SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Child rights advocates tried to convince a U.S. judge on Friday that a Facebook (FB.O ) legal settlement did not go far enough to keep content created by minors out of the hands of advertisers. Five plaintiffs filed a proposed class a... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – BlackBerry’s total market value plunged by more than one-fourth on Friday after the smartphone maker reported dismal quarterly results, prompting ever-deeper skepticism about a long-promised turnaround. BlackBerry, which has struggled to cl... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Intel Corp’s new CEO said on Friday he would speed up the rollout of chips for smartphones, tablets and wearable devices as consumers move away from personal computers. Brian Krzanich, an Intel manufacturing guru who took over as chie... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc said it will no longer allow ads to appear on pages with sexual or violent content, as the online social network moves to appease marketers being associated with objectionable material. The moves come a month after severa... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian government will review all sales of wireless airwave licenses and reject any deals that would lead to undue concentration, it said on Friday in its latest move to weaken the dominance of the country’s three big wireless carrier... More »
(Reuters) – Outsourcing and consulting services provider Accenture Plc cut its full-year outlook, citing a pullback in spending by its consulting business clients, after reporting third-quarter revenue below analysts’ estimates. Shares of Accenture, whose clie... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Michael Jackson’s eldest son testified on Wednesday in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by his family against AEG Live that the late pop star was unhappy with the concert promoter in the run-up to his “This Is It” concert series in 2009... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Almost 25 years ago, Bruce Springsteen gave communist East Germany its biggest ever rock concert in a performance that fuelled a spirit of rebellion and may have contributed to events that brought down the Berlin Wall, a new book says. In “R... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. rock singer Melissa Etheridge on Wednesday announced plans to marry partner Linda Wallem after the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings paved the way for gay marriage in California, the couple’s home state. Etheridge, 52, came out in 1993 ... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Rolling Stones, known for songs such as “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” have won a new publishing deal just as a series of shows this summer is set to boost interest in the band’s back catalogue. BMG, part of Ger... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Director Sam Mendes earned grudging critical acclaim for a stage musical of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” but was always going to struggle in comparison to much-loved past productions of Roald Dahl’s work. The glitzy new staging of Dah... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – At 85, Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau is writing his memoirs, teaching at the famed Actor’s Studio, and will soon appear on TV as octogenarian oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall who married the late Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith. Landau... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – After two years as a runner-up, Oprah Winfrey was named the most powerful celebrity on Wednesday by Forbes, heading the six women and four men who make up the top 10. It was the fifth time the former talk show host who runs her own TV netw... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Prince Jackson, the eldest son of late pop star Michael Jackson, is expected to testify on Wednesday in the wrongful death suit filed by his family against concert promoter AEG Live, a Jackson family attorney said. Lawyers for the Jacks... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – R&B singer Chris Brown, on probation for beating his former girlfriend, was charged on Tuesday with a hit-and-run and driving without a valid license in connection with a May 21 traffic accident in Los Angeles. Brown, 24, allegedly rear... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Broadway theaters will dim their marquees on Wednesday night in memory of James Gandolfini, who had a successful stage career in addition to his Emmy-winning role on HBO’s “The Sopranos.” “James Gandolfini was a consummate actor who brough... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The creator of the “Kick-Ass” action film franchise said on Monday that he was “baffled” over why its star Jim Carrey has publicly objected to violence in the movie since Carrey’s character takes an anti-gun stance and refuses to fire a... More »
