CHICAGO (AP) — R&B singer R. Kelly is moving out of his Chicago recording studio because a judge has stymied his creativity by barring him from working there overnight due to building-code violations, his lawyer said Wednesday. Cook County Judge Patrice Ball-Reed has effectively ordered the Grammy Award-winning artist “not to be creative between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.,” attorney …

LONDON (AP) — Pop-rockers The 1975, DJ Calvin Harris and singer-songwriter Dua Lipa won major prizes at the U.K. music industry’s Brit Awards on Wednesday during a slick, surprise-free ceremony that set out to celebrate female talent after past allegations of neglect. Manchester quartet The 1975 was named best British group and also took British album of the year for …

NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera will hire an all-black outside chorus next season for its first presentation in nearly three decades of the Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess,” which opens the season on Sept. 23. Performances of “Porgy and Bess,” which premiered in 1935, are licensed by the Gershwin family, which specifies an all-black cast. “Certainly it’s more complicated, …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay lead the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards with six nominations each while Grammy album of the year winner Kacey Musgraves comes in with five nominations. Reba McEntire, who is hosting the show for a record 16th time, announced the nominees in top categories on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday. …

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island is marking the 16th anniversary of a nightclub fire that killed 100 people and injured more than 200. The Feb. 20, 2003, fire was started when pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the walls of The Station nightclub in West Warwick. The fire quickly spread through the …

KANO, Nigeria (AP) — As emergencies go, it has a catchy tune. Faced with a Nigerian election that could spiral into violence, some in the popular film industry known as Kannywood gathered this week to shoot an urgent music video appealing for peace. On an impromptu set outside the northern city of Kano, young women bickered between takes but at …

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Dueling concerts are being staged this week on both sides of Venezuela’s border with Colombia. After billionaire Richard Branson announced an aid concert in Colombia on Friday to benefit Venezuelans suffering food and medicine shortages amid their country’s economic crisis, Nicolas Maduro’s government ordered up a rival concert of its own. Maduro denies any humanitarian crisis …

CHICAGO (AP) — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was charged Wednesday with making a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said prosecutors charged Smollett with felony disorderly conduct, an offense that could bring …

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the attack reported by Jussie Smollett (all times local): 7:50 p.m. Attorneys for Jussie Smollett say they will mount an “aggressive defense” of the “Empire” actor after he was charged with making a false report that he was attacked in Chicago last month. Attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson say in a statement: “Like …

CHICAGO (AP) — An attorney representing the brothers at the center of an investigation into the attack reported by Jussie Smollett said Wednesday that her clients “manned up” and testified in front of a grand jury, before prosecutors charged the “Empire” actor with filing a false police report. Gloria Schmidt spoke to reporters outside a Chicago courthouse where the brothers …

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fired FBI acting director Andrew McCabe’s headline-making interview on CBS’ news magazine proved a TV audience grabber as well. The program ranked as the third most-watched last week with 9.7 million people tuning in, according to Nielsen figures released Wednesday. Viewership was down across the board during the Presidents Day holiday weekend, and the Sunday audience …

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the attack reported by Jussie Smollett (all times local): 8:25 p.m. A California misdemeanor complaint against Jussie Smollett shows the actor was accused of identifying himself as his younger brother in 2007 when a Los Angeles police officer pulled him over on suspicion of driving under the influence. The misdemeanor complaint filed in Los …

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police investigated but dismissed a tip that on the night “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett reported being attacked by two masked men he was in an elevator of his apartment building with two brothers later arrested and released from custody in the probe, a department spokesman said Tuesday. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said a person who lives …

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) — Nearing the end of a lively town hall with hundreds of voters packed into an art gallery, Cory Booker surveyed the crowd and reassured them that his sunny, unity-first presidential campaign is also tough. “People who think my philosophy is weak, come on,” the New Jersey Democratic senator said, chiding those in his party who would …

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge who ruled an aspiring actress can use sex trafficking laws to sue Harvey Weinstein seemed reluctant at a hearing Wednesday to let his decision be appealed before trial. U.S. District Judge Robert W. Sweet noted that no other judge has disagreed with his August ruling. Two other federal judges, one in Manhattan and one …

NEW YORK (AP) — On a year where one of the lead Oscar contenders is titled “The Favourite,” the 91st Academy Awards lack a clear front runner. Normally a fairly predictable process with one or two favorites, this year’s best picture race has been maddeningly unclear, almost devious in its contradictions. The guild awards, usually a road map to the …

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Steve Spagnuolo spent much of his year out of coaching making the 45-minute drive from his home in Philadelphia to the headquarters of NFL Films in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Spagnuolo had finished a tour as the interim coach of the New York Giants and missed out on the full-time job after the season. He …

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Ruth E. Carter may be receiving Oscar recognition for her costume designer work on “Black Panther,” but she told a packed room at the Costume Guild Awards on Tuesday night that she has created wardrobes for other superheroes throughout her illustrious career. “After working on ‘Black Panther,’ you all asked me ‘How did it feel …

KANO, Nigeria (AP) — As emergencies go, it has a catchy tune. Faced with a Nigerian election that could spiral into violence, some in the popular film industry known as Kannywood gathered this week to shoot an urgent music video appealing for peace. On an impromptu set outside the northern city of Kano, young women bickered between takes but at …

NEW YORK (AP) — Lady Gaga and her fiance, talent agent Christian Carino, have split up. A representative for the singer-actress confirmed the news to The Associated Press on Tuesday. No more details were provided. Gaga, 32, and Carino, 49, began dating in 2017. Gaga was previously engaged to actor Taylor Kinney. Gaga has a big week ahead: She is …

CHICAGO (AP) — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was charged Wednesday with making a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said prosecutors charged Smollett with felony disorderly conduct, an offense that could bring …

NEW YORK (AP) — Who’s the best wing woman on the planet? That would be Malika Haqq. The Khloe Kardashian bestie has taken to social media amid a swirl of rumors that Tristan Thompson has cheated again, this time reportedly making out at a Los Angeles house party last weekend with Jordyn Woods. The 21-year-old Woods is — was? — …

CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the attack reported by Jussie Smollett (all times local): 7:50 p.m. Attorneys for Jussie Smollett say they will mount an “aggressive defense” of the “Empire” actor after he was charged with making a false report that he was attacked in Chicago last month. Attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson say in a statement: “Like …

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gwyneth Paltrow said Wednesday in a court filing that a man who accused her in a lawsuit of crashing into him at a Utah ski resort was actually the culprit in the collision and is trying to exploit her celebrity and wealth. Paltrow was skiing with her children and friends in 2016 during a family …

NEW YORK (AP) — The not-so-secret baby shower for the Duchess of Sussex has apparently occurred, with Gayle King and Amal Clooney among an intimate group of friends gathered at a swanky hotel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The smiling Meghan Markle has been surrounded by fans and photographers since news of her whirlwind trip to the city surfaced Monday. …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay lead the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards with six nominations each while Grammy album of the year winner Kacey Musgraves comes in with five nominations. Reba McEntire, who is hosting the show for a record 16th time, announced the nominees in top categories on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday. …

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Ruth E. Carter may be receiving Oscar recognition for her costume designer work on “Black Panther,” but she told a packed room at the Costume Guild Awards on Tuesday night that she has created wardrobes for other superheroes throughout her illustrious career. “After working on ‘Black Panther,’ you all asked me ‘How did it feel …