AP Entertainment SummaryBrief at 1:54 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press

On ‘Andor,’ minor ‘Star Wars’ villains play major roles

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — The “Star Wars” streaming series “Andor” doesn’t concern itself with super villains. The show, which drops its next three episodes Tuesday, prefers to explore the lives and motivations of the low-level bureaucrats and functionaries who make tyranny possible. Kyler Soller, who plays one of those functionaries, Syril Karn, says “Andor” explains the “cogs and nuts and bolts” required to build an empire. Denise Gough, who plays Karn’s bureaucratic co-worker and private partner Dedra Meero, says the series shows that tyranny needs “tiny movements” and machinations along with brute force. The couple they play is simultaneously trying to make a life for themselves and planning the destruction of many other lives.

Ruth Buzzi, comedy sketch player on groundbreaking series ‘Laugh-In,’ dies at 88

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ruth Buzzi, who rose to fame as the frumpy and bitter Gladys Ormphby on the groundbreaking sketch comedy series “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and made over 200 television appearances during a 45-year career, has died at age 88. Her agent Mike Eisenstadt says Buzzi died at her ranch in Texas. Buzzi won a Golden Globe and was a two-time Emmy nominee for the NBC show that ran from 1968 to 1973. She was the only regular to appear in all six seasons, including the pilot. She was first spotted by “Laugh-In” creator and producer George Schlatter playing various characters on “The Steve Allen Comedy Hour.”

Smurfs, dragons and aliens: Family movies lean into magic and wonder this summer

“How to Train Your Dragon” filmmaker Dean DeBlois has heard the “remake fatigue” concerns. That’s part of the reason why DeBlois, who directed the animated movies, wanted to also be the person behind the live action remake. It’s just one of several big hearted family films coming to theaters this summer including a Rihanna-produced “Smurfs,” a live-action “Lilo & Stitch,” an original Pixar fantasy “Elio” and the body-swapping sequel “Freakier Friday.” The PG rating is having a bit of a resurgence in box office cred after years of being the “uncool” little sibling to PG-13. PG movies made up a third of last year’s box office.

Black dandyism etches place into Met Gala history — and global visibility

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Black dandyism is finally taking center stage at the Met Gala, with cultural powerhouses leading this subversive, sharply tailored style into the global fashion spotlight. As a gala host committee member, Janelle Monáe and other trendsetters are helping frame Black dandyism as a proud tradition rather than a trend as the movement claims its long-overdue moment of visibility. On Monday, with the world watching, a wave of fashion disruptors and stylists will usher Black dandyism as the Metropolitan Museum of Art unveils its new costume exhibit “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Nicolas Cage sells his soul for a house in ‘The Surfer’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lorcan Finnegan’s “The Surfer” isn’t a film about toxic masculinity and tribalism. But Nicolas Cage’s titular protagonist serves as a kind of foil to explore these themes as he does everything in his power to buy his late father’s old house on an Australian cliffside. Cage says the film allowed him to lean into surrealism because the arc of the story called for that kind of acting. Cage and Finnegan say they were able to find humor in making the film despite some of its darker themes. The psychological thriller hits theaters Friday.

When did Disney villains stop being so villainous? New show suggests they may just be misunderstood

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cruella de Vil wanted to turn Dalmatian puppies into fur coats. Captain Hook tried to bomb Peter Pan, and Maleficent issued a curse of early death for Aurora. But wait, maybe these Disney villains were just misunderstood? That’s the premise of a new musical show at Walt Disney World that has some people wondering: When did Disney’s villains stop wanting to be so … villainous? The live show “Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After” opens May 27 at the Hollywood Studios park at the Orlando, Florida, resort. Other veins of pop culture have rethought villains, too, perhaps none more famously than the book, theatrical musical and movie versions of “Wicked.”

Worlds collide: R.E.M. rereleases ‘Radio Free Europe’ single to benefit the threatened news service

The rock band R.E.M. is putting out a special pressing of its first single, “Radio Free Europe,” to benefit the real Radio Free Europe. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is among the U.S. government-funded services that broadcast news to foreign markets that have been targeted by President Donald Trump’s administration, which claims they promote a liberal viewpoint. A judge this week ordered the Republican administration to restore $12 million in funding appropriated by Congress after the station’s lawyers said it would shut down in June without it. R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe says the Athens, Georgia-based band wants to send a shout-out to RFE/RL journalists. Sales of the band’s five-song EP will benefit the service.

PBS chief slams Trump’s executive order aiming to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR as unlawful

The head of PBS says President Donald Trump’s executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR is unlawful. Public Broadcasting Service CEO Paula Kerger said Friday the Republican president’s order threatens PBS’ ability to serve the American public with educational programming as it has for 50-plus years. Trump signed the order Thursday, alleging “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting. Trump’s order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies to “cease Federal funding” for Arlington, Virginia-based PBS and Washington, D.C.-based National Public Radio. The broadcasters get roughly half a billion dollars in public money and have been preparing for the possibility of stiff cuts since Trump’s election.

Prince Harry says he’s devastated to lose his bid to restore his UK government-funded security

LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry has lost his bid to restore the police protection detail that was withdrawn when he stepped away from royal family duties and moved to the U.S. The Duke of Sussex said Friday he was devastated to lose the court case and said it was a source of friction with his father, King Charles III. The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a committee hadn’t treated Harry unfairly when it decided to review his protection on a case-by-case basis each time he visits the U.K. Harry says the ruling means it would be impossible to safely bring his family back to visit his homeland.

Jill Sobule, the singer-songwriter known for ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ has died in a fire

Jill Sobule, the award-winning singer-songwriter whose witty and poignant writing first attracted widespread attention with the gay-themed song “I Kissed a Girl,” has died in a house fire. She died Thursday. She was 66. The fire was in Woodbury, Minnesota, about 19 miles east of Minneapolis. It was not immediately clear how it started. During her more than three decades of recording, she released 12 albums that addressed such complex topics as the death penalty, anorexia nervosa, reproduction and LGBTQ+ issues. Sobule was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday night. Instead, there will be an informal gathering hosted by her friend.