Two years ago this weekend, Philippine-born journalist Jose Antonio Vargas came out publicly in the New York Times as an undocumented American, a term he prefers to the loaded phrase "illegal immigrant."

He was 12 years old in 1993 when his young mother put him on a flight in Manila to be raised by his grandparents in California, in the hope he could live the American dream to the fullest.

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez was honored Thursday with the 2,500th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, joined by celebrities including Jane Fonda and watched by screaming fans.

"I really am overwhelmed," she said at the ceremony on Tinseltown's star-studded sidewalk, a tourist favorite. "This all feels, I don't know, kind of surreal, but so real. It's awesome."

U.S. actress turned wellness guru Mariel Hemingway, whose illustrious family has been deeply scarred by suicide, appealed to Hollywood on Thursday not to glamorize addiction.

"I think there is a responsibility in Hollywood to not glamorize addictions and others things that are causes of problems," the 51-year-old star of Woody Allen's 1979 rom-com "Manhattan" told reporters in Washington.

One-time darling of the fashion world Christian Lacroix returns to the Paris catwalks next week with a tribute to late Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, famed for her collaborations with Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau.

Saint Laurent designer and champion of the pencil-thin skinny suit Hedi Slimane, meanwhile, will unveil his second menswear collection for the label following his grunge dominated debut.

In a quiet Paris street, model Tamy Glauser, with a shaven head since chopping off her "pretty" long locks six years ago, offers an impromptu demonstration of two very different catwalk techniques.

First, her arms swinging and body rocking slightly from side to side, she strides along jauntily looking every inch the latest in skinny, edgy, male fashion.

British director Sam Taylor-Johnson will direct a movie version of erotic best-seller "Fifty Shades of Grey," the studios behind the project announced Wednesday.

Taylor-Johnson, who was nominated for a BAFTA for 2009's "Nowhere Boy" about John Lennon, will make the film for Universal Pictures and Focus Features, based on a screenplay by Kelly Marcel.

Record-breaking U.S. daredevil Nik Wallenda hopes to make history again this weekend by walking across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, 1,500 feet above ground over the world-renowned landmark.

The 34-year-old, who was the first person to walk across the Niagara Falls last year, will be rigged up with multiple cameras and microphones broadcasting the death-defying feat live around the world.

Award-winning U.S. actor James Gandolfini, the burly star of classic TV mafia drama "The Sopranos," died Wednesday aged 51 in Italy, triggering a flood of tributes from the acting world and beyond.

The New Jersey-born actor, who won three Emmys and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of troubled mob boss Tony Soprano on the popular cable TV series, suffered a heart attack or a stroke, HBO network officials said.

One of America's premier documentary film festivals got underway late Wednesday with a fresh look back on the life and times of John F. Kennedy based on moving condolence messages to his widow.

"Letters to Jackie: Remembering President Kennedy" marries archival footage with poignant words of sympathy from the 800,000 letters sent to Jacqueline Kennedy in the two months after JFK's assassination 50 years ago this November.

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine do not know the sex of their baby, which is expected in mid-July and should be born by natural delivery, palace sources said Wednesday.

The baby, which will be third in line to the throne, will be born in the same London hospital where princess Diana gave birth to William and his younger brother Harry.