Written by Anthony Sargon

The story of Captain Phillips' capture by a group of Somali pirates has been covered extensively in the news. One thing that always stood out in the coverage was Phillips' insistence that he was no hero; he merely tried to get the pirates off the ship and got captured in the process. "Captain Phillips" works because it doesn't turn the character into some fictional hero, but instead gives us an authentic look into what it may have been like to be in his shoes. It has a few flaws, but it's a thrilling ride nonetheless.

Woody Allen has pulled his latest movie "Blue Jasmine" from India because he objects to mandatory anti-tobacco warnings being displayed during smoking scenes, reports said Tuesday.

PVR Pictures, Indian distributor of the critically acclaimed film, said the director considered the required additions -- written warnings that appear on-screen during smoking scenes -- unacceptable, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks has stunned fans by revealing on a U.S. late-night talk show that he's living with Type 2 diabetes.

Hanks, 57, was promoting his new movie "Captain Phillips" -- about the capture of a U.S. cargo ship by Somali pirates -- when he made the surprise disclosure on CBS television's "Late Night with David Letterman" on Monday.

Medical files proving that screen icon Marilyn Monroe underwent cosmetic surgery including on her nose and chin are to be sold at auction next month, auctioneers said Tuesday.

The files going under the hammer include X-rays of the "Some Like It Hot" sex symbol who died aged 36 in 1962, as well as doctors' notes which show she had an ectopic pregnancy five years before her death.

Saudi Arabia's first ever candidate for the foreign language Oscar is among 76 movies on the Academy Award long-list announced Monday, while Pakistan has entered its first film in five decades.

Moldova and Montenegro have also submitted movies for the first time, among the hopefuls for the best foreign film at the 2014 Oscars, the climax of Hollywood's annual awards season next March.

South Korean pop icon Rain will visit Japan next month for his first concert tour after being released from military service, his agency said Tuesday.

The "2013 Rain Zepp Tour: Story of Rain" will begin with performances in Nagoya on November 14-15, Rain's management agency Cube DC said.

Superstition holds it's good luck to cross a newborn's palm with silver to wish the child riches and health, but Britain's baby Prince George is getting something more: A whole new set of coins in his honor.

Britain's Royal Mint said the 5 pound coin (with a face value of $8) will carry the image of the child's great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II on the front and cherubs and lilies on the back.

Vandals scrawled graffiti on John Lennon's sidewalk star on Hollywood's storied Walk of Fame over the weekend, prompting an urgent clean-up days before fans gather for the Beatles icon's birthday.

The unidentified graffiti artist or artists scribbled a smiley face and various messages on the star, which is next to those of his Fab Four band mates outside the Capitol Records building in downtown Hollywood.

Bridget Jones returns after a 14-year break on Thursday, in a new book which sees the famed British singleton widowed with two children but still grappling with modern life and unsuitable men.

Author Helen Fielding has already dropped the bombshell news about the death of Mark Darcy, the devastatingly handsome love interest who helped the two previous books sell 15 million copies across 40 countries.

Seven years after being named Esquire magazine's sexiest woman alive, Scarlett Johansson has earned the title for a second time.

Johansson, who also won in 2006, is the first woman to get the honor twice. Last year's winner was Mila Kunis.