'Love Island USA' crowns Amaya and Bryan as winning couple of show's tumultuous seventh season

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Love Island USA” crowned the season’s winning couple Sunday evening after a tumultuous run full of explosive breakups and shock exits. A public vote crowned Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales as the winning couple of its seventh season on Peacock. The show brings young singles together in a remote villa in Fiji to explore connections with the ultimate goal of finding love. The winning couple won $100,000. A new series called “Love Island: Beyond the Villa” also premiered Sunday and follows last summer’s cast.

Elmo's hacked X account posted racist messages. Sesame Workshop is trying to regain control

Sesame Workshop is working to regain control of Elmo's X account after a hacker posted racist and antisemitic messages. A spokesperson confirmed Monday that the account was compromised over the weekend. Instead of its usual uplifting posts, the account shared offensive content, including a reference to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The posts were quickly deleted. Elmo's account, with 650,000 followers, has been a platform for mental health awareness. Last year, it gained attention when Elmo asked followers how they were doing, prompting responses from figures like then-President Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.

‘Superman’ and DC Studios fly to a $122 million opening

NEW YORK (AP) — In a bid to kickoff a new era for DC Studios, James Gunn’s “Superman” opened with $122 million in U.S. and Canada ticket sales over the weekend. DC and Warner Bros. had a lot riding on “Superman.” The superheroes of DC have recently found mostly kryptonite in theaters. Films like “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” all flopped. But “Superman" is intended as a new start. It’s the first release fully steered by Gunn and Peter Safran since they were handed the keys to DC’s superhero cinematic universe. The roughly on-target opening was the third largest of 2025. Ticket sales were relatively soft for “Superman” overseas. In 78 international markets, it grossed $95 million.

Martin Cruz Smith, acclaimed author of 'Gorky Park,' dies at 82

NEW YORK (AP) — Mystery novelist Martin Cruz Smith, known for such Arkady Renko thrillers as “Gorky Park,” has died at age 82. His publisher, Simon & Schuster, confirmed that he died Friday surrounded by loved ones. Smith, who had Parkinson’s disease, gave the same condition to his famous protagonist, Renko. His final Renko novel, “Hotel Ukraine,” will be published this week. Smith’s career spanned decades, with honors including a Gold Dagger award for “Gorky Park,” which became a bestseller and a film. His works often explored Soviet and Russian history, and were praised for blending sharp characters with compelling plots.

'Love Island' revives conversation about racial bias and misogynoir in dating

The reality show franchise “Love Island” highlights challenges emblematic of modern dating, especially for Black women and contestants with darker skin tones. Fans and contestants have criticized the U.K. version for implicit racial bias, with Black women often being picked last or eliminated early. It took eleven seasons for a darker-complexioned Black woman to win. Some viewers prefer the U.S. version, which they believe offers better representation, though similar issues continue. Scholars associate these biases with societal stereotypes and media influence. Critics call on the show’s producers to challenge harmful beauty standards and develop more inclusive stories, using the show’s popularity to promote positive images of Black women.

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 20-26

Celebrities having birthdays during the week of July 20-26 include dancer-singer-actor Julianne Hough, guitarist Carlos Santana and actor Sandra Oh. Actor Omar Epps turns 52, actor Betty Gilpin of “GLOW” hits 39 and singer-actor Selena Gomez celebrates 33. Other celebrities with big days include actor John Leguizamo, singer Keith Sweat and singer Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls. Actor-comedian David Spade turns 61, actor Elisabeth Moss reaches 43 and actor Anna Paquin hits 43. Others celebrating are actor-comedian Marlon Wayans, actor Jason Statham, actor Sandra Bullock and guitarist Slash of Velvet Revolver and of Guns N’ Roses.

A review finds a BBC Gaza documentary breached editorial guidelines

LONDON (AP) — A BBC documentary about children in Gaza has been criticized for breaching editorial guidelines on accuracy. The broadcaster removed the documentary in February after it emerged that the program’s narrator, a 13-year-old boy, is the son of a Hamas official. A review published Monday found the production company, Hoyo Films, failed to disclose this information but did not intentionally mislead the BBC. The review found no breaches of impartiality. BBC Director-General Tim Davie acknowledged the issue as a "significant failing." Over 100 BBC journalists earlier this month criticized the broadcaster’s coverage of Gaza as pro-Israel.

Pulitzer-winning novel 'James' is up for another major honor

NEW YORK (AP) — Percival Everett's Pulitzer-winning novel, “James,” is a nominee for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. The book is a retelling of Mark Twain's “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and has already won the National Book Award and Kirkus Prize. The Dayton prize, established in 1995, honors works promoting peace and includes a $10,000 award. The Dayton prize foundation announced Thursday that David Greenberg’s biography “John Lewis” about the late civil rights activist and congressman is a nonfiction finalist. Other fiction nominees include works by Priscilla Morris and Kristin Hannah. The nonfiction list features titles by Sunil Amrith and Wendy Pearlman. Winners will be revealed in September.

What to Stream: Dragons, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Roddy Ricch and 'The Summer I Turned Pretty'

The live-action remake of the animated film “How to Train Your Dragon” and a two-part, five-hour documentary on Billy Joel are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time for the week of July 14 as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are the long-delayed third album from rapper Roddy Ricch, the third and final season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and two reinvented arcade favorites — Donkey Kong and Pac-Man.

A Senate vote this week will test the popularity of DOGE spending cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are putting the popularity of Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts to the test this week. The GOP lawmakers are looking to pass President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in spending on public media and foreign aid. Senate Democrats are looking to kill the measure. The House has already approved the rescissions package on a mostly party line 214-212 vote. The Senate has little time to spare to beat the 45-day deadline for the Republican president’s signature. If Congress fails to act by Friday, then the spending stands.