China's box office sales surged 36 percent in 2014, state-run media reported Thursday, as the world's second-largest film market after the United States added thousands of screens.

Cinemas took in 29.6 billion yuan ($4.77 billion) in ticket sales last year with domestic films accounting for a little more than half the total, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Vinyl sales and music streaming both soared by more than 50 percent in 2014 in the United States, even as overall sales kept declining, a music industry monitor said.

With few blockbuster releases and streaming becoming more mainstream, consumers in the world's largest music market bought 257 million albums last year, a drop of 11 percent from 2013, Nielsen SoundScan said in data released late Wednesday.

Kanye West and Paul McCartney, two music legends from opposite sides of the track, have teamed up in an unlikely collaboration on a new single released Thursday called "Only One".

The soft ballad, which West said was inspired by his daughter, features the vocals of the world-famous rapper and former Beatle McCartney on the organ.

Dubai celebrated the New Year with a light and sound extravaganza at midnight Wednesday at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest tower.

The 828-meter (2,716-foot) tower was lit up with different-coloured panels as the clock counted down to 2015.

A dazzling display of fireworks lit up Sydney Harbor on Thursday as Australia's biggest city welcomed the New Year in spectacular style, defying terrorist fears days after a deadly siege.

From Hong Kong to London and New York to Rio, millions around the world will celebrate when the clock ticks past midnight, ringing in 2015 with massive fireworks displays, concerts and light shows. 

Jennifer Lopez decided to hit the road after her split from singer Marc Anthony two years ago.

She went on her first world tour, visiting 65 cities on five continents and reaching 1 million fans.

Jennifer Lawrence says she'd be fine if she got Ebola, in a video that encourages Americans to focus more on West Africans far more likely to die from the dreaded virus.

The Oscar-winning actress teamed up with fellow stars from "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1" for the nearly two-minute online public service announcement from the Ebola Survival Fund.

Veteran actor John Hurt was given a knighthood and 1960s fashion designer Mary Quant, pioneer of the mini-skirt and hotpants, made a dame in Britain's New Year Honors List released Tuesday.

Other stars to be honored include "English Patient" actress Kristin Scott Thomas and campaigning television presenter Esther Rantzen.

Controversial comedy "The Interview" scored almost $18 million in online rentals and purchases, entertainment giant Sony said, following an embarrassing cyberattack and threats.

The low-brow, R-rated comedy featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco revolves around the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

A Las Vegas man has been charged with drunk driving after he crashed into Jennifer Lopez's Rolls Royce, in which she was riding, in Malibu, California.

Los Angeles County prosecutors said in a statement Monday that 53-year-old Robert John Reitz was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and driving at nearly twice the legal blood-alcohol limit. He could get six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted.