<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HILLEL%20ITALIE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer</a>

NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has selected a prison memoir by Jarvis Jay Masters, currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison in California, for her latest book club pick. Masters' “That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row” was first published in 2009.

Activists for years have called for the release of Masters, sentenced to death in 1990 for taking part in the murder of a San Quentin prison guard. Masters, first imprisoned in 1981 for armed robbery, has filed numerous appeals in efforts to have his murder conviction overturned. A hearing is scheduled for next month in federal court.

“A little more than 10 years ago, I was given a memoir by Jarvis Jay Masters, a man serving a death row sentence in San Quentin,” Winfrey said in a statement Tuesday. “His story, of a young boy victimized by addiction, poverty, violence, the foster care system, and later the justice system, profoundly touched me then, and still does today, which is why I’m naming ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ as my latest Oprah’s Book Club selection.”

Masters said in a statement that he would be “forever grateful” to Winfrey for choosing his book.

“I turned 60 this year, having entered San Quentin at the age 19. I wrote ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ while in solitary confinement, isolated and alone,” he said. “My greatest hope at that time was that a few young people would read my story and learn from my mistakes. Thanks to Ms. Winfrey and her book club, my story will be introduced to a national audience. It is my greatest hope that their lives will be the better for it."

Supporters of Masters have backed his claims of innocence and cited him as a model of how people can transform themselves. In “Don’t Stop Believing That People Can Change,” a New York Times essay published in April, author Rebecca Solnit wrote that “he has often defused potential violence and offered solace and a trustworthy ear to the sorrows of those around him.”

Masters has also written “Finding Freedom: How Death Row Broke and Opened My Heart,” published in 1997.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HILLEL%20ITALIE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer</a>NEW YORK (AP) — Oprah Winfrey has selected a prison memoir by Jarvis Jay Masters, currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison in California, for her latest book club pick. Masters' “That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row” was first published in 2009.Activists for years have called for the release of Masters, sentenced to death in 1990 for taking part in the murder of a San Quentin prison guard. Masters, first imprisoned in 1981 for armed robbery, has filed numerous appeals in efforts to have his murder conviction overturned. A hearing is scheduled for next month in federal court.“A little more than 10 years ago, I was given a memoir by Jarvis Jay Masters, a man serving a death row sentence in San Quentin,” Winfrey said in a statement Tuesday. “His story, of a young boy victimized by addiction, poverty, violence, the foster care system, and later the justice system, profoundly touched me then, and still does today, which is why I’m naming ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ as my latest Oprah’s Book Club selection.”Masters said in a statement that he would be “forever grateful” to Winfrey for choosing his book.“I turned 60 this year, having entered San Quentin at the age 19. I wrote ‘That Bird Has My Wings’ while in solitary confinement, isolated and alone,” he said. “My greatest hope at that time was that a few young people would read my story and learn from my mistakes. Thanks to Ms. Winfrey and her book club, my story will be introduced to a national audience. It is my greatest hope that their lives will be the better for it."Supporters of Masters have backed his claims of innocence and cited him as a model of how people can transform themselves. In “Don’t Stop Believing That People Can Change,” a New York Times essay published in April, author Rebecca Solnit wrote that “he has often defused potential violence and offered solace and a trustworthy ear to the sorrows of those around him.”Masters has also written “Finding Freedom: How Death Row Broke and Opened My Heart,” published in 1997.

Winfrey selects prison memoir 'That Bird Has My Wings'

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Friday Night Finds: Sept. 9, 2022

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22LYNN%20ELBER%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer</a>

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” topped the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards">Emmy Awards</a>&nbsp;on Monday, in a ceremony that touted the influence of TV and extended honors to global sensation “Squid Game” and winners who delivered messages of empowerment.

The evening's uplifting tone, as voiced especially by Zendaya, Lizzo and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emmy-awards-entertainment-sitcoms-tv-172154473a7c2f3278287368780be476">Sheryl Lee Ralph</a>, was in contrast to the darkness that pervaded the storytelling of best drama series winner “Succession” and even comedy series victor “Ted Lasso."

“Thanks for making such a safe space to make this very difficult show,” said Zendaya, claiming her second best drama actress award for “Euphoria,” about a group of teens' tough coming-of-age.

“My greatest wish for “Euphoria’ was that it could help heal people. Thank you for everyone who has shared your story with me. I carry them with me, and I carry them with” Rue, her character, Zendaya said.

“Succession,” about a media empire run by a grasping and cutthroat family, split drama series honors with “Squid Game,” the bold South Korean-set drama about the idle rich turning the poor into entertainment fodder.

Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game,” who played the show's moral center, became the first Asian to win the Emmy for best drama series actor.

“Thank you for making realistic problems we all face come to life so creatively on the screen,” Lee said to “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who earned the Emmy for best drama series directing. In Korean, Lee thanked the audience in his native country for watching.

Backstage, Hwang said this was "a major moment for us,” and Lee said he expected the awards to open doors for other Asian actors.

Jason Sudeikis and Jean Smart collected back-to-back acting trophies, but several new Emmy winners were minted, with Lizzo and Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph of “Abbott Elementary" collecting trophies.

Brunson, who created and stars in the freshman series, won the Emmy for comedy series writing. ABC's “Abbott Elementary,” also nominated for best comedy, is a rare bright spot for network broadcasting in the age of streaming and cable dominance.

Sudeikis won his second consecutive trophy for playing the unlikely U.S. coach of a British soccer team in the comedy “Ted Lasso,” with Smart matching that haul for her role as a veteran comedian in “Hacks."

Sudeikis gave a rare awards show shoutout to TV consumers: “Thanks to the people who watch this show and dig it as much as we dig making it."

There was a ripple of reaction in the theater when “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong mentioned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-III-british-throne-ab21181c92dbb154a29bad12075662e9">Britain’s new king, Charles III</a>, in accepting the show’s trophy, the cast standing alongside him.

“Big week for successions, new king in the U.K., this for us. Evidently a little bit more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles,” Armstrong said. “I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position than he is. We’ll leave that up to other people.”

Ralph stopped the Emmy Awards show by accepting the best supporting actress comedy award for “Abbott Elementary" with a brief but rousing song of affirmation.

“I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim song. I am a woman, I am an artist and I know where my voice belongs,” she belted out. She then encouraged anyone doubting their dream “I am here to tell you this is what believing looks like.”

The audience, including Lizzo and many of television's biggest stars, leapt to their feet to cheer on Ralph.

When Lizzo herself accepted the award for best-competition series trophy for “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” she offered another emotional pep talk.

“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media. Someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me,” the music artist said.

There were also cheers for presenter Selma Blair, who has discussed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis publicly and who used a cane on stage.

“Ted Lasso” co-star Brett Goldstein, won comedy supporting actors, while Matthew Macfadyen of “Succession” and Julia Garner of “Ozark” earned drama series supporting actor honors.

“It's such a a pleasure and privilege for me to play this bonkers gift of a role in this wonderful show,” Macfadyen said in accepting the trophy for his role as a scheming member of a media empire family.

Garner was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emmy-awards-entertainment-movies-tv-644ef4de2886ce7d4395765fb34b44fa">among the winners</a>&nbsp;who took advantage of covering all bases by thanking her husband and others in an on-screen message.

“The White Lotus” collected several honors, including best limited or anthology series.

The achievements of “Squid Game,” “Abbott Elementary” and a few other shows didn’t change the relative lack of diversity in this year’s nominations, which included significantly fewer people of color than in 2021.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emmy-awards-jada-pinkett-smith-chris-rock-entertainment-los-angeles-be3d652d638497a85dbd61a9fd24aadd">Host Kenan Thompson</a>&nbsp;kicked off the Emmys with a tribute to TV, dismissing Tik-Tok as “tiny vertical television,” and a musical number saluting series’ theme songs from “Friends” to “The Brady Bunch” to “Game of Thrones.”

Once the music stopped, Thompson provided a mic drop moment — announcing Oprah Winfrey as the first presenter. Winfrey strutted onto the stage holding an Emmy statuette, declaring the night “a party!” The night’s first award went to Michael Keaton for his role in “Dopesick.” Winfrey and Keaton hugged before she handed him his trophy.

“It means something,” Keaton said of the award for playing a caring doctor ensnared with his patients by addiction. He went on to recall the “magic” of being introduced to TV when his dad won a set at a raffle and thanked his parents for not mocking his youthful attempts at acting.

Amanda Seyfried earned the limited-series lead actress trophy for “The Dropout,” in which she played ill-fated Silicon Valley whiz kid Elizabeth Holmes. She thanked a list of family and colleagues and even her dog, Finn.

Murray Bartlett won the best supporting actor award for “The White Lotus,” a tragicomedy set in a Hawaii resort. Jennifer Coolidge, who won best supporting actress honors for the show, delighted the audience by shimmying to the music intended to cut off her acceptance speech.

The award for best variety talk show went to “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” with stand-up special “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel” winning for best writing for a comedy special.

