Briefly

Rosemary Sullivan’s Stalin’s Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva, in which she used exclusive interviews with Joseph Stalin’s American granddaughter, is a finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Douglas Coupland’s Kitten Clone: Inside Alcatel-Lucent and Dean Jobb’s Empire of Deception: From Chicago to Nova Scotia — The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated a Nation also made the list. So did Eliott Behar’s Tell It to the World: International Justice and the Secret Campaign to Hide Mass Murder in Kosovo and Lynette Loeppky’s Cease: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Desire. The $60,000 prize winner will be announced Oct. 6.

Forest Whitaker and Anika Noni Rose are joining the cast of A&E’s Roots miniseries remake. Others in the cast will include Anna Paquin, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and newcomer Malachi Kirby as the central figure Kunta Kinte. No air date has been announced.

Lionel Richie is ready to go all night long in Las Vegas. The singer announced Wednesday that he will launch a residency called “Lionel Richie — All the Hits” on April 27 at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Richie will play 20 shows in April, May, September and October. Tickets go on sale Friday. The shows will include hits such as “All Night Long (All Night),” “Hello,” “Stuck on You,” “Say You, Say Me” and “Dancing on the Ceiling.”

It’s not a stretch to say there’ll be a few photographers at the October world premiere of the new James Bond film Spectre. Not only will 007 star Daniel Craig and the film’s other luminaries be there, they’ll be joined on the red carpet by Prince William and his wife Kate and Prince Harry. Palace officials said Wednesday the young royals will attend the film’s Oct. 26 opening at the Royal Albert Hall in London.