It may well be one of Hollywood's biggest success stories, but when the original "Star Wars" film was released in 1977 many people, including creator George Lucas, believed it would be a flop.

"I don't think anyone could have predicted what a smash hit and what a cultural phenomenon it was going to become," said Jonathan Kuntz, professor at UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television.

British stadium rockers Coldplay will on Friday release their seventh album "A Head Full of Dreams", which heralds a return to their indie roots and A-List collaborations, including this time with U.S. President Barack Obama.

The four-piece band have already given fans a sneak preview of all 11 tracks on the album, which singer Chris Martin has hinted may be their last, and its debut single "Adventure of a Lifetime" came out last month, hitting number 14 in the British charts.

The Bataclan concert hall in Paris, where 90 people were killed by jihadists on November 13, could re-open by the end of next year, two of its owners told a French newspaper on Wednesday.

Olivier Poubelle and Jules Frutos, who book the acts and own a third of the theater as well as several other music venues around the French capital, told Le Monde of their devastation over the attacks. 

South Korea's biggest stars will gather in Hong Kong Wednesday night at one of K-pop's biggest events.

"Gangnam Style" Psy, K-pop boy band Big Bang and South Korean-Chinese heartthrobs EXO are in the line-up for the seventh annual Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) at the AsiaWorld-Expo.

Pink was appointed on Monday as UNICEF's newest ambassador, pledging to raise awareness about malnutrition worldwide.

"As a mom myself, it's devastating to know that children are suffering because they don't have adequate nutrition," said the Grammy Award-winning singer.

Pop singer Adele's latest album, "25," has sold a record-smashing 3.38 million copies in its first week on the U.S. market, Nielsen Music reported.

The British star's release set a record for the largest single sales week for an album since Nielsen began methodically tracking weekly music sales in 1991, the company said late Saturday.

Oscar-winning Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway and her husband, producer Adam Shulman, are expecting their first child, according to the website of celebrity news outlet E!

"Anne is in her second trimester and feeling great!" a source close to the 33-year-old told E! News.

Margaret Thatcher's bodyguard would carry her high heels into the Kremlin and the ex-prime minister wore trousers only down a coal mine, according to an auction catalogue of her belongings.

Auction house Christie's is selling off 350 belongings of the late "Iron Lady" including clothes, letters, books, furniture and jewelry next month.

Michael Bender was hooked by age two. Jennifer Landa got the bug when she was nearly six. Steve Sansweet was well into his 30s when the Star Wars passion was born.

All three are among the legions of hardcore fans the space epic has generated over the years and who are champing at the bit in anticipation of the saga's latest installment -- "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" -- that hits screens in December.

The trendy cafe looks like a typical coffee shop in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, but in fact it sells herb-infused brews promising to fix every ailment from coughs to impotence.

Indonesians have for generations taken herbal medicine, known locally as "jamu", as a remedy for common ailments, and many children's early memories include being forced to gulp down concoctions of ingredients such as ginger and turmeric.