"Good night, everybody. I’ma go home. I’m not like a sore winner, but I’m going to go home because I can’t top this right now,” an overcome Carmichael told the audience.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-los-angeles-elle-fanning-d8624fd7435099009be675646fd426d5">Glamour was back with some metallic sparkle and lots of bright color</a>&nbsp;as an otherworldly Britt Lower, Old Hollywood Elle Fanning and their fellow stars posed for photographers.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22LYNN%20ELBER%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer</a>LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” topped the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards">Emmy Awards</a>&nbsp;on Monday, in a ceremony that touted the influence of TV and extended honors to global sensation “Squid Game” and winners who delivered messages of empowerment.The evening's uplifting tone, as voiced especially by Zendaya, Lizzo and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emmy-awards-entertainment-sitcoms-tv-172154473a7c2f3278287368780be476">Sheryl Lee Ralph</a>, was in contrast to the darkness that pervaded the storytelling of best drama series winner “Succession” and even comedy series victor “Ted Lasso."“Thanks for making such a safe space to make this very difficult show,” said Zendaya, claiming her second best drama actress award for “Euphoria,” about a group of teens' tough coming-of-age.“My greatest wish for “Euphoria’ was that it could help heal people. Thank you for everyone who has shared your story with me. I carry them with me, and I carry them with” Rue, her character, Zendaya said.“Succession,” about a media empire run by a grasping and cutthroat family, split drama series honors with “Squid Game,” the bold South Korean-set drama about the idle rich turning the poor into entertainment fodder.Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game,” who played the show's moral center, became the first Asian to win the Emmy for best drama series actor.“Thank you for making realistic problems we all face come to life so creatively on the screen,” Lee said to “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who earned the Emmy for best drama series directing. In Korean, Lee thanked the audience in his native country for watching.Backstage, Hwang said this was "a major moment for us,” and Lee said he expected the awards to open doors for other Asian actors.Jason Sudeikis and Jean Smart collected back-to-back acting trophies, but several new Emmy winners were minted, with Lizzo and Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph of “Abbott Elementary" collecting trophies.Brunson, who created and stars in the freshman series, won the Emmy for comedy series writing. ABC's “Abbott Elementary,” also nominated for best comedy, is a rare bright spot for network broadcasting in the age of streaming and cable dominance.Sudeikis won his second consecutive trophy for playing the unlikely U.S. coach of a British soccer team in the comedy “Ted Lasso,” with Smart matching that haul for her role as a veteran comedian in “Hacks."Sudeikis gave a rare awards show shoutout to TV consumers: “Thanks to the people who watch this show and dig it as much as we dig making it."There was a ripple of reaction in the theater when “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong mentioned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-III-british-throne-ab21181c92dbb154a29bad12075662e9">Britain’s new king, Charles III</a>, in accepting the show’s trophy, the cast standing alongside him.“Big week for successions, new king in the U.K., this for us. Evidently a little bit more voting involved in our winning than Prince Charles,” Armstrong said. “I’m not saying we’re more legitimate in our position than he is. We’ll leave that up to other people.”Ralph stopped the Emmy Awards show by accepting the best supporting actress comedy award for “Abbott Elementary" with a brief but rousing song of affirmation.“I am an endangered species, but I sing no victim song. I am a woman, I am an artist and I know where my voice belongs,” she belted out. She then encouraged anyone doubting their dream “I am here to tell you this is what believing looks like.”The audience, including Lizzo and many of television's biggest stars, leapt to their feet to cheer on Ralph.When Lizzo herself accepted the award for best-competition series trophy for “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” she offered another emotional pep talk.“When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media. Someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me,” the music artist said.There were also cheers for presenter Selma Blair, who has discussed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis publicly and who used a cane on stage.“Ted Lasso” co-star Brett Goldstein, won comedy supporting actors, while Matthew Macfadyen of “Succession” and Julia Garner of “Ozark” earned drama series supporting actor honors.“It's such a a pleasure and privilege for me to play this bonkers gift of a role in this wonderful show,” Macfadyen said in accepting the trophy for his role as a scheming member of a media empire family.Garner was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emmy-awards-entertainment-movies-tv-644ef4de2886ce7d4395765fb34b44fa">among the winners</a>&nbsp;who took advantage of covering all bases by thanking her husband and others in an on-screen message.“The White Lotus” collected several honors, including best limited or anthology series.The achievements of “Squid Game,” “Abbott Elementary” and a few other shows didn’t change the relative lack of diversity in this year’s nominations, which included significantly fewer people of color than in 2021.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emmy-awards-jada-pinkett-smith-chris-rock-entertainment-los-angeles-be3d652d638497a85dbd61a9fd24aadd">Host Kenan Thompson</a>&nbsp;kicked off the Emmys with a tribute to TV, dismissing Tik-Tok as “tiny vertical television,” and a musical number saluting series’ theme songs from “Friends” to “The Brady Bunch” to “Game of Thrones.”Once the music stopped, Thompson provided a mic drop moment — announcing Oprah Winfrey as the first presenter. Winfrey strutted onto the stage holding an Emmy statuette, declaring the night “a party!” The night’s first award went to Michael Keaton for his role in “Dopesick.” Winfrey and Keaton hugged before she handed him his trophy.“It means something,” Keaton said of the award for playing a caring doctor ensnared with his patients by addiction. He went on to recall the “magic” of being introduced to TV when his dad won a set at a raffle and thanked his parents for not mocking his youthful attempts at acting.Amanda Seyfried earned the limited-series lead actress trophy for “The Dropout,” in which she played ill-fated Silicon Valley whiz kid Elizabeth Holmes. She thanked a list of family and colleagues and even her dog, Finn.Murray Bartlett won the best supporting actor award for “The White Lotus,” a tragicomedy set in a Hawaii resort. Jennifer Coolidge, who won best supporting actress honors for the show, delighted the audience by shimmying to the music intended to cut off her acceptance speech.The award for best variety talk show went to “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” with stand-up special “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel” winning for best writing for a comedy special."Good night, everybody. I’ma go home. I’m not like a sore winner, but I’m going to go home because I can’t top this right now,” an overcome Carmichael told the audience.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-los-angeles-elle-fanning-d8624fd7435099009be675646fd426d5">Glamour was back with some metallic sparkle and lots of bright color</a>&nbsp;as an otherworldly Britt Lower, Old Hollywood Elle Fanning and their fellow stars posed for photographers.

'Succession,' 'Ted Lasso' top Emmys; 1st time winners shine

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22The%20Associated%20Press%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By The Associated Press</a>

Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

— Twin brothers go to their mother’s house for a stay but find something is off about her in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKm2Vct3x4">“Goodnight Mommy,”</a>&nbsp;an English language remake of a cult Austrian horror from 2014. Naomi Watts plays the mother, an actress whose face is wrapped in bandages — presumably recovering from plastic surgery. She’s also quite on edge and suspiciously cruel and the boys, Elias (Cameron Crovetti) and Lucas (Nicholas Crovetti) start worrying that it is not, in fact, their mother, but an imposter. Directed by Matt Sobel, “Goodnight Mommy” arrives on Prime Video on Friday.

— A year after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b0ZYBmST-U">“Official Competition”</a>&nbsp;premiered to raves at the 78th Venice Film Festival, it’s finally coming to a streaming service, AMC+, on Friday. The sharp satire skewering the movie business (and the art world in general) stars Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas as two egomaniacs who a billionaire hires to make a film together. By all accounts the Spanish language film, directed by Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, is deliriously fun and funny and a great showcase for its leads Cruz and Banderas.

— Over on Disney+, the original documentary&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtxeORZkatk">“Mija”</a>&nbsp;tells the story of Doris Muñoz and Jacks Haupt, the daughters of Mexican immigrants who are trying to make their way in the music business in the U.S. It’s the directorial debut of Isabel Castro, also a Mexican American, and will be available to watch on Friday. In the Variety review out of the Sundance Film Festival, critic Lisa Kennedy wrote that, “Castro’s debut feature deals with heartache and vulnerability but also shimmers with joy and genuine insight.”

— After night must come light, right? Little Big Town’s album “Mr. Sun” drops Friday, the follow-up to the band’s last offering, “Nightfall.” Band member Karen Fairchild says: “‘Mr. Sun’ is focused on better days ahead, the value of friendships and family; it touches on heartbreak and letting go, but it’s full of sunshine and joy.” The 16-song album — with a member of the band writing or co-writing 13 of them — includes “Rich Man,” the hazy, addictive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDHq-2HAs1o">“All Summer”</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk_2Ri1tbk8">“Hell Yeah.”</a>

— Singer-songwriter Michelle Branch will release her new album “The Trouble with Fever” despite facing her own personal troubles. The album, out Friday, was co-produced with her husband, Patrick Carney, drummer for The Black Keys. Branch was arrested last month for allegedly slapping Carney, but prosecutors decided not to press charges. The album’s first single,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu6AfnmlSQY">“I’m A Man,”</a>&nbsp;is a bluesy protest song that tackles such topics as women’s rights, toxic masculinity, reproductive rights and sexual harassment.

— Marcus Mumford releases his first solo album on Friday, but he’s tapped plenty of friends for help: Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Monica Martin and Julia Michaels. The album, “(self-titled),” has produced the quiet yet powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOcfW0zv7cY">“Cannibal”</a>&nbsp;(with a Steven Spielberg-directed video) and the superb&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJkGZx8i-h0">“Grace,”</a>&nbsp;a strummy cathartic tune with the lyrics: “I hear there’s healing just around this corner.” Blake Mills produced the album.

— Jessie Reyez had some bad luck when she released her debut album, “Before Love Came To Kill Us.” It came out in late March 2020, along with the pandemic, which wiped out her buzz. This week, she’s hoping for better luck with “YESSIE,” led by the spiteful kiss-off single&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG1m3b9j_qY">“Mutual Friend,”</a>&nbsp;with the line: “This heartbreak morphed into hate.” The Colombian-Canadian artist has had an exciting year, touring with Billie Eilish and performing at the 2022 Coachella music festival.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K2ZbWQCVpQ">— “The Handmaid’s Tale”</a>&nbsp;returns with high stakes for June (Elisabeth Moss) and the future of Gilead, the totalitarian society that she and others have risked their lives to fight. The Emmy-winning series, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, has become a touchstone for women’s rights advocates. In the fifth season that begins Wednesday with two episodes, June is dealing with the consequences of a killing, while Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), the woman she widowed, seeks her own path to power. Hulu announced the drama will end with season six.

<a href="https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/us-and-the-holocaust/">— “The U.S. and the Holocaust”</a>&nbsp;examines Nazi Germany’s Jewish genocide in the context of American society and the nation’s response. The three-part documentary looks at the 20th-century rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party amid racism and antisemitism elsewhere in the world, including in the United States. Directed and produced by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein and written by Geoffrey Ward, the six-hour docuseries airs Sunday through Tuesday, on PBS and will be available on PBS.org. Peter Coyote narrates.

