Celebrities – Winnipeg Free Press

FILE - Bad Bunny performs during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, on Monday, March 17, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ could make Grammy history

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 1:44 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — The Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny has redefined what it means to be a global giant — and he may once again make history at the 2026 Grammy Awards.

The artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is up for six awards at the Feb. 1 show, becoming the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated for album, song and record of the year simultaneously. His critically acclaimed album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” is only the second Spanish-language record to be nominated for album of the year. The first? Well, that also belonged to Bad Bunny, 2022’s “Un Verano Sin Ti.”

Win or lose, experts say Bad Bunny's Grammy nominations mark a symbolic moment for Latinos. Just a week later, after all, he'll headline the Super Bowl halftime show.

Historic nominations reflect the cultural zeitgeist

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Rain soaks Rose Parade in California and snow squalls hit Midwest and Northeast on first day of 2026

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Rain soaks Rose Parade in California and snow squalls hit Midwest and Northeast on first day of 2026

The Associated Press 2 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 4:14 PM CST

Rain poured down on the iconic Rose Parade on Thursday for the first time in 20 years, as flood warnings and evacuation orders in Southern California joined snow squalls and frigid temperatures in the country's midsection to mark the first day of 2026.

Marching bands, floats and throngs of spectators were soaked by one to two inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of New Year’s Day rain at the 137th Rose Parade in Pasadena. The mercury stood at a chilly 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14.4 degrees Celsius) at the 8 a.m. start of the parade.

Across the country, in New York City, hats and gloves were as necessary as noisemakers at the city's New Year's Eve ball drop, where temperatures near freezing appeared to be the coldest in 10 years.

Hundreds of thousands of people gather along the nearly six-mile (10-kilometer) route in Pasadena, where the two-hour parade kicked off. Millions more watch on national television. Organizers at the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the group that organizes the parade ahead of the Rose Bowl college football game, said they made only small changes to accommodate the weather, such as the tops being up on convertibles carrying grand marshal Earvin “Magic” Johnson and other VIPs.

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Updated: Yesterday at 4:14 PM CST

Rain comes down on a float at the 137th Rose Parade Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

2026 arrives with celebrations from coast to coast

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CST

Canadians in Newfoundland were the first to ring in 2026, including residents of St. John's.

The city hosted a series of New Year's Eve celebrations culminating in a classic midnight countdown and fireworks.

In Montreal, the night was billed as "Le Grand Minuit," featuring lights, music and what organizers described as a whole lot of winter magic in the city's historic Old Port.

In Toronto, pop-up performances and entertainment could be found in every neighbourhood, with the festive countdown and fireworks taking place on the city's waterfront.

French government defends granting citizenship to George and Amal Clooney

John Leicester, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

French government defends granting citizenship to George and Amal Clooney

John Leicester, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

PARIS (AP) — Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney were granted French citizenship because “they contribute, through their distinguished actions, to France’s international influence and cultural outreach,” the French government said Wednesday, defending their naturalization that was questioned by a junior French minister.

The naturalizations of the Kentucky-born star of the “Ocean’s” series of heist movies, his wife and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, and their twins Ella and Alexander were announced last weekend in the Journal Officiel, where French government decrees are published.

Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior minister at the Interior Ministry, expressed misgivings Wednesday that some of the Clooneys' new French compatriots may think that the star couple was granted special treatment. The actor speaks only what he himself says is “horrible, horrible" French.

“The message being sent is not good,” Vedrenne said in an interview with broadcaster France Info. “There is an issue of fairness that, in my eyes, is absolutely essential.”

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

FILE - George Clooney kisses the hand of his wife Amal while posing for photographers on the red carpet for the film 'Jay Kelly' during the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2025. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP, File)

Disney World worker is injured trying to stop runaway boulder at Indiana Jones show

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Disney World worker is injured trying to stop runaway boulder at Indiana Jones show

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Walt Disney World worker in Florida was injured while attempting to stop a large runaway prop boulder from rolling into seated spectators at the Indiana Jones live show.

The worker at the “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular” at the Disney’s Hollywood Studios park was knocked to the ground by the 400-pound (181-kilogram) prop boulder after it moved off its track on Tuesday and started rolling toward audience members. Another worker stopped the boulder before it reached the spectators.

Disney on Wednesday wouldn't disclose the worker's injuries, citing privacy reasons.

One of the attraction's scheduled shows was canceled Tuesday after the accident, and Wednesday's shows were modified to exclude the prop boulder. Disney said it was reviewing why the prop rolled off the track.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

FILE - The road to the entrance of Walt Disney World, Monday, March 16, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

Betty Boop and ‘Blondie’ enter the public domain in 2026, accompanied by a trio of detectives

Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Betty Boop and ‘Blondie’ enter the public domain in 2026, accompanied by a trio of detectives

Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press 7 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Betty Boop and “Blondie” are joining Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the public domain.

