Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' canceled by CBS, ends May 2026

CBS is axing “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May 2026. The announcement on live air Thursday came two days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story. The news was also announced in a press release sent from CBS with a link to a clip of Colbert’s announcement on Instagram. The comedian and TV personality began by telling the audience he was sharing something he learned the night before. Colbert said, "I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

Indiana Jones whip snaps up $525,000 at auction after 'Citizen Kane' sled goes for $14.75 million

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A whip wielded by Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” that once belonged to Princess Diana has sold at auction for $525,000. Thursday's sale came a day after the Rosebud sled from “Citizen Kane” went for a staggering $14.75 million, making it one of the priciest props in movie history. They were part of the Summer Entertainment Auction being held all week by Heritage Auctions. Heritage says the overall take has made it the second-highest grossing entertainment auction of all time, and there’s still a day to go.

Searching for pennies: With the cut in federal funding public broadcasters are looking to cope

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — In Alaska, a public radio station general manager took a moment from a busy day warning her community about a possible tsunami for a special task — sending a text message to Sen. Lisa Murkowski urging her to vote against a measure to strip federal funding of NPR and PBS. Murkowski voted against the bill, but not enough her colleagues did, leaving the nation's public media system to cope with new holes in their budget moving forward. The Senate eliminated almost $1.1 billion in funding over the next two years for public media. The systems' leaders say the cuts threaten the survival of some of their stations, particularly those in rural areas.

Penélope Cruz, Bruce Springsteen, Walter Salles and Bowen Yang are 2025 Academy Museum Gala honorees

Penélope Cruz, Bruce Springsteen, Walter Salles and Bowen Yang have been named the honorees of this year's Academy Museum Gala, hosted by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The event, now in its fifth year, will take place Oct. 18. Each honoree will receive a different award, and Springsteen will also perform live. The celebrity co-chairs of the gala are Jon M. Chu, Common, Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey, and Jennifer Hudson. Much like the Met Gala, it is a fundraising event benefiting the museum that features a slew of celebrities from Hollywood and elsewhere.

Connie Francis' 'Pretty Little Baby' became an unexpected TikTok hit — 63 years after its release

The 1950s and ’60s pop singer Connie Francis died Thursday at 87. Her career was marked with international hits. In the month leading up to her death, she experienced one more with “‘Pretty Little Baby.” The non-single from 1962 became a viral hit on TikTok six decades after its release. Users have made more than 22.5 million TikTok videos using the song as of Thursday. Those include celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. Francis also joined TikTok and her first two videos earned tens of millions of views. She thanked TikTok and its users for the “unexpected reception” to the song on Facebook.

8 bands divided by lawsuits: It's not just Jane's Addiction

Bands behaving badly? It’s only rock ’n’ roll. Members of alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction made headlines this week when they filed dueling lawsuits over singer Perry Farrell’s onstage scuffle with guitarist Dave Navarro at a Boston concert last year. The fracas prompted the cancellation of the rest of their reunion tour and a planned album. They join a long and storied tradition of bandmates suing one another. A few other very famous cases include Fleetwood Mac, Oasis, The Beach Boys, Hall & Oates and even the Beatles. Some lawsuits stem from royalties. One was over an American Express card.

Ari Aster made a movie about polarized America. 'Eddington' has been polarizing

NEW YORK (AP) — Ari Aster's “Eddington,” appropriately enough, has been divisive. Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, Aster’s film has one of the most polarizing releases of the year. “Eddington” releases in theaters Friday and may be the most prominent American movie yet to explicitly wrestle with social and political division in the U.S. In a showdown between Joaquin Phoenix’s bumbling right-wing sheriff and Pedro Pascal’s elitist liberal mayor, arguments over mask mandates, Black Lives Matter protests and elections spiral into a demented fever dream. In an interview, Aster says it's essential for filmmakers to try to capture the current American moment.

Connie Francis, whose hit songs included 'Who's Sorry Now?' and 'Pretty Little Baby,' dies at 87

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Pretty Little Baby” and “Who's Sorry Now?” singer Connie Francis has died at age 87. Her death was announced Thursday by her friend and publicist, Ron Roberts. He did not immediately provide additional details. Francis was a top performer of the pre-Beatles era, rarely out of the charts from 1957-64. Able to appeal to both young people and adults, she had more than a dozen top 20 hits, starting with “Who's Sorry Now?” Her personal life was filled with heartbreak and tragedy and what she called “regret.” Earlier this year “Pretty Little Baby” became a hit on TikTok.

Man, 22, charged in killings of 'American Idol' music supervisor and her husband in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 22-year-old man has been charged with murder in the shooting deaths of a longtime music supervisor for “American Idol” and her husband at their home in Los Angeles. Police say officers conducting a welfare check Monday at a house in the Encino neighborhood found the bodies of a woman and man. The victims were later identified as Robin Kaye and Thomas Deluca, both 70. Raymond Boodarian was arrested Tuesday. A deputy district attorney said Thursday that Boodarian faces charges including murder and burglary. Arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 20. Boodarian could not be reached for comment. Messages were sent to the public defender’s office inquiring if one of its attorneys is representing him.

Malaysia's first professional violin maker carves out a rare craft

SELANGOR, Malaysia (AP) — Tan Chin Seng is Malaysia’s first professional violin luthier, or maker of string instruments like violins, cellos and guitars. Over the past decade, he has earned international accolades. Now he mentors a new generation of makers in a field still little-known in Southeast Asia. Traditionally, violin luthiers are associated with Europe, especially Italy where the modern violin evolved but the craft has spread globally, with thriving communities now in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Tan’s path to violin-making was unconventional. A trip to China in 2010 to restore an aging violin sparked a deeper fascination with the instrument’s construction.