Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TRUMP CALLS FOR SPICER VOTES ON 'DANCING WITH THE STARS'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After stiff performances of the Salsa, Cha-Cha and Paso Doble, Sean Spicer may need some help to stick around on “Dancing with the Stars”
So, President Donald Trump is coming to his former press secretary’s aid.
In a tweet, the president urges viewers to vote for Spicer, calling him a "good guy" who "has always been there for us!"
Spicer tweeted his thanks with instructions on how viewers can cast votes.
Spicer has been paired with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold as they compete for the mirror ball trophy.
He says he's doing it "to have fun and make it a really good experience."
Trump supporters have embraced Spicer, but opponents have criticized the program for inviting him.
Spicer told USA Today there's no question a "huge" amount of his votes come from Trump supporters.
Dancing with the Stars airs tonight.
Sound:
087585-w-367:68-(Ben Thomas, AP correspondent, with "Dancing with the Stars" host Erin Andrews, judge Carrie Ann Inaba and contestant Sean Spicer)-"I'm Ben Thomas (music)"-Trump calls for Spicer votes on 'Dancing with the Stars' (14 Oct 2019)
¤¤CUT ´087585 (10/14/19)££ 367:68 "I'm Ben Thomas (music)"
JOJO RABBIT BALANCING ACT
TORONTO (AP) — Taika Waititi could have made just about anything after the success of "Thor: Ragnarok." But he used his industry capital to make the Nazi satire "Jojo Rabbit."
It's a comic coming-of-age story about a 10-year-old boy named Jojo who lives with his mom and has an imaginary friend he talks to for company and guidance. Oh, and "Jojo Rabbit" is set in Nazi Germany and that imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, as played by Waititi.
The film has been compared to "Rushmore" meets "Life Is Beautiful." While it's found a mixed response from critics, it won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a prize that has for the last decade always corresponded with a best-picture nomination at the Oscars.
Fox Searchlight will release "Jojo Rabbit" on Friday.
KEVIN SMITH CRAFTS HIS ‘REAL BIG CINEMATIC GRAVESTONE’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Smith says he's crafted his "real big cinematic gravestone" 25 years after "Clerks."
The 49-year-old writer-director-actor says a major heart attack in February 2018 prompted him to rewrite his script for "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" to make a more personal statement about fatherhood, aging and legacy.
He called on friends and called in favors and reconnected with actors from his past, including "Chasing Amy" star Ben Affleck.
The resulting movie is a silly but heartfelt examination of nostalgia and growing up. The movie in theaters this week is packed with meta references to other films and what Smith calls his own "myopic career."
Smith is planning sequels to "Clerks" and "Mallrats."
"Clerks" debuted to acclaim in 1994 at the Sundance Film Festival. It's a profane, slice-of-life film centered on a convenience store. Smith played stoner Silent Bob.
ATWOOD AMONG FAVORITES FOR BOOKER PRIZE
LONDON (AP) — Booker Prize winner Margaret Atwood is the bookies' favorite to win the coveted fiction trophy again for "The Testaments," her follow-up to dystopian saga "The Handmaid's Tale."
Atwood, who won in 2000 for "The Blind Assassin," is one of six finalists for the $63,000 prize, whose winner is being announced today.
British bookmakers also give strong odds to British-Turkish author Elif Shafak for the Istanbul-set story "10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World" and U.S.-British writer Lucy Ellmann for her 1,000-page stream-of-consciousness novel "Ducks, Newburyport."
The other contenders are Salman Rushdie for "Quichotte," a modern-day retelling of "Don Quixote"; Britain's Bernardine Evaristo for "Girl, Woman, Other"; and Nigeria's Chigozie Obioma for "An Orchestra of Minorities."
Founded in 1969, the prize is open to English-language authors from any country.
JUDY BLUME PUBLISHER DEAD
NEW YORK (AP) — The publisher of acclaimed children's books by Judy Blume, Paula Fox and others has died. Richard Jackson was 84.
Jackson's career dated back to the 1960s, when he co-founded Bradbury Press. He would soon help transform children's publishing by releasing Blume's candid classic "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret," a book both acclaimed and censored over the following decades. He also published such prize winners as Fox's "The Slave Dancer" and Susan Patron's "The Higher Power of Lucky."
Jackson himself became a children's author. His books included "In Plain Sight" and "Puddle."
Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing announced today that Jackson died Oct. 2. Additional details were not immediately available. Jackson was editorial director of Richard Jackson Books at Simon & Schuster.
SOUTH KOREAN POP STAR FOUND DEAD
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean pop star and actress Sulli has been found dead at her home south of Seoul.
South Korean police say the 25-year-old was found after her manager went to her home in Seongnam because she didn't answer phone calls for hours. A police spokesman says there were no signs of foul play and police did not find a suicide note. Security camera footage at Sulli's home showed no signs of an intrusion.
Sulli's legal name is Choi Jin-ri. She began her singing career in 2009 as a member of the girl band "f(x)" and also acted in numerous television dramas and movies.
She was known for her feminist voice and an outspokenness rare among female entertainers in deeply conservative South Korea. She recently appeared in a TV show and spoke out against online backlash she received over her lifestyle.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
