National Entertainment

TORONTO — Two of the Canadian literary industry's biggest brands are calling on the Ontario government to designate bookstores as essential services — even as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. Retailer Indigo Books & Music Inc.

NEW YORK — Jan Morris, the celebrated journalist, historian, world traveller and fiction writer who in middle age became a pioneer of the transgender movement, has died at 94.

Actor Joaquin Phoenix stopped by a regular vigil outside a slaughterhouse in Burlington, Ont., on Friday.

Another major movie theatre chain has struck a deal with Universal Pictures to allow for shorter exclusive theatrical windows.

WASHINGTON — In response to rising COVID-19 infection numbers, the Smithsonian Institution is indefinitely shutting down operations at all its facilities, effective Monday and affecting seven museums, plus the National Zoo.

LOS ANGELES — Rachel Maddow made an emotional return Thursday to her MSNBC show, saying her partner’s bout with COVID-19 was so serious they thought it might kill her.

NEW YORK — Something happens when James Taylor covers a song. It gets all James Taylor-y. “People often tell me, ‘It sounds like you wrote that song’ or ‘That sounds like a James Taylor song.

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — K-pop band BTS on Friday released their highly anticipated new album, which they described as a “letter of hope.” The band held a socially distanced news conference in Seoul to unveil “BE,” their second album this year.

NEW YORK — A year after Rosalía made history by becoming the first solo female performer in 13 years to win the top prize at the Latin Grammys, Natalia Lafourcade followed in her footsteps with a big win at the 2020 show.

“Coming 2 America,” the sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy, has landed on a date to come to audiences. The film which reunites Murphy and Arsenio Hall will debut on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, 2021, Amazon Studios said Friday.