for securing, in all formats, the first interview in some time with Roberta Flack, who is 81 and in an assisted living facility after a stroke, ahead of a performance at a ceremony honoring the legendary singer. https://yhoo.it/2AfkAWD
for breaking the news that actor Leonardo DiCaprio and the head of his foundation met with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss how jobs centered on preserving the environment can boost the economy. http://apne.ws/2gWUOKy
for being first to report that the Country Music Association Awards planned to restrict questions from the media related to politics, guns or the recent shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas. http://bit.ly/2hWRHVD http://fxn.ws/2iGVGVP
AP’s Global Entertainment team knew the game had changed when it came to the Grammys. They knew that the sense of the moment — in the moment — was going to win the day. And they were right.
Collaborating with Digital colleagues, the team delivered unprecedented audiences to APNews through two real-time vehicles: a hosted live video show streamed on YouTube and a multiformat Live Blog. It was a success in two spaces crucial to bringing in new audiences to AP, and the viewership on both reflects how AP can engage viewers on high-value entertainment events. For this major accomplishment that put AP ahead and in the spotlight on one of entertainment’s most important evenings, Global Entertainment’s Live Blog and Live Stream teams and their Digital colleagues are awarded Best of the Week — First Winner.
AP entertainment video manager Ryan Pearson had interviewed Chadwick Boseman eight times since 2013. He knew the actor and his work well, and he’d worked closely with the actor’s publicist and her company.
That’s why the publicist’s first media call after Boseman’s death was to Pearson and the AP – she wanted the story reported by a responsible news organization. Another outlet, she worried, was getting close.
Pearson immediately alerted colleagues and set out to write an obituary that shocked the world. The AP staff in turn responded with comprehensive all-formats coverage, the story quickly becoming the biggest of the month on AP News and mobile.
For source and beat development that led to a tip on perhaps the biggest entertainment story of the year, and delivered a stream of important work for AP’s customers and audience, Pearson wins AP’s Best of the Week.
AP national writer Hillel Italie took a call Thursday evening from a longtime source with an unexpected tip: Groundbreaking actress Cicely Tyson, known for her roles playing strong, fiercely dignified Black women, was dead.
Italie set off to get the news on the wire quickly, while also alerting colleagues. That included entertainment writer Mark Kennedy who had met Tyson years earlier. Kennedy had decided that when the time came, the AP obituary would have to capture the breadth and achievement of her life and career. And he had prepared just that.
The AP story moved at least 15 minutes before other outlets, earning more than 265,000 page views and front page headlines.
Celebrity obituaries are intensely competitive; Italie and Kennedy kept AP well in front, through source work, commitment and solid preparation. For that, they win AP’s Best of the Week award.
for gaining exclusive access to Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell’s star-studded memorial service, delivering unmatched details on attendees, the service and photos. http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/26/chris-cornell...
for using public records in Ohio to resolve questions about the age of actress and singer Doris Day. The entertainer responded to Elber's story by saying, “I’ve always said that age is just a number and I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it’s great to finally know how old I really am!” http://apne.ws/2nSjAip
for obtaining an investigative report and revealing that a stuntman was run over and seriously hurt on the set of the television series “Shooter” because actor Tom Sizemore improvised the scene and started driving an SUV, even though it wasn’t called for in the script or rehearsals. http://apne.ws/2o5pyxp
Kristin Hall, entertainment producer and writer, Nashville, Tennessee, for being first to report that country star Roy Clark, the guitar virtuoso and singer who headlined the cornpone TV show “Hee Haw” for nearly a quarter century, had died. https://bit.ly/2QKXtJj
for obtaining the first statement that Jennifer Aniston and actor Justin Theroux had separated, the highest profile celebrity breakup in months. http://bit.ly/2CcNokB
for breaking the news that Los Angeles police are actively investigating one of Stan Lee’s former advisers for allegations of elder abuse of the Marvel Comics legend. https://lat.ms/2lp2id3
A late-night leap into action and spot-on prep delivered AP a decisive audience win on Jimmy Buffett’s death.Read more
for her exclusive interview with Aretha Franklin, in which the Queen of Soul vented her frustrations with former friend Dionne Warwick. http://apne.ws/2q2D0G4
noticed that the NRA planned to auction off firearms during a fundraiser at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, but she knew that the Nashville, Tennessee, museum didn't allow weapons inside. So she reached out to the museum, the NRA, country artists and more for comment. Soon after Hall raised the question of the apparent violation of museum policy, a spokesperson confirmed to her that the April event will not take place at the site. Other news outlets had to cite AP’s reporting. https://bit.ly/2vSOAbz
The 2012 film “The Avengers” cemented Marvel’s dominance at the box office, but the movie had a secret: A man had died bringing the blockbuster to the big screen. John Suttles died after falling from his truck while preparing to drive it to a set, but his name was not listed in the film's credits. Outside the production and Suttles’ family, the only clue to his death and its connection to the movie was an 84-page investigative file by the workplace safety agency, Cal/OSHA.
That clue was uncovered by AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney, who began investigating set accidents in 2014. After diving into state and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration records, he discovered that dozens of workers had been killed and more had been seriously hurt on big-name television and film properties. Set accidents remain largely hidden, and the consequences usually amount to mere thousands of dollars in fines paid out of multimillion-dollar budgets, he reported. McCartney also catalogued numerous fatal film-set accidents internationally. His painstaking work wins Beat of the Week.
scored a revealing interview with actress Glenn Close, who was candid about journalists and others who have focused more on her Oscar losses than on celebrating her eight career nominations. Fekadu, AP entertainment journalist, conducted the interview on Zoom for both text and video. Close addressed the Academy Awards issue, saying: "First of all, I don't think I’m a loser ... who in (the best supporting actress category) is a loser?” And in reference to her critics she emphatically ended with: “I say, (expletive) them!”The quotes were widely picked up by publications from Vanity Fair to the New York Daily News, while other outlets ran AP’s full story. Clients using the interview video included USA Today, MSN, Entertainment Tonight, Fox and ABC.https://tinyurl.com/3ye74rbwhttps://tinyurl.com/yrc3yxye
The auto industry and Hollywood entertainment could hardly be more different worlds. But for AP reporters covering them, they have this in common: Building sources is essential.
Last week, Tom Krisher, a Detroit-based auto writer, and Lynn Elber, the TV writer in Los Angeles, demonstrated the value of great beat reporting. Both scored scoops that left competitors scrambling. Their stories also created a very unusual situation: A tie for Beat of the Week honors.
Krisher was the first to report the U.S. government was taking the unusual step of allowing General Motors to delay a large recall of potentially defective air bags, giving the automaker time to prove the devices are safe and possibly avoid a huge financial hit.
Elber broke the news of the death of Florence Henderson, "The Brady Bunch" star, about an hour after the beloved TV mom passed away in Los Angeles.
When Carrie Fisher died, generations lamented the loss of their Princess Leia. But when actress Debbie Reynolds died a day later, the near-simultaneous passings of mother and daughter were seen worldwide as an epic tragedy.
It was AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen who first reached Fisher’s brother, Todd, to confirm that his sister had been hospitalized. Days later, it was AP Television Writer Lynn Elber who first reached Todd Fisher to confirm the unthinkable -- that his mother had died, as well. Their sterling work is the Beat of the Week.
for an interview with Cardi B that confirmed she had turned down the Super Bowl halftime show in support of Colin Kaepernick. The story was picked up by outlets from GQ to Rolling Stone, and even People magazine, which had interviewed her, ran Landrum’s story. https://bit.ly/2BoaWBd