By Lindsay Claiborn LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:20pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Al Gore won an Oscar with a documentary that used bar graphs and pie charts to illustrate climate change and the fate of the Earth. Six years after Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," a new film, "Chasing Ice," goes beyond the data and the diagrams to document the d...

By Walker Simon NEW YORK | Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:07pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rare, life-size, anonymous portrait of Aztec emperor Moctezuma II and a ground-breaking surrealist painting by Chilean artist Roberto Matta are among the top lots in Latin American art auctions next week in New York. Art experts hope that record sales of post-war and co...

By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON | Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:56pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fans of fictional super spy James Bond rely on the durable film franchise for must-have elements, such as jaw-dropping stunts, great clothes, sultry women - and villains who are drop-dead evil. An exhibition that opened on Friday makes clear that the nasty types that 0...

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:43pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Robert Pattinson has set young hearts aflutter as the teen vampire Edward Cullen in the "Twilight Saga" films, but as the sun sets on the franchise that launched his career, the actor is looking for more grown-up and "dangerous" roles. "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," re...

LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 16, 2012 4:34pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lindsay Lohan so wanted to play Elizabeth Taylor in the upcoming film "Liz & Dick" that she cut out the middle man and went straight to the producer herself, the tabloid-favorite star said in an interview on Friday. Lohan, 26, plays Taylor in an upcoming television movie that dramatize...

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 16, 2012 3:43pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bella and Edward's big-screen farewell lit up box offices with $30.4 million in late-night ticket sales for the finale of the blockbuster "Twilight" vampire series, production studio Summit Entertainment said on Friday. The U.S. and Canadian box office receipts for...

By Mario Anzuoni LAS VEGAS | Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:34pm EST LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Colombian rocker Juanes and the Mexican brother and sister pop duo Jesse & Joy took home the top Latin Grammys on Thursday in Las Vegas on a night in which the contemporary triumphed over the traditional. Juanes, one of the most well known Latin American stars worl...

By Ian McKenzie EDINBURGH | Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:05pm EST EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Leading Scottish artist John Bellany banishes his personal demons with an explosion of color in an exhibition charting the his progress over the past 50 years at the National Gallery in Edinburgh. "John Bellany: A Passion for Life" is a moving retrospective of some 75 o...

NEW YORK | Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:39pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Paul McCartney, Kanye West and Jon Bon Jovi will perform at a special "12.12.12" Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden next month, according to organizers. The Who, Roger Waters, Billy Joel and Alicia Keys have also signed up for the December...

By Isla Binnie LONDON | Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:26pm EST LONDON (Reuters) - Zeng Fanzhi may be one of the world's most feted and valuable living artists, but the Beijing-based painter says he has little time for the publicity such stature brings. Presenting a new showcase of canvases partly based on the 15th-century works of German master Albrecht Du...

Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:27am EST (Reuters) - The latest "Call of Duty" videogame had worldwide sales of more than $500 million in the first 24 hours of its release, a new record, game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc said on Friday. Shares of Activision rose about 3 percent following the news, even after the company said it remains cautious about the rest of 2012 an...

By Karolina Tagaris ATHENS | Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:53am EST ATHENS (Reuters) - Actors and the producer and director of an American play in Greece that depicted Jesus Christ and his apostles as gay have been charged with blasphemy, court officials said on Friday. A production of "Corpus Christi" in Athens was canceled this month after weeks of almos...

By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES | Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:55am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film adaptations of "Anna Karenina" have featured the likes of Greta Garbo and Vivien Leigh, but Keira Knightley isn't fazed about measuring up to such silver screen luminaries with a new cinematic take on Leo Tolstoy's classic novel. The British actress's turn in t...

By Andrea Burzynski NEW YORK | Fri Nov 16, 2012 9:37am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four deaf Wisconsin men were some of the first to seek justice after suffering childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a priest, and a new documentary about the Catholic Church's poor handling of such cases stemming from the Vatican seeks to make their voices heard. "M...

By Liana B. Baker NEW YORK | Fri Nov 16, 2012 8:32am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - NBC is expected to wrap up its fall season as the No. 1 broadcast network in the key 18-49 advertising demographic for the first time in a decade. The network's catapult to first place from fourth in the ratings is the biggest surprise so far of the young TV season. The...

LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:58pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Avengers" led the movie nominations for the annual People's Choice Awards on Thursday in a field packed with action films, while Maroon 5 and frontman Adam Levine won six nods in music and television categories. Justin Bieber, Channing Tatum - People magazine's latest "sexiest man ali...

LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:56pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The earliest known surviving feature in which Alfred Hitchcock is credited was released online on Thursday after sitting under the noses of archivists for decades. The recovered parts of 1924's "The White Shadow," in which Hitchcock served as an assistant director among other credits, will...

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:23pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As vampires Bella and Edward take their last bites on the big screen, Hollywood studios are on the hunt for the next "Twilight," a movie that plays on teenage angst and, more importantly, lights up the movie box office. The first four "Twilight" movies earned $2.5 ...

Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:22pm EST (Reuters) - Drug charges against the daughter of rock star Jon Bon Jovi were dropped on Thursday, a day after she suffered a suspected heroin overdose, officials in New York said. Oneida County District Attorney Scott D. McNamara said in a statement that Stephanie Bongiovi could not be charged because New York law prohibits the prosecu...

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:21pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The American Music Awards rings in its 40th year on Sunday, with top nominees like Rihanna and Nicki Minaj battling for the top trophies and Stevie Wonder leading a tribute to the show's late founder, Dick Clark. Variety is the key to this year's three-hour ceremo...

