George Wendt, who played beloved barfly Norm on 'Cheers' and found another home onstage, dies at 76

NEW YORK (AP) — George Wendt, an actor with an Everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy “Cheers,” has died. He was 76. Wendt in later life crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in “Art,” “Hairspray” and “Elf.” Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on “Cheers” that he was most associated, earning six straight Emmy Award nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1984-89. The series was centered on lovable losers in a Boston bar and starred Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson.

Jim Morrison bust stolen from Doors singer’s Paris grave in the ‘80s has finally been recovered

PARIS (AP) — Police have found a bust of Jim Morrison that was stolen nearly four decades ago from the Paris grave that has long been a place of pilgrimage for fans of the legendary Doors singer and poet. Paris police said on social media Monday that the bust taken in 1988 from Père-Lachaise cemetery was found during an unrelated investigation. There was no immediate word on whether the bust would be returned to the grave. Morrison led the Doors on such classic hits as “Light My Fire” and “The End,” and had a huge cult following that’s continued to grow after his death in Paris in 1971 at age 27.

Movie Review: 'Lilo & Stitch,' a sweet but unnecessary live-action remake

The six-legged alien Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch” doesn’t choose to be bad. He’s just genetically programed that way. Kind of like the way Disney is apparently programmed these days to strip mine its old stories to make poor live-action remakes. So here comes the sweet but utterly unnecessary “Lilo & Stitch,” which carefully apes almost every detail of the original 2002 animated movie but then goes all Hollywood at the end with over-the-top explosions and Tom Cruise-level heroics, says Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy. The PG-rated movie opens in theaters Friday.

'Dried out prune'? 'Corrupt' and 'incompetent'? It's getting nasty between Springsteen and Trump

Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump aren't new foes. But it's getting nasty between them. The veteran rocker took to the stage in England to denounce Trump's administration. Trump rose to the challenge, calling Springsteen highly overrated and suggesting he keep his mouth shut. Springsteen hasn't. At a time many of Trump's critics have kept quiet, Springsteen is emerging as his leading cultural foe. Trump has also responded by suggesting that stars like Springsteen and Beyoncé who campaigned for Kamala Harris be probed for illegal campaign contributions. No word on Kid Rock.

Harris Dickinson is one of the most in-demand actors, but he had to direct a film first

CANNES, France (AP) — Harris Dickinson is sitting on a rooftop terrace in Cannes, trying to find all the movie tattoos on his body. There’s a little one for 2001’s “Donnie Darko,” but there’s a much larger one on his arm for Ken Loach’s seminal British social realism drama “Kes.” The spirit of Loach runs strong in Dickinson’s directorial debut, “Urchin.” The film stars Frank Dillane as a homeless London drug addict. A sensitive and preceptive character study, “Urchin” has been widely hailed as a standout at Cannes. Just as the 28-year-old Dickinson is emerging as a major movie star, he’s revealed himself to be a filmmaker to watch, too.

Movie Review: Romance and writer's block in bilingual rom-com ‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’

A modern French bookseller goes to a writers retreat in the romantic comedy “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life.” Camille Rutherford plays the hero who finds herself in a bit of a love triangle, torn between her best friend at home and an arrogant British man at the retreat, while also trying to write. In her review for The Associated Press, film writer Lindsey Bahr writes that director Laura Piani has constructed a rare gem that manages to be literary without being pretentious. Bahr adds, “It may not be a strict adaptation, but it has Jane Austen’s soul.” Rated R, it's in theaters Friday.

EU will provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after US cuts

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union plans to provide emergency funds to help keep Radio Free Europe afloat after the Trump administration stopped grants to the pro-democracy media outlet. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty started broadcasting during the Cold War. Its programs are aired in 27 languages in 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Its lawyers have been fighting the administration in court. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to a 5.5-million-euro ($6.2 million) contract to “support the vital work of Radio Free Europe.” She said the “short-term emergency funding” secured Tuesday is a “safety net” for independent journalism.

Indian author Banu Mushtaq wins International Booker Prize with short story collection

LONDON (AP) — Indian author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi have won the International Booker Prize for fiction for “Heart Lamp,” a collection of 12 short stories written over a period of more than 30 years, chronicling the everyday lives and struggles of women in southern India. The award was announced Tuesday by bestselling author Max Porter in his role as chair of the five-member voting panel, at a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern. It is the first time the award has been given to a collection of short stories. The collection was written in Kannada, which is spoken by around 65 million people. The 50,000-pound prize money is divided equally between author and translator.

Tony Award nominee Marjan Neshat makes history in celebrated Broadway play 'English'

NEW YORK (AP) — Marjan Neshat, a veteran of stage and screen, teaches fledgling actors. This spring, her students got to celebrate her becoming a Tony Award nominee. Neshat earned the nod for her work — appropriately enough — playing a teacher in Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated play “English,” which premiered on Broadway in the fall. The play has made history by making Neshat and her co-star Tala Ashe the first female actors of Iranian descent to be Tony-nominated. Neshat adores the plays of Anton Chekhov and watching movies on the Criterion Channel and she’s obsessed with the novel “Anne of Green Gables.”

Book Review: New essays from writer Richard Russo on how his life informs his art

Richard Russo, whose class-based novels are often based in upstate New York, is out with a collection of essays called “Life and Art.” “Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out,” writes Associated Press reviewer Rob Merrill. Half memoir and half cultural criticism, readers will enjoy learning more about the inspiration behind some of Russo’s most famous characters, as well as his thoughts on the state of the world today. Aspiring writers should appreciate the advice Russo doles out in these pages. He credits his childhood and the people who loved him as his “greatest strength.”