Director Ken Loach is not impressed. "Happy films for happy people" is the withering verdict of the man who made his name with the likes of "Cathy Come Home" and "Kes" on much of today's film and television.

Movies and programs now "don't ask questions... like a soft cushion for the brain... the life squeezed out of it by so many bureaucrats above," he says.

Michael Jackson's family tried several times to carry out "interventions" on the singer to help him fight drug addiction, but he denied having a problem, a trial heard Thursday.

The late King of Pop's mother Katherine Jackson told police a few months after his June 2009 death about the attempts to convince her son to do something about his drug abuse, a detective said.

India's movie industry toasted its 100th birthday on Friday with the release of two films celebrating its humble origins in the silent era and the influence of glamorous modern-day Bollywood.

"Bombay Talkies" comprises four short stories inspired by India's love of cinema and the impact of the movies, created by some of the country's leading filmmakers.

"Iron Man 3" is expected to launch America's summer blockbuster season with a bang this weekend, having already taken global box offices by storm, industry analysts say.

Robert Downey Jr returns as the metal-suited Marvel superhero, in a sequel to the last "Iron Man" movie in 2010, but also playing off the back of last year's comic-book mega hit "The Avengers," which also featured him.

An Algerian singer accused of poking fun at the police in one of his songs on Thursday was given a suspended six-month sentence and fined around 1,000 euros, an Agence France Presse correspondent at the court reported.

A court in the western city of Oran issued the verdict against Cheb Faisal, 29, who was arrested last month after a complaint was filed by the general directorate of national security (DGSN) for performing a song that allegedly made fun of the police agency and its head, Abdelghani Hamel.

The much-anticipated Spice Girls musical "Viva Forever" will close June 29 after a disappointing six-month run in London.

Producer Judy Craymer said Thursday that despite improvements to the show "we just can't make it work."

Rapper Chris Kelly, who shot to fame as part of the 1990s duo Kriss Kross, has been found dead at his home in Atlanta, reports said Thursday. He was 34.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its website that Kelly's death was being treated as a possible drug overdose.

Outfits and wigs worn by Elizabeth Taylor in "Cleopatra" and Kirsten Dunst in "Marie Antoinette" have gone on show in the U.S. capital in a salute to the skills of Italian costumers.

"Star Wigs: The Italian Hand Creates," which runs through May 11 at the Italian embassy in Washington, brings together 100-odd creations from such famous Italian houses as Rochetti and Rochetti, Peruzzi and Farani.

Do those New World Cabernets and Zinfandels make your head spin? Fed up with having to stop drinking after just one glass?

Plenty of wine lovers around the world will have noticed their favorite tipples are getting stronger, and many of them are unhappy about the hangovers that come with increased alcohol levels.

There's something of the old married couple about Gwyneth Paltrow andRobert Downey Jr., though they're married to other people.

They've known each other for 20 years, through bad times (his) and good (hers all along and now his, too). They're cozy and comfy sitting down together for an interview, shifting easily between talking about their Marvel Studios superhero sequel "Iron Man 3," chatting up each other's career and family and trading small talk about their little ailments as Downey rummages through a case of nostrums he travels with.