Elton John has become the first artist to score a UK Top 10 single in six different decades with his latest release ‘Cold Heart’ featuring fellow Brit Dua Lipa
MOVIES
— Denis Villeneuve's somberly majestic adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 cult sci-fi novel "Dune," with its grand-scale architecture and thundering sonic blasts, would certainly be best experienced on the big screen. But "Dune" will be streaming simultaneously on HBO Max beginning Friday, Oct. 22 giving audiences a choice in how and where to see one of the year's most anticipated spectacles. "Dune" stars Timothée Chalamet as the heir to the House Atreides, which has taken over the mining of a precious resource on the desert planet of Arrakis. Little goes according to plan on Arrakis, where locals rebel against the industrial occupiers and other challenges mount. The starry cast includes Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya and Javier Bardem. But the greatest appeal of "Dune" may be its sweeping sands and grand sci-fi cinematography.
— In "Four Hours at the Capitol," filmmaker Jamie Roberts goes minute-by-minute through the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump seeking to overturn the election results. The 92-minute film, debuting Wednesday on HBO and HBO Max, includes first-hand accounts of the day from lawmakers, police officers, protesters and rioters. More than 630 people have been charged in the insurrection.
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—AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
This combination of images shows promotional art for the series "Invasion," premiering Friday, Oct. 22 on Apple TV+, left, the film "Dune," premiering Friday, Oct. 22 on HBO Max, center, and the series "Insecure," premiering its fifth and final season Sunday, Oct. 24 on HBO Max. (Apple TV+/HBO Max/HBO Max via AP)
MUSIC
— Elton John might be sporting a mask on his album cover, but he's ready to unleash his voice and a cast of popular performers on his new offering "The Lockdown Sessions." It's a collaborative album for the multi-Grammy winner who recorded most of the songs over the past 18 months after he put his live tour on hold because of the pandemic. The 16-track album is led by the single "Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" with Dua Lipa. The album offers a diverse lineup of collaborations including Stevie Wonder, Lil Nas X, Stevie Nicks, Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and Young Thug. John said some of the recording sessions were held remotely via Zoom, which he's never done before during his career. He said recording "Lockdown Sessions" took him out of his "comfort zone into completely new territory."
— Rapper Nas will take part in an intimate conversation during a week filled with other events at the Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles. The hip-hop legend along with producer Hit-Boy will discuss on Tuesday the recording process behind the rapper's highly acclaimed album "King's Disease," which landed him his first-ever Grammy. Other Grammy Museum events include a special program on Monday to discuss George Harrison and Eric Clapton's legendary and tumultuous friendship that shaped their careers and rock music in the early 1970s. On Friday, Debbie Gibson will talk about her successful career in music and acting along with her new album, "The Body Remembers." Gibson expects to perform.
— AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr.
TELEVISION
— "Invasion" has the potential to be a lesson in geography and a travelogue with aliens. As extraterrestrials attempt a global land-grab, the 10-part Apple TV+ drama tracks the fallout for individuals across continents. Among those whose stories are told: A rural American sheriff (Sam Neill), a U.S soldier (Shamier Anderson) stationed in the Middle East, and a Japanese aerospace technician (Shioli Kutsuna). The creators include Simon Kinberg ("X-Men" and "Deadpool" films) and David Weil ("Hunters"). Three episodes will be released Friday, Oct. 22, with new episodes out weekly.
— Issa Rae's groundbreaking comedy "Insecure" begins its fifth and final season Sunday, Oct. 24, on HBO (10 p.m. EDT). Based in part on her life and on her web series "The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl," the series follows Rae's fictional counterpart, Issa Dee, and best friend Molly (Yvonne Orji) through the highs and lows of love and career. Rae's own star has soared, with movies ("The Photograph," "The Lovebirds"), a record label and more to come. In an 2017 interview, Rae said it was rewarding that "Insecure" had proven wrong the naysayers who claimed its authentic stories about characters of color wouldn't find an audience.
— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber
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10 of the most captivating recent celebrity memoirs
Famous written words
These 10 extraordinary stories all have real-life Hollywood endings.
Some of the most captivating celebrity memoirs have been published in the past couple of years, with many making their way to best-seller lists.
Matthew McConaughey’s “Greenlights” became an instant No. 1 New York Times best-seller when it came out in 2020, and it still sits comfortably in the upper ranks of nonfiction book sales.
More recently, Brandi Carlile’s “Broken Horses” was heralded by reviewers as one of the best music memoirs ever written, shortly before Seth Rogen’s “Yearbook” became one of the most purchased books on Amazon.
‘Yearbook’ by Seth Rogen
From the beloved comedian known for “Superbad” and “Freaks and Geeks” comes this New York Times best-seller.
In the hilarious page-turner, Rogen recounts his wildest and funniest stories, from doing stand-up as a teenager to making awkward conversation at star-studded Hollywood parties.
‘Broken Horses’ by Brandi Carlile
The Grammy-winning musician’s insightful autobiography is the best “since Elton John’s ‘Me,’” says Variety reviewer Chris Willman.
In “Broken Horses,” Carlile tells how her life shaped her music and shares her experience of coming out as gay in her very small, religious town and finding salvation through the music of heroes who have become collaborators, like Elton John and Dolly Parton.
‘The Beauty of Living Twice’ by Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone gets brutally honest in this New York Times best-seller about suffering a massive stroke and losing her career, family and fortune in the process.
In the candid pages, she chronicles her efforts to rebuild her life and regain her health while also taking readers back to a childhood of trauma before making her way in an industry filled with its own demons.
‘Unfinished’ by Priyanka Chopra Jonas
From her childhood in India to her teenage years in the U.S. and then moving back to her home country as a beauty pageant star, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ rise to fame has been far from ordinary.
The actress reflects on challenges and triumphs as she doggedly pursued her calling, while sharing honest stories about her father’s death, her marriage with Nick Jonas and her work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
‘Just As I Am’ by Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson died at 96, just days after her memoir was released. In the 400-page chronicle, co-written by Michelle Burford, the actress recounts her very full life, as a child of immigrants in 1920s Harlem and Hollywood actress.
Weaved throughout her stories is Tyson’s strength and resilience against a backdrop of racism and sexism.
Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
‘Letters to America’ by Willie Nelson
Following his best-selling memoir “It’s a Long Story,” the beloved country musician and activist is back with “Letters to America,” in which he writes patriotic and heartfelt letters to family members, his hero Gene Autry, his guitar “Trigger” and a younger generation.
‘Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood’ by Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo tells his remarkable story of growing up in an abusive and drug-addicted home, then landing in some of the country’s notorious prisons before becoming a recognizable face in some of Hollywood’s biggest shows and movies.
‘Make It Nice’ by Dorinda Medley
The title of Dorinda’s memoir (the meme-able one-liner that came out of an episode of “Real Housewives of New York”) is a motto she’s lived by her entire life, through not-so-glitzy experiences before her glamorous reality-show life.
‘Greenlights’ by Matthew McConaughey
A New York Times nonfiction best-seller for more than 40 weeks, Matthew McConaughey’s memoir and self-proclaimed “approach book” is filled with raucous stories and one-of-a-kind bits of wisdom from the actor’s not-quite-average life.
His approach to living life is captured in the book’s motto: catching greenlights, or learning how to deal with and even thrive amid life’s challenges.
You might also enjoy the audiobook version, which is narrated by the actor himself, with his iconic Southern drawl.
‘All In’ by Billie Jean King
The tennis champion chronicles her experience as one of the best female athletes in the world, boasting six years as the top-ranked woman in the world, 20 Wimbledon championships and 39 Grand Slam titles.
In her spirited account, she describes making her way to the top in the male-dominated sport and her watershed moment defeating Bobby Riggs.
