Entertainment

Fans of a famed comic book universe can now dive deep into the more supernatural and magical realms of its vast mythologies in the tactical role-playing game Marvel’s Midnight Suns (2K Games and Firaxis Games, rated Teen, reviewed on the Xbox Series S, $59.99). Pulling characters from teams such as the Avengers, X-Men, Runaways and original Midnight Sons into an intertwining story narrative, the original adventure finds Hydra scientist Doctor Faustus resurrecting the “Mother of Demons,” sorceress Lilith, to help the evil organization control the world. However, her plans are much more sinister and involve completing an ancient prophecy to summon her master, Chthon, and fulfill an ancient prophecy. When Tony Stark and Doctor Strange learn of Faustus’ plans, they engage the help of Lilith’s ...

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Angelina Jolie and the United Nations‘ refugee agency are parting ways after more than two decades. In a joint statement issued Friday, the actress and the agency announced she was “moving on” from her role as the agency’s special envoy “to engage on a broader set of humanitarian and human rights issues.” “I will continue to do everything in my power in the years to come to support refugees and other displaced people,” Jolie was quoted as saying in the joint statement, adding that she felt it was time “to work differently” by directly engaging with refugees and local organizations. Jolie first started working with the U.N. refugee agency in 2001 and was appointed its special envoy in 2012. The release described her as “carrying out more than 60 field missions to bear ...

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft said Wednesday that it struck a deal to make the hit video game Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years when its $69 billion purchase of game maker Activision Blizzard goes through - an apparent attempt to fend off objections from rival Sony. The blockbuster merger is facing close scrutiny from regulators in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. Microsoft, maker of the Xbox game console, faces resistance from Sony, which makes the competing PlayStation console and has raised concerns with antitrust watchdogs about losing access to what it calls a “must-have” game title. Microsoft President Brad Smith tweeted his thanks to Nintendo, which makes the Switch game console, saying the same offer was available for Sony. “Any day @Sony wants to sit down and talk, we’ll be...

DOHA, Qatar — English soccer’s two most storied teams are suddenly in play. Manchester United has joined great rival Liverpool in opening its doors to a potential buyout that could be the biggest in sporting history. Following the sale of Chelsea in May, it sets up the prospect of three of the biggest Premier League clubs changing ownership in just a few months. Newcastle was also bought by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund last year. So why this relative, but rapid, flood on to the market? The acquisition of Chelsea by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital was a unique case, with Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich forced to sell after being sanctioned by the UK government for his links to Vladimir Putin. Still, it feels like a significant factor in what has followed. ...

LOS ANGELES — Jay Leno underwent surgery for serious burns suffered when flames erupted as he worked on a vintage car and remains hospitalized for further treatment, the physician overseeing his care said Wednesday. The former “Tonight Show” host was in good condition and his wife, Mavis, is with him at the Grossman Burn Center north of Los Angeles, said Peter H. Grossman, medical director of the center at West Hills Hospital. “He is in good spirits today,” Grossman told a televised news conference. Last weekend, Leno suffered burns to his face, hands and chest that the plastic surgeon categorized as second-degree or verging on more severe. Some of the facial wounds “are a little bit deeper and a little more concerning” because they’re showing signs of progressing to third-degree, as can h...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — When “The Crown” returns Wednesday after a two-year absence, the splintering marriage of Charles and Diana and more woes for Queen Elizabeth II are in the drama’s elegant but intrusive spotlight. There’s swirling off-stage drama as well for the Netflix series that began with Elizabeth’s marriage in the late 1940s and, in its fifth season, takes on the British royal family’s turbulent 1990s. The queen famously labeled one stretch her “annus horribilis” — Latin for “horrible year.” The safe distance of history is gone in the 10 new episodes set within recent memory for many and whose stories, sight unseen, have been denounced. The death of Queen Elizabeth, 96, in September adds an uneasy dimension: We speculate freely about the famous before and after they’re gone, but is ...

SANTA FE, N.M. — A sheriff’s department submitted on Thursday its investigative findings to prosecutors in the death of a cinematographer shot and killed by Alec Baldwin on a film set in New Mexico in October 2021. Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office spokesman Juan Ríos said that two binders of information were turned over to the Santa Fe-based district attorney’s office, without setting forth any recommendations about possible criminal charges. He said the case file outlines all the evidence collected, including investigative interviews and forensic analysis of physical evidence by the FBI. District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said through a spokeswoman that investigators and prosecutors will now begin a thorough review to make a timely decision about whether to bring charges, without mention of ...

LOS ANGELES — Jurors in the trial of Harvey Weinstein will be allowed to hear that Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, emailed the movie magnate for advice about dealing with the media amid a scandal involving Gavin Newsom two years after Weinstein allegedly raped and sexually assaulted her, a judge ruled Monday. The judge granted narrow permission to the defense to introduce evidence of the email sent to Weinstein in 2007, when Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco and was dating Siebel Newsom. But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench forbid the defense from discussing the underlying issue behind the email - the revelation of an affair Newsom had had in 2005 with an aide. Lench called it “too tangential in relation to this trial.” Weinstein attorney M...

NEW YORK — A woman whose exploits posing as a German heiress to scam individuals and financial institutions out of hundreds of thousands of dollars inspired a Netflix series is being released from immigration custody. Anna Sorokin was scheduled to be released from ICE custody Friday evening, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The 31-year-old had been held by immigration authorities since March 2021 after she had served three years in prison for larceny and theft. Immigration authorities claim she has overstayed her visa and must be returned to Germany. This week, a judge had cleared the way for Sorokin to be released to home confinement while she fights deportation. Under conditions imposed by Manhattan Immigration Judge Charles Conroy, she must post a $10,000 bond, provide a r...