First there was Marley, the rambunctious Labrador retriever whose death brought readers to tears in John Grogan's "Marley and Me." Now there's Sammy, a mixed-breed hound who's the subject of another tear-jerker, a children's book, "Sammy in the Sky."

When her beloved hound dog died, Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist Barbara Walsh watched her young daughters tearfully struggle with their loss and with tough questions. Walsh quickly realized there was a story to be told, one that she hopes will help other families deal with the loss of a pet.

The British Fashion Council on Monday honored Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen as Designer of the Year for 2011.

The council said Burton — who earlier this year drew praise for designing Kate Middleton's much-heralded wedding dress — has "allowed McQueen's legacy to live on while still giving her own twist of creative genius to a collection that has outshone its rivals on and off the catwalk."

Anne Hathaway has signed on for a new role: Fiancee.

A spokesman for the 29-year-old actress says Hathaway is engaged to boyfriend and fellow actor Adam Shulman.

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham's elevation into the fashion industry's elite was confirmed when she was awarded a major prize at Britain's most prestigious design awards.

The singer, wife of iconic footballer David Beckham, won the Best Designer Brand prize on Monday at the British Fashion Awards ceremony held in central London's exclusive Savoy Hotel.

The login details of 73,000 users of a popular Finnish family-oriented discussion forum were stolen and posted online in the latest in a series of widespread hacking attacks, police said Monday.

"We are aware of this incident and are investigating it as part of our wider investigation into the hacking attacks," police investigator Timo Piiroinen told Agence France Presse.

The real-life plot involves a dashing American superstar's historic encounter with a legendary Soviet figure; not to mention a young Russian couple lured away by an alleged dark force.

The turbulent build-up to the new production of Tchaikovsky's ballet "Sleeping Beauty" at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre has often read like the most fantastical fairytale.

After a slump of over a decade, Taiwan's home-grown films are not only sweeping box offices at home but winning awards and hit status overseas thanks to a new cohort of filmmakers.

Box office revenues for local films as of mid-November had already set a new record of Tw$1.5 billion ($50 million) -- triple the 2010 full-year figure, and up a staggering 200-fold from 2001.

Who says "Frosty the Snowman" has to be jolly?

A man in a "Frosty the Snowman" costume was arrested Saturday during the annual Christmas parade in Chestertown, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He's accused of scuffling with police and kicking at a police dog.

An original, autographed drawing by Walt Disney, believed to have been made about 1920 before he hit it big in the entertainment world, will go up for auction in Reno this week.

The whimsical drawing of a cigar-chomping man wearing a derby hat will be among 1,400 items up for sale at the two-day auction set to begin Tuesday at the Atlantis Casino Resort.

A Paris auction of items related to Herge's comic book reporter Tintin, whose adventures have been adapted for the big screen by Steven Spielberg, fetched more than 1.8 million euros Saturday.

Auctioneers Arcturial said the sale, including costs, had brought in 1,873,396 euros ($2,480,095) -- far more than the one million euros expected.