Jennifer Lopez is the world's most powerful celebrity, according to Forbes magazine Wednesday in a rankings based on a combination of earnings, press coverage and Internet presence.

Lopez headed the 100-strong list, up from 50th last year, while her American Idol colleague Ryan Seacrest was 29th. Lady Gaga, the pop singer, came in at number five, toppled from her top perch last year.

Chuck Brown, the widely acknowledged "godfather" of the Go-Go funk music style that flourished in Washington in the 1980s, died Wednesday in hospital, his manager and family said. He was 75.

The gravel-voiced guitarist behind such floor-fillers as "We Need Some Money," "Go-Go Swing" and "Run Joe" was recently stricken with pneumonia after an operation to remove a blood clot, the Washington Post reported.

Mary Richardson Kennedy, the 52-year-old estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, has died, her family said Wednesday, in what local media called an apparent suicide at her home in suburban New York.

"We deeply regret the death of our beloved sister Mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her," the Richardson family said in a statement sent to Agence France Presse by their attorney.

Flamboyant British comic Sacha Baron Cohen sparked minor chaos on Cannes' fabled Croisette beachfront Wednesday as his zany alter ego General Aladeen took a morning stroll on his camel Osama.

The star of "The Dictator" ordered his mini-skirted amazonian bodyguards to point their assault rifles at the press pack outside the ritzy Carlton Hotel before he straddled his humped beast and headed for a nearby cafe.

The stars of much-loved classic film "Casablanca" may always have Paris, but on Wednesday they will have Facebook.

The legendary black-and-white film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Berman will be streamed free at Facebook in the United States to celebrate the release of a 70th anniversary edition by Warner Home Video.

A male masseur who accused John Travolta of sexual battery has withdrawn a lawsuit, his lawyer said Tuesday, as the star's attorney vowed a similar second legal action would also fail.

The first alleged victim, identified only as John Doe, filed his lawsuit last week, seeking $2 million and alleging that Travolta grabbed his penis after receiving a massage at a Beverly Hills hotel in January.

Carlos Fuentes, who died Tuesday aged 83, was one of the Spanish-speaking world's best known writers, famous for his prolific output and his use of experimental language.

President Felipe Calderon announced the writer's death in a message on his Twitter account. The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature confirmed he had died in a Mexico City hospital.

Kooky comedy and buffoonery are on the agenda Wednesday as the 65th Cannes Film Festival, with its trademark mix of high cinematic art and Hollywood glitz, kicks off on a light note.

U.S. director Wes Anderson brings his whimsical touch with the opening film "Moonrise Kingdom", a pre-teen elopement fantasy whose star-packed cast includes Bruce Willis as a small-town cop and Bill Murray as a morose parent.

Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are joining the judging panel on "The X Factor" this fall, part of Fox's effort to boost its underperforming music competition shows.

The network's executives, in presenting next season's schedule to advertisers on Monday, also promised changes for "American Idol." While "Idol" remains Fox's centerpiece, as it has been for the past decade, it has lost a quarter of its audience this year.

Lady Gaga might have to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia because police worry her sexy clothes and dance moves undermine Islamic values and will corrupt the country's youth.

National police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said Tuesday the permit for her June 3 "Born This Way Ball" concert — the biggest show on her Asian tour — had been denied. Jakarta police recommended the denial.