U.S. film-maker Robert Rodriguez, director of the bloody action sequel "Machete Kills," readily admits his wild flicks will not win him an Oscar.

While his style has been compared to that of his friend and Oscar-decorated collaborator Quentin Tarantino, Rodriguez recalled with a smile that he was never nominated for an Academy Award.

Once upon a time a poisonous cane toad lived in the South Sea Islands, unloved and unwanted. Condemned as an ecological disaster, the Australian army was even deployed to get rid of it.

Then one day a Polish fairy waved her wand and the plain old cane toad turned into a precious fashion accessory.

Grammy-winning U.S. rapper Cee Lo Green pleaded not guilty Monday to giving a woman ecstasy before going back to her hotel, but he was not charged with rape.

A lawyer for the musician and producer, who is a judge on U.S. talent show "The Voice," expressed satisfaction that prosecutors said there was not enough evidence for sexual assault charges.

Duke Ellington died nearly 40 years ago, but for jazz fans of a certain age his musical creativity and elegant style remain timeless.

Whether he was leading his orchestra in "Take the A Train," the composition by collaborator Billy Strayhorn that became Ellington's theme, or assuring his fans in his velvety bass-baritone that he loved them madly, the Duke's public persona as a jazz giant has endured for half a century.

Pop star Rihanna was asked to leave Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque complex for posing for "inappropriate" pictures outside one of the world's largest Muslim places of worship.

Authorities said they had taken action before the Barbadian diva entered the mosque itself, which is not off-limits to non-Muslims and has become a major tourist attraction in the United Arab Emirates capital.

When Carol Burnett launched her namesake variety show in the 1960s, one TV executive told her the genre was "a man's game." She proved him wrong with an 11-year run that averaged 30 million viewers each week.

On Sunday, the trailblazing comedienne received the nation's top humor prize at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Top entertainers including Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and others performed in Burnett's honor as she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Johnny Depp has made a surprise appearance at the London Film Festival to give a career honor to horror icon Christopher Lee.

Depp called Lee "a national treasure" and "a genuine artist" as he presented the 91-year-old actor with a British Film Institute Fellowship on Saturday.

The London Film Festival (LFF) closed on Sunday with the world's first screening of "Saving Mr Banks", the humorous and moving tale of Mary Poppins's adaption for the big screen.

The film off the film, released in the United States in mid-December, explores the stormy relationship between celebrated Hollywood producer Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks, and Pamela Lyndon Travers, the Mary Poppins author portrayed on film by British actress Emma Thompson.

Space disaster movie "Gravity" hovered atop the North American box office for a third consecutive week, earning just over $31 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The film, stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney -- both Oscar winners -- as astronauts adrift in space after a devastating accident, and has already generated rave reviews and Oscars buzz.

Written by Anthony Sargon

Just when I thought that "Gravity" had set the bar for movies this year, I've just come crashing back down to Earth. "12 Years a Slave" contains some of the best performances this year, including an Oscar-worthy turn by Chiwitel Ejiofor, and could just be one of the best movies ever made.