Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner who played Maj. Houlihan on pioneering series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ has died at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy Awards playing Major Margaret Houlihan on the pioneering hit TV series “M.A.S.H.,” has died. She was 87. Swit played the demanding head nurse of a behind-the-lines surgical unit during the Korean War and along with Alan Alda was the show’s longest-serving cast member. Publicist Harlan Boll says Swit died Friday at her home in New York City, likely from natural causes. Swit was able to shift the character away from the sex-crazed “Hot Lips” Houlihan character in Robert Altman’s 1970 film.

Taylor Swift has regained control of her music, buys back first 6 albums

NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Swift says she’s has regained control over her entire body of work. In a lengthy note posted to her official website on Friday, Swift announced that all the music she’s ever made now belongs to her. According to the note, the pop star has purchased her catalog of recordings — originally released through Big Machine Records — from their most recent owner, the private equity firm Shamrock Capital. She did not disclose the amount. Over the last few years, Swift has been rerecording and releasing her early albums in an attempt to regain control of her music.

Shakira performance for World Pride opening concert abruptly canceled due to technical issues

WASHINGTON (AP) — One day before the kickoff concert for World Pride 2025 in the nation’s capital, headlining performer Shakira has abruptly canceled due to equipment difficulties. The multiplatinum singer had been scheduled to headline the opening celebrations Saturday night at Nationals Park. The reasons are apparently an extension of equipment issues related to her Thursday night concert in Boston’s Fenway Park, which was also canceled hours before it was set to begin. A Friday night concert at Fenway for country star Jason Aldean was also canceled.

Alf Clausen, Emmy-winning composer who wrote music for ‘The Simpsons’ for 27 years, dies at 84

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alf Clausen, the Emmy-winning composer who provided the music for “The Simpsons” for 27 years, has died at age 84. Clausen’s daughter says he died in Los Angeles on Thursday. Clausen began providing the music for the animated antics of “The Simpsons” in its second season in 1990, and wrote the scores for nearly 600 episodes. He won two Emmys and was nominated for 30. He also composed the music for the TV series “Moonlighting” and “Alf.” “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening once called Clausen “one of the unacknowledged treasures of the show.”

Mexican band Grupo Firme cancels US show, saying their visas were suspended by Trump administration

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The popular Mexican regional music band Grupo Firme has announced that it’s cancelling a performance in a music festival in California over the weekend after the Trump administration decided to suspend the musicians’ visas. It comes after the U.S. State Department has revoked the visas of a number of Mexican musicians for playing a genre of music that it says glorifies cartel violence. The group has soared to international fame playing Mexican regional music. It said in the visas of them and their team are currently under “administrative review by the U.S. Embassy” and that it would make it “impossible” for them to perform.

Smokey Robinson was investigated for sexual assault allegation in 2015 but no charges were filed

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say they investigated a sexual assault allegation against Smokey Robinson in 2015, but no charges were filed because of insufficient evidence. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office confirmed the decade-old investigation in a statement on Friday. The office said no details could be provided because of the current investigation of Robinson. Four former housekeepers of the singer have alleged that he raped and sexually assaulted them. The women filed a lawsuit May 6, and soon after law enforcement said a criminal investigation had begun. Robinson’s attorney says the 2015 allegations were “spurious and unsubstantiated” and that the new investigation will reach a similar conclusion.

PBS suing Trump administration over defunding, three days after NPR filed similar case

The nation’s public television service, PBS, has filed suit against President Donald Trump’s executive order that it be stripped of federal funding. The PBS lawsuit comes three days after National Public Radio also sued Trump. The lawsuits were filed on similar grounds, saying Trump’s complaint that public media is biased against conservatives represents viewpoint discrimination, and he overstepped his authority in attacking a system designed to be insulated from politics. PBS was joined as a plaintiff by a small PBS station in northern Minnesota, an example of a rural station for which the loss of federal funding represents an “existential threat,” the lawsuit said.

Domingo Hindoyan to become music director of LA Opera for 2026-27 season

NEW YORK (AP) — Domingo Hindoyan will succeed James Conlon as music director of the LA Opera and start a five-year contract on July 1, 2026. The 45-year-old Venezuelan-Armenian is the husband of soprano Sonya Yoncheva. Conlon has been music director since 2006-07 and said in March 2024 he will retire after after the 2025-26 season. Hindoyan will conduct two productions in 2026-27 and three in each of the following four seasons.  LA Opera president Christopher Koelsch hopes he can lead works with Yoncheva, who has not sung a staged production at the LA Opera.

With ‘Atmosphere,’ Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space

Taylor Jenkins Reid loves to research before writing. She’s penned novels set in the golden age of Hollywood in “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” the 1970s rock scene in “Daisy Jones & the Six,” 1980s surf culture in “Malibu Rising” and professional tennis in “Carrie Soto is Back.”  With her latest novel, “Atmosphere: A Love Story” it took extra time, reading and understanding. The story takes place during the 1980s space shuttle program and follows an astronomer and her comrades and also later on, when disaster strikes. Reid tells The Associated Press researching “Atmosphere” felt like an intense fever dream.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.