— Looking for a break in your day?&nbsp;<a href="https://jenniferhudsonshow.com/">“The Jennifer Hudson Show"</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/sherrishowtv">“Sherri,”</a>&nbsp;with comedian-actor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-tv-oprah-winfrey-baebaebd7b91898b9a51390cfcb27155">Sherri Shepherd,</a>&nbsp;are here to oblige, with both shows debuting Monday. Actor-singer and “American Idol" alum&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-tv-jennifer-hudson-d52409597f880cbc58eac97925634f4a">Hudson</a>&nbsp;will welcome first-week guests including Simon Cowell, Magic Johnson and Hannah Waddingham. Among Shepherd's debut week guests: Ricki Lake, Robin Thicke and Derek Hough. The hosts are looking to fill the void left by Ellen DeGeneres' and Wendy Williams' now-ended shows, with Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore among the returning competition.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22The%20Associated%20Press%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By The Associated Press</a>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— Twin brothers go to their mother’s house for a stay but find something is off about her in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lKm2Vct3x4">“Goodnight Mommy,”</a>&nbsp;an English language remake of a cult Austrian horror from 2014. Naomi Watts plays the mother, an actress whose face is wrapped in bandages — presumably recovering from plastic surgery. She’s also quite on edge and suspiciously cruel and the boys, Elias (Cameron Crovetti) and Lucas (Nicholas Crovetti) start worrying that it is not, in fact, their mother, but an imposter. Directed by Matt Sobel, “Goodnight Mommy” arrives on Prime Video on Friday.— A year after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b0ZYBmST-U">“Official Competition”</a>&nbsp;premiered to raves at the 78th Venice Film Festival, it’s finally coming to a streaming service, AMC+, on Friday. The sharp satire skewering the movie business (and the art world in general) stars Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas as two egomaniacs who a billionaire hires to make a film together. By all accounts the Spanish language film, directed by Mariano Cohn and Gaston Duprat, is deliriously fun and funny and a great showcase for its leads Cruz and Banderas.— Over on Disney+, the original documentary&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtxeORZkatk">“Mija”</a>&nbsp;tells the story of Doris Muñoz and Jacks Haupt, the daughters of Mexican immigrants who are trying to make their way in the music business in the U.S. It’s the directorial debut of Isabel Castro, also a Mexican American, and will be available to watch on Friday. In the Variety review out of the Sundance Film Festival, critic Lisa Kennedy wrote that, “Castro’s debut feature deals with heartache and vulnerability but also shimmers with joy and genuine insight.”— AP Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSIC— After night must come light, right? Little Big Town’s album “Mr. Sun” drops Friday, the follow-up to the band’s last offering, “Nightfall.” Band member Karen Fairchild says: “‘Mr. Sun’ is focused on better days ahead, the value of friendships and family; it touches on heartbreak and letting go, but it’s full of sunshine and joy.” The 16-song album — with a member of the band writing or co-writing 13 of them — includes “Rich Man,” the hazy, addictive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDHq-2HAs1o">“All Summer”</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk_2Ri1tbk8">“Hell Yeah.”</a>— Singer-songwriter Michelle Branch will release her new album “The Trouble with Fever” despite facing her own personal troubles. The album, out Friday, was co-produced with her husband, Patrick Carney, drummer for The Black Keys. Branch was arrested last month for allegedly slapping Carney, but prosecutors decided not to press charges. The album’s first single,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu6AfnmlSQY">“I’m A Man,”</a>&nbsp;is a bluesy protest song that tackles such topics as women’s rights, toxic masculinity, reproductive rights and sexual harassment.— Marcus Mumford releases his first solo album on Friday, but he’s tapped plenty of friends for help: Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Monica Martin and Julia Michaels. The album, “(self-titled),” has produced the quiet yet powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOcfW0zv7cY">“Cannibal”</a>&nbsp;(with a Steven Spielberg-directed video) and the superb&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJkGZx8i-h0">“Grace,”</a>&nbsp;a strummy cathartic tune with the lyrics: “I hear there’s healing just around this corner.” Blake Mills produced the album.— Jessie Reyez had some bad luck when she released her debut album, “Before Love Came To Kill Us.” It came out in late March 2020, along with the pandemic, which wiped out her buzz. This week, she’s hoping for better luck with “YESSIE,” led by the spiteful kiss-off single&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG1m3b9j_qY">“Mutual Friend,”</a>&nbsp;with the line: “This heartbreak morphed into hate.” The Colombian-Canadian artist has had an exciting year, touring with Billie Eilish and performing at the 2022 Coachella music festival.— AP Entertainment Writer Mark KennedyTELEVISION<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K2ZbWQCVpQ">— “The Handmaid’s Tale”</a>&nbsp;returns with high stakes for June (Elisabeth Moss) and the future of Gilead, the totalitarian society that she and others have risked their lives to fight. The Emmy-winning series, adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel of the same name, has become a touchstone for women’s rights advocates. In the fifth season that begins Wednesday with two episodes, June is dealing with the consequences of a killing, while Serena (Yvonne Strahovski), the woman she widowed, seeks her own path to power. Hulu announced the drama will end with season six.<a href="https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/us-and-the-holocaust/">— “The U.S. and the Holocaust”</a>&nbsp;examines Nazi Germany’s Jewish genocide in the context of American society and the nation’s response. The three-part documentary looks at the 20th-century rise of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party amid racism and antisemitism elsewhere in the world, including in the United States. Directed and produced by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein and written by Geoffrey Ward, the six-hour docuseries airs Sunday through Tuesday, on PBS and will be available on PBS.org. Peter Coyote narrates.— Looking for a break in your day?&nbsp;<a href="https://jenniferhudsonshow.com/">“The Jennifer Hudson Show"</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/sherrishowtv">“Sherri,”</a>&nbsp;with comedian-actor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-tv-oprah-winfrey-baebaebd7b91898b9a51390cfcb27155">Sherri Shepherd,</a>&nbsp;are here to oblige, with both shows debuting Monday. Actor-singer and “American Idol" alum&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-tv-jennifer-hudson-d52409597f880cbc58eac97925634f4a">Hudson</a>&nbsp;will welcome first-week guests including Simon Cowell, Magic Johnson and Hannah Waddingham. Among Shepherd's debut week guests: Ricki Lake, Robin Thicke and Derek Hough. The hosts are looking to fill the void left by Ellen DeGeneres' and Wendy Williams' now-ended shows, with Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore among the returning competition.— AP Television Writer Lynn Elber

New this week: 'The Handmaid’s Tale' and 'Goodnight Mommy'

Hays Community Theatre's "Rats: The Story of the Pied Piper" has shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All shows for the annual children's theater are sold out. 

See the end of this story for a complete cast list.

Narrator 1: Ryan Giebler Narrator 2: Annalise Adams Narrator 3: Aspen Brull Narrator 4: Savannah Wittkorn (Narrators double as townspeople) Pied Piper: Jacob Ridgway Mayor: Josiah Hill Quigley: Jack Stoecklein Miss Pennywinkle: Kelsey Robben Rats Ratmarie: Janessa Miller Rhonda Rat: Evie Dietz Ratson: Matthias Miller Ratly: Jensen Miller Ratilla: Gracelyn Inlow Rosie Rat: Reagan Becker Candy Rat: Nora Stoecklein Debbie Rat: Hattie Sander Brandy Rat: Avalea Hill Benjamin "Ben" Rat: Brayden Hept Ramona (Baby) Rat: Olivia Legleiter Townspeople of Hamelin Constable Blarney: Micah Hill Mr. Rye/Mr. Ram: Caden Pinkney Miss Lilyspoon: Nevaeh Duncan Miss Finney: Alicia Windholz Mrs Krinkle: Elizabeth Bergman Mrs. Nob: Evelyn Schmidt Mr. Ripple: Malachi Miller Mrs. Pickle: Riley Becker Mr. Teal: Jadon Conner Children of Hamelin Susan Ripple: Khloe Bartling Billie Ram: Katie Ziegler Jimmy Pickle: Josiah Conner Lisa Teal: Melody Gauger Tammy Nob: Hannah Lohrmeyer Wendy Krinkle: Scarlett Wittkorn Pentopolis "Pennyman" Pickle: Skyler Schmidt Nancy Nob: Claire Lonnon Krystal Krinkle: Willa Hill Rita Rye: Lyla Oller Becky Blarney: Brylie Grove

Hays Community Theatre's "Rats: The Story of the Pied Piper" has shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All shows for the annual children's theater are sold out. See the end of this story for a complete cast list.<figure>
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 </figure><h2>Cast list</h2>Narrator 1: Ryan Giebler Narrator 2: Annalise Adams Narrator 3: Aspen Brull Narrator 4: Savannah Wittkorn (Narrators double as townspeople) Pied Piper: Jacob Ridgway Mayor: Josiah Hill Quigley: Jack Stoecklein Miss Pennywinkle: Kelsey Robben Rats Ratmarie: Janessa Miller Rhonda Rat: Evie Dietz Ratson: Matthias Miller Ratly: Jensen Miller Ratilla: Gracelyn Inlow Rosie Rat: Reagan Becker Candy Rat: Nora Stoecklein Debbie Rat: Hattie Sander Brandy Rat: Avalea Hill Benjamin "Ben" Rat: Brayden Hept Ramona (Baby) Rat: Olivia Legleiter Townspeople of Hamelin Constable Blarney: Micah Hill Mr. Rye/Mr. Ram: Caden Pinkney Miss Lilyspoon: Nevaeh Duncan Miss Finney: Alicia Windholz Mrs Krinkle: Elizabeth Bergman Mrs. Nob: Evelyn Schmidt Mr. Ripple: Malachi Miller Mrs. Pickle: Riley Becker Mr. Teal: Jadon Conner Children of Hamelin Susan Ripple: Khloe Bartling Billie Ram: Katie Ziegler Jimmy Pickle: Josiah Conner Lisa Teal: Melody Gauger Tammy Nob: Hannah Lohrmeyer Wendy Krinkle: Scarlett Wittkorn Pentopolis "Pennyman" Pickle: Skyler Schmidt Nancy Nob: Claire Lonnon Krystal Krinkle: Willa Hill Rita Rye: Lyla Oller Becky Blarney: Brylie Grove

📸 Hays Community Theatre's 'Rats: The Story of the Pied Piper' 

The latest Friday Night Finds from Mix 103.3 FM.

<div><iframe title="Mix 103.3’s Friday Night Finds: Sept. 2, 2022" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=pu54v-12b5a91-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>The latest Friday Night Finds from Mix 103.3 FM.Play the song below:<figure>
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Friday Night Finds: Sept. 2, 2022

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MATT%20O%27BRIEN%20and%20KELVIN%20CHAN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MATT O'BRIEN and KELVIN CHAN AP Technology Writers</a>

Microsoft’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd">plan to buy video game giant Activision Blizzard</a>&nbsp;for $68.7 billion could have major effects on the gaming industry, transforming the Xbox maker into something like a Netflix for video games by giving it control of many more popular titles.

But to get to the next level, Microsoft must first survive a barrage of government inquiries from New Zealand to Brazil, and from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-data-privacy-federal-trade-commission-congress-7da655c7793d5fe26493a0fa8f10e297">U.S. regulators emboldened</a>&nbsp;by President Joe Biden to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-mark-zuckerberg-federal-trade-commission-government-and-politics-341c0200d9d2921072c1ac6afde428fe">strengthen their enforcement</a>&nbsp;of antitrust laws.

In the United Kingdom, regulators on Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-kingdom-187332bc07d6930b18e54010c38b6353">threatened to escalate their investigation</a>&nbsp;unless both companies come up with proposals within five days to ease competition concerns. More than seven months after Microsoft announced the deal, only&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Saudigac_en/status/1561586394182651909/photo/1">Saudi Arabia has approved it.</a>

“A growing number of countries are subjecting major global transactions to deeper scrutiny,” said William Kovacic, a former chairman of the five-member U.S. Federal Trade Commission. “Many of the jurisdictions that are exercising that scrutiny are significant economies and can’t be brushed off.”

Microsoft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-microsoft-doj-6a800b51cc9b6b1c4d1b23bad4510040">has faced antitrust scrutiny</a>&nbsp;before, mostly notably more than two decades ago when a federal judge ordered its breakup following the company’s anticompetitive actions related to its dominant Windows software. That verdict was overturned on appeal, although the court imposed other, less drastic, penalties on the company.

In recent years, however, Microsoft has largely escaped the more intense regulatory backlash its Big Tech rivals such as Amazon, Google and Facebook’s parent company Meta have endured. But the sheer size of the Activision Blizzard merger has drawn global attention.

The all-cash deal is set to be the largest in the history of the tech industry. It would give Microsoft, maker of the Xbox console and gaming system, control of popular game franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. There's also a growing sense that past review of Big Tech mergers was too lax — such as when Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.

“Collectively, that means that the kinds of concessions you’re going to have to make become more difficult,” Kovacic said.

The possibility of Microsoft gaining control of Call of Duty has been particularly worrisome to Sony, maker of the PlayStation console that competes with Microsoft's Xbox. In a letter to Brazilian regulators, Sony emphasized Call of Duty as an “essential” game — a blockbuster so popular and ingrained that it would be impossible for a competitor to develop a rival product even if they had the budget to do so.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-kingdom-0e19c4494d1754dc12e23bbf9e68d090">U.K. watchdog's preliminary inquiry</a>&nbsp;raised similar worries. It said Microsoft’s control of popular Activision Blizzard games raised concerns that the deal would hurt rivals in multi-game subscription services and the cloud gaming market.

One solution could be a settlement in which Microsoft agrees to ensure that console-making rivals such as Sony or Nintendo won’t be cut off from popular Activision Blizzard games. Microsoft has already publicly signaled its openness to that concept.

Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, has said the company committed to Sony to make Activision games like Call of Duty “available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future” -- although many are skeptical about how long those promises would last if not set into regulatory consent decrees.

On the other hand, Microsoft also has a much better reputation in Washington than it did in 2000. It is "seen as more reasonable and sensible” on issues such as data privacy, Kovacic said.

Microsoft has also been working to win over skeptics in the U.S., starting with a labor union that's been trying to organize Activision Blizzard employees. Democratic lawmakers have also expressed concern about allegations of Activision's toxic workplace culture for women, which led to employee walkouts last year as well as discrimination lawsuits brought by California and federal civil rights enforcers.

In March, the Communications Workers of America had issued a call seeking tougher oversight of the deal from the U.S. Department of Justice, the FTC and state attorneys general. But a June 30 letter from the union to the FTC said it had switched to supporting the deal after Microsoft agreed “to ensure the workers of Activision Blizzard have a clear path to collective bargaining.”

Gaming represents a growing portion of Microsoft’s business, despite the company’s efforts to portray itself and Activision Blizzard as “small players in a highly fragmented publishing space,” per a document&nbsp;<a href="https://comcom.govt.nz/case-register/case-register-entries/microsoft-corporation-activision-blizzard-inc">filed with New Zealand's Commerce Commission</a>.

In 2021, Microsoft spent $7.5 billion to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks, which is behind popular video games The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout. Microsoft’s properties also include the hit game Minecraft after it bought Swedish game studio Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.

The Redmond, Washington, tech giant has said the gaming acquisitions will help beef up its Xbox Game Pass game subscription service and its mobile offerings, particularly from Activision Blizzard's King division, which makes Candy Crush.

Dutch game developer Rami Ismail said Microsoft’s subscription-based service has thus far been a positive for smaller game studios trying to get their content to users. But he’s unsure about the long-term impact of the merger.

“Xbox Game Pass as a product has been really good in getting interesting, creative games funded that might not have the normal market reach to be successful,” Ismail said. “On the flip side, as power consolidates, there is less of an incentive to do anything like that.”

Microsoft rivals are also consolidating. Sony in July closed on a $3.6 billion deal to buy Bungie Inc., maker of the popular game franchise Destiny and the original developer of Xbox-owned Halo. Take-Two Interactive, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, in May completed a $12.7 billion deal to acquire mobile gaming company Zynga, maker of FarmVille and Words With Friends.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MATT%20O%27BRIEN%20and%20KELVIN%20CHAN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MATT O'BRIEN and KELVIN CHAN AP Technology Writers</a>Microsoft’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-call-of-duty-7a9e2bcc8f0b7b9049e4f93fe3e0a4dd">plan to buy video game giant Activision Blizzard</a>&nbsp;for $68.7 billion could have major effects on the gaming industry, transforming the Xbox maker into something like a Netflix for video games by giving it control of many more popular titles.But to get to the next level, Microsoft must first survive a barrage of government inquiries from New Zealand to Brazil, and from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-data-privacy-federal-trade-commission-congress-7da655c7793d5fe26493a0fa8f10e297">U.S. regulators emboldened</a>&nbsp;by President Joe Biden to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-mark-zuckerberg-federal-trade-commission-government-and-politics-341c0200d9d2921072c1ac6afde428fe">strengthen their enforcement</a>&nbsp;of antitrust laws.In the United Kingdom, regulators on Thursday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-kingdom-187332bc07d6930b18e54010c38b6353">threatened to escalate their investigation</a>&nbsp;unless both companies come up with proposals within five days to ease competition concerns. More than seven months after Microsoft announced the deal, only&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Saudigac_en/status/1561586394182651909/photo/1">Saudi Arabia has approved it.</a>“A growing number of countries are subjecting major global transactions to deeper scrutiny,” said William Kovacic, a former chairman of the five-member U.S. Federal Trade Commission. “Many of the jurisdictions that are exercising that scrutiny are significant economies and can’t be brushed off.”Microsoft&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-microsoft-doj-6a800b51cc9b6b1c4d1b23bad4510040">has faced antitrust scrutiny</a>&nbsp;before, mostly notably more than two decades ago when a federal judge ordered its breakup following the company’s anticompetitive actions related to its dominant Windows software. That verdict was overturned on appeal, although the court imposed other, less drastic, penalties on the company.In recent years, however, Microsoft has largely escaped the more intense regulatory backlash its Big Tech rivals such as Amazon, Google and Facebook’s parent company Meta have endured. But the sheer size of the Activision Blizzard merger has drawn global attention.The all-cash deal is set to be the largest in the history of the tech industry. It would give Microsoft, maker of the Xbox console and gaming system, control of popular game franchises such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush. There's also a growing sense that past review of Big Tech mergers was too lax — such as when Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.“Collectively, that means that the kinds of concessions you’re going to have to make become more difficult,” Kovacic said.The possibility of Microsoft gaining control of Call of Duty has been particularly worrisome to Sony, maker of the PlayStation console that competes with Microsoft's Xbox. In a letter to Brazilian regulators, Sony emphasized Call of Duty as an “essential” game — a blockbuster so popular and ingrained that it would be impossible for a competitor to develop a rival product even if they had the budget to do so.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-kingdom-0e19c4494d1754dc12e23bbf9e68d090">U.K. watchdog's preliminary inquiry</a>&nbsp;raised similar worries. It said Microsoft’s control of popular Activision Blizzard games raised concerns that the deal would hurt rivals in multi-game subscription services and the cloud gaming market.One solution could be a settlement in which Microsoft agrees to ensure that console-making rivals such as Sony or Nintendo won’t be cut off from popular Activision Blizzard games. Microsoft has already publicly signaled its openness to that concept.Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, has said the company committed to Sony to make Activision games like Call of Duty “available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future” -- although many are skeptical about how long those promises would last if not set into regulatory consent decrees.On the other hand, Microsoft also has a much better reputation in Washington than it did in 2000. It is "seen as more reasonable and sensible” on issues such as data privacy, Kovacic said.Microsoft has also been working to win over skeptics in the U.S., starting with a labor union that's been trying to organize Activision Blizzard employees. Democratic lawmakers have also expressed concern about allegations of Activision's toxic workplace culture for women, which led to employee walkouts last year as well as discrimination lawsuits brought by California and federal civil rights enforcers.In March, the Communications Workers of America had issued a call seeking tougher oversight of the deal from the U.S. Department of Justice, the FTC and state attorneys general. But a June 30 letter from the union to the FTC said it had switched to supporting the deal after Microsoft agreed “to ensure the workers of Activision Blizzard have a clear path to collective bargaining.”Gaming represents a growing portion of Microsoft’s business, despite the company’s efforts to portray itself and Activision Blizzard as “small players in a highly fragmented publishing space,” per a document&nbsp;<a href="https://comcom.govt.nz/case-register/case-register-entries/microsoft-corporation-activision-blizzard-inc">filed with New Zealand's Commerce Commission</a>.In 2021, Microsoft spent $7.5 billion to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks, which is behind popular video games The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout. Microsoft’s properties also include the hit game Minecraft after it bought Swedish game studio Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.The Redmond, Washington, tech giant has said the gaming acquisitions will help beef up its Xbox Game Pass game subscription service and its mobile offerings, particularly from Activision Blizzard's King division, which makes Candy Crush.Dutch game developer Rami Ismail said Microsoft’s subscription-based service has thus far been a positive for smaller game studios trying to get their content to users. But he’s unsure about the long-term impact of the merger.“Xbox Game Pass as a product has been really good in getting interesting, creative games funded that might not have the normal market reach to be successful,” Ismail said. “On the flip side, as power consolidates, there is less of an incentive to do anything like that.”Microsoft rivals are also consolidating. Sony in July closed on a $3.6 billion deal to buy Bungie Inc., maker of the popular game franchise Destiny and the original developer of Xbox-owned Halo. Take-Two Interactive, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, in May completed a $12.7 billion deal to acquire mobile gaming company Zynga, maker of FarmVille and Words With Friends.

Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal gets global scrutiny

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MARK%20KENNEDY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer</a>

NEW YORK (AP) — The return of dragons on the small screen has been a huge hit. Now it's time for the return of the elves and dwarves.