GAZA (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of joyous fans turned out on Tuesday to welcome “Arab Idol” Mohammed Assaf on his return to the Gaza Strip and the song contest winner appealed for harmony among divided Palestinians. The fresh-faced 22-year-old from humble r... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – French actor Gerard Depardieu was involved in a car accident in Moscow on Tuesday when a taxi rammed into a Mercedes carrying him in his adopted homeland of Russia, where he is filming a movie. The 64-year-old star of films such as “Green Ca... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Famous directors, fans and even Darth Vader congratulated “Star Wars” creator George Lucas on Tuesday on his marriage to long-time girlfriend Mellody Hobson at his Skywalker ranch in California. Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, wh... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Film director Roland Emmerich has made obliterating the White House a trademark in his apocalyptic blockbusters and true to form, he ravages it in spectacular fashion with a terrorist attack in “White House Down,” opening in theaters on ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros. studio appointed four executives to leadership positions in its film division, the company said on Monday, replacing outgoing Warner Bros. Picture Group president Jeff Robinov. Robinov’s departure continue... More »
(Reuters) – Bobby “Blue” Bland, a pioneer of the modern soul-blues sound, died on Sunday, according to Memphis media reports. He was 83. Local television stations cited the Memphis Music Foundation, which could not be reached for comment. Bland was a member of... More »
ROME (Reuters) – The body of actor James Gandolfini, who died of a heart attack in Rome last week, was flown out of Italy on Sunday on a flight bound for New York, Rome airport authorities said. Gandolfini, best known for his leading role in the Emmy-winning s... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – American R&B singer Robin Thicke has notched up a fourth week at the top of the British pop charts with his summer hit “Blurred Lines”, the compiler said on Sunday. The Official Charts Company said Thicke sold a further 133,000 copies of the... More »
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The finalists of “Arab Idol” were as glamorous as Hollywood stars in their tuxedos and evening gowns, but their real lives couldn’t be further from the bright lights of the stage. The three hopefuls hailed from Syria, Egypt and the Palestini... More »
GAZA/RAMALLAH (Reuters) – Palestinian cities erupted in joy after Gazan singer Mohammed Assaf won the “Arab Idol” song contest final held in Beirut on Saturday night, providing a welcome break from the grinding conflict with Israel. The fresh-faced 22-year-old... More »
(Warning: contains graphic language.) By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Food Network said on Friday it would drop celebrity chef Paula Deen after the Southern food doyenne was sued for racial discrimination and admitted in a legal deposition to u... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Reality television star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West have named their baby daughter North West, according to a copy of the birth certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday. Kardashian, t... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Federal Aviation Administration advisory panel weighing whether to ease restrictions on in-flight use of personal technology devices like e-readers has delayed its recommendations by two months until late September, the FAA said on Fri... More »
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that German art seized by the Soviets in the wake of World War Two should be repatriated to Germany, a claim the Russian leader swiftly rejected. The tense excha... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Billboard’s weekly music chart will not include the 1 million copies of rapper Jay Z’s upcoming album that were sold to electronics maker Samsung as part of a promotion, the U.S. trade magazine said on Friday. Jay Z, 43, announced last ... More »
SEOUL/HONG KONG (Reuters) – South Korea has rejected preliminary casino licenses for two international bidders – a Caesars Entertainment Corp and Lippo Limited consortium, and Kazuo Okada’s Universal Entertainment Corp – in a surprise move that could stall the... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In front of a screaming crowd of fans, singer and actress Jennifer Lopez was honored for her musical accomplishments on Thursday when she received the 2,500th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Lopez, a New York City-native born to Pue... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Robert Downey Jr., who has gained huge box-office success with his portrayal of Iron Man, has signed on to star as the superhero in the next two installments of the “The Avengers,” Marvel Studios said on Thursday. Downey, 48, was ... More »
LOS ANGELES/ROME (Reuters) – Doctors at a Rome hospital battled for 40 minutes to try to save the life of James Gandolfini, best known for his Emmy-winning role as a mob boss in the TV series “The Sopranos,” before pronouncing him dead, the emergency room chie... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The remains of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of sci-fi fantasy television series “Star Trek,” will head for the final frontier next year. Scotty will be going along with him. Rodenberry’s cremated remains, along with those of his wife, ... More »
(Reuters) – A spike in sales of “The Sopranos” DVDs, downloads and merchandise based on the mafia series following star James Gandolfini’s death may only be short-lived and likely won’t provide much of a windfall for HBO and its parent Time Warner Inc. Sales o... More »
ATLANTA (Reuters) – One of U.S. celebrity chef Paula Deen’s employers said on Thursday it was monitoring the controversy over her admission that she has used a racial slur in the past, while Deen’s own company said the cooking star does not condone racism. In ... More »
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s annual Baalbek music festival has been forced to move from its usual venue among Roman ruins in the Bekaa Valley because of rocket fire and a spillover of fighting from Syria, organizers said on Thursday. Baalbek is a stronghold of... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The artistic director of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet, burned in an acid attack allegedly masterminded by a dancer, is nearly blind despite 18 operations to save his sight, a theatre spokeswoman said on Thursday. The attack on Sergei Filin, which... More »
(Reuters) – Olympic bronze medalist Justin Gatlin is not willing to call his surprising 100 meters victory over world record holder Usain Bolt a fluke. The American sprinter prefers to think of last month’s triumph as the opening act of journey that will bring... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – One of the world’s most visited cities but also famous for its rudeness, Paris has embarked on a campaign to improve its reputation and better cater to the needs of tourists. Waiters, taxi drivers and sales staff in the French capital all too... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Telecom equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent will focus on its high-growth fixed and mobile products and slim down via 1 billion euro in cost cuts by 2015 in a bid to reverse years of losses. The new plan unveiled on Wednesday by Michel Combes, the... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky’s expressionist masterpiece “Studie zu Improvisation 3, 1909” was the highlight and leading indicator for a flat Christie’s London Impressionist and modern art sale on Tuesday. The painting fell short of its... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rapper Kanye West pushes the boundaries of hip hop with his latest album “Yeezus,” using aggressive electro-dance music beats to channel his anger and win over critics, who have called the record “daring” and “ambitious.” “Yeezus,” the ... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Nvidia Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang said he will license graphics technology to other companies, a new model for the chipmaker that could lead to new business with Apple, Samsung and other mobile device makers. Huang told the Reuter... More »
(Reuters) – A stunt double for Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has sued News Corp over allegations its British newspapers hacked her phone, the first lawsuit in the United States against the company since the scandal broke two years ago. The lawsuit, file... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – One-eyed green monster Mike Wazowski and his giant blue, furry friend James P. “Sully” Sullivan go back in time as “scaring” students in “Monsters University,” as Walt Disney Co.’s Pixar Animation Studios pins its hopes for a blockbuste... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Art collector Charles Saatchi has been cautioned by police for assaulting his wife, the celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, after being photographed grabbing her by the throat in an incident that has fueled a debate in Britain about domestic viol... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Teen pop star Justin Bieber struck a photographer with his Ferrari sports car while driving away from a comedy club in Los Angeles on Monday night, but the accident was not considered a hit-and-run, police said. Video taken outside the ... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – British actor Jason Statham, known for playing the hard man in a list of Hollywood blockbusters, said he hoped his latest film “Hummingbird” would show a more emotional side to his acting even though the thriller is packed with violence. Sta... More »
SUN VALLEY, Idaho (Reuters) – The latest and most high-profile dispute between pay-TV distributors and content owners over the cost of programming pits DirecTV and Viacom Inc against each other. The two companies failed to reach a new contract before a midnigh... More »
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch’s international media business, FOX International Channels (FIC), is to buy a majority stake in a Dutch cable television soccer broadcaster, in a deal media reports said was worth around 1 billion euros ($1.24 billion). FIC... More »
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. conglomerate Anschutz Co said on Tuesday it wants to sell its sports and entertainment unit, whose assets range from teams like the Los Angeles Kings hockey franchise to concert venues such as London’s famous O2 arena — in... More »
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp boosted its share of Australia’s pay-TV market after shareholders in Consolidated Media Holdings Ltd voted in favor of a A$2 billion ($2.1 billion) takeover offer from News. The deal will double the stake of New... More »
(Reuters) – News Corp will acquire a 49 percent equity stake in the YES Network from the New York Yankees baseball club and its partners, giving the media company a major sports presence in the largest U.S. TV market. After three years, News Corp would be able... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Home Box Office said Sunday it extended its deal with Universal Pictures for the rights to the studio’s movies through 2022, allowing HBO to keep them away from video-streaming rival Netflix, which is aiming to compete with HBO, Showtim... More »
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Bertelsmann, Europe’s largest media company, is buying private equity firm KKR’s stake in their joint venture music rights management company BMG. The German group, best known for its TV arm RTL and publisher Random House, said on Friday ... More »
(Reuters) – Liberty Media Corp will buy a 27 percent stake in Charter Communications Inc, signaling Chairman John Malone’s return to his roots in cable television and a renewed appetite for consolidation in the sector. Chief Executive Greg Maffei said Liberty ... More »
(Reuters) – Ora.TV, the fledgling online digital TV network backed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, has acquired television production company Stick Figure Productions in order to expand its content. Terms of the deal, announced on Wednesday, were not discl... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc, the movie studio famous for family films like “Madagascar” and “Shark Tale”, has entered into a licensing agreement in Macau, the world’s biggest gambling destination, in a push to diversify revenues. The dea... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Longer-lasting batteries are crucial for a new crop of wearable computers whose rise may upend Apple and Google’s dominance of mobile devices, two of the field’s pioneers say. Wearable devices – from bracelets that monitor physical ac... More »
(Reuters) – British folk band Mumford & Sons’ bassist Ted Dwane posted a message on Monday saying he was recovering after brain surgery to remove a blood clot. Dwane posted a picture of himself with a shaved head on the band’s official website with the caption... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rapper Jay Z’s upcoming studio album will go to a million users of Samsung smartphones three days before its official release in a promotional deal, but the distribution is unlikely to count toward official sales figures, an industry ex... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Former advertising tycoon Charles Saatchi on Monday downplayed photographs in which he is shown grabbing his wife, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, around the neck, saying it was just a “playful tiff.” Britain’s Sunday People newspaper publish... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Veteran British rock bands Motorhead and Black Sabbath were crowned the kings of heavy metal on Monday, winning the top accolades at the UK’s top metal music awards, the Metal Hammer Golden Gods. Motorhead, best known for its 1980 hit “Ace o... More »
(Reuters) – Google Inc has settled a shareholder class action lawsuit that clears the way for the company to issue a new class of nonvoting stock, giving the company a currency for acquisitions that would not dilute the founders’ control. The online search eng... More »
(Reuters) – “Man of Steel,” the big-budget reboot of the Superman franchise, leaped over the apocalyptic buddy comedy “This is the End,” collecting a muscular $113.1 million to lead the domestic box office with the year’s second-largest debut weekend and the b... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – The British rock band Black Sabbath’s album “13!” has given them a first British Number One album in nearly 43 years, a record interval between chart-toppers, the Official Charts Company said on Sunday. Black Sabbath were last at the top of ... More »
(Reuters) – Google Inc has launched a small network of balloons over the Southern Hemisphere in an experiment it hopes could bring reliable Internet access to the world’s most remote regions, the company said late Friday. The pilot program, Project Loon, took ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Reality television star Kim Kardashian gave birth to a girl fathered by rapper Kanye West, celebrity magazines People and Us Weekly reported Saturday. Each magazine posted a story on its website citing an unnamed source in confirming th... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – More than a hundred Russian ballet fans rallied in Moscow on Saturday in support of a top dancer who says he is being chased out of the Bolshoi Theatre due to disputes in the wake of an acid attack on its artistic director earlier this year.... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch appears to be seeking a quiet divorce, based on the lawyer he has chosen and the absence of incendiary allegations, people with knowledge of the case and experience of high-profile New York divorces said. Divorce papers file... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Malaysian author Tan Twan Eng has won the Walter Scott Prize, which honors historical fiction writers, for his post-World War Two novel, “The Garden of Evening Mists.” Tan, who was born in Penang, Malaysia, and lives in South Africa, accep... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Grammy Award-winning singer Adele and Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson were among more than 1,000 people recognized by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in her Birthday Honors List on Friday. Marking the monarch’s official 87th birthday, the honors went... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Kim Deal, the bass player behind some of the Pixies’ biggest hits, has left the 1980s alternative rock band, its remaining members said on Friday. Deal’s pulsing bass and understated singing punctuated the influential group’s early song... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger appear in the new film “Twenty Feet from Stardom,” but only to shine the spotlight on the unsung backup singers who make them sound even better. Opening in New York and Los Angeles on Friday and expanding ... More »
(Reuters) – Broadcast Music Inc (BMI), a songwriters’ rights organization, is suing Pandora Media after the Internet radio company rejected a request to pay a higher license fee for playing songs across various devices, including mobile phones. In a lawsuit fi... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Actor Ethan Hawke is returning to Broadway in a production of ‘Macbeth’, with performances set to begin in October at Lincoln Center, the performing arts center said. ‘Macbeth’ will be directed by Jack O’Brien, who helmed the acclaimed 200... More »
BEIJING (Reuters) – The wife of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has written an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, protesting against her house arrest and her brother’s jailing, which activists have called official retribution on the fami... More »
(Reuters) – News Corp said its Chief Financial Officer David DeVoe would retire following the company’s separation into two business at the end of June. The company said Deputy Chief Financial Officer John Nallen will become CFO of 21st Century Fox, which will... More »
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras moved to defuse a political crisis over the government’s abrupt closure of state broadcaster ERT that prompted a nationwide strike on Thursday and brought thousands into the streets in protest. Samaras, w... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr put snapshots of his musical and creative life on display in a new exhibit, “Ringo: Peace & Love,” which opened on Tuesday at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Starr, 72, was on hand at the exhibit, wh... More »
(Reuters) – When Walt Disney Co introduced its latest video game, Infinity, to the gaming faithful this week at the annual E3 gaming conference, it rented a Los Angeles movie theater to show 30-minute clips of upcoming films and hosted a party with the glitz i... More »
HUAIROU, China (Reuters) – A Chinese court on Sunday sentenced the brother-in-law of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison on charges of fraud in a case that rights activists have called another example of official retribution on t... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Auctioneers are pinning their hopes on “uber-collectors” to help London summer art sales top last year’s $1 billion total when the series kicks off later this month. Estimates from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and smaller rivals such as Phillips an... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – Alexander Pereira, the next manager of Italian opera house La Scala, would like to have an Italian music director, ideally Riccardo Muti or Claudio Abbado, he told an Austrian newspaper. Pereira, an Austrian who is now artistic director of t... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A dream-like painting of children releasing kites by Brazil’s Candido Portinari sold for $1.4 million at Christie’s Latin American art sale and set a world auction record for the artist. Portinari’s 1941 “Meninos Soltando Pipas” was the to... More »
(Reuters) – ESPN, the sports channel that is Walt Disney Co’s most profitable unit, is cutting 300 to 400 jobs across the company and closing a small Denver office, a person with knowledge of the cuts said. The job cuts, comprising 4 to 6 percent of ESPN’s sta... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Media giant Walt Disney Co reported a 32 percent increase in profit that beat Wall Street expectations, boosted by higher spending and attendance at U.S. theme parks, and the movie box office success of “Oz the Great and Powerful.” Reve... More »
(Reuters) – International hit “Iron Man 3” flew into U.S. and Canadian theaters, kicking off Hollywood’s summer blockbuster season with $15.6 million in ticket sales late Thursday and early Friday. The superhero sequel from Walt Disney Co’s Marvel studio is ex... More »
(Reuters) – DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by the worldwide success of its animated film, “The Croods”, sending its shares up 9 percent in after-hours trading. “The Croods,” which tracks a prehistoric famil... More »
(Reuters) – DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by the worldwide success of its animated film, “The Croods”, sending its shares up 9 percent in after-hours trading. “The Croods,” which tracks a prehistoric famil... More »
(Reuters) – Arthur Minson, a former senior officer at online media company AOL, has been named the new finance chief of No. 2 U.S. cable provider Time Warner Cable Inc. Minson, who had worked as a deputy chief financial officer at Time Warner Cable from 2007-0... More »
TORONTO (Reuters) – The head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp’s English-language service is leaving the public broadcaster to join micro-blogging company Twitter, the CBC said on Monday. Kirstine Stewart, the CBC’s executive vice-president of English services... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Thomson Reuters has dismissed Matthew Keys, the deputy social media editor of Reuters.com who was indicted on charges of aiding members of the Anonymous hacking collective, Keys said in a Twitter message on Monday. Thomson Reuters spo... More »
MILAN (Reuters) – Italian private broadcaster Mediaset on Thursday dismissed a media report that it could sell its pay-TV business Mediaset Premium, saying it had no plans to do so. The company said in a statement Mediaset Premium was a strategic asset and tha... More »
(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co on Wednesday confirmed the company is laying off employees in its movie studio division, a cost-cutting step after a review of the unit’s operations. In a brief statement, Disney said it “made the difficult decision to reduce our sta... More »
LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – News Corp’s Fox TV network raised the stakes in its battle with Web startup Aereo Inc on Monday, threatening to remove itself from the free airwaves entirely and become a cable channel if courts do not shut down the online TV service. The... More »
