Entertainment

Walt Disney Co. says it is raising prices for streaming subscribers in the U.S. who want to watch Disney+ without ads, as more viewers switch to what CEO Bob Chapek described as the “best value in streaming.”

“Heat 2” by Meg Gardiner and Michael Mann; HarperCollins (480 pages, $28.99) In the age of reboots, limited series and sequels it makes too much sense, because it would make many cents, that one of the greatest action movies made eventually would continue.

By Hillel Italie AP National Writer NEW YORK — Olivia Newton-John, the Grammywinning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as “Physical” and “You’re the One That I Want” and won countless hearts as everyone’s favorite Sandy in the blockbuster film version of “Grease,” has died. She was 73.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Country Music Hall of Famer and Grammy winner Barbara Mandrell retired from music more than two decades ago, but the Grand Ole Opry still feels like home to her.

NEW YORK (AP) — In Wes Studi’s potent and pioneering acting career, he has played vengeful warriors, dying prisoners and impassioned resistance leaders. For three decades, he has arrestingly crafted wide-ranging portraits of the Native American experience. But one thing he had never done in a movie is give someone a kiss.

The coastal marshlands of North Carolina take on a mythic quality in Delia Owens’ “Where the Crawdads Sing.” They are where the protagonist, Kya, grows up alone after her family leaves. They are also both the source of her artistic inspiration and her social isolation from the people in the nearby town of Barkley Cove.

“Helltown: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod” by Casey Sherman (Sourcebooks) True crime is all the rage these days. Books, movies, documentaries, streaming series, podcasts — even streaming series about podcasts — are everywhere as Americans continue to obsess over the genre.

Twenty-nine films into the Marvel Cinematic Universe — a playful and flexible narrative arena in theory, too often a realm of granite solemnity in practice — if you can’t mess around a little then really: Why make all that money in the first place?

Summer is the perfect time to catch up on all the shows your friends are buzzing about, especially if you subscribe to streaming services. Here are 10, in alphabetical order, that stood out during the first six months of 2022.