Amazon Studios is launching&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Power-Season/dp/B09QH98YG1">“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,”</a>&nbsp;an ambitious, years-in-the-making and very expensive salvo that will go head-to-head with another costly streaming fantasy epic: HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” which recently became the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-tv-fe58880b726699e4f7683db80f579f14">most-watched series premiere</a>&nbsp;in HBO history.

The series is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings and asides about Middle-earth’s Second Age, which preceded the Third Age’s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films and books. Tolkien’s grandson, Simon Tolkien, was a creative consultant.

“We say Tolkien sort of left a series of stars in the sky. Our job was to connect the dots and form the constellation and then sort of draw in between the constellations to give a little more specificity to it,” said J.D. Payne, a showrunner and executive producer.

Amazon Prime Video will debut both the first two “The Rings of Power” episodes on Friday. After that, the remaining six episodes arrive weekly on Friday.

The hour-long episodes are stuffed with action and humor but buckle up: Payne and his co-showrunner Patrick McKay plan to use a 50-hour canvas to explore their nuanced characters and complex histories. These first eight episodes are like an appetizer.

Early ones shift across the various regions of Middle-earth, our planet's imagined mythological past. Here, some 4,000 years before “The Hobbit,” are elves involved with royal intrigue, dwarves who mine inside mountains, hobbitlike harfoots who are pastoral, humans who seem unusually prone to violence, and evil orcs.

Despite being set centuries before the books and films that make up the Tolkien's canon, fans of “The Lord of the Rings” will notice some familiar characters, based on the long lifespan of some of the creatures, including Galadriel, Elrond and Isildur. Sauron, the evil force, is unseen in the first two episodes but a malevolent presence throughout.

Morfydd Clark grew up in Wales to parents who adored Tolkien’s epic book series and her dad read her “The Hobbit” when she was 9. The films came out when she was 11, accelerating the obsession. Now she finds herself playing a young Galadriel, a powerful elf played later in the films by Cate Blanchett.

“I think there’s a lot of hope in Tolkien’s world, and with hope comes bravery to stand up and have courage for what you think is valuable,” she said. “The world needs to be safe enough for the smallest and most vulnerable. And I think that’s something that’s important to remind yourself — just because something suits you, it doesn’t suit everybody.”

That sense of hope is something that distinguishes the series from “House of the Dragon,” which revels in a cynical, bloody view of mankind. McKay notes that Tolkien emerged from World War I with a complex fairy story, unlike many of his literary peers who were writing about wastelands and darkness.

“Middle-earth is a fundamentally optimistic and hopeful place. He was writing about positive values and friendship and brotherhood and underdogs,” McKay said. “He was telling you that in the darkest, deep of Mordor — in his wasteland — friendship could win the day and good could triumph over evil.”

The show’s tone shifts depending on which place is being visited. Harfoots, who have Irish accents, are whimsical, communal and clever, while dwarves have Scottish accents, are fond of a drink and are a little rough. Elves are elegant and elite, with upper English class accents and a fondness for billowing cloaks and long, elaborate ceremonies.

The cast — a massive ensemble of 22 actors — is multiethnic and composed of actors of different ages and fame, from Tony-nominated Benjamin Walker to up-and-coming Charlie Vickers, who graduated from drama school in 2017.

“It’s a very heterogenous world and if it wasn’t, we’d be dealing with dystopia,” said Trystan Gravelle, who plays a royal advisor in an Atlantis-like kingdom. “I think it’s very fitting as well in 2022 that we reflect that as well. And I think it enriches everything. The world’s a richer place for it.”

The cast filmed in New Zealand during the pandemic and were away from loved ones for almost two years. The actors rarely visited the sets of rival fictional races, but all gathered for potluck lunches and holidays, often at Walker's house where a mean fried chicken was served. “I got a bunch of babysitters out of it,” he joked.

“What that did is it sort of forced us to to lean on each other and that is a bonding experience like no other,” said Nazanin Boniadi, who plays a human healer and single mother. “That fellowship that you see on screen was forged very much behind the scenes.”

The production — rated TV-14 for violence versus the “Game of Thrones” prequel which is TV-MA for violence, language, and nudity — is one of the most expensive in history, with Amazon spending at least $465 million on the first season in New Zealand, where the series employed 1,200 people directly and another 700 indirectly. In total, the season has reportedly cost $1 billion.

Choir music swells during breathtaking panoramas and the dialogue is thunderous and portentous. “There can be no friendship between hammer and rock. One will surely break,” one dwarf leader says. In another scene, an elf counsels another who is confused: “Sometimes we cannot know unless we touch the darkness.”

The new series debuts in the long shadow left by Peter Jackson, whose film trilogy adaptation of Tolkien's books won critical and commercial praise in the early 2000s and claimed the best picture Oscar for “Return of the King.” For the series, there was more freedom to create as long as it was true to the author.

“We really tried to just go back to Tolkien. That was our mantra from the beginning: ‘Just go back to the books, go back to the books, go back to the books,’” said Payne. “We always have Tolkien at the base of what we’re doing.”

The new series has lots of big themes to chew on, including overcoming racial differences, environmentalism, the power of friendship, women's strength and how even the smallest person can change the world.

“A show like this that has definitely dark themes — darkness within oneself, the fight to do what’s right, battling great forces greater than you — but it also just has themes of friendship and loyalty and love and hope,” said Sara Zwangobani, who plays the new character Marigold Brandyfoot.

The series will have to thread a careful needle by enchanting hard-core fans of Tolkien who will be searching for connections to the universe, attracting those who have hazy memories of the books and don't want to be burdened with tons of new material, and young people whose perhaps last epic adventure series was “Harry Potter.”

“It’s kind of the gateway for new fans in that it's kind of the first chapter, the adolescence of Middle-earth, where the films you could imagine are the adulthood of Middle-earth,” said Walker. “So we’re seeing all these characters we know and love — and some that we’re being introduced to — take the first steps on their journey in becoming their destined selves.”

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22MARK%20KENNEDY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer</a>NEW YORK (AP) — The return of dragons on the small screen has been a huge hit. Now it's time for the return of the elves and dwarves.Amazon Studios is launching&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Power-Season/dp/B09QH98YG1">“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,”</a>&nbsp;an ambitious, years-in-the-making and very expensive salvo that will go head-to-head with another costly streaming fantasy epic: HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” which recently became the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-tv-fe58880b726699e4f7683db80f579f14">most-watched series premiere</a>&nbsp;in HBO history.The series is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings and asides about Middle-earth’s Second Age, which preceded the Third Age’s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films and books. Tolkien’s grandson, Simon Tolkien, was a creative consultant.“We say Tolkien sort of left a series of stars in the sky. Our job was to connect the dots and form the constellation and then sort of draw in between the constellations to give a little more specificity to it,” said J.D. Payne, a showrunner and executive producer.Amazon Prime Video will debut both the first two “The Rings of Power” episodes on Friday. After that, the remaining six episodes arrive weekly on Friday.The hour-long episodes are stuffed with action and humor but buckle up: Payne and his co-showrunner Patrick McKay plan to use a 50-hour canvas to explore their nuanced characters and complex histories. These first eight episodes are like an appetizer.Early ones shift across the various regions of Middle-earth, our planet's imagined mythological past. Here, some 4,000 years before “The Hobbit,” are elves involved with royal intrigue, dwarves who mine inside mountains, hobbitlike harfoots who are pastoral, humans who seem unusually prone to violence, and evil orcs.Despite being set centuries before the books and films that make up the Tolkien's canon, fans of “The Lord of the Rings” will notice some familiar characters, based on the long lifespan of some of the creatures, including Galadriel, Elrond and Isildur. Sauron, the evil force, is unseen in the first two episodes but a malevolent presence throughout.Morfydd Clark grew up in Wales to parents who adored Tolkien’s epic book series and her dad read her “The Hobbit” when she was 9. The films came out when she was 11, accelerating the obsession. Now she finds herself playing a young Galadriel, a powerful elf played later in the films by Cate Blanchett.“I think there’s a lot of hope in Tolkien’s world, and with hope comes bravery to stand up and have courage for what you think is valuable,” she said. “The world needs to be safe enough for the smallest and most vulnerable. And I think that’s something that’s important to remind yourself — just because something suits you, it doesn’t suit everybody.”That sense of hope is something that distinguishes the series from “House of the Dragon,” which revels in a cynical, bloody view of mankind. McKay notes that Tolkien emerged from World War I with a complex fairy story, unlike many of his literary peers who were writing about wastelands and darkness.“Middle-earth is a fundamentally optimistic and hopeful place. He was writing about positive values and friendship and brotherhood and underdogs,” McKay said. “He was telling you that in the darkest, deep of Mordor — in his wasteland — friendship could win the day and good could triumph over evil.”The show’s tone shifts depending on which place is being visited. Harfoots, who have Irish accents, are whimsical, communal and clever, while dwarves have Scottish accents, are fond of a drink and are a little rough. Elves are elegant and elite, with upper English class accents and a fondness for billowing cloaks and long, elaborate ceremonies.The cast — a massive ensemble of 22 actors — is multiethnic and composed of actors of different ages and fame, from Tony-nominated Benjamin Walker to up-and-coming Charlie Vickers, who graduated from drama school in 2017.“It’s a very heterogenous world and if it wasn’t, we’d be dealing with dystopia,” said Trystan Gravelle, who plays a royal advisor in an Atlantis-like kingdom. “I think it’s very fitting as well in 2022 that we reflect that as well. And I think it enriches everything. The world’s a richer place for it.”The cast filmed in New Zealand during the pandemic and were away from loved ones for almost two years. The actors rarely visited the sets of rival fictional races, but all gathered for potluck lunches and holidays, often at Walker's house where a mean fried chicken was served. “I got a bunch of babysitters out of it,” he joked.“What that did is it sort of forced us to to lean on each other and that is a bonding experience like no other,” said Nazanin Boniadi, who plays a human healer and single mother. “That fellowship that you see on screen was forged very much behind the scenes.”The production — rated TV-14 for violence versus the “Game of Thrones” prequel which is TV-MA for violence, language, and nudity — is one of the most expensive in history, with Amazon spending at least $465 million on the first season in New Zealand, where the series employed 1,200 people directly and another 700 indirectly. In total, the season has reportedly cost $1 billion.Choir music swells during breathtaking panoramas and the dialogue is thunderous and portentous. “There can be no friendship between hammer and rock. One will surely break,” one dwarf leader says. In another scene, an elf counsels another who is confused: “Sometimes we cannot know unless we touch the darkness.”The new series debuts in the long shadow left by Peter Jackson, whose film trilogy adaptation of Tolkien's books won critical and commercial praise in the early 2000s and claimed the best picture Oscar for “Return of the King.” For the series, there was more freedom to create as long as it was true to the author.“We really tried to just go back to Tolkien. That was our mantra from the beginning: ‘Just go back to the books, go back to the books, go back to the books,’” said Payne. “We always have Tolkien at the base of what we’re doing.”The new series has lots of big themes to chew on, including overcoming racial differences, environmentalism, the power of friendship, women's strength and how even the smallest person can change the world.“A show like this that has definitely dark themes — darkness within oneself, the fight to do what’s right, battling great forces greater than you — but it also just has themes of friendship and loyalty and love and hope,” said Sara Zwangobani, who plays the new character Marigold Brandyfoot.The series will have to thread a careful needle by enchanting hard-core fans of Tolkien who will be searching for connections to the universe, attracting those who have hazy memories of the books and don't want to be burdened with tons of new material, and young people whose perhaps last epic adventure series was “Harry Potter.”“It’s kind of the gateway for new fans in that it's kind of the first chapter, the adolescence of Middle-earth, where the films you could imagine are the adulthood of Middle-earth,” said Walker. “So we’re seeing all these characters we know and love — and some that we’re being introduced to — take the first steps on their journey in becoming their destined selves.”

