BALTIMORE (AP) — New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes said he deactivated his Twitter account after screenshots surfaced Sunday of tweets from a decade ago that included racial slurs.
Cortes appeared to be quoting rap lyrics in at least some of the tweets, and he did not seem to be using the words to demean anyone directly.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 22-28:
May 22: Pianist Peter Nero is 88. Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 84. Actor Frank Converse is 84. Actor Barbara Parkins (“Peyton Place,” ″Valley of the Dolls”) is 80.
Travis Scott and Morgan Wallen made controversial returns on the Billboard Music Awards stage on Sunday, while Mary J. Blige was honored for her musical excellence.
Wallen performed in his first major awards show after he was caught on camera more than a year ago using a racial slur.
CHICAGO (AP) — One person was killed and 10 were injured in two shootings on Chicago’s South Side in the space of six hours, a spasm of gun violence on the hottest day of 2022 so far, serving as a warning that the city is entering the warmest and deadliest time of year.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 15-21:
May 15: Actor-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti is 86. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 86. Singer Lenny Welch is 83. Actor-singer Lainie Kazan is 80.
NEW YORK (AP) — A hit-and-run driver pleaded guilty Friday in a suburban New York a suburban New York crash that killed the father of Nicki Minaj and was promised a year or less in jail, disappointing prosecutors and the hip hop star's mother.
Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Eurythmics, Duran Duran and Pat Benatar have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a list that also includes Dolly Parton, who initially resisted the honor.
NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Kidd Creole, who was a founding member of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison for stabbing a homeless man to death on a New York City street.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of May 8-14:
May 8: Singer Toni Tennille is 82. Country singer Jack Blanchard is 80. Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett is 77. Actor Mark Blankfield (“Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” ″The Incredible Shrinking Woman”) is 74.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A rapper and former reality TV figure is facing a felony sex trafficking charge in Las Vegas in an ongoing criminal investigation alleging that he used his large social media following to recruit women as prostitutes, according to police.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kylie Jenner testified Monday that she expressed concerns to her brother Rob Kardashian about his new girlfriend and soon-to-be reality TV co-star Blac Chyna, because she had heard Chyna had a tendency to abuse drugs and alcohol and become violent and had gotten a possible glimpse of it herself.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Jenner testified Thursday that she was happy when she heard her son Rob Kardashian was engaged to his new girlfriend Blac Chyna despite stories of violence and volatility about her.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rapper A$AP Rocky was taken into custody Wednesday morning at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting in Hollywood last year, authorities said.
The performer, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Pioneering hip hop artist Keith Grayson, who performed as DJ Kay Slay and worked with top stars, has died of complications from COVID-19.
Grayson's death at age 55 on Sunday was confirmed by his family in a statement released through New York radio station HOT 97, where he hosted “The Drama Hour” for more than two decades.
SEATTLE (AP) — The expansion Seattle Kraken are adding some additional star power to their ownership group.
The Kraken announced Monday that Grammy winner Macklemore and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch are joining the minority investor group.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Critically acclaimed debut albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin's Latin pop megahit “Livin' La Vida Loca,” and Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” are among the recordings being inducted this year into the National Recording Registry.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 17-23:
April 17: Actor David Bradley (“Game of Thrones”) is 80. Musician Jan Hammer is 74. Actor Olivia Hussey is 71. Actor Clarke Peters (“Treme”) is 70.
The Weeknd is the top finalist at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards for a second year in a row, up for 17 awards, followed by Doja Cat, who is up for 14 awards.
Finalists were announced Friday across 62 categories for the awards that measure chart success, streaming, airplay and social engagement.
NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan jury found rapper Kidd Creole guilty of manslaughter Wednesday in connection with the 2017 fatal stabbing of a homeless man on the street.
The rapper, whose real name is Nathaniel Glover, had gone on trial last month for the death of John Jolly, who was stabbed twice in the chest with a steak knife in midtown Manhattan in August 2017.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of April 10-17:
April 10: Actor Liz Sheridan (“Seinfeld”) is 93. Actor Steven Seagal is 70. Singer Terre Roche of The Roches is 69. Actor Peter MacNicol (“Numb3rs,” ″Ally McBeal”) is 68.
Jon Batiste had the most Grammy Award nominations and his five wins outpaced everyone, yet he somehow seemed the biggest surprise on a joyous night for music that washed away some of the bad taste left by the Oscars a week earlier.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Olivia Rodrigo made an impressive Grammy debut, Silk Sonic claimed two major awards and Jon Batiste had the most stunning victory of the night winning the top prize at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on the 64th annual Grammy Awards, being presented Sunday in Las Vegas (all times local):
8:25 p.m.
Jon Batiste’s “We Are” has won the Grammy Award for album of the year.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Grammys might be missing stars like Drake, The Weeknd and Kanye West as a performer, but the biggest night in music could still shine bright on the Las Vegas Strip.
The number of nominees for the Grammys' top awards keeps growing, up to 10 this year, making the competition stronger, but predictions a lot trickier. Are too many pop artists going to split the vote, making an upset more likely?
NEW YORK (AP) — The trial of rapper Kidd Creole has begun in New York City with his lawyer telling a jury it was self-defense when the hip-hop pioneer stabbed a homeless man to death in 2017.
The artist, a founding member of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, is charged with murder and went on trial Friday in a Manhattan criminal court.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hit-Boy won top Grammy rap honors with some of hip-hop’s biggest heavyweights — Jay-Z, Kanye West, known as Ye, and Nas — and now he is ascending into a new musical weight class as a producer.
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
MOVIES
— Just in time for the Academy Awards, the Will Smith tennis drama “King Richard” arrives Thursday on HBO Max.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 27-April 2:
March 27: Actor Julian Glover is 87. Actor Jerry Lacy is 86. Actor-director Austin Pendleton is 82. Actor Michael York is 80. Keyboardist Tony Banks of Genesis is 72.
NEW YORK (AP) — Ye will not be performing at the Grammys this year. A report published in The Blast said that the musician was told Friday that his act had been pulled from the show, which is set to take place on April 3.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chaka Khan, Stephen Stills, Sara Bareilles, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Porter and Beck will be among those performing in tribute to Joni Mitchell when she’s honored as the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year by the Recording Academy.
Dolly Parton has announced she is pulling out of this year’s nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, saying she hasn't “earned that right.”
The music icon who has been elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame explained her decision in a statement posted on her official social media pages Monday, noting she did not want to take votes away from the remaining nominees.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 20-26:
March 20: Actor Hal Linden is 91. Country singer Don Edwards is 83. Country singer-guitarist Ranger Doug of Riders in the Sky is 76. Blues musician Marcia Ball is 73.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 13-19:
March 13: Jazz drummer Roy Haynes is 97. Songwriter Mike Stoller is 89. Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka is 83. Singer Candi Staton is 82. Actor William H.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kim Kardashian became a single woman on Wednesday, nearly eight years after her marriage to Ye.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steve Cochran granted Kardashian's motion seeking the legal status.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 6-12:
March 6: Dancer Carmen de Lavallade is 91. Actor-writer Joanna Miles is 82. Actor Ben Murphy is 80. Drummer Hugh Grundy of The Zombies is 77. Guitarist David Gilmour of Pink Floyd is 76.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jennifer Hudson was named entertainer of the year at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards that highlighted works by entertainers and writers of color.
After Hudson accepted the award Saturday night, the singer-actor thanked the NAACP for inspiring “little girls like me.” She beat out Regina King, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion and Tiffany Haddish.
LONDON (AP) — The European Broadcasting Union says that Russia will not be allowed an entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
NEW YORK (AP) — A man charged in the slaying of Jam Master Jay once filmed a brazen rap video in front of a street mural commemorating the beloved Run-DMC member, prosecutors say in court papers opposing the defendant’s release on bail.
Celebrity birthdays for the week of Feb. 27-March 5
Feb. 27: Actor Joanne Woodward is 92. Actor Barbara Babcock is 85. Actor Debra Monk is 73. Guitarist Neal Schon of Journey is 68. Guitarist Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden is 65.
GEDDES, N.Y. (AP) — Fans who missed Nelly at last year's New York State Fair are getting another chance this summer. Organizers announced Monday that the Grammy-winning rapper will be back at the fairgrounds Aug.
LONDON (AP) — Jamal Edwards, a British music entrepreneur who championed U.K. rap and grime and helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy, has died. He was 31.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — There won’t be a long wait for the fourth season of FX’s “Atlanta,” but it will be its last.
The Emmy-winning series created by Donald Glover, which begins its third season March 24, will be back in the fall to wrap up the story of Glover’s music manager Earn, rapper Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) and their circle, FX said Thursday.
MIAMI (AP) — Concert-goers had packed a Miami arena expecting Reggaeton artist Farruko to perform his hit “Pepas” — a club sensation and party anthem since its summer release.
But Farruko refused to sing the song in full, leaving out rousing choruses about taking drugs and partying, and apologizing for those lyrics.