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Arts
Sweet child ‘o mine, PM rocks out at Conservative Xmas party
OTTAWA – Stephen Harper channelled Axl Rose for his musical encore at the annual Conservative Christmas party on Tuesday night.
Prince William, Kate wrap up NYC visit with tour of Sept. 11 museum, black-tie affair
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Kate, wrapped up their first visit to New York in a three-day whirlwind that included a black-tie reception, a meeting with basketball king LeBron James, and a solemn, rain-drenched visit to the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum.
Slain Vancouver-born actress asked dance teacher not to judge rapper husband
VANCOUVER – The first question Stephanie Moseley’s former dance teacher asked the Vancouver-born actress when the cable TV star last dropped by her old studio was about her gleaming engagement ring.
Rape, referendum, climate change among topics of B.C. Non-Fiction finalists
VANCOUVER – A first-person account of a rape, a look at the 1995 referendum and a study of climate change are among the finalists for the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, worth a whopping $40,000.
From dark concrete to glass: National Arts Centre to get major facelift
OTTAWA – Nearly 50 years after the National Arts Centre was opened to celebrate Canada’s centennial, it will undergo a major facelift to mark the country’s 150th birthday.
Governor: Detroit’s bankruptcy, largest municipal bankruptcy in US history, formally ending
DETROIT – Detroit is formally emerging from bankruptcy, marking the end of the largest municipal case in U.S. history, with officials looking forward to better times and pledging to take advantage of the fresh start.
US agency infiltrated Cuba’s underground hip-hop scene to turn youth against the government
HAVANA – For more than two years, a U.S. agency secretly infiltrated Cuba’s underground hip-hop movement, recruiting unwitting rappers to spark a youth movement against the government, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
AP Investigation: US undermines Cuba’s hip-hop scene with secret op seeking to fuel discontent
HAVANA – In early 2009, a U.S. government contractor sent a Serbian music promoter to Cuba with these covert marching orders: Recruit one of Havana’s most notorious rappers to spark a youth movement against the government.
Veteran fighter Joe Riggs returns to the UFC after almost dying in gun accident
The lines on Joe (Diesel) Riggs’ face hint of more than a few stories. Not all good.
Director of Broadway’s ‘Side Show’ happy to ‘shine a spotlight’ on show again despite closing
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Show business is fickle. Just ask the folks in “Side Show.”
Phil Stern, photographer who captured wartime and Hollywood, dies in California at 95
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Phil Stern, an award-winning photographer who lugged his camera into combat during the Second World War and later became known for candid shots of Hollywood stars like Marlon Brando, has died. He was 95.
MMA fighters file antitrust lawsuit in California against UFC, claim it’s a monopoly
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Mixed martial arts fighters filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Tuesday, alleging the organization is a monopoly that chokes off competition, crushes athletes’ earnings and controls the right to market their names even after their deaths.
Lyric chief Anthony Freud plots new directions for Chicago opera
CHICAGO – When Anthony Freud was 14, his favourite pastime was going to the opera in London and then, on the train ride home to Wimbledon where he lived with his parents, “dreaming about how I could do it better when I ran a company of my own some day.”
Actress Diane Guerrero writing memoir about her family’s deportation
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Through her own story, Diane Guerrero wants to change the lives of others.
Believing in yesterday, hoping for the future: A chat with Paul McCartney
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Sir Paul McCartney is 72, and only the wrinkles give his years away.
Toronto FC shows off vision for future, but has to answer questions about present
TORONTO – It speaks volumes about Toronto FC that after a lengthy presentation to local media about the team’s vision, the questions afterwards focused almost entirely on the immediate status of Jermain Defoe.
In court for 1st time in months, Boston marathon suspect Tsarnaev gets shout of encouragement
BOSTON – Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev returned to court Thursday for the first time since he was arraigned in July 2013, and he received a shout of encouragement from the mother-in-law of a man who was shot and killed while being questioned by law enforcement after the bombings.
Companies on high alert as Sony hacking puts focus on corporate cybersecurity flaws
ATLANTA – Companies across the globe are on high alert to tighten up network security to avoid being the next company brought to its knees by hackers like those that executed the dramatic cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Ford House discloses 2013 sale of Paul Cezanne painting to private buyer for $100 million
GROSSE POINTE SHORES, Mich. – The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House has sold an oil painting by French post-impressionist artist Paul Cezanne to a private buyer for $100 million.
‘Tis the season for togetherness, but some find solace in moments of solitude
TORONTO – The holidays are widely seen as a time of togetherness to gather for dinners, cocktail parties, gift exchanges and outdoor activities, yet whether by choice or circumstance, some find solace in moments of solitude during the festive season.
Xavier Dolan’s lauded ‘Mommy’ doesn’t make cut for best foreign-language Oscar
LOS ANGELES, – Montreal filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s acclaimed feature “Mommy” has not made the cut for this year’s Oscar race.
‘Force Majeure,’ ‘Ida,’ more, advance in Oscars shortlist for best foreign film
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The list of contenders for best foreign film got a bit smaller Friday as the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the nine features that will advance to the next round of voting.
Renee Fleming to make Broadway debut as an opera diva in ‘Living on Love’ by Joe DiPietro
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Opera star Renee Fleming will make her Broadway debut this spring, playing — what else? — an opera star.
CM Punk set to trade big stage(d) fighting of WWE for real deal inside UFC cage
NEW YORK, N.Y. – CM Punk’s body looks like the comics he loves to read, illustrated from chest to feet with so many tattoos he’s lost count.