Ambitious 'Lord of the Rings' prequel hopes to slay dragons

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22LINDSEY%20BAHR%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgmnKsED-jU">“Don’t Worry Darling”</a>&nbsp;has been in the spotlight since the beginning. And this was long before Harry Styles got involved.

It was a film everyone wanted to make — some 18 studios and streaming services were courting Wilde for the chance to partner with her on her sophomore feature as a director: A mid-century psychological thriller about a housewife, Alice (Florence Pugh), who starts to question her picture-perfect life and the mysterious company that her husband Jack (Styles) works for.

But it hasn't stopped making headlines in two years, from Shia LaBeouf’s abrupt departure (he was replaced by Styles) to the paparazzi-stoked intrigue around Wilde and Styles’ off-camera relationship. Then there was the bizarre moment earlier this year when Wilde was served custody papers, from ex Jason Sudeikis with whom she shares two children, in the middle of a presentation to thousands of exhibitors in Las Vegas.

Even this past week, LaBeouf, who is heading to court next year on abuse allegations from hi ex, FKA twigs, decided to contest the two-year-old narrative that he’d been fired. He gave the entertainment trade&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/shia-labeouf-denies-fired-olivia-wilde-dont-worry-darling-1235350529/">Variety emails and texts to prove his case</a>&nbsp;that he quit. It’s resulted in buzz you can’t buy, but also incessant tabloid and TikTok gossip — all for a film that isn’t even out yet.

But soon the conversation will go back to the film itself: “Don’t Worry Darling” will have a glamorous debut at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival">Venice International Film Festival</a>&nbsp;on Sept. 5 before opening in theaters nationwide on Sept. 23. Besides, Wilde doesn’t care what gets people into the theater — as long as they go.

Wilde spoke to The Associated Press recently about her vision, her disagreement with the ratings board and why Alice is the heroine we need right now. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: What were some of the big ideas you wanted to explore?

WILDE: I wanted to make what (screenwriter) Katie (Silberman) and I always describe as a Trojan Horse movie: Something that on the outside is beautiful and entertaining but once you crawl inside, it is actually much more complex and potentially really interesting and challenging. I also just really understood that this would be an opportunity for an actress to really flex. It was a heroine I wanted to see on screen. I wanted to create a character with an actress that would represent the kind of woman that I feel like our society needs.

AP: You had originally intended to play the part of Alice. Were you glad about that decision to step back and take a supporting role?

WILDE: Oh yeah. There’s no part of me that would want it any other way. I think what Florence did with this role is singularly brilliant. This character is a heroine for the ages. And she, as an actress, is this rare combination of dramatically skillful, comedically brilliant and an action hero who can run like Tom Cruise. Like what actress can do stunts and pull off these incredible emotional acrobatics and do it so effortlessly in an accent that’s not even theirs? Like, come on. It’s like juggling upside down on the wing of an airplane.

AP: You’ve spoken about some of your stylistic influences, from the photography of Slim Aarons to the erotic thrillers of Adrian Lyne. What were some other touchstones?

WILDE: I am a big fan of the iconography of the 1950s and a lot of the art, architecture, cars, music. This was an opportunity to just really play in that world. The architectural influence of (Richard) Neutra is all over the film.(Cinematographer) Matty Libatique and I were really inspired by Alex Prager and her photography and the idea of creating anxiety through framing and this artificial world that would be incredibly alluring until you look very closely.

And I always make endless playlists and watch lists and reading lists. It was a really funny assortment of material. People were like, what is this movie? You want me to watch “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Truman Show” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and you want me to read “The Feminine Mystique,” but also Jordan Peterson?

AP: “Booksmart” dealt with female sexuality in a very frank way and “Don’t Worry Darling” is already provoking conversations around some of the sex acts shown in the trailer. Was that a fight to even include that?

WILDE: Oh, yeah. There’s a lot that had to be taken out of the trailer. The MPA came down hard on me and the trailer at the last second and I had to cut some shots, which I was upset about because I thought they it took it up another notch. But of course we still live in a really puritanical society. I do think the lack of eroticism in American film is kind of new. Then when it comes to female pleasure, it's something that we just don’t see very often unless you’re talking about queer cinema. You know, it’s interesting because in a lot of queer films, the female characters are allowed to have more pleasure. Audiences aren’t as puritanical as corporations think they are. And yet people get upset. I mean, people are upset with me already over this. I think it’s a testament to the film. We want to be provocative. The idea is not to make you feel safe.

AP: This is also a film that has had a spotlight on it from the beginning, resulting in both buzz and gossip. What has that been like for you as a filmmaker?

WILDE: Every filmmaker longs for people to see their film. That’s all you want is for people to see it. If people are excited about a film, for whatever reason, what you hope is that it gets them in the door. Whether you are a 1950s car fanatic and that’s what’s going to get you into this movie, or if you are simply going because you’re a fan of our incredible cast, all I care about is that you have the chance to see it, and I hope that people then have the instinct to share it. What I really hope is that people see it again. I think that it’s a real second watch film. There’s a lot of Easter eggs in there.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22LINDSEY%20BAHR%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By LINDSEY BAHR AP Film Writer</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgmnKsED-jU">“Don’t Worry Darling”</a>&nbsp;has been in the spotlight since the beginning. And this was long before Harry Styles got involved.It was a film everyone wanted to make — some 18 studios and streaming services were courting Wilde for the chance to partner with her on her sophomore feature as a director: A mid-century psychological thriller about a housewife, Alice (Florence Pugh), who starts to question her picture-perfect life and the mysterious company that her husband Jack (Styles) works for.But it hasn't stopped making headlines in two years, from Shia LaBeouf’s abrupt departure (he was replaced by Styles) to the paparazzi-stoked intrigue around Wilde and Styles’ off-camera relationship. Then there was the bizarre moment earlier this year when Wilde was served custody papers, from ex Jason Sudeikis with whom she shares two children, in the middle of a presentation to thousands of exhibitors in Las Vegas.Even this past week, LaBeouf, who is heading to court next year on abuse allegations from hi ex, FKA twigs, decided to contest the two-year-old narrative that he’d been fired. He gave the entertainment trade&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/news/shia-labeouf-denies-fired-olivia-wilde-dont-worry-darling-1235350529/">Variety emails and texts to prove his case</a>&nbsp;that he quit. It’s resulted in buzz you can’t buy, but also incessant tabloid and TikTok gossip — all for a film that isn’t even out yet.But soon the conversation will go back to the film itself: “Don’t Worry Darling” will have a glamorous debut at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival">Venice International Film Festival</a>&nbsp;on Sept. 5 before opening in theaters nationwide on Sept. 23. Besides, Wilde doesn’t care what gets people into the theater — as long as they go.Wilde spoke to The Associated Press recently about her vision, her disagreement with the ratings board and why Alice is the heroine we need right now. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.AP: What were some of the big ideas you wanted to explore?WILDE: I wanted to make what (screenwriter) Katie (Silberman) and I always describe as a Trojan Horse movie: Something that on the outside is beautiful and entertaining but once you crawl inside, it is actually much more complex and potentially really interesting and challenging. I also just really understood that this would be an opportunity for an actress to really flex. It was a heroine I wanted to see on screen. I wanted to create a character with an actress that would represent the kind of woman that I feel like our society needs.AP: You had originally intended to play the part of Alice. Were you glad about that decision to step back and take a supporting role?WILDE: Oh yeah. There’s no part of me that would want it any other way. I think what Florence did with this role is singularly brilliant. This character is a heroine for the ages. And she, as an actress, is this rare combination of dramatically skillful, comedically brilliant and an action hero who can run like Tom Cruise. Like what actress can do stunts and pull off these incredible emotional acrobatics and do it so effortlessly in an accent that’s not even theirs? Like, come on. It’s like juggling upside down on the wing of an airplane.AP: You’ve spoken about some of your stylistic influences, from the photography of Slim Aarons to the erotic thrillers of Adrian Lyne. What were some other touchstones?WILDE: I am a big fan of the iconography of the 1950s and a lot of the art, architecture, cars, music. This was an opportunity to just really play in that world. The architectural influence of (Richard) Neutra is all over the film.(Cinematographer) Matty Libatique and I were really inspired by Alex Prager and her photography and the idea of creating anxiety through framing and this artificial world that would be incredibly alluring until you look very closely.And I always make endless playlists and watch lists and reading lists. It was a really funny assortment of material. People were like, what is this movie? You want me to watch “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Truman Show” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and you want me to read “The Feminine Mystique,” but also Jordan Peterson?AP: “Booksmart” dealt with female sexuality in a very frank way and “Don’t Worry Darling” is already provoking conversations around some of the sex acts shown in the trailer. Was that a fight to even include that?WILDE: Oh, yeah. There’s a lot that had to be taken out of the trailer. The MPA came down hard on me and the trailer at the last second and I had to cut some shots, which I was upset about because I thought they it took it up another notch. But of course we still live in a really puritanical society. I do think the lack of eroticism in American film is kind of new. Then when it comes to female pleasure, it's something that we just don’t see very often unless you’re talking about queer cinema. You know, it’s interesting because in a lot of queer films, the female characters are allowed to have more pleasure. Audiences aren’t as puritanical as corporations think they are. And yet people get upset. I mean, people are upset with me already over this. I think it’s a testament to the film. We want to be provocative. The idea is not to make you feel safe.AP: This is also a film that has had a spotlight on it from the beginning, resulting in both buzz and gossip. What has that been like for you as a filmmaker?WILDE: Every filmmaker longs for people to see their film. That’s all you want is for people to see it. If people are excited about a film, for whatever reason, what you hope is that it gets them in the door. Whether you are a 1950s car fanatic and that’s what’s going to get you into this movie, or if you are simply going because you’re a fan of our incredible cast, all I care about is that you have the chance to see it, and I hope that people then have the instinct to share it. What I really hope is that people see it again. I think that it’s a real second watch film. There’s a lot of Easter eggs in there.

