Greek singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos buried in a state funeral, Savvopoulos had died of a heart attack after battling cancer since 2020.

Thousands came to pay their respects to a well-beloved, if sometimes controversial, artist as he lay in state at a chapel of the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral Saturday morning. Hundreds made the nearly 2-kilometre (1.2-mile) walk behind the hearse to the cemetrey.

The presence of a Greek navy band playing mournful music was indicative of the change in Savvopoulos’s status, from someone lionized by anarchist-leaning leftists in the 1960s and 1970s and dismissed by the establishment as a long-haired freak, to a figure embraced by the same establishment and cultural mainstream.

Savvopoulos never changed his musical style — a blend of rock, folk-rock, jazz and Greek popular music — to conform to mainstream tastes. Always a political animal, he didn’t shy away from criticizing the left and its illusions, especially on his 1989 album “The Haircut,” whose sleeve showed him beardless with long locks. A few of his songs drew the enmity of some of his longtime admirers. The beard grew back but his politics remained moderate.

Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the first of many who eulogized Savvopoulos during the funeral service, used the lyrics of the 1972 song “Messenger Angel” to portray the artist as a speaker of uncomfortable truths that many did not want to hear. “If he had no pleasant news to tell/better tell us none,” he quoted the song’s ending.

Others who joined in eulogizing Savvopoulos were former President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, fellow musicians, artists and literary figures, some from his hometown of Thessaloniki, and one of his two grandsons.

Demetris Nellas, The Associated Press

Oscar nominations are already three months away. Here’s where the race stands so far.

Where has 2025 gone? One way to mark the dizzying elapsing of time: The Oscar race is already coming into focus, now that we’re – gulp – three months out from nominations.

The competition still has much time to take shape, but there are a few frontrunners emerging, starting with Paul Thomas Anderson’s recently released chaotic opus “One Battle After Another” – which has enjoyed the best word of mouth this year, notching an impressive critic score of 95 on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic. (“One Battle After Another” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, which is owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.)

But not far behind are several other titles, including many yet to be released, like “Sentimental Value,” “Marty Supreme,” “Hamnet,” “Bugonia” and “Wicked: For Good,” to name a few.

A preliminary breakdown of top categories follows:
Best picture

It’s been 15 years since the Academy opened up this race to more than the previously fixed number of five nominees – vacillating between eight and ten best picture contenders, and settling consistently on ten for the last few years. This year, that leaves the field open to quite a few possibilities. First, there’s “One Battle After Another,” whose director Anderson has frequently attracted Oscar love over the years and is seemingly a shoe-in for scoring a nomination for the night’s top honor. Ryan Coogler’s period-horror hit “Sinners” (also a Warner Bros. Pictures production) is also a solid contender, despite coming out in the summer months, which is a window often overlooked by Academy voters.

At this juncture, other buzzy films generating a fair amount of Oscar buzz are the English-, Norwegian- and Swedish-language “Sentimental Value” (out on November 7) starring Stellan Skarsgård and Elle Fanning, “Hamnet” (out November 27) featuring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and “Marty Supreme” (out on Christmas Day) with Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow. Let us also not overlook the Palme d’Or-winning Iranian film “It was Just an Accident,” out this month.

In the “maybe…could be…you never know!” section, there’s summer actioner “F1,” Netflix’s “Jay Kelly” with George Clooney and Guillermo del Toro-directed “Frankenstein.” These are probably in the long-shot category, but hey, Hollywood loves a twist.
Best actress

The Academy certainly favors return nominees, but it also can’t resist a new arrival. This year, look for newcomer Chase Infiniti – whose quietly explosive performance is at the center of “One Battle After Another” – to be in the conversation. And although not a newbie on the scene, acclaimed Norwegian performer Renate Reinsve could have a place in the race for her work as the resentful daughter of an estranged director in “Sentimental Value,” which would mark her first Oscar nod.

As for returning favorites, there’s Buckley, who was nominated for best supporting actress in 2022 for “The Lost Daughter,” and is all but sure to receive one again this year for her lead role in Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” playing a grief-stricken mother and wife to one William Shakespeare (Mescal). It would also be a major upset if Cynthia Erivo isn’t again recognized for her performance as Elphaba in the sequel “Wicked: For Good,” even though the film has yet to be screened for most anyone.

Other possible contenders who are not new to the Oscar race include Amanda Seyfried in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” Julia Roberts in “After the Hunt,” “Bugonia’s” Emma Stone and Jennifer Lawrence for “Die My Love.”
Best actor

Let’s assume we’re reserving one chair for “One Battle’s” Leonardo DiCaprio – already an Oscar-winner for 2015’s “The Revenant.” That leaves us four slots to play with in the best actor race.

Actually, make that three, because “Narcos” actor Wagner Moura, who is making waves for his work in the Brazilian film “The Secret Agent,” already won best actor at Cannes for the espionage thriller. In the film, he plays a technology expert in late-’70s Recife who discovers he’s being targeted by some unsavory characters. Notable: Only 16 best actor winners from the ritzy Cannes fest have gone on to be nominated for an Academy Award.

The three other spots could go several ways. Michael B. Jordan, who plays twins with very different fates in “Sinners,” and Chalamet, who would be returning for a second consecutive Oscar nomination (and his third in total), are strong options.

On their heels, however, might be “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White, whose portrayal of Bruce Springsteen in “Deliver Me from Nowhere” has certainly generated press and some voter buzz. Other potential nominees include Dwayne Johnson for “The Smashing Machine,” Ethan Hawke for “Blue Moon” – in which he plays Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart – and Jesse Plemons for his turn as a wild conspiracy theorist in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia.”
Best supporting actress

The best supporting actress race is a tough one to predict, since as usual, there’s just so much to choose from. Amy Madigan, known to most for ’80s films like “Uncle Buck” and “Field of Dreams,” turned out a bonkers performance in this summer’s breakout elevated horror hit “Weapons” (also from Warner Bros.) and has appeared on several lists as a favorite to be nominated here. It would mark her second Oscar nomination in this same category in exactly 40 years, after 1985’s “Twice in a Lifetime.”

#Batman-themed bread unveiled ahead of Pittsburgh Walk of Fame ceremony, The bread was on display at the Mancini’s in Pittsburgh’s Strip District due to the shop’s proximity to the terminal building, where the Walk of Fame will be unveiled on Monday.

According to a release, this is the second year Mancini’s has continued the tradition of honouring Keaton with their Halloween bread art. Last year, the bread was constructed to look like Beetlejuice, and now, Batman.

The bread is expected to measure 4-by-4-feet (1.2 metres by 1.2 metres) and weigh around 200 pounds after four hours of baking the masterpiece.

Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 was at Mancini’s on Sunday, where the beloved loaf could be seen through the store’s window.

“I love to do this because Keaton exemplifies Pittsburgh,” Mancini’s Owner Nick Mancini Hartner said in a release. “We are celebrating 100 years of Mancini’s bakery next year and looking for any opportunity to tie our bread art with the city we love.”

Mancini’s Bread has served the Pittsburgh region since 1926, according to the release.

Mancini’s Bakery bakes more than 10,000 loaves a day with a team of 48 Pittsburghers, using most of the same old-world techniques that James Mancini devised back in 1926.

Mancini’s still bakes 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at its original location in McKees Rocks, now with a retail bakery in the Strip District.

#Gospel singer Mmalesedi Mankonko Makitla, 71, is finally about to fulfil her lifelong dream of performing songs from her debut album on the big stage, after more than 40 years of singing at taxi ranks.

Ace Frehley, legendary guitarist and founding member of KISS, died at home at age 74, surrounded by family, after a recent fall.

Taylor Swift brings music craze back to the box office.
After another bittersweet end to the summer box office season, American multiplexes are going to “shake it off.”

The AMC-distributed “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” opened Friday as part of a three-day run in 3,700 theaters to coincide with Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” providing a much-needed lift for movie theaters. The movie pulled in US$15.8 million domestically on Friday, according to a statement AMC shared with CNN, and is expected to earn up to $30 million domestically over the three-day weekend.

The limited theatrical run comes about two years after the release of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which was the biggest opening weekend for a concert movie ($93 million domestically) and the highest-grossing concert movie domestically ($180 million), according to Box Office Mojo.

While “The Eras Tour” movie was a collection of concert scenes spread across three days at one venue, “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” is similar to the private listening parties Swift hosted in 2017. The 89-minute movie includes a music video, behind-the-scenes footage, lyric videos and Swift’s personal reflections on songs from the album, according to AMC’s website.

Swift had given short notice to her fans, announcing the release of the movie just two weeks ago in an Instagram post. “I hereby invite you to a *dazzling* soirée, The Official Release Party of. Showgirl: Oct 3 - Oct 5 only in cinemas!” read the caption on September 19.

Many of Swift’s fans, who are young adults and teenagers, are among the demographics that prefer real-world experiences rather than sitting at home. Forty-eight percent of Gen Zers and 45% of Millennials prefer watching movies in theaters, and 59% of Gen Alpha prefer the in-theater experience, according to National Research Group.

The preference of Swift’s fans to watch the movie in theaters is in part due to the social aspects of seeing the movie with an audience, which has been important for the tight-knit fanbase. Eighty percent of Swifties said they “formed deep friendships” because of Swift, according to research firm The Harris Poll.

“The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” comes after the summer box office grossed $3.67 billion in domestic revenue, according to Comscore, short of the $4 billion target and below the summer of 2023, when the “Barbenheimer” craze drew increased ticket sales.

“For movie theaters, this is fantastic because it is yet another revenue stream that may not have been expected or perhaps underestimated,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore. He compared the box office boost to “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,” an anime movie that was an unexpected hit in the typically slow month of September.
‘Swiftonomics’ in full effect

The movie’s strong box office numbers add to the business phenomenon known as “Swiftonomics,” which involves Swift’s power to grow economies and industries through the spending spree of her loyal fanbase. That spending includes travel, food, merchandise and tickets, among other expenditures.

Both Swift and AMC saw a windfall from “The “Eras Tour” movie.

Shares of AMC (AMC) surged 11.5% on October 6, 2023, after the company announced “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film had grossed over $100 million in advance ticket sales.

Swift — whose net worth has inflated to $2.1 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index — first reached billionaire status during the “Eras” tour. She received 57% of the ticket revenue from “The Eras Tour” movie, of which AMC took a small distribution fee. In February 2024, Disney reportedly paid $75 million for the streaming rights to the movie.

Financial details of Swift and AMC’s partnership with “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” have not been disclosed.

Bad Bunny says goodbye to Puerto Rico in one final concert after a historic residency.

Saturday was a concert for Puerto Ricans by Puerto Ricans to remind the world about the power of “la isla del encanto,” or “the island of enchantment.”

“We’re not going to quit. The entire world is watching!” Bad Bunny thundered into his microphone as he looked into a camera streaming his last show in Puerto Rico this year to viewers around the world following a historic 30-concert residency in the U.S. territory.

The crowd roared as thousands watching via Amazon Music, Prime Video and Twitch joined them, marking the first time Bad Bunny was streamed across the globe.

The residency was more than just a series of concerts. Saturday marked the end of an extended love letter that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio sang to Puerto Rico. He tapped into what it means to be Puerto Rican, to delight in the island’s beauty, defend its land and fight for its people.

“This is for you,” Bad Bunny said from the rooftop of an iconic Puerto Rican house installed at the concert venue as he raised his glass and the crowd raised their glasses in return.
‘We are still here’

Saturday marked the eighth anniversary of Hurricane Maria, which slammed into Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 20, 2017.

An estimated 2,975 people died in the sweltering aftermath of the storm that razed the island’s electric grid, leaving some communities without power for up to a year. Anger and frustration over the pace of reconstruction continues to simmer as chronic power outages persist.

In a Sept. 11 report, the U.S. Office of Inspector General found that 92% of approved and obligated projects related to Puerto Rico’s crumbling grid were incomplete, and that $3.7 billion of available funds had not been obligated.

“Over seven years after Hurricane Maria, FEMA does not know when Puerto Rico’s electrical grid will be completely rebuilt. The grid remains unstable, inadequate, and vulnerable to interruptions,” the report stated.

On Saturday, the number of estimated deaths were imprinted on the back of T-shirts and written on Puerto Rican flags that the crowd waved into the air.

“We are still emotional and carry the trauma of having gone through a horrible thing,” said Marta Amaral, 61, who attended Saturday’s concert. “Beyond the sadness and remembering the negativity of having gone through a traumatic event, this is a celebration that we are still here, standing.”
A surprise guest

At every concert this summer, Bad Bunny invited new celebrities — among them LeBron James, Penélope Cruz, Darren Aronofsky, DJ Khaled and Kylian Mbappé — and sang with different musicians, including Rubén Blades, Residente, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Rai Nao and Jorge Drexler.

But on Saturday, the noise from the crowd hit new levels as Bad Bunny rapped with Puerto Rico heavyweights Ñengo Flow, Jowell y Randy, Dei V and Arcángel and De la Ghetto. Thousands of fans flexed their knees in unison to thumping rap and reggaetón.

Then, the crowd gasped in disbelief as Marc Anthony appeared on stage after Bad Bunny pleaded with his fans to join him because he was going to sing a song he hadn’t sung in public in some 20 years.

“Yo te quiero, Puerto Rico!” the crowd cried as the two singers embraced at the end of the iconic song, “Preciosa,” whose lyrics say, “I love you, Puerto Rico.”
‘An emotional night’

Thousands gathered outside the concert venue on Saturday hours before the concert, with Puerto Rico’s national flower, the vibrant flor de maga, tucked behind their ear, and the traditional straw hat known as the “pava,” set at a jaunty angle on their head.

But not all were celebrating.

Darlene Mercado milled around, asking strangers if they knew of anyone with tickets she could buy for herself and her daughter, who had flown in from New Jersey.

They were around number 122,000 in a virtual waiting line to buy tickets for Saturday’s sold-out concert and weren’t able to get any after waiting eight hours online.

“This is not only the anniversary of the hurricane, but it’s also the anniversary of me no longer having cancer and it’s my birthday. We wanted to celebrate everything with a bang,” she said.

Saturday’s concert was open only to residents of Puerto Rico, as were the first nine concerts of Bad Bunny’s residency, but the remainder was open to fans around the world.

Overall, the concerts attracted roughly half a million people, generating an estimated $733 million for Puerto Rico, according to a new study by Gaither International.

Most foreign visitors came from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Spain, with an average stay of nearly nine nights, the study found. Overall, roughly 70% of concertgoers were female, with an average age of 33, according to the study.

Among those attending was Shamira Oquendo.

“It’s going to be an emotional night,” the 25-year-old said, noting that Hurricane Maria was her first hurricane. “It was very sad. A lot of people around me lost their things.”
‘Yo soy boricua!’

Puerto Rico’s party with Bad Bunny ended early Sunday, but the superstar who recently clinched 12 Latin Grammy nominations will go on a worldwide tour in December, with concerts planned in countries including Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Spain, France and Sweden. Notably, he is skipping the U.S., citing concerns over the arrest of immigrants.

On Saturday, Bad Bunny thanked his fans for their love.

“I’m going to miss you a lot. I’m going to miss this energy,” he said as he urged the crowd to embrace love no matter the situation.

At that moment, friends and family in the crowd began to hug each other, some with tears in their eyes.

After more than three hours of singing with Bad Bunny, fans were not quite ready to let go. As the crowd filed down the stairs and into the night, one man yelled, “Yo soy boricua!” and the crowd responded, “Pa’ que tu lo sepas!”

It’s a traditional cry-and-response yell that lets people around them know they’re Puerto Rican and proud of it.

Dánica Coto, The Associated Press

Release party for Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ album is coming to AMC theaters.

AMC Theatres announced on Friday that it will host a release party for Swift’s 12th studio album, “ The Life of a Showgirl,” which is set to debut Oct. 3.

The nearly-90-minute show, aptly titled “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” will play at all 540 AMC theaters in the U.S. from Oct. 3 through Oct. 5, the company said. AMC will also air the show that weekend in Mexico, Canada and across Europe.

“Looks like it’s time to brush off that Eras Tour outfit or orange cardigan,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post, later adding: “Dancing is optional but very much encouraged.”

“ The Life of a Showgirl ” follows last year’s “ The Tortured Poets Department ” and Swift’s record-breaking tour, which raked in over $2.2 billion across two years and five continents, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.

Following the tour, Swift partnered with AMC and released a concert movie, which had the biggest opening for a concert film to date. By working directly with AMC Theatres, she circumvented Hollywood studios.

This time around, AMC will be releasing a music video for one of her new album tracks, “The Fate of Ophelia.”

Moviegoers will also get to see behind-the-scenes footage of Swift, who is known for creating intricate music videos. Other lyric videos and “Taylor’s never-before-seen personal reflections on songs” will also be aired, according to AMC.

Tickets are available online.

“The Life of the Showgirl” is Swift’s first release since she regained control over her entire body of work. The pop star said in May that she purchased the catalog of recordings of her first six albums from private equity firm Shamrock Capital, their most recent owner.

Swift’s fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, helped roll out the new album by hosting her on their podcast “New Heights” in August.

Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement later that month.

Filmmaker, journalist Avi Lewis to enter NDP leadership race, OTTAWA — Filmmaker and journalist Avi Lewis is expected to officially announce his intention to run for the federal NDP leadership today.

Lewis is expected to release a video later today and hold a formal campaign launch in Toronto next week, according to his campaign team.

Lewis ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the NDP in the 2021 and 2025 elections in two Vancouver-area ridings.

His grandfather David Lewis was a founding member and former leader of the federal NDP, while his father Stephen Lewis led the Ontario NDP.

Lewis is one of the co-authors of the Leap Manifesto, a 2015 document that outlined 15 policy points aimed at steering Canada away from fossil fuels.

Jagmeet Singh resigned as leader after the party was reduced to seven seats in the April election, and B.C. NDP MP Don Davies is currently serving as interim leader.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

#Disney says production on ‘Camp Rock 3’ is underway in Vancouver with Jonas Brothers.


In its announcement, Disney says Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas will return in “guest starring” roles as the Gray brothers, the members of fictional music trio Connect 3.

“Camp Rock 3” follows the brothers as they return to their beloved camp after losing the opening act for their major reunion tour. They hope to find a new wave of young stars to fill the bill.

Fellow “Camp Rock” star Demi Lovato is attached as an executive producer, but hasn’t been announced as part of the cast.

“Camp Rock” is ranked alongside “High School Musical” as one of the most successful TV movie franchises in Disney Channel’s history. Both the original 2008 film and its 2010 sequel were filmed in and around Haliburton, Ont.

A new wave of campers will join the third film, including Disney alum Liamani Segura, who appeared in “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland” and Malachi Barton, of “Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires.” Vancouver-based actor Casey Trotter is also listed as a new addition to the cast.

Earlier this year, the Jonas Brothers surprised fans when they stopped at a “Camp Rock” trivia night at a Toronto bar, saying they happened to be nearby while filming a Christmas movie.

David Friend, The Canadian Press