Six European, two Latin American and one African film have made the shortlist for the foreign language Oscar, announced in Los Angeles Friday.

Films by directors from Argentina, Estonia, Georgia, Mauritania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Venezuela made the shortlist, which will be narrowed down to five nominees next month ahead of the February show. 

Live Nation on Friday expanded its empire of global music festivals by acquiring C3 Presents, which runs the acclaimed Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza.

The two companies said that Live Nation Entertainment would take a controlling stake in C3 Presents, subject to regulatory approval. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Sony Pictures boss Michael Lynton denied Friday the Hollywood studio has "caved" by canceling the release of "The Interview," and said it still hoped to release the controversial film.

He also hit back at President Barack Obama's claim that it had made a "mistake" in pulling the movie, three and a half weeks after a massive cyber-attack blamed on North Korea angered by the film.

Rising rapper Bobby Shmurda, who scored a top 10 hit that spawned the "Shmoney Dance" craze, on Thursday was facing 25 years in prison on violence and drug charges.

Shmurda and seven associates were arrested early Wednesday morning near a recording studio in New York's Times Square, while seven others were arrested elsewhere, prosecutors said.

Court records show Kris and Bruce Jenner have finalized their divorce, but they won't be officially single until March.

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday signed off on the couple's divorce judgment that ends the pair's 23-year marriage.

The city of New York and Lincoln Center are evicting the invitation-only, twice-yearly Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in a court spat over destroyed trees and displaced park benches.

A judge Friday approved a pretrial settlement in a complaint brought by community groups. They objected to the onslaught of the fashion industry at Damrosch Park, a stretch on the Upper West Side that is adjacent to and managed by Lincoln Center.

Brazilian author Paulo Coelho offered Thursday to pay Sony $100,000 for rights to "The Interview," protesting the company's decision to scrap the North Korean parody film amid chilling threats from hackers.

Sony Pictures canceled the December 25 release of the film after major theater chains in the United States and Canada said they would not screen the madcap comedy in which two television journalists are recruited to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

The unprecedented hack of Sony Pictures which a U.S. official says is linked to North Korea may be the most damaging cyber-attack ever inflicted on an American business.

The fallout from the hack that exposed a trove of sensitive documents, and this week escalated to threats of terrorism, forced Sony to cancel release of the North Korean spoof movie "The Interview." The studio's reputation is in tatters as embarrassing revelations spill from tens of thousands of leaked emails and other company materials.

Elton John and his partner David Furnish plan to tie the knot for a second time, following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Britain.

The singer's spokesman, Gary Farrow, said Wednesday that the weekend ceremony will be private.

Princess Charlene of Monaco has revealed that the royal twins born last week were delivered by cesarean section — two weeks before they were due, and she hopes to be out of the hospital by Christmas.

The South Africa-born new mother of two has given her first interviews to French media since the Dec. 10 births — 15 days early — that captivated the tiny principality.