George Clooney knows the country is going through a tough time with the government shutdown. But the actor is optimistic that "cooler heads will prevail" and let things get back to normal.

He applauded U.S. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, as one of the "guys on the right," trying to get the government back up and running.

From camel carpaccio to camel bourguignon and gold-leaf burger, the meat offered traditionally at big festivities of bedouins has become a fancy ingredient in the Gulf's prestigious restaurants.

Under the golden dome of Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace, which bills itself as a seven-star hotel, French chef Sandro Gamba proudly presents his latest: a camel burger bedded in gold-leaf bread, served with onion jam and smoked halloumi cheese.

Hollywood A-lister Angelina Jolie will direct her new film "Unbroken" in Australia, using Sydney and rural parts of New South Wales state as locations, it was announced Tuesday.

The World War II movie is only Jolie's second foray into directing, after the critically-acclaimed 2011 movie "Land of Blood and Honey", and the actress has been in Sydney with her children in recent weeks scouting locations.

Tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Aleksandra Kurzak have something to sing about: They're having a baby.

The Metropolitan Opera announced Monday that Kurzak has withdrawn from a revival of Verdi's "Rigoletto" because of her pregnancy.

YouTube is launching its own music awards and Lady Gaga will perform at the first-time event.

The Google Inc.-owned company announced Tuesday that Eminem and Arcade Fire also will perform at the YouTube Music Awards on Nov. 3. It will take place at Pier 36 in New York City and stream live online.

It's a tricky balancing act for Paris fashion designers to express their individuality and still bear witness to the trends.

A case in point is Saint Laurent's Hedi Slimane whose spring-summer 2014 show — one of the biggest of Monday's ready-to-wear collections — stuck steadfastly to his obsession with Rock 'n' Roll styles, showing him impervious to the current fashion conversation.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney supplied the star power Monday at Paris fashion week as daughter Stella opted for "understated seduction" in a collection of fluid silhouettes and light, airy tailoring for summer 2014.

The singer, along with wife Nancy Shevell, headed a host of names on the front row including Ringo Starr's wife and former Bond girl Barbara Bach, model Twiggy, actresses Salma Hayek Pinault and Angie Harmon, singer Sharleen Spiteri and model Natalia Vodianova.

The world's most prominent literary singleton Bridget Jones is now a widow bringing up two children alone, according to extracts of a new book of her exploits released on Sunday.

Fifteen years after the last novel in her saga, it turns out unlucky-in-love Bridget married Mark Darcy and had two children -- but author Helen Fielding has killed off the barrister and put her heroine back on the singles' market.

"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" slurped up the box office.

The animated Sony sequel featuring the voices of Bill Hader and Anna Faris opened in first place and earned $35 million in its debut weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Gazan winner of the Arab Idol talent competition Mohammed Assaf brought his thumping Palestinian beats out of the Middle East for the first on Sunday in his electrifying European debut.

Mohammed Assaf, 24, became a national hero and a rare symbol of Palestinian unity when he won the pan-Arab contest in June after transfixing millions of television viewers with his soaring renditions of Arab love ballads and patriotic Palestinian songs.