The first appearances of the classic cartoon and comic characters are among the pieces of intellectual property whose 95-year U.S. copyright maximum has been reached, putting them in the public domain on Jan. 1. That means creators can use and repurpose them without permission or payment.

The 2026 batch of newly public artistic creations doesn't quite have the sparkle of the recent first entries into the public domain of Mickey or Winnie. But ever since 2019 — the end of a 20-year IP drought brought on by congressional copyright extensions — every annual crop has been a bounty for advocates of more work belonging to the public.

“It’s a big year,” said Jennifer Jenkins, law professor and director of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, for whom New Year's Day is celebrated as Public Domain Day. “It's just the sheer familiarity of all this culture.”

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

FILE - Betty Boop collapses on Broadway near 49th Street as handlers work to raise the deflated helium balloon during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)

Lions-Vikings Christmas game on Netflix sets NFL streaming record, averaging 27.5M viewers

The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Lions-Vikings Christmas game on Netflix sets NFL streaming record, averaging 27.5M viewers

The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two of the NFL's three Christmas Day games set viewership records.

The Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings late afternoon game on Netflix became the most-streamed NFL game in U.S. history and the Denver Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs night game set a record for Amazon Prime Video.

The Vikings' 23-10 victory over the Lions averaged 27.5 million U.S. viewers, according to Nielsen. The audience peaked at over 30 million. That surpasses the 27.2 million average for last year's Christmas game on Netflix between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texas, which was also in the late afternoon slot.

The Broncos' 20-13 win over the Chiefs had a 21.06 million average on Prime Video, breaking the network's 19.39 million mark for most-watched “Thursday Night Football” game in the four seasons it has had the package. The audience peaked at 22.9 million during the second quarter.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. reacts after the team's win against the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Nasty weather on tap for New Year fetes at Rose Parade in California and revelers in New York City

The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Nasty weather on tap for New Year fetes at Rose Parade in California and revelers in New York City

The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Two iconic celebrations to ring in the New Year — the Rose Parade in Southern California and the midnight ball drop in New York City — are in for some rough weather.

Marching bands, floats and throngs of spectators are bracing for a rare dose of New Year’s Day rain and even thunder at the prestigious Rose Parade in Pasadena. Across the country, in New York City, hats and gloves were as necessary as noisemakers Wednesday for what could be the coldest ball drop in many years.

Rain forecasts for the 137th Rose Parade, which has been dry for 20 years, have grown all week.

"It's looking like a wet one,” AccuWeather meteorologist John Feerick said. “It may not be raining the whole time. There could be some pretty good downpours. A rumble of thunder or two is not out of the question."

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

FILE - Marching bands perform along Colorado Blvd. in the 136th Rose Parade, in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

NBA Christmas viewership hits 15-year high with 47M viewers. And social media numbers set records

The Associated Press 1 minute read Preview

NBA Christmas viewership hits 15-year high with 47M viewers. And social media numbers set records

The Associated Press 1 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — The NBA saw its best Christmas Day viewership numbers in 15 years, the league announced Wednesday.

More than 47 million people in the U.S. watched at least some of the five-game slate on ABC and ESPN, which represents a 45% increase over last year. And there was an average of 5.5 million viewers for the games, up 4% from a year ago.

The Cleveland-New York game was the most-watched Christmas game ever that started at noon Eastern, with an average of 6.4 million viewers. The San Antonio-Oklahoma City game was the most-watched in the 2:30 p.m. Christmas timeslot since 2017 and the Dallas-Golden State game was the most-watched in the 5 p.m. timeslot on the holiday since 2019.

Nielsen said it provided the ratings data.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Gospel singer Richard Smallwood dies at 77, leaving a legacy that inspired many in music

Jeff Martin, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Gospel singer Richard Smallwood dies at 77, leaving a legacy that inspired many in music

Jeff Martin, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Richard Smallwood, a gospel singer and recording artist nominated eight times for Grammy Awards, has died. He was 77.

Smallwood died Tuesday of complications of kidney failure at a rehabilitation and nursing center in Sandy Spring, Maryland, his representative Bill Carpenter announced.

Smallwood had health issues for many years, and music gave him the strength to endure, Carpenter said in an interview.

“Richard was so dedicated to music, and that was the thing that kept him alive all these years,” he said. “Making music that made people feel something is what made him want to keep breathing and keep moving and keep living.”

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

This photo provided by Capital Entertainment, Grammy Award Nominated Gospel Singer Richard Smallwood is handed a portrait of himself during his 75th Birthday Celebration. (Capital Entertainment via AP)

English actors Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton welcome their second child

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

English actors Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton welcome their second child

Maria Sherman, The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — English actors Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton have welcomed their second child.