LOS ANGELES | Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:07pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "30 Rock" perpetual unlucky-in-love heroine Liz Lemon is finally getting her happy ending, as NBC invited fans on Thursday to watch her get married this month. After a string of bad boyfriends and unsuccessful romances, Lemon, played by comedienne Tina Fey, finds her soul mate in budding e...

Down at WLTG 97 and a bit a zany cast of characters are coming together to put on a traditional Live Radio Christmas Show. Unfortunately times are hard and their sponsors, Claus and Kringle, makers of an organic green “high octane” fuel called Reindeer Nuggets, --- ” … They’re bigger than diamonds, better than coal!” ---- are threatening to close the account if the show does not meet th...

LOS ANGELES | Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:52pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Criminal charges filed against a photographer who pursued teen pop star Justin Bieber at high speeds on a Los Angeles freeway in July were thrown out on Wednesday, striking a blow to California's crackdown on overly aggressive paparazzi. Celebri...

Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:46pm EST (Reuters) - Some of music's most notable names including Billy Joel, Rihanna and Missy Elliott have signed an open letter to Pandora Media Inc opposing the online music company's push to change how artists are compensated. Pandora is currently lobbying lawmakers in U.S. Congress to pass the "Internet Radio Fairness Act," which would ch...

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES | Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:52pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Twilight" fans bid an emotional farewell this week to Bella, Edward and Jacob in "Breaking Dawn-Part 2," the romantic book and movie franchise that ignited a pop culture infatuation with blood-sucking vampires and werewolves. The tumultuous love triangle between ...

Wed Nov 14, 2012 3:36pm EST (Reuters) - Rock star Jon Bon Jovi's daughter was arrested in New York state on Wednesday on drug possession charges following a suspected heroin overdose, local police said. Stephanie Bongiovi, 19, was found unresponsive in a dormitory room at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York from an alleged overdose and taken to a local medical ...

PARIS | Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:39pm EST PARIS (Reuters) - Warner Music and a joint venture led by British impresario Simon Fuller are among nine groups interested in buying Parlophone from Vivendi's Universal Music Group, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. Universal has received nine preliminary non-binding proposals for the label, the Financial Time...

NEW YORK | Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:17am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor Channing Tatum, who set female hearts fluttering in the summer movie hit "Magic Mike", was named the sexiest man alive by People magazine on Wednesday. "My first thought was, 'Y'all are messing with me," Tatum told the magazine after hearing the news.The 32-year-old actor, who is married t...

By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES | Wed Nov 14, 2012 8:08am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If moviegoers are expecting traditional family films in theaters this holiday season, they may be surprised. Hollywood filmmakers are releasing movies that feature epic battles with vampires, goblins, extremists and ...

By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES | Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:02am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bradley Cooper may be best known for his role in the hugely successful comedy franchise "The Hangover," but the American actor is gaining positive reviews for his role as a bipolar former teacher in "Silver Linings Playbook." In the film, which will be released on F...

By Peter Lauria Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:01pm EST (Reuters) - Former Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Michael Eisner has struck a distribution deal with Universal Pictures, a likely prelude to the media mogul raising money to fund film development. Terms of the multi-year deal call for Universal, owned by cable giant Comcast Corp, to market and distribute movies ...

By Sami Aboudi MANAMA | Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:04pm EST MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain's King Hamad opened one of the largest theatres in the Middle East this week as part of a drive to smooth over months of unrest that have rocked the Gulf Arab state. But the creation of an elegant cubic glass structure with a golden-colored roof by the seaside may do ...

LONDON | Tue Nov 13, 2012 8:10am EST LONDON (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones have added a fifth date to their 50th anniversary tour later this year, the band announced on its website. In between two shows at London's O2 Arena starting on November 25 and two more at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ opening on December 13 the veteran quartet will play the...

LONDON | Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:58am EST LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Charles does not have seven eggs cooked for him for breakfast, according to the Royal Family's new website which aims to dispel popular myths surrounding the British monarchy. "No, he doesn't and never has done, at breakfast or any other time", Clarence House said in response to the claims th...

By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES | Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:10am EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Christina Aguilera has the vocal chops, the look, the strut and millions of new fans thanks to her stint as a judge on TV singing contest "The Voice." But can she still sell records?The singer, who had global hits with "Genie in a Bottle" and the female empowerment...

SYDNEY | Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:19am EST SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian rock group INXS has called it quits as a live touring band after 35 years, thanking fans and honoring late frontman Michael Hutchence in a statement on Tuesday. INXS, which sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, including more than 10 million alone of their 1987 breakthrough "Kick", ...

By Ronald Grover Tue Nov 13, 2012 12:20am EST (Reuters) - NBC is expected to name Alexandra Wallace, a senior vice president of the network's news division, as the executive in charge of "The Today Show," the latest reshuffling of the show's personnel after it slipped to second in ratings this year behind "Good Morning America." Wallace, who would be the ...

LOS ANGELES | Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:37pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal entertainment unit is laying off about 500 employees at cable channels, Jay Leno's late-night TV show and the Universal Pictures movie studio, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Monday. The cuts add up to about 1.5 percent of the company's workforce ...

By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES | Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:27pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The puppeteer behind the "Sesame Street" character Elmo has taken a leave of absence from the children's television show to contest allegations, disputed by the performer and producers, that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old boy, the show's production ...

By Victoria Bryan and Maria Sheahan FRANKFURT | Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:16pm EST FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber shared the spoils in Frankfurt on Sunday at the MTV Europe Music Awards, each scooping three prizes at one of the biggest nights in the pop calendar outside the United States. American country singer Swift, who left the...