Scolari died Friday morning in New York after fighting cancer for two years. The versatile character actor first gained attention as Tom Hanks’ co-star in the sitcom “Bosom Buddies,” in which their characters disguised themselves as women to live in an affordable, females-only apartment building. The two actors became pals and went on to work together in Hanks’ film directorial debut, “That Thing You Do!" and in the Broadway play “Lucky Guy." Scolari's survivors include his wife and four children. He was 66.

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED INTO ON-SET SHOOTING INVOLVING ALEC BALDWIN

Singer Barbara Ann Hawkins of The Dixie Cups is 78. Director Ang Lee is 67. Jazz singer Dianne Reeves is 65. Country singer Dwight Yoakam is 65. Director-actor Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man” films) is 62. Singer “Weird Al” Yankovic is 62. Bassist Robert Trujillo (troo-HEE’-oh) of Metallica is 57. S…

The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of October 25, 2021 :

Eleven Pablo Picasso artworks are on display at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art ahead of a Saturday auction that host Sotheby’s estimates could fetch a combined $100 million. The nine paintings and two ceramics had been displayed inside the Las Vegas Strip resort’s Picasso restaurant until owner MGM Resorts decided earlier this year to sell them. The free show is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. It'll be the first major Sotheby’s auction in Las Vegas. Picasso is said to have created more than 13,000 paintings during more than 70 years as a working artist. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is not immediately blocking the Texas law that bans most abortions, but has agreed to hear arguments in the case on Nov. 1. The justices said Friday they will decide whether the federal government has the right to sue over the law. The court’s action leave…

A French court trying an alleged blackmail case involving Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema and four other defendants expects to render its verdict on Friday. Benzema hasn’t been attending the trial that opened Wednesday in Versailles and is scheduled to wrap up Friday. He is charged with complicity in the alleged attempt in 2015 to blackmail France teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape thought to have been stolen from his mobile phone. Prosecutors asked Thursday that Benzema be fined 75,000 euros, the equivalent of $87,000, the maximum allowed on his charge. They also asked for a suspended 10-month jail term. The law allows for a maximum of 5 years imprisonment. The four other defendants are being tried on charges of attempted blackmail.

Authorities say actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a movie set and killed the cinematographer. The director of the Western being filmed was wounded. Authorities are investigating. Santa Fe County Sheriff’s officials said cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souza were shot Thursday on the set of “Rust” in the desert near Santa Fe. A Baldwin spokesperson said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks, though a charge without a metal projectile is unlikely to kill at a moderate distance. A Sheriff’s spokesman said detectives were investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported Baldwin was seen outside the sheriff’s office in tears. Attempts to get comment were unsuccessful.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is back at Windsor Castle and in good spirits after revelations that she spent the night in a London hospital earlier this week. The palace said on Friday that the 95-year-old British monarch went to the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in London on Wednesday for “preliminary investigations.” She returned to her Windsor Castle home at lunchtime on Thursday and was back at her desk by afternoon. The queen underwent the tests after she canceled a scheduled trip to mark 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland.

FBI IDENTIFIES REMAINS FROM FLA. NATURE PRESERVE AS THOSE OF BRIAN LAUNDRIE

YOUNG THUG SUES APARTMENT OVER LOST BAG

PROP GUN DISCHARGED BY ALEC BALDWIN KILLS D.P., INJURES DIRECTOR ON MOVIE SET

On Oct. 22, 1965, Ernest Tubb was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Ready to party again, DJ supergroup Swedish House Mafia are back with a new collab with The Weeknd and a world tour on the horizon. The trio dropped a new song “Moth To a Flame” melding their thumping beats with The Weeknd's dark cinematic vocals. Next year will mark their return to world touring with 44 dates in arenas across North America and Europe. After announcing their reunion in 2018, the DJs who helped bring house music to a global audience have been working on a new album in Sweden. Steve Angello said “time was the best thing that could happen," giving them much needed space to regroup for a new chapter. 

Carlos Ghosn, the former auto industry superstar whose career screeched to a halt with his arrest three years ago, isn't about to settle into quiet retirement. The former head of the Nissan-Renault alliance fled to Lebanon in late 2019, while out on bail facing financial misconduct charges in Japan. In an interview with The Associated Press, he said he is trying to get Interpol to drop its red flag designation for him. He's keeping busy writing books, filmmaking, teaching management and consulting. Nissan’s French alliance partner Renault sent Ghosn to Japan in 1999, to steer a turnaround when the Japanese automaker was on the verge of collapse. 

Authorities say a woman has been killed and a man injured Thursday after they were shot by a prop firearm at a movie set outside Santa Fe. The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office says a 42-year-old woman was airlifted to a hospital, where she died, while a 42-year-old man was getting emergency care at another hospital. Authorities didn’t identify the two people or say if they were actors or crew members. Production has been halted on the Western movie “Rust,” which is being directed by Joel Souza and produced by Alec Baldwin. A spokesperson for Baldwin said there was an accident on the set involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks. 

Netflix employees walked out Wednesday in protest of Dave Chappelle’s special and its anti-transgender comments. They were joined by allies who chanted “Trans lives matter,” getting pushback from opponents who also showed up. A pre-noon rally at a Netflix office-studio complex drew about 100 people, most on the side of an estimated 30 workers at the streaming giant that joined in afterward. Some were willing to identify themselves as Netflix employees, but all declined to provide their names. Joey Soloway, creator of the groundbreaking Emmy-winning comedy “Transparent,” was among the speakers at the rally.  Soloway called for trans representation on Netflix's board. 

Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II spent a night in a hospital after being advised by her doctor to rest. The palace says the 95-year-old British monarch went to hospital for “preliminary investigations.” It said she returned to her Windsor Castle home at lunchtime on Thursday, “and remains in good spirits.” On Wednesday, the queen canceled a scheduled trip to Northern Ireland. The palace said she had “reluctantly” accepted medical advice to rest for a few days. It did not elaborate. Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch, Elizabeth is due to celebrate 70 years on the throne next year.

Jerry Pinkney, a prize-winning children’s book illustrator known for his richly textured images of Black life, fables and fairy tales in works ranging from “The Lion and the Mouse” to “The Sunday Outing,” has died at 81. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers says Pinkney died Wednesday. His wordless adaptation of the Aesop fable “The Lion and the Mouse” led to his receiving the Randolph Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustration in 2010. He was also a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for best work by a Black artist. He designed Black Heritage stamps honoring Harriet Tubman and Jackie Robinson among others. 

DEMONSTRATION OVER CHAPPELLE'S COMEDY SPECIAL HELD AT NETFLIX HQ IN LOS ANGELES