Hiddleston confirmed the news to GQ in a feature published Monday. He described birth as the “most beautiful, profound, earth-shattering, life-altering” experience. He did not share his child's birthday, but according to the feature, the interview took place in early December, and the birth was “just the other day.”

Hiddleston, 44, and Ashton, 41, first met while starring in a 2019 revival of the play “Betrayal.” They confirmed their engagement in 2022 and welcomed their first child later that year.

“Becoming a father is the most important and meaningful thing that's ever happened to me, and the most important thing I will ever do,” Hiddleston told The Associated Press earlier this year.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

FILE - Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton pose for photographers upon arrival at the Season 2 UK Premiere of The Night Manager in London, England, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Photo by Millie Turner/Invision/AP, File)

Maritime musician Joel Plaskett among 2025 Order of Nova Scotia recipients

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Maritime musician Joel Plaskett among 2025 Order of Nova Scotia recipients

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

HALIFAX - Maritime musician Joel Plaskett has been appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia.

The songwriter, producer and philanthropist from Dartmouth, N.S., is among five new additions to the order this year.

The provincial government says the Order of Nova Scotia is considered the highest honour in the province, recognizing people who have made lasting contributions in a number of areas.

Also recognized this year is former premier Darrell Dexter and East Preston human rights advocate Carolyn G. Thomas.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Joel Plaskett performs at the 2018 East Coast Music Awards gala in Halifax on Thursday, May 3, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Montreal polar plunge fans want access to beach along St. Lawrence River

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Montreal polar plunge fans want access to beach along St. Lawrence River

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

MONTRÉAL - On New Year's Eve morning in Montreal, Mark Nikiforov sawed a hole into the thick sheet of ice capping the St. Lawrence River, preparing to plunge inside.

With temperatures hovering around -13 C — feeling colder than -20 with the wind chill — Nikiforov and about a dozen others stripped down to bathing suits, toques and gloves, and lowered themselves into the water.

"The more you actually do it, the less cold you will feel," said Nikiforov, who wore a large furry hat and went into the water last, after supervising the first-timers.

"For me personally, it's also something to do in the winter season that helps to withstand (the cold), to feel better."

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Greece and Cyprus are welcoming 2026 without the bang

Menelaos Hadjicostis And Derek Gatopoulos, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Greece and Cyprus are welcoming 2026 without the bang

Menelaos Hadjicostis And Derek Gatopoulos, The Associated Press 3 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 2:27 AM CST

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece and Cyprus are starting 2026 by turning down the volume.

The countries' capital cities, Athens and Nicosia, have traded the familiar whizz, crackle and boom of window‑rattling fireworks for spectacle without the shock wave, opting for low‑noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays.

The shift aims to make New Year celebrations more child‑ and pet‑friendly — especially for animals with more sensitive hearing — in a break from the loud, combustible traditions of the past.

A shift toward calm

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Updated: Yesterday at 2:27 AM CST

Fireworks burst over the capital Nicosia during the New Year's celebrations in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Nardwuar becomes first ‘human serviette’ appointed to Order of Canada

David Friend, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Nardwuar becomes first ‘human serviette’ appointed to Order of Canada

David Friend, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

TORONTO - When Nardwuar rhymes off a list of fellow members of the Order of Canada, he includes baseball player Fergie Jenkins, filmmaker Guy Maddin and singer Avril Lavigne – twice.

It’s not surprising that the Tartan-clad celebrity interviewer seems to hold the Canadian pop princess in particular esteem, since he's yet to interrogate her in one of his colourful and unpredictable viral video chats.

"I am now beside those people, I cannot believe it," he exclaimed during a recent video call.

“Over the years, different people have got together and said, ‘Nardwuar should host the Junos’ or ‘Nardwuar should get this award.’ But I kind of forgot about all that stuff.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

Canadian journalist and musician, Nardwuar the Human Serviette is pictured at Neptune Records in Vancouver, on Monday, December 29, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Hong Kong greets 2026 without fireworks after deadliest blaze in decades

Kanis Leung, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

Hong Kong greets 2026 without fireworks after deadliest blaze in decades

Kanis Leung, The Associated Press 3 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

HONG KONG (AP) — Fireworks are typically a celebratory centerpiece of Hong Kong's New Year celebrations. Not this year.

The territory greeted 2026 without spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor after a massive fire in November that killed at least 161 people.

The city’s tourism board instead hosted a music show Wednesday night featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district that also is home to the famous nightlife hub Lan Kwai Fong. The facades of eight landmarks turned into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.

Fireworks have long been part of the city’s celebrations for the New Year, Lunar New Year and National Day. The pyrotechnic displays against Hong Kong’s world-famous skyline of skyscrapers typically draw hundreds of thousands of people including many tourists to both sides of the promenade.

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Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025

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