Vic Firth, who revolutionized drumsticks and became a household name for generations of percussionists after growing fed up with lackluster quality, has died, his company announced Monday. He was 85.

News of his death set off an avalanche of mourning messages on social media, with Vic Firth becoming a top trending item on Twitter, as percussionists recalled the sticks of the company he founded in 1963.

Flexing her muscles in defiance of the Gulf's conservative cultural stereotypes, bodybuilder Haifa Musawi has lost all hope of pumping iron for Bahrain so now is looking elsewhere for recognition.

The 32-year-old began working out a decade ago after finding a personal trainer to help her overcome obesity -- a widespread problem in the oil-rich region.

Scores of middle-aged Japanese women converged on a major Seoul hotel Monday, hoping for a glimpse of their favorite South Korean TV drama star on his wedding day. 

Actor Bae Yong-Joon, now 42, gained a fervent Japanese fan base in the early 2000s when he starred in the soap opera "Winter Sonata" -- a show widely credited with helping launch the Hallyu, or "Korean Wave," of K-pop and K-drama that swept much of Asia.

Celebrities offered their star power and top designers offered their clothes to a sale benefiting ovarian cancer research.

Dubbed by organizers as the Rolls-Royce of garage sales, Saturday's event — in a field in Water Mill, New York — featured items by more than 100 designers.

"Ant-Man" crept past new opener "Pixels" to claim the top spot at the box office this weekend by an ant-sized margin. The Disney and Marvel superhero pic brought in $24.8 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $106.1 million according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.

"Pixels," meanwhile, just barely missed first place with a $24 million debut. While studios always hope for the bragging rights of a No. 1 debut, the real issue here is whether or not the Adam Sandler end of the world comedy will make up its $88 million production budget.

An Egyptian appeals court on Sunday halved a jail term for a female dancer convicted of inciting debauchery after she featured in a controversial music video, a court official said.

Reda El-Fouly was arrested in May after wearing a revealing dress as she sang and danced in a video that went viral on the Internet.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only child of pop legend Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, died Sunday aged 22, six months after she was found unconscious in a bathtub in her home.

"She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months," a short family statement said, adding she was surrounded by loved ones as she slipped away.

U.S. rapper Snoop Dogg was briefly arrested by Swedish police on suspicion of using illegal drugs, police sources said Sunday.

"Police carrying out roadside controls noticed that Snoop Dogg (whose car was pulled over) seemed to be under the influence of narcotics. He was arrested and taken to the police station to take a urine test," said Daniel Nilsson, a police spokesman for the central Uppsala region.

"Ant-Man" has claimed first place at the box office for the second weekend in a row, narrowly besting new opener "Pixels."

The Marvel and Disney superhero pic brought in $24.8 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $106.1 million according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was among the illustrious guests who trod the red carpet to the Festspielhaus theater in Bayreuth on Saturday, at the glittering start to this year's month-long opera festival dedicated to the works of Richard Wagner.

Germany's political and social elite drove up Bayreuth's mythical Green Hill in black limousines for the eagerly-awaited premiere of a new production of "Tristan and Isolde" by the composer's great-granddaughter, Katharina Wagner.