AP Entertainment Digest for Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020

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WEDNESDAY, Sept. 9

KEVIN HART-MDA TELETHON — Kevin Hart will host the return of a popular telethon once spearheaded by the late Jerry Lewis to fight muscular dystrophy. The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced Wednesday that Hart will host the MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, a two-hour, star-studded virtual fundraiser that will air Oct. 24 witt celebrity guests including Michael B. Jordan, Eva Longoria and and Usain Bolt. By Jonathan Landrum Jr. SENT: 400 words, photo.

TV-THE KOALA WHISPERER — Like a lot of young people, 11-year-old Izzy Bee has a special bond with animals. Unlike a lot of young people, she shares it with one of the planet’s most cuddly — koalas. She and the marsupials are the subject of a new Netflix series. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy: UPCOMING: 600 words, photos

MUSIC-CHICK COREA — Chick Corea’s new double album “Plays” is a peek into his musical heart, containing songs he wrote about children decades ago, improvised duets and musical tone poems as well as tunes by Mozart, Thelonious Monk and Stevie Wonder. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. UPCOMING: 790 words, photos.

CHINA-MULAN-XINJANG — Disney is under fire for filming part of its live-action reboot “Mulan” in Xinjiang, the region in China where the government has been accused of human rights abuses against Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities. By Juwon Park. SENT: 800 words, photos.

ITALY-VENICE FILM FESTIVAL — “Sun Children,” a film that has premiered this week at the Venice Film Festival is bringing a spotlight to child laborers and a path forward for its child stars. Majid Majidi says he interviewed thousands of children, many of them laborers, to find the cast for his film, which tells the story of a boy named Ali and his three friends on the streets of Tehran as they try and find hidden treasure. By Louise Dixon. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos.

NINA SIMONE-CHILDHOOD HOME — The childhood home of iconic musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone will be indefinitely preserved in North Carolina. SENT: 120 words, photos.

BOOK-KIRKUS PRIZE — Elena Ferrante, James McBride and Isabel Wilkerson are among the nominees for the Kirkus Prize, a $50,000 honor for the best fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. SENT: 240 words.

NIELSENS — Coverage of the top prime-time programs from the week of Aug. 31-Sept. 6. By Media Writer David Bauder. UPCOMING: 450 words, photo if available.

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REVIEWS

FILM REVIEW-BROKEN HEARTS GALLERY. By Film Writer Jake Coyle. UPCOMING: 700 words by Wednesday. Film stills.

FILM REVIEW-UNPREGNANT. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. UPCOMING: 700 words by Wednesday. Film stills.

FILM REVIEW-THE SOCIAL DILEMMA. By Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. SENT Tuesday: 800 words. Film stills.

MUSIC REVIEW-ELIZABETH COOK. By Steven Wine. SENT: Tuesday: 230 words, album cover.

MUSIC REVIEW-SUZANNE VEGA. By Steven Wine. UPCOMING: Wednesday, album cover.

BOOK REVIEW-MONOGAMY by Sue Miller. Reviewed by Rob Merrill. SENT Tuesday: 300 words, cover image

BOOK REVIEW-ROBERT B. PARKER’S FOOL PARADISE by Robert Lupica. Reviewed by Bruce DeSilva. SENT Tuesday: 390 words, cover image

BOOK REVIEW-JUST US by Claudia Rankine. By Jeff Rowe. UPCOMING Wednesday: 300 words, cover image