National Entertainment

NEW YORK — The opening of the Republican National Convention on Monday offered quick proof that how it is covered by the news media will be an ongoing sore spot.

TORONTO — Director Tracey Deer will receive an emerging talent award at next month's Toronto International Film Festival.

NEW YORK — Joyce Carol Oates, Douglas Brinkley and Lauren Groff are among more than 20 writers contributing essays for a book on the legacy of Henry David Thoreau.

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 30-Sept. 5 Aug. 30: Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 81. Actor-turned-politician Ben Jones (“The Dukes of Hazzard”) is 79. Actor John Kani (“Black Panther”) is 78. Comedian Lewis Black (“The Daily Show”) is 72.

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

NEW YORK — The author and educator Kleaver Cruz has travelled the world asking the same question: “What does Black joy mean to you?” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media announced Monday that Cruz has adapted his “Black Joy Project" into a boo

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to encourage outdoor instruction when schools start next month.

NEW YORK — Grammy-winning rapper Roddy Ricch and Colombian superstar J Balvin will no longer perform at the MTV Video Music Awards.

NEW YORK — Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, a leading performer of American roots music known for his introspective and haunting style, has died at 38.

LOGAN, W.Va. — “America’s Got Talent” winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. put his down time during the coronavirus pandemic to good use, earning his high school equivalency diploma 30 years after dropping out.