Olivia Wilde in the spotlight with 'Don't Worry Darling'

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The changing Big 12 Conference plans to enter into discussions with ESPN and Fox about a potential early extension of its media rights deal that still has two more football seasons left after this one.

New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said Wednesday that given the changing landscape of college athletics, the league welcomes “the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties."

An early negotiation for the Big 12 could be significant, given that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-california-dd4cce492ddb502275c0e4d505456536">Pac-12 board of directors</a>&nbsp;a month ago authorized pushing up negotiations for its next media rights agreements after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-california-f81832a258fc3bed53ef86ff0ba25291">decision by UCLA and Southern California to leave for the Big Ten</a>. The Pac-12′s current deal expires in 2024.

The Big 12's deal with ESPN and Fox goes through the 2024-25 academic year. That also is the latest that Oklahoma and Texas, the league's only football national champions, will leave to join the expanding Southeastern Conference.

ESPN said in a statement that the network does "regularly engage in conversation around the future with all of our partners, but to be clear, we have not opened the contractual negotiation window with the Big 12 at this time.”

That window for exclusive and formal negotiations with ESPN and Fox is still about 18 months away, in early 2024, if there are no changes before then to the deal that began in September 2012 after the league went to its current 10-team configuration.

Football independent BYU, along with American Athletic Conference schools Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the Big 12 next summer. BYU, Cincinnati and Houston were all ranked in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">preseason AP college football poll</a>, matching the number of current Big 12 members in the Top 25.

The Big 12's announcement came two weeks after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-nfl-entertainment-sports-basketball-4b4daca65e3359ef8ca94f893e4c46e9">Big Ten reached seven-year agreements with Fox, CBS and NBC</a>&nbsp;to share the rights to the conference’s football and basketball games. That deal is worth about $7 billion.

“The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations,” Yormark said.

The Big 12 in June said that it would distribute a record $426 million of revenue to its 10 schools for the 2021-22 school year, a nearly 25% increase over the previous year. That was also about 10% higher than the then-record $388 million for 2018-19 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conference officials said then that revenues were expected to increase again over the next two years. When the four new schools join the Big 12 next summer, the league will spread across eight states and three time zones.

Associated PressIRVING, Texas (AP) — The changing Big 12 Conference plans to enter into discussions with ESPN and Fox about a potential early extension of its media rights deal that still has two more football seasons left after this one.New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said Wednesday that given the changing landscape of college athletics, the league welcomes “the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties."An early negotiation for the Big 12 could be significant, given that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-california-dd4cce492ddb502275c0e4d505456536">Pac-12 board of directors</a>&nbsp;a month ago authorized pushing up negotiations for its next media rights agreements after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-college-california-f81832a258fc3bed53ef86ff0ba25291">decision by UCLA and Southern California to leave for the Big Ten</a>. The Pac-12′s current deal expires in 2024.The Big 12's deal with ESPN and Fox goes through the 2024-25 academic year. That also is the latest that Oklahoma and Texas, the league's only football national champions, will leave to join the expanding Southeastern Conference.ESPN said in a statement that the network does "regularly engage in conversation around the future with all of our partners, but to be clear, we have not opened the contractual negotiation window with the Big 12 at this time.”That window for exclusive and formal negotiations with ESPN and Fox is still about 18 months away, in early 2024, if there are no changes before then to the deal that began in September 2012 after the league went to its current 10-team configuration.Football independent BYU, along with American Athletic Conference schools Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the Big 12 next summer. BYU, Cincinnati and Houston were all ranked in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">preseason AP college football poll</a>, matching the number of current Big 12 members in the Top 25.The Big 12's announcement came two weeks after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-nfl-entertainment-sports-basketball-4b4daca65e3359ef8ca94f893e4c46e9">Big Ten reached seven-year agreements with Fox, CBS and NBC</a>&nbsp;to share the rights to the conference’s football and basketball games. That deal is worth about $7 billion.“The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations,” Yormark said.The Big 12 in June said that it would distribute a record $426 million of revenue to its 10 schools for the 2021-22 school year, a nearly 25% increase over the previous year. That was also about 10% higher than the then-record $388 million for 2018-19 before the COVID-19 pandemic.Conference officials said then that revenues were expected to increase again over the next two years. When the four new schools join the Big 12 next summer, the league will spread across eight states and three time zones.

Big 12 looks to potential early extension of media rights

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22LYNN%20ELBER%20and%20MARK%20KENNEDY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By LYNN ELBER and MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writers</a>

So many TV shows, so few nominees who will end up clutching trophies at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards">Primetime Emmy Awards</a>.

A total of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-emmys-guide-details-46c544f5499078e89f1eb5c64df643d2">25 awards will be presented</a>&nbsp;during the Sept. 12 ceremony, including in the glamour categories of acting and best comedy, drama and limited series. Past winners Jean Smart ("Hacks") and Bill Hader ("Barry") are among the contenders.

The overall field is highly competitive,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-emmy-nominations-television-386cfb3a085d2dc022499ec327e9fb41">with an unprecedented twist</a>: Netflix’s South Korean phenomenon “Squid Game” is the first non–English language drama to be nominated for an Emmy.

While predicting victors this year is like one of those daunting “Squid Game” contests, Associated Press Television Writer Lynn Elber and AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy foolishly soldier on.

Nominees: “Better Call Saul”; “Euphoria”; “Ozark”; “Severance”; “Squid Game”; “Stranger Things”; “Succession”; “Yellowjackets.”

Should win: “Severance,” the vicious satire of office culture could not have asked for better timing, just as many white-collar workers were making their first tentative steps back — and questioning why. It is just brilliant, unpredictable and haunting.

Will win: Although both my innie and my outie think it should be “Severance,” the winner will be “Succession.” Not a bad step, just an easy one.

Should win: “Severance” captures the zeitgeist of worker discontent, but let’s consider “Squid Game” and its take on soul-destroying poverty. It's wholly original and, yes, gruesome. That didn't hurt four-time winner “Game of Thrones.”

Will win: “Succession” won the last time it competed, in 2020, and the antics of the rich and scheming Roy family are as engrossing a peep show as ever.

Nominees: “Abbott Elementary”; “Barry”; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; “Hacks”; “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “Ted Lasso”; “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Should win: The mockumentary “Abbott Elementary,″ a true workplace comedy in the vein of “The Office” or “Superstore.” How it is so specific to a group of underfunded teachers in Philadelphia and yet universal is the magic.

Will win: “Only Murders in the Building,” an uncontroversial and uninspired choice, as safe as an Upper West Side doorman building. Who can look at Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez and tell them they get no Emmy?

Should win: Raise your hand if you know the answer. “Abbott Elementary” is the rare sitcom that clicked from the start, with its characters, stories and heart all in the right place.

Will win: “Abbott Elementary,” despite the odds against an old-school network entry winning against flashier cable and streaming rivals. It hasn't happened since “Modern Family” won in 2014.

Nominees: Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”; Laura Linney, “Ozark”; Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”; Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”; Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”; Zendaya, “Euphoria.”

Should win: Linney hasn’t won for “Ozark” and she deserves it for going from dutiful wife to a cunning mastermind over the four seasons.

Will win: Oh, who richly deserves her first Emmy after four years of “Killing Eve.” Comer and Zendaya have their statuettes; TV academy voters will bid Oh goodbye with one, too.

Should win and will win: Versatile, long-admired actor Lynskey gets her first Emmy for her role as Shauna, who has umm, meaty secrets. Zendaya's second win for her gutsy work in “Euphoria” is deserved, but voters favor change in this category.

Nominees: Jason Bateman, “Ozark”; Brian Cox, “Succession”; Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”; Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”; Adam Scott, “Severance”; Jeremy Strong, “Succession.”

Should win: Scott for playing two roles on “Severance,” a worker bee and a grieving widow. The former “Parks and Recreation” star is here an everyman, just sputtering through his day, with damage lurking beneath the suit and tie.

Will win: Odenkirk, never nominated for “Breaking Bad,” should have at least one Emmy at home for “Better Call Saul.” Or Cox, who had a rip-roaring season on “Succession.”

Should win and will win: A category of heavyweights for sure, with all the above worthy. But Cox triumphs as the wily magnate scrabbling to control his empire and out-maneuver his equally venal brood.

Nominees: Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”; Elle Fanning, “The Great”; Issa Rae, “Insecure”; Jean Smart, “Hacks.”

Should win: Brunson's idealistic young schoolteacher is endearing and, as she begins to learn how to survive bureaucracy, growing before our eyes. Plus, teachers deserve respect.

Will win: Smart. Back-to-back wins have become rare in the age of peak TV (read: unending stream of shows), but her portrayal of a veteran comedian refusing to say uncle reached new levels of vulnerability and grit.

Should win and will win: Smart, her character vicious in anger, driven in her career, but this season also sowing a maternal and soft side. Besides, her other Emmy for “Hacks” is lonely.

Nominees: Donald Glover, “Atlanta”; Bill Hader, “Barry”; Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”; Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building.”

Should win: Can we get a twofer for Martin and Short, whose chemistry and playfulness makes the series? (With a nod to co-star Selena Gomez; her droll tolerance of the pair adds the perfect note.)

Will win: Hader's portrayal of a hitman-turned-actor who can't escape his past is the core of a viciously satirical, addictive brew. A third Emmy is his reward.

Should win: Hoult, playing a vain, unpredictable, glass-breaking, headbutting and unethical Peter III of Russia in “The Great,” sucking the oxygen from every scene. It's a frat-boy role but hard to nail like Hoult. “Let us hope my seed has found purchase,” he says after an encounter with the queen, and I agree.

Nominees: “Dopesick”; “The Dropout”; “Inventing Anna”; “The White Lotus”; “Pam &amp; Tommy.”

Should win: “Dopesick” is a granular dissection of the roots of America's devastating opioid crisis focused on both its victims and villains. Television at its relevant best.

