This Met Gala is filled with pro athletes. Dressing them is a unique challenge

HOUSTON (AP) — When Brittney Griner became the first WNBA player to attend the Met Gala in 2023, just months after being released from a Russian prison in a high-profile prisoner swap, she wowed in a custom-made Calvin Klein suit. Behind the look was celebrity stylist Courtney Mays, who has dressed some of sports' biggest stars for more than a decade. Putting together a look for anyone for such a huge event is a tall task. When working with the unique proportions of professional athletes the job becomes much more complicated. Mays says it's an opportunity to think outside the box.

The force is strong with this holiday: Why 'Star Wars' fans say 'May the 4th be with you'

May the 4th be with you. “Star Wars” fans around the world are celebrating the space epic and its surrounding franchise this weekend through an unofficial, fan-made holiday. A sly nod to one of the most popular catchphrases in the films, May the 4th is known as Star Wars Day and has been embraced by businesses and communities over the years. The May the 4th phrase appeared as early as 1979 in a British political ad and has exploded in recent years. The day is being marked with events ranging from special bobbleheads to a daylong celebration in a town sharing the first film's name.

On 'Andor,' minor 'Star Wars' villains play major roles

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The “Star Wars” streaming series “Andor” doesn't concern itself with super villains. The show, which drops its next three episodes Tuesday, prefers to explore the lives and motivations of the low-level bureaucrats and functionaries who make tyranny possible. Kyler Soller, who plays one of those functionaries, Syril Karn, says “Andor" explains the “cogs and nuts and bolts” required to build an empire. Denise Gough, who plays Karn's bureaucratic co-worker and private partner Dedra Meero, says the series shows that tyranny needs “tiny movements” and machinations along with brute force. The couple they play is simultaneously trying to make a life for themselves and planning the destruction of many other lives.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial to delve into the seediest side of rap's 'bad boy'

NEW YORK (AP) — The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to begin in a New York courtroom. The Monday trial comes eight months after his arrest on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors say that once jury selection is complete, they'll deliver a mountain of evidence over several weeks. They say they'll show that the man who built a hip-hop empire was also a criminal. An indictment alleges that for two decades Combs used his employees and fame and fortune to abuse numerous women and others. His lawyers contend that no crimes occurred because any sexual activity occurred between consenting adults.

Smurfs, dragons and aliens: Family movies lean into magic and wonder this summer

“How to Train Your Dragon” filmmaker Dean DeBlois has heard the “remake fatigue” concerns. That’s part of the reason why DeBlois, who directed the animated movies, wanted to also be the person behind the live action remake. It's just one of several big hearted family films coming to theaters this summer including a Rihanna-produced “Smurfs,” a live-action “Lilo & Stitch,” an original Pixar fantasy “Elio” and the body-swapping sequel “Freakier Friday.” The PG rating is having a bit of a resurgence in box office cred after years of being the “uncool” little sibling to PG-13. PG movies made up a third of last year's box office.

Ruth Buzzi, comedy sketch player on groundbreaking series 'Laugh-In,' dies at 88

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ruth Buzzi, who rose to fame as the frumpy and bitter Gladys Ormphby on the groundbreaking sketch comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and made over 200 television appearances during a 45-year career, has died at age 88. Her agent Mike Eisenstadt says Buzzi died at her ranch in Texas. Buzzi won a Golden Globe and was a two-time Emmy nominee for the NBC show that ran from 1968 to 1973. She was the only regular to appear in all six seasons, including the pilot. She was first spotted by “Laugh-In” creator and producer George Schlatter playing various characters on “The Steve Allen Comedy Hour.”

Black dandyism etches place into Met Gala history — and global visibility

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Black dandyism is finally taking center stage at the Met Gala, with cultural powerhouses leading this subversive, sharply tailored style into the global fashion spotlight. As a gala host committee member, Janelle Monáe and other trendsetters are helping frame Black dandyism as a proud tradition rather than a trend as the movement claims its long-overdue moment of visibility. On Monday, with the world watching, a wave of fashion disruptors and stylists will usher Black dandyism as the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils its new costume exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Nicolas Cage sells his soul for a house in 'The Surfer'

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lorcan Finnegan’s “The Surfer” isn’t a film about toxic masculinity and tribalism. But Nicolas Cage’s titular protagonist serves as a kind of foil to explore these themes as he does everything in his power to buy his late father’s old house on an Australian cliffside. Cage says the film allowed him to lean into surrealism because the arc of the story called for that kind of acting. Cage and Finnegan say they were able to find humor in making the film despite some of its darker themes. The psychological thriller hits theaters Friday.

This summer at the movies, superheroes, from ‘Superman’ to ‘Fantastic Four,’ return

Superheroes are back in a big way this summer at the movies, with big offerings from both DC and Marvel. The antiheroes of “Thunderbolts*” kick off the season, which begins on May 2, paving the way for the new “Superman” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic brought movie business to a halt, and two years after the strikes, the industry has yet to fully recover. But with big movies like “Jurassic World Rebirth,” “F1,” and live action versions of “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Lilo & Stitch,” this summer has the potential to cross $4 billion.

When did Disney villains stop being so villainous? New show suggests they may just be misunderstood

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats. Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan, and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That’s the premise of a new musical show at Walt Disney World that has some people wondering: When did Disney’s villains stop wanting to be so … villainous? The live show “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” opens May 27 at the Hollywood Studios park at the Orlando, Florida, resort. Other veins of pop culture have rethought villains, too, perhaps none more famously than the book, theatrical musical and movie versions of “Wicked.”