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K-pop sensation BTS returns with a comeback concert in Seoul after a 4-year hiatus
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K-pop sensation BTS returns with a comeback concert in Seoul after a 4-year hiatus

  • By JUWON PARK, KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM - Associated Press
  • Updated

BTS has returned as a full group with a huge, free concert in Seoul after a four-year break. The K-pop band played new songs and big hits, and fans packed the streets and waved light sticks. On Saturday night, police shut down roads and transit near Gwanghwamun Square, and ran tight security checks. Members have recently finished South Korea’s mandatory military service. The management company said the group released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” on Friday, and it sold nearly 4 million copies in one day. Netflix streamed the show live, and BTS thanked fans for waiting.

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'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' actor Nicholas Brendon dies at 54

  • By SCOTT BAUER - Associated Press

Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known for his role as a loveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” has died. He was 54. Brendon’s family announced the death in a statement posted on his social media accounts Friday. They said he died in his sleep of natural causes, but did not say where or when it happened. Brandon played Xander Harris, a close friend of lead character Buffy, on the show that ran from 1997 to 2003. Brendon had also appeared on the TV show “Criminal Minds” and alongside Bradley Cooper in the Fox sitcom “Kitchen Confidential.”

Chuck Norris, martial arts master and actor whose toughness became internet lore, dies at 86
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Chuck Norris, martial arts master and actor whose toughness became internet lore, dies at 86

  • By JONATHAN MATTISE - Associated Press
  • Updated

The martial arts grandmaster and action star Chuck Norris has died. His roles in “Walker, Texas Ranger” and other television shows and movies made him an iconic tough guy, sparking internet parodies and adoration from presidents. He was 86. Norris died Thursday, in what his family described as a “sudden passing.” They didn't release details about his death. Before he would become a star in movies and on TV, Norris was wildly successful in competitive martial arts. His toughman image became the stuff of legend, sparking “Chuck Norris Facts” memes. He was also outspoken about his Christian beliefs and his support for gun rights, and backed political candidates for years.

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Key Oscar moments: Paul Thomas Anderson and Amy Madigan wins, outstanding songs and sad goodbyes

  • By MARK KENNEDY - AP Entertainment Writer
  • Updated

Paul Thomas Anderson won big at the Oscars with “One Battle After Another” but “Sinners” also landed major wins. But in the shadow of those big movies, actor Amy Madigan ended a 40-year wait between nomination and winning for “Weapons,” and the show honored Rob Reiner and Robert Redford in a long in memoriam section. Anderson, one of the most respected filmmakers of his generation, finally won an Oscar. Then he won another. Then he won the biggest one. There were also two stunning musical performances — “I Lied to You” from “Sinners” and “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters.”

'One Battle After Another' triumphs at 98th Academy Awards in coronation for Paul Thomas Anderson
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'One Battle After Another' triumphs at 98th Academy Awards in coronation for Paul Thomas Anderson

  • By JAKE COYLE - AP Film Writer
  • Updated

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” has been crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards. Jessie Buckley won best actress and Michael B. Jordan won best actor at the 98th Academy Awards. After a lionized career stretching back three decades, Paul Thomas Anderson won his first Oscar for best director, a long-in-coming coronation for the “One Battle After Another” filmmaker. “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made Oscar history, becoming the first female director of photography to win the award in the 98 year history of the Academy Awards. Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler won their first Oscars and moving tributes were paid to Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Rob Reiner at the 98th Academy Awards.

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Oscars performers include trio behind HUNTR/X, Misty Copeland, Josh Groban and Raphael Saadiq

  • By LINDSEY BAHR - AP Film Writer
  • Updated

Oscars producers are revealing more details about the starry performances set for the show. On Tuesday they revealed Josh Groban will make an appearance during the March 15 telecast. The show will feature two major performances of Oscar nominated songs, “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters” and “I Liked to You” from “Sinners.” The singing voices behind HUNTR/X will perform their song as expected. And Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will be on hand for the “Sinners” moment, as will Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Conan O'Brien is returning to host the live broadcast Sunday.

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'Country' Joe McDonald, '60s rock star, proud protest counterculture icon, dies at 84

  • By HILLEL ITALIE - AP National Writer

“Country” Joe McDonald, a hippie rock star of the 1960s whose “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag” was a four-lettered rebuke to the Vietnam War that became an anthem for protesters and a highlight of the Woodstock music festival, died Sunday at 84. His death from complications of Parkinson’s disease was reported by his wife of 43 years, Kathy McDonald. The performer was a longtime presence in the Bay Area music scene, where peers included the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane and his onetime girlfriend, Janis Joplin. He wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, from psychedelic jams to soul-influenced rockers, and released dozens of albums.