Will win: “The Dropout." Let's face it: Seeing a Silicon Valley's high-flier brought down a peg or further is a guilty pleasure, and the story of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' spectacular fall is punchily told.

Should win: “The Dropout,” agreed, a rise and fall — as well as a trip back to her teenage years — so well told that viewers could almost feel sorry for Holmes, or at least understand how her fraud could happen.

Will win: “The White Lotus,” a satire of wealth, entitlement and privilege was this cycle's lite “Big Little Lies,” and it was the splashiest show about rich white people being horrible, which weirdly all the nominees this time had elements of.

Nominees: Colin Firth, “The Staircase”; Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”; Oscar Isaac, “Scenes from a Marriage”; Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”; Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”; Sebastian Stan, “Pam &amp; Tommy.”

Should win and will win: Michael Keaton, for his restrained portrayal of a small-town doctor who's ensnared by opioids at incalculable cost, to him and his patients. The Oscar-winning star is a gift to the small screen.

Should win: Isaac, who in “Scenes from a Marriage” whipsaws from being tightly controlled to impulsive, a little befuddled, liable to snap and always human as his heart broke.

Will win: Keaton, who always it seems is an underestimated talent, shining in a role perfectly suited to him: a sweet local doctor gradually understanding the horror he has helped create. A little too perfect, but, hey.

Nominees: Toni Collette, “The Staircase”; Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”; Lily James, “Pam &amp; Tommy”; Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”; Margaret Qualley, “Maid”; Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout.”

Should win: Qualley did justice to a rarely seen screen character — a struggling, blue-collar single mom — with a nuanced, breakout performance in “Maid.”

Will win: Seyfried, whose portrayal of an ill-fated Silicon Valley whiz kid in “The Dropout” was a pull-out-the-stops barn burner.

Should win and will win: We’ll no doubt see all these actors again at the Emmys, but this year it is all about Seyfried, who played a fraudster with a Yoda-loving, Mandarin-speaking, munching-on-a-scorpion and dancing poorly essence.

For more on this year's Emmy Awards, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/www.apnews.com/EmmyAwards">www.apnews.com/EmmyAwards</a>

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22LYNN%20ELBER%20and%20MARK%20KENNEDY%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By LYNN ELBER and MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writers</a>So many TV shows, so few nominees who will end up clutching trophies at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards">Primetime Emmy Awards</a>.A total of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-emmys-guide-details-46c544f5499078e89f1eb5c64df643d2">25 awards will be presented</a>&nbsp;during the Sept. 12 ceremony, including in the glamour categories of acting and best comedy, drama and limited series. Past winners Jean Smart ("Hacks") and Bill Hader ("Barry") are among the contenders.The overall field is highly competitive,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-emmy-nominations-television-386cfb3a085d2dc022499ec327e9fb41">with an unprecedented twist</a>: Netflix’s South Korean phenomenon “Squid Game” is the first non–English language drama to be nominated for an Emmy.While predicting victors this year is like one of those daunting “Squid Game” contests, Associated Press Television Writer Lynn Elber and AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy foolishly soldier on.DRAMA SERIESNominees: “Better Call Saul”; “Euphoria”; “Ozark”; “Severance”; “Squid Game”; “Stranger Things”; “Succession”; “Yellowjackets.”KENNEDY:Should win: “Severance,” the vicious satire of office culture could not have asked for better timing, just as many white-collar workers were making their first tentative steps back — and questioning why. It is just brilliant, unpredictable and haunting.Will win: Although both my innie and my outie think it should be “Severance,” the winner will be “Succession.” Not a bad step, just an easy one.ELBER:Should win: “Severance” captures the zeitgeist of worker discontent, but let’s consider “Squid Game” and its take on soul-destroying poverty. It's wholly original and, yes, gruesome. That didn't hurt four-time winner “Game of Thrones.”Will win: “Succession” won the last time it competed, in 2020, and the antics of the rich and scheming Roy family are as engrossing a peep show as ever.COMEDY SERIESNominees: “Abbott Elementary”; “Barry”; “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; “Hacks”; “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; “Only Murders in the Building”; “Ted Lasso”; “What We Do in the Shadows.”KENNEDY:Should win: The mockumentary “Abbott Elementary,″ a true workplace comedy in the vein of “The Office” or “Superstore.” How it is so specific to a group of underfunded teachers in Philadelphia and yet universal is the magic.Will win: “Only Murders in the Building,” an uncontroversial and uninspired choice, as safe as an Upper West Side doorman building. Who can look at Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez and tell them they get no Emmy?ELBER:Should win: Raise your hand if you know the answer. “Abbott Elementary” is the rare sitcom that clicked from the start, with its characters, stories and heart all in the right place.Will win: “Abbott Elementary,” despite the odds against an old-school network entry winning against flashier cable and streaming rivals. It hasn't happened since “Modern Family” won in 2014.ACTRESS, DRAMANominees: Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve”; Laura Linney, “Ozark”; Melanie Lynskey, “Yellowjackets”; Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve”; Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”; Zendaya, “Euphoria.”KENNEDY:Should win: Linney hasn’t won for “Ozark” and she deserves it for going from dutiful wife to a cunning mastermind over the four seasons.Will win: Oh, who richly deserves her first Emmy after four years of “Killing Eve.” Comer and Zendaya have their statuettes; TV academy voters will bid Oh goodbye with one, too.ELBER:Should win and will win: Versatile, long-admired actor Lynskey gets her first Emmy for her role as Shauna, who has umm, meaty secrets. Zendaya's second win for her gutsy work in “Euphoria” is deserved, but voters favor change in this category.ACTOR, DRAMA SERIESNominees: Jason Bateman, “Ozark”; Brian Cox, “Succession”; Lee Jung-jae, “Squid Game”; Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”; Adam Scott, “Severance”; Jeremy Strong, “Succession.”KENNEDY:Should win: Scott for playing two roles on “Severance,” a worker bee and a grieving widow. The former “Parks and Recreation” star is here an everyman, just sputtering through his day, with damage lurking beneath the suit and tie.Will win: Odenkirk, never nominated for “Breaking Bad,” should have at least one Emmy at home for “Better Call Saul.” Or Cox, who had a rip-roaring season on “Succession.”ELBER:Should win and will win: A category of heavyweights for sure, with all the above worthy. But Cox triumphs as the wily magnate scrabbling to control his empire and out-maneuver his equally venal brood.ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIESNominees: Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”; Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”; Elle Fanning, “The Great”; Issa Rae, “Insecure”; Jean Smart, “Hacks.”ELBER:Should win: Brunson's idealistic young schoolteacher is endearing and, as she begins to learn how to survive bureaucracy, growing before our eyes. Plus, teachers deserve respect.Will win: Smart. Back-to-back wins have become rare in the age of peak TV (read: unending stream of shows), but her portrayal of a veteran comedian refusing to say uncle reached new levels of vulnerability and grit.KENNEDY:Should win and will win: Smart, her character vicious in anger, driven in her career, but this season also sowing a maternal and soft side. Besides, her other Emmy for “Hacks” is lonely.ACTOR, COMEDY SERIESNominees: Donald Glover, “Atlanta”; Bill Hader, “Barry”; Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”; Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building.”ELBER:Should win: Can we get a twofer for Martin and Short, whose chemistry and playfulness makes the series? (With a nod to co-star Selena Gomez; her droll tolerance of the pair adds the perfect note.)Will win: Hader's portrayal of a hitman-turned-actor who can't escape his past is the core of a viciously satirical, addictive brew. A third Emmy is his reward.KENNEDY:Should win: Hoult, playing a vain, unpredictable, glass-breaking, headbutting and unethical Peter III of Russia in “The Great,” sucking the oxygen from every scene. It's a frat-boy role but hard to nail like Hoult. “Let us hope my seed has found purchase,” he says after an encounter with the queen, and I agree.Will win: Hader. Everyone loves Hader.LIMITED SERIESNominees: “Dopesick”; “The Dropout”; “Inventing Anna”; “The White Lotus”; “Pam &amp; Tommy.”ELBER:Should win: “Dopesick” is a granular dissection of the roots of America's devastating opioid crisis focused on both its victims and villains. Television at its relevant best.Will win: “The Dropout." Let's face it: Seeing a Silicon Valley's high-flier brought down a peg or further is a guilty pleasure, and the story of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes' spectacular fall is punchily told.KENNEDY:Should win: “The Dropout,” agreed, a rise and fall — as well as a trip back to her teenage years — so well told that viewers could almost feel sorry for Holmes, or at least understand how her fraud could happen.Will win: “The White Lotus,” a satire of wealth, entitlement and privilege was this cycle's lite “Big Little Lies,” and it was the splashiest show about rich white people being horrible, which weirdly all the nominees this time had elements of.ACTOR, LIMITED SERIESNominees: Colin Firth, “The Staircase”; Andrew Garfield, “Under the Banner of Heaven”; Oscar Isaac, “Scenes from a Marriage”; Michael Keaton, “Dopesick”; Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”; Sebastian Stan, “Pam &amp; Tommy.”ELBER:Should win and will win: Michael Keaton, for his restrained portrayal of a small-town doctor who's ensnared by opioids at incalculable cost, to him and his patients. The Oscar-winning star is a gift to the small screen.KENNEDY:Should win: Isaac, who in “Scenes from a Marriage” whipsaws from being tightly controlled to impulsive, a little befuddled, liable to snap and always human as his heart broke.Will win: Keaton, who always it seems is an underestimated talent, shining in a role perfectly suited to him: a sweet local doctor gradually understanding the horror he has helped create. A little too perfect, but, hey.ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIESNominees: Toni Collette, “The Staircase”; Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”; Lily James, “Pam &amp; Tommy”; Sarah Paulson, “Impeachment: American Crime Story”; Margaret Qualley, “Maid”; Amanda Seyfried, “The Dropout.”ELBER:Should win: Qualley did justice to a rarely seen screen character — a struggling, blue-collar single mom — with a nuanced, breakout performance in “Maid.”Will win: Seyfried, whose portrayal of an ill-fated Silicon Valley whiz kid in “The Dropout” was a pull-out-the-stops barn burner.KENNEDY:Should win and will win: We’ll no doubt see all these actors again at the Emmys, but this year it is all about Seyfried, who played a fraudster with a Yoda-loving, Mandarin-speaking, munching-on-a-scorpion and dancing poorly essence.___For more on this year's Emmy Awards, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/www.apnews.com/EmmyAwards">www.apnews.com/EmmyAwards</a>