‘Dances With Wolves’ actor to be sentenced in Las Vegas for sexually assaulting Indigenous girls

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nathan Chasing Horse will be sentenced next Wednesday for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, drawing to a close a case that sent shock waves through Indian Country.

The sentencing was scheduled to take place Wednesday, but Judge Jessica Peterson agreed to move the hearing to March 18.

The sentencing of the “Dances With Wolves” actor comes about a month after a Nevada jury convicted him on 13 of the 21 charges he faced. Most related to his conduct with a victim who was 14 when he began assaulting her. Chasing Horse was acquitted of some sexual assault charges.

He faces a minimum of 25 years in prison.

Q&A: Shakira says she feels like she’s just getting started. A Rock Hall nomination begs to differ

NEW YORK (AP) — Shakira is on her way to drop her son off at flag football practice. It's an ordinary experience for a mother who, in the not-so-recent past, has been at the center of some pretty extraordinary circumstances.

The boundary-breaking Colombian performer has spent the last year on her first global tour since 2018, where she has made history: Nearly 20 years after her first concert in Mexico City 's Zócalo, the capital's main square, Shakira returned earlier this month to break the plaza’s attendance record with about 400,000 fans showing up to see her.

It's impressive for any artist and one that certainly backs up her reputation as the Queen of Latin Music. Across her three-decade-plus career, Shakira has set records and challenged genre lines: from 1991, when she signed a deal with Sony Music Colombia at just 13 years old and released her debut album “Magia” — to breakthrough albums like 1998's “Dónde Están los Ladrones?” and 2001's “Laundry Service” — all the way to her most recent, 2024's “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.”

But this year is different.

Fact File: As Iran war escalates, fake videos and images proliferate online

As the U.S.-Israel war on Iran escalates, a flood of fake and misleading content is muddying the waters online. People are turning to social media for news of the war, but experts in artificial intelligence say bad actors, unchecked tech companies — and an internet where we can no longer trust that everything we see is real — make getting that news much harder.

Fake and misleading videos and images about the conflict are getting millions of views online. 

On the X platform, a video of missiles supposedly striking Tel Aviv showed signs it was generated with artificial intelligence, including a distorted Israeli flag and buildings and cars that change shape throughout the video.

A post to X by the state-owned Tehran Times newspaper claimed to show before-and-after photos of destruction to a U.S. military base in Qatar. However, both photos appear to match a satellite image of a base in Bahrain from February 2025, suggesting the image was altered to include the damage from the "after" photo. 

Oscars preview: Producers tease ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and ‘Sinners’ celebrations

The “KPop Demon Hunters” hit “Golden” has been performed quite a few times over the past few months. Singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami have made stops at Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon’s shows, the Brit Awards and even the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. But when they take the stage at the Oscars on Sunday, it won’t just be their, well, usual song and dance.

The producers behind the 98th Academy Awards have set out to celebrate not just the song, but the cultural phenomenon of the film itself. That logic is why the only other nominated song that will get a moment on the broadcast is “I Lied to You,” from “Sinners,” a blockbuster hit and the most-nominated film of all time.

“We have two really unique stories that are going to be celebrated on the stage,” said Oscars executive producer and showrunner Raj Kapoor. “They’re bigger than just the songs. They’re really about filmmaking and craft.”

Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will be on hand for the “Sinners” moment, which aims to explore the role music plays in the film with the help of Misty Copeland, blues musicians Eric Gales, Buddy Guy and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, actors Jayme Lawson and Li Jun Li as well as Brittany Howard, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith. Kapoor said filmmaker Ryan Coogler has also been involved in putting it together.

How a Canadian documentary following three donkeys is defying Oscars conventions

When Montreal filmmaker Alison McAlpine first noticed a group of donkeys ambling around an observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, she couldn’t help but wonder what they were thinking.

“I just asked, how do they see this world?” she recalls.

That question became the starting point for “Perfectly a Strangeness,” McAlpine’s mesmeric short film following three donkeys grazing around towering telescopes scanning the cosmos. It’s now up for an Oscar on Sunday.

But while the film is nominated in the documentary short category, its dreamlike, stylized approach has stirred a debate: what exactly counts as a documentary?

Deal reached with StubHub on ticketing practices for Vancouver Taylor Swift concerts

VICTORIA - People who purchased tickets for Taylor Swift's concerts in Vancouver through a resale platform may be eligible for a refund.

Consumer Protection BC has reached a deal with StubHub Canada after a complaint and subsequent investigation into the company's ticket sales practices. 

Under the agreement, StubHub will improve how it reveals ticketing information, including the face value of the ticket, its fees, service charges and refund guarantees. 

A statement from Consumer Protection BC says those who bought Swift tickets through the company for the three Vancouver concerts in 2024 and sat in certain sections may be eligible for a refund if their tickets didn't disclose that their views were limited. 

Pokémon cards are a hot commodity, and B.C. thieves aren’t playing around

Pokémon cards were the focus of a gang who turned up at an Abbotsford, B.C., collectibles store on Friday — but they weren't there to play. 

In pre-dawn scenes captured on the store's security video, the masked raiders smash a window then loop a chain and a large hook around the security grate, which they wrench out with their car.

Owner Brandon Chreptyk said the gang then ransacked the store for about two minutes, making off with approximately $30,000 worth of Pokémon cards.

Movie Review: In ‘Undertone,’ a paranormal podcast turns perilous

Writer-director Ian Tuason’s feature debut, the sonic-driven horror “Undertone,” has, at least at the outset, an appealingly stripped-down quality.

The 30-something Evy Babic (Nina Kiri) lives with her dying, comatose mother (Michèle Duquet). The movie never leaves their small, two-story home. Upstairs, Evy’s mother lies wordlessly in a bed. Downstairs, Evy, at 3 a.m. puts on headphones, sits in front of a microphone and calls up her paranormal podcast co-host Justin (Adam DiMarco’s voice) to talk “all things creepy.”

It’s a testament to Tuason’s evident filmmaking talent that, with these bare bones, “Undertone” swells into a gripping and unsettling experience. This is a movie that summons many of its scares with a sudden boost in audio levels, the thunderous tick of a clock or the scream of … a tea kettle. It's even rated “R” not for bloodcurdling violence or satanic ghouls but, simply, “language.”

It’s these subtle qualities that make “Undertone” a spare but deftly dense film and Tuason a filmmaker to watch. It’s the movie’s disappointing second half, though, that breaks its quiet spell. After conjuring a tapestry of tension through narrative drips, as well as literal ones, Tuason throws in the whole kitchen sink, drowning out “Undertone” with a cacophony of genre cliches. Ancient Christian lore is invoked, as are children’s lullabies, and the riveting nuance of “Undertone” slips away in all the feedback.

Court hearing for Cher’s son on charges he broke into a New Hampshire home canceled

A court hearing for Cher's son Wednesday over allegations he broke into a New Hampshire home this month has been canceled.

Elijah Allman’s arrest on March 1 was his second in New Hampshire in a matter of days. Allman, the 49-year-old son of the iconic singer and actress, was also detained Feb. 27, accused of acting belligerently at a prestigious prep school in Concord.

It is unclear if Allman, of Malibu, California, has any connection to the home in Windham, New Hampshire. He is being held in the Rockingham County Department of Corrections, Superintendent Jonathan Banville said.

The hearing Wednesday was continued until an undetermined date after Allman got an attorney Wednesday morning. The attorney, Sarah Landres, did not respond to a request for comment.

Movie Review: ‘Reminders of Him’ is a sad-happy Colleen Hoover adaptation, mixing grief and romance

The hunky, sweet hero in the new romantic drama “Reminders of Him” at one point turns to the movie's heroine and tells her: “I’m starting to wonder if you’re the saddest girl I’ve never met.” It's hard to argue.

First, she’s a penniless former prison inmate who has returned to her small town of Laramie, Wisconsin, where she's hooking up with her former boyfriend’s best friend. Second, that boyfriend is dead and she's been blamed, hence the prison sentence. Plus, she’s hoping to connect with her estranged daughter, born of tragedy.

There's a lot going on with Kenna Rowan, who can't afford a phone or a car and so walks everywhere around the town, lives in a run-down motel and can't initially get a job because she's a felon. She hates listening to the radio because all the songs are sad. Pot calling the kettle, right?

“Reminders of Him” is very faithful to Colleen Hoover’s 2022 novel of the same name, right down to slices of the same dialogue and even the Mountain Dew T-shirt, jean shorts and boots our heroine is first introduced in. She finally gets a job as a grocery bagger and starts building a life, biding her time until she figures out how to reconnect with her daughter.

Jill Biden opens up in memoir about Joe Biden’s decision to end his 2024 reelection bid

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jill Biden is breaking her silence about Joe Biden's decision to abruptly end his 2024 presidential reelection bid under pressure from Democrats concerned about his age, health and viability against Republican Donald Trump in a rematch of their 2020 campaign.

A political spouse for nearly 50 years, Jill Biden said she has never publicly discussed her feelings about the three-week stretch when her husband ended his political career, instead saving her thoughts for the pages of her soon-to-be-released memoir.

Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, on Wednesday announced that her book, “View from the East Wing: A Memoir,” is scheduled to be published June 2.

Jill Biden told The Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that the book is a “reflection of my four years as first lady” and that writing it was somewhat healing.

Ken Follett’s next epic heads to Victorian Britain, where strict morals meet secret passions

NEW YORK (AP) — Ken Follett's next historical epic is a story of forbidden romance set during a time of official propriety, the Victorian age.

Follett's “The Deep and Secret Things” will be published Sept. 21, 2027, Hachette Book Group and Hachette UK announced Wednesday. His novel follows the life of a noblewoman from South Wales, Helena Bowen, and her attraction to a charming, but disreputable acquaintance, Johnnie.

“I love stories set in the Victorian era because of the shocking contrasts,” Follett said in a statement. “Britain was richer than any country had ever been, but the London slums were places of grim poverty. Moral rules were strict, but rich men had mistresses and destitute women turned, in desperation, to prostitution. Dresses were gorgeous and parties were lavish, but the children of the poor started work at the age of seven.”

The 76-year-old Follett is one of the world's most popular authors, with sales nearing 200 million copies, according to his publishers. His novels, which have spanned from the Dark Ages to modern times, include “The Pillars of the Earth,” “Eye of the Needle” and “World Without End.”

33 years since Oscar nom, Montreal filmmaker Joyce Borenstein feels sense of closure

MONTREAL -  

Joyce Borenstein spent hours in her Montreal-area apartment, surrounded by the paintings of her famous artist father, carefully watching every Oscar-nominated film from 2025. 

As a newly minted member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Borenstein was able to vote in all 24 categories, helping choose who will take home the bronze statuettes plated in 24-karat gold on Sunday for the 98th Academy Awards.

Her role ahead of this weekend in Los Angeles was small — she is one of thousands of Academy members eligible to vote for Oscar nominees — but its symbolic importance is immense for her. This year's awards ceremony is a homecoming of sorts for the Montreal animator and filmmaker, whose short documentary detailing the life of her dad, famed painter Sam Borenstein, called "The Colours of My Father," was nominated for an Oscar in 1993.

Calgary Public Library reviewing feedback opposing AI-focused artist in residence

CALGARY - The Calgary Public Library is reviewing its search for a "creative-in-residence" focused on using artificial intelligence after facing critical feedback, including from the mayor.

The library is looking to host an artist from any discipline to use "AI technology ethically as a collaborative partner" for 10 weeks beginning at the end of June.

That call-out prompted online backlash from some concerned that AI-focused creations pull threads from the work of various, unnamed artists without due credit.

Millicent Mabi, the library's programming director, said the organization is reviewing the feedback and will use it to aid in future decisions for the library, which is set to include more programming on artificial intelligence and misinformation.

Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu close Paris Fashion Week with competing visions of nature

PARIS (AP) — Louis Vuitton 's Nicolas Ghesquière built a fake mountain range inside the Louvre and sent models climbing through it.

On Tuesday he closed out a starry Paris Fashion Week with folklore treated as high fashion — capes, cowbells, shearling caps and walking sticks draped with handbags.

Ghesquière called the collection “Super Nature” and said he wanted to find what mountain people from the Alps to Central Asia to the Andes all have in common: clothes shaped by weather, altitude and the need to keep moving.

Zendaya, Ana de Armas, Jennifer Connelly and Jaden Smith sat in the front row.