Tony Awards offer many intriguing matchups in a star-studded season

NEW YORK (AP) — A pair of singing androids. Two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays. A drunken Mary Todd Lincoln. A musical with a corpse as its hero. A “Romeo and Juliet” with teddy bears and rave music. Not to mention George Clooney. Broadway has had a stuffed season with seemingly something for everyone and now it’s time to recognize the best with the Tony Awards. They're set for Sunday night on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ with Cynthia Erivo as host. Broadway buzz is usually reserved for musical but this year plays powered by A-list talent are driving the conversation.

Cloudy skies can’t dim joy as thousands fill nation's capital for World Pride parade

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gray skies and drizzle gave way to sunshine, multicolored flags and celebrations as the nation’s capital hosted the World Pride parade. Tens of thousands of people participated Saturday in parades and other festivities, in defiance of what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ+ community that challenges the rights many have fought for over the years. World Pride culminates on Sunday with a rally, street protest and concert.

A Sikh Captain America? Why religious diversity matters in the comics universe

Representation of many of the world's faiths and spiritual traditions has been minimal to nonexistent in the mainstream comics universe. And experts say that even when they are portrayed, their presentation is often inauthentic and sometimes negative. But comic book writers and academics who study the intersection of religion and comics are observing a renaissance of sorts. They say this is because those who are close to these faith traditions have begun to tell these stories with a reverence and an authenticity that is resonating with a wider global audience.

Brothers bring boxing back to Fenway after 70 years and hope to revitalize the sport in Boston

Boxing is returning to Boston’s Fenway Park for the first time in nearly 70 years. “Fight Night at Fenway” is scheduled for Saturday. The 11-fight card is the culmination of years of effort by twin brothers and longtime public schoolteachers who grew up in Watertown. Matt and Mark Nolan want to revitalize boxing in the city that was home to some of the greatest athletes in the sport’s history. It’s also symbolic of a shift back to the roots of the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. In the past, Fenway has held political events and sports like football, soccer, hockey and basketball, not just Red Sox games.

A quirky vegetable sculpture contest features a squash Donald Trump and a papal 'Cornclave'

LONDON (AP) — Vegetable likenesses of U.S. President Donald Trump and singer Dolly Parton and a papal “Cornclave” are on display at the Lambeth Country Show. The annual event is  an urban take on a country fair held in London’s Brockwell Park. The vegetable sculpture contest has attracted national renown for its quirky creativity. This year, several sculptures referenced the recent papal election or movie on the subject. One featured cardinals made of maize and was titled “Cornclave.” Other entries included Irish rap trio Kneecap in potato form, “Cauli Parton,” a vegetable “Mo Salad” likeness of Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah and animated icons Wallace and Gromit made from butternut squash. Trump also got the butternut squash treatment.

How groundbreaking gay author Edmund White paved the way for other writers

NEW YORK (AP) — Edmund White, a pioneer of contemporary gay literature, died this week at age 85. He left behind such widely read works as “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room Is Empty” and a priceless gift to countless younger writers. Validation of their lives, the discovery of themselves through the stories of others. Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer says “Ed invented so many of us." A National Book Award finalist and other authors speak of White's work as more than just an influence, but as a rite of passage to read.

'Chespirito: Sin Querer Queriendo' is a tribute to the Mexican comedian who shaped a generation

HBO’s new bio series “Chespirito: Not Really on Purpose” or “Sin Querer Queriendo” has been received with delight by many fans in the U.S. and Latin America who grew up watching Roberto Gómez Bolaños. The eight-episode miniseries, which debuted Thursday, dramatizes the professional and personal journey of Gómez Bolaños.The late Mexican comedian transformed comedy in Latin America. His characters “El Chavo del Ocho" (The Boy from Number Eight”) and “El Chapulin Colorado” (“The Crimson Grasshopper”) defined a generation for millions of children.

For Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves' co-star 10 years ago and once again, 'Ballerina' is a pirouette

NEW YORK (AP) — Years before Ana de Armas was using an ice skate to slice a neck in “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” she co-starred with Keanu Reeves in a much different film. But since the 2015 erotic thriller “Knock Knock,” de Armas’ rise to stardom has been one of the most meteoric of the last decade. Now, 10 years after those scenes with Reeves, de Armas is for the first time headlining a big summer action movie. In “Ballerina,” de Armas’ progressive development as an unlikely action star reaches a butt-kicking crescendo as she inherits the mantle of one of the most esteemed, high-body-count franchises.

Appeals court hands AP an incremental loss in its attempt to regain its access to Trump events

A three-judge appeals court panel ruled against The Associated Press in its continuing bid to restore full access to covering events involving President Donald Trump. The panel granted the president a stay of a lower-court ruling that he had improperly punished the AP for the content of its speech — in this case not renaming the Gulf of Mexico to Trump's liking. Two judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with Trump's contention that a president has the discretion to invite whatever reporters he wants to cover him in small spaces like the Oval Office, Air Force One or Mar-a-Lago.

David Attenborough’s 'Ocean' is a brutal, beautiful wake-up call from the sea

NICE, France (AP) — The new film “Ocean With David Attenborough” is both a breathtaking celebration of marine life and a sobering exposé of the industrial forces pushing the ocean toward collapse. With never-before-seen footage from mass coral bleaching to the violent destruction of bottom trawling, it reveals the hidden toll of human activity beneath the waves. But it’s also a story of hope that spotlights thriving marine reserves and the power of protection. Timed to World Oceans Day and the U.N. Ocean Conference, “Ocean” makes the case that saving the sea is still possible, if we act now.