As Europe grapples with its biggest migrant crisis in recent history, Hollywood celebrities are rallying to raise awareness about the issue and lashing out at calls to turn away refugees.
Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon this month became the latest star to arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos, a frontline for the crisis, where she is spending the Christmas holiday helping new arrivals and writing about her experience for the Huffington Post and RYOT.org, a virtual reality news company.

Nicolas Cage has agreed to give back a national treasure from Mongolia.
A publicist for the star of the "National Treasure" adventure films confirmed Tuesday that Cage was the unwitting buyer of a dinosaur skull that federal prosecutors in New York say was stolen. Prosecutors announced last week that they were seeking court approval to take custody of the 32-inch fossil so it could be returned to the Asian nation, but they did not name the buyer.

One of New Jersey's "Real Housewives" is set to be freed after serving nearly a year in prison for bankruptcy fraud.
A lawyer for Teresa Giudice (JOO'-dys) says she will travel home to Montville, New Jersey, upon her release Wednesday from the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut. She will be on home confinement until Feb. 5.

Madame Claude, considered France's most famous brothel keeper whose clients were said to include John F. Kennedy and Marlon Brando, has died, according to a death certificate seen by AFP on Tuesday.
Real name Fernande Grudet, she passed away on Saturday in the Mediterranean resort of Nice at the age of 92 after a long period in hospital.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Quentin Tarantino got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, just days before the release of his latest movie "The Hateful Eight."
Tarantino recalled to a crowd that had gathered for the event outside the Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard how his parents used to take him to see films at the famed theatre, including "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" or his first James Bond movie, "Diamonds are Forever."

Yanni, the prolific New Age composer known for extravagant live performances, plans a busy 2016 that includes broadcast of a concert at the Pyramids.
The Greek-born, U.S.-based keyboardist announced that "Yanni: The Dream Concert -- Live from the Great Pyramids of Egypt," will air on U.S. public broadcaster PBS in March.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" set a record for the highest-grossing opening weekend at the U.S. and Canadian box office with an estimated $238 million in sales, Walt Disney studios said Sunday.
The figure shatters the previous record set by "Jurassic World" earlier this year when it premiered to $208.8 million.

Miss Colombia was wrongly named Miss Universe in a dramatic mix-up in front of a global television audience of millions Sunday, before the rightful winner Miss Philippines was finally handed the glittering crown.
The pageant's host, U.S. comedian Steve Harvey, misread his cue card and initially announced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, had triumphed.

U.S. rapper and songwriter Nicki Minaj ignored international critics Saturday and performed at a concert linked to the family of Angola's long-ruling President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
The 33-year-old hip-hop star entertained several thousand of people at a Christmas concert in the Angolan capital Luanda despite calls from rights groups to cancel the tour, which they saw as an endorsement of the authoritarian rule of dos Santos.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" smashed the opening night record in the United States and Canada and was poised to become one of the biggest grossing movies ever, industry experts said Friday.
The latest installment of the highly anticipated space epic raked in $57 million for its opening night Thursday, easily beating the previous record -- $43.5 million -- held by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" in 2011.
