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Prince Plays London Living-Room Gig

When Prince came to London a few years ago, he played more than 20 nights at the vast O2 arena. This time, he played a suburban living room to a dozen people.

The enigmatic star flew into London on Tuesday at the start of a still-evolving string of dates in support of forthcoming album "Plectrum Electrum," recorded with all-female trio 3RDEYEGIRL.

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'Japan's Beethoven' Admits Using Ghost Composer

A deaf composer, dubbed Japan's Beethoven, confessed Wednesday to hiring someone to write his most iconic works, leaving duped broadcaster NHK red-faced, and casting a cloud over a figure skater set to dance to his music in Sochi.

Mamoru Samuragoch shot to fame in the mid 1990s with classical compositions that provided the soundtrack to video games including Resident Evil, despite having had a degenerative condition that affected his hearing since childhood.

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Clooney Directs A-listers to Work for Cheap in 'Monuments Men'

George Clooney stars both in front of and behind the camera in his latest film, about a little-known group of heroes who risked all to rescue stolen art from the Nazis in World War II.

And he managed to persuade some of his fellow A-listers to take big pay cuts to appear in the "The Monuments Men," which is being released Friday in the United States.

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U2 Freebie Rakes in $3 Million to Combat AIDS

Rock group U2's new single "Invisible" raised more than $3 million for the fight against AIDS during the 36 hours it was available for free on iTunes, it was revealed Tuesday.

It scored more than one million downloads in the hour after it premiered in a Bank of America commercial during Sunday's Super Bowl, then picked up two million more until the free offer ended Monday midnight (0500 GMT Tuesday.)

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It Wasn't Always Wine, Roses and 'Wall Street' for Leonardo DiCaprio

By Glenn Whipp (LA Times)

Driving to Silver Lake the other day to visit his father, Leonardo DiCaprio passed through the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue, the neighborhood where he spent the first nine years of his life. Back then, DiCaprio says, he'd be in the car, riding to and from school, and see micro-skirted prostitutes on every corner. In the alleyway near his home, he'd occasionally notice people smoking crack and shooting heroin.

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'Ride Along' Drives N. American Box Office

Cop comedy "Ride Along" motored to the top of the North American box office for a third weekend in a row, final figures showed Monday.

The action flick starring Kevin Hart and Ice Cube easily outpaced its rivals, earning $12 million in the United States and Canada, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.

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Allen Rejects 'Untrue and Disgraceful' Sex Abuse Claims

Legendary film director Woody Allen hit back Sunday at his adopted daughter's allegations of sexual abuse during her youth, calling them "untrue and disgraceful."

In a strongly-worded statement, Allen's New York publicist emphasized the filmmaker had never faced criminal charges over the claims and that experts at an earlier hearing had found there was no evidence of molestation.

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Judge Says Chris Brown should Remain in Treatment

A judge says Chris Brown should remain in a rehabilitation facility and turned down a prosecutor's motion to have the R&B singer jailed over an arrest in Washington, D.C. last year.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Brandlin says Brown appears to be making progress in a treatment facility and should remain there.

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Movie Review: 20 feet from stardom (2013)

Written by Anthony Sargon

Out of the five Academy Award nominated documentaries this year, “20 Feet From Stardom” is probably the weakest. It’s not that the film is uninteresting or offensive; it just plays it too safe and, to quote a friend, feels more like a VH1 special than an actual theatrical documentary. Still, it’s an honest and enlightening look at the lives of backup singers and the pain they go through when trying to make it on their own, and it’s most certainly worth watching if you’re a fan of music.

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Movie Review: Cutie and the Boxer (2013)

Written by Anthony Sargon

First-time director Zachary Heinzerling has crafted something truly special and memorable with “Cutie and the Boxer.” The documentary gives audiences a candid and honest look into the lives of Ushio and Noriko Shinohora, an aging Japanese couple who moved to Brooklyn decades ago to pursue their careers as artists. While Ushio has experienced a decent level of success and notoriety, it hasn’t necessarily led to a big bank account. As the documentary plays on, we learn more and more about this strange and unique couple, their past, and where they might be headed in the future.

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