When revelers pack Times Square to ring in 2014, they will be greeted with some familiar practices: The annual ball drop, a hefty police presence and live musical performances. But for the first time in a decade, a New York City mayor won't be attending the countdown at the crossroads of the world.

Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who attended every other celebration during his tenure, hobnobbing with celebrities and receiving a newsworthy peck on the cheek from Lady Gaga, said he's sitting out Tuesday's festivities to spend time with family and friends. And Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio will be busy being sworn into office at a private ceremony at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday at his Brooklyn home. The full inauguration ceremony begins at noon at City Hall.

A popular game show that was punished for its subtle support of last summer's anti-government protests appears once again to have become the victim of Turkish media censorship as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government scrambles to contain a corruption scandal.

In an episode of "Kelime Oyunu" ("Word Game") that aired shortly after the scandal broke earlier this month, a contestant was asked to guess a six-letter slang word for someone who takes bribes — an apparent reference to the scandal which led to the arrests of two government ministers' sons on bribery charges.

Queen guitarist Brian May underwent a scan on Monday as part of a series of urgent tests sparked by fears he could have cancer, the rock star revealed on his website.

The 66-year-old suffered agonizing back and hip pain earlier in December which left him barely able to stand, and MRI scans revealed "some abnormalities in the bones -- things that the report said needed urgent attention", he wrote.

If any Bollywood star can claim 2013 as their year, it is Deepika Padukone. With four hit films, the former model has risen to the top of the A-list -- and now has Hollywood in her sights.

But she isn't putting her giddy fame down to luck.

"Call Me Maybe" singer Carly Rae Jepsen has had her calls returned by Broadway.

Producers of "Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" said Sunday that the Canadian singer-songwriter will take over the role of Cinderella starting Feb. 4 for 12 weeks. She'll take over from Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes.

Fantasy blockