PARIS (AP) — With his hulking frame and volcanic charisma, Gérard Depardieu reigned over French cinema for half a century, a national icon as familiar as the baguette.

But this week, the actor who once inspired writer John Updike to lament that “I think that I shall never view a French film without Depardieu” sat slumped in a Paris courtroom.

He faces two counts of sexual assault. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($81,000).

But more than Depardieu is on trial.

The Oscar nominations are being pushed back almost a week from their original date amid the ongoing California wildfires. Nominations will now be announced on Jan. 23, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday.

“We are all devastated by the impact of the fires and the profound losses experienced by so many in our community,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement. “The Academy has always been a unifying force within the film industry, and we are committed to standing together in the face of hardship.”

With fires still active in the Los Angeles area, the film academy also extended the nominations voting period for its members through Friday. Originally, nominations were to be announced that morning.

The organization that puts on the Oscars has also made the decision to cancel its annual nominees luncheon, an untelevised event best known for the “class photos” it produces annually. The Scientific and Technical Awards, previously set for Feb. 18, will be rescheduled later.

The cover of PGA Tour 2K25 will feature Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick and Tiger Woods, 2K announced Monday.

The three golfers are on the cover of the game's standard and deluxe editions together. Woods alone is on the legend edition.

Homa is making his franchise debut in the game, which typically features some of the Tour's top golfers as well as LPGA Tour golfers.

A release date for the game has not been announced. Its last installment, PGA Tour 2K23, hit the market three years ago in October.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Step aside, Oprah.

Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown could launch a book club of his own after a little sideline reading skyrocketed self-help author Jim Murphy to the hottest seller on Amazon overnight.

The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title — Brown casually ignored the action in Philadelphia's playoff game and flipped through the pages of Murphy's book, “Inner Excellence.”

The little-known book by the mental skills coach was listed No. 1 on Amazon’s best-sellers list as of Monday morning. It took the top spot on the trending list after previously being ranked 523,497th. That jump earned it another top spot on the marketplace's movers & shakers list.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Step aside, Oprah.

Philadelphia Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown could launch a book club of his own after a little sideline reading skyrocketed self-help author Jim Murphy to the hottest seller on Amazon overnight.

The Eagles wide receiver passed on the playbook and checked out an inspirational title — Brown casually ignored the action in Philadelphia's playoff game and flipped through the pages of Murphy's book, “Inner Excellence.”

The little-known book by the mental skills coach was listed No. 1 on Amazon’s best-sellers list as of Monday morning. It took the top spot on the trending list after previously being ranked 523,497th. That jump earned it another top spot on the marketplace's movers & shakers list.

Rachel Maddow is returning to her nightly perch on MSNBC — at least for the first few months of the second Trump administration.

The network announced on Monday that Maddow will lead its coverage of Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 and, starting that night, begin airing her prime-time show five nights a week at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Maddow's new schedule will last until April 30, at which time she'll revert to her current Monday-only routine with Alex Wagner occupying the time slot on Tuesdays through Fridays. Wagner will go on the road for various reporting assignments during the first 100 days of the new administration.

Maddow stepped back from her five-night-a-week television schedule in 2022 under a new contract that has allowed her more flexibility to pursue other projects. She has launched a successful round of podcasts.

During a time when many are complaining about divisiveness in politics and in society, it seems counterintuitive for a book to make the case that we need to argue more.

But in “Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life,” Agnes Callard illustrates how philosophy isn't just a spectator sport. It requires engaging with one another and arguing with each other, and admitting mistakes.

Callard offers a roadmap for using the ancient Greek philosopher for approaching knotty discussion on topics such as love, politics and death.

Callard's book is intellectually challenging and hardly a simple crash course on Socrates, but the payoff is worth the time and effort put into rethinking approaches to philosophy and life.

Traci Beller was 13 when her father — co-owner of a heating and air conditioning company — went out on some service calls and never returned home. The police, who found no trace of him, concluded that he had simply abandoned his family.

The family then turned to Jessica Byers, a Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office investigator turned private eye — and a darned good one. But she also turned up nothing.

Ten years later, the missing man has been officially declared dead, but Traci, now a known as “the muffin girl,” a celebrity chef with a huge following, never believed her sweet daddy had walked out on her without a word. The people managing her career urge Traci to let it go and get on with her life — but she can’t. Instead, she turns to Elvis Cole, the self-declared world’s greatest detective.

So begins “The Big Empty,” Robert Crais’ 20th novel featuring Cole and his partner, Joe Pike.