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Wake up sleeping beauties, it's almost Met Gala time

True love's kiss or an invite to the Met Gala? Those in the rarified ranks of international celebrity — and Anna Wintour's good graces — need not choose.

Stars of film, fashion, music, sports, politics and social media will ascend the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the first Monday in May — May 6, that is — to sip cocktails, have dinner and sample the new exhibit, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." As fashion's biggest night approaches, it's time for The Associated Press to issue the 2024 version of our annual guide.

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Imagine Dragons' new album: 'Heavy concepts but playful'

The ambiguity of Imagine Dragons' next album starts from the cover.

Two figures stand in the distance separated by a dawning sun. Or is it setting? Lead singer and songwriter Dan Reynolds, who dreamed it up, sees it both ways.

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Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is great sad pop, meditative theater

Who knew what Taylor Swift's latest era would bring? Or even what it would sound like? Would it build off the moodiness of "Midnights" or the folk of "evermore"? The country or the '80s pop of her latest re-records? Or its two predecessors in black-and-white covers: the revenge-pop of "Reputation" and the literary Americana of "folklore"?

"The Tortured Poets Department," here Friday, is an amalgamation of all of the above, reflecting the artist who — at the peak of her powers — has spent the last few years re-recording her life's work and touring its material, filtered through synth-pop anthems, breakup ballads, provocative and matured considerations.

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Panda diplomacy: San Francisco city to receive pandas from China

San Francisco is the latest U.S. city preparing to receive a pair of pandas from China, in a continuation of Beijing's famed "panda diplomacy."

San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the panda loan in Beijing on Friday, alongside officials from China Wildlife Conservation Association, or CWCA. It will be San Francisco's first time hosting the beloved animals long-term — the result of a yearlong advocacy campaign, Breed said.

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'I was afraid for my life': Orlando Bloom puts himself in peril for new TV series

Orlando Bloom wanted to test himself for his latest adventure project. Not by eating something gross or visiting a new country. He wanted to risk death — with not one but three extreme sports.

The Peacock series"Orlando Bloom: To the Edge" sees the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star shoot through the sky thousands of feet above the ground, dive into a deep sinkhole and rock climb hundreds of feet.

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UK's Prince William returns to public duties for first time since Kate's cancer diagnosis

Prince William returns to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife's cancer diagnosis, bolstering the royal family's ranks as health problems continue to sideline the princess and King Charles III.

William is set to visit a surplus food redistribution center and a youth club it serves, highlighting efforts to reduce food waste as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and feed people in need. The prince stepped away from public duties after Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced on March 22 that she was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer.

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Southern California city council gives key approval for Disneyland expansion plan

Visitors to Disney's California parks could one day walk through the snow-covered hamlet of Arendelle from "Frozen" or the bustling, critter-filled metropolis of "Zootopia" under a park expansion plan approved by the Anaheim City Council.

Disney would spend at least $1.9 billion over the next decade to transform its 490-acre (488-hectare) campus in densely-populated Southern California. It would be the biggest expansion of Disney's Southern California theme parks in decades, aiming to create more immersive experiences for guests. Disney would also be required to spend tens of millions of dollars on street improvements, affordable housing and other infrastructure in the city.

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Gun supervisor for 'Rust' movie to be sentenced for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on set

A movie weapons supervisor is facing up to 18 months in prison for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film "Rust," with her sentencing scheduled for Monday in a New Mexico state court.

Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted in March by a jury on a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and has been held for more than a month at a county jail on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

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'Hit Me Hard and Soft' : Eilish announces new album

Billie Eilish announced Monday that her highly anticipated third studio album, "Hit Me Hard and Soft," will be released on May 17.

The news arrived via Instagram, where Eilish shared the album artwork showing the pop singer floating in a body of water after being ejected from a door. In the caption, she wrote that she will not drop singles in advance of the release.

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Huge crowds await total solar eclipse in North America but clouds may spoil the view

Millions of spectators along a narrow corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada eagerly awaited Monday's celestial sensation — a total eclipse of the sun — even as forecasters called for clouds.

The best weather was expected at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

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