Beyonce's surprise album has sold surprisingly well: Her fifth solo effort sold more than 600,000 units in its first three days, setting a record for first-week domestic digital sales.

Beyonce's self-titled album was released early Friday morning exclusively on iTunes unbeknownst to the public. Apple said Monday that the album sold 617,213 in its U.S. iTunes Store. It sold 828,773 internationally.

For the past three decades, Brazilian telenovelas have helped Cubans forget their litany of woes for an hour a day. But today, dozens of South Korean soap operas are earning wide audiences.

Following in the footsteps of South Korean films and K-pop, "doramas" -- South Korean soaps dubbed into Spanish -- first appeared on Cuban televisions earlier this year.

Written by Anthony Sargon

“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. Released just one week before the passing of Nelson Mandela, the film is based on his autobiography, titled “Long Walk to Freedom.” While it’s certainly a valiant effort, the film is ultimately too straight-forward and conventional to really break-out, but it’s bolstered by captivating performances by Idris Elba and Naomie Harris.

Irish actor Peter O'Toole, the star of the 1962 Oscar-winning epic "Lawrence of Arabia," has died aged 81, his agent Steve Kenis said Sunday.

The hell-raising icon of stage and screen died on Saturday at London's Wellington hospital after a long illness, Kenis explained.

Director James Cameron announced Monday he will film three sequels to the record-breaking sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" in New Zealand after striking a deal with the government for increased production subsidies.

Cameron said the movies, with a combined minimum budget of at least NZ$500 million (U.S.$415 million), will be shot back-to-back with each sequel released every 12 months from late 2016.

Palestinian thriller "Omar", a tale of love, betrayal and struggle in the Israeli-occupied territories, on Friday scooped two top prizes at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Omar won the DIFF awards in the best Arabic feature category and with Hany Abu Assad as best director of an Arabic feature.

Hollywood has picked up "How to Pick Up Girls!" -- the men's paperback self-help classic from the 1970s that went on to become a sacred text of the Internet-driven "seduction community."

In a statement Friday, Los Angeles sales and distribution house The Exchange said it has optioned Eric Weber's book with the goal of producing a feature film.

After months of speculation, Khloe Kardashian is ending her four-year marriage to Lamar Odom.

The reality TV star filed for divorce Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. She also wants her last name restored to Kardashian from Kardashian Odom.

Miley Cyrus headlined the annual Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden, performing her hits "Wrecking Ball" and "We Can't Stop."

Lindsay Lohan introduced the singer Friday night, saying she loves that Cyrus is being "herself."

Queen Elizabeth II was so annoyed by police officers eating nuts laid out at Buckingham Palace that she marked a line on the bowl to monitor the level, jurors heard Thursday at Britain's tabloid phone hacking trial.

The unusual allegation was included in an email from then-News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman — who has been convicted of eavesdropping on the voice mails of royal staff — to his editor, Andy Coulson.