National Entertainment

TORONTO — After Wendy Litner’s mom died of cancer several years ago, a curious thing happened: her voice seemed to linger. “I felt like I could hear her all the time,” says Litner, a Toronto-based screenwriter.

TOKYO (AP) — Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday. Befitting a pop icon at midlife, the bubble-headed, bow-wearing character's fictional birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour.

Police on Vancouver Island say they've arrested a man over gunshots and arson at the home of Indo-Canadian pop star AP Dhillon back in September, and another suspect is believed to have fled to India.

NEW YORK (AP) — Heidi Klum and Janelle Monáe opted for out-of-this-world Halloween costumes this year — both choosing to dress as the stubby alien E.T. for their parties on opposite coasts.

MIAMI (AP) — Miami-native Orlando Mendez had been an aspiring actor when a pandemic shut down live entertainment in 2020. But the break gave Mendez a chance to embrace his love of county music and reinvent himself as the “Cuban Cowboy.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Most Maine schoolchildren know about the boy lost for more than a week in 1939 after climbing the state’s tallest mountain. Now the rest of the U.S. is getting in on the story.

ATLANTA (AP) — Rapper Young Thug pleaded guilty Thursday in Atlanta to gang, drug and gun charges and will be released from jail, though he could be put back behind bars if he violates the terms of his sentence.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A grand jury in Nevada has again indicted Nathan Chasing Horse on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls, reviving a sweeping criminal case against the former “Dances with Wolves” actor.

NEW YORK (AP) — The CEO of PEN America, Suzanne Nossel, is stepping down after more than a decade marked by substantial growth and recent controversy , In January, she will be heading the pro-democracy Freedom House.

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors say lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs are trying to “hijack” the music mogul's criminal case from them by asking a judge to force early disclosure of evidence, including his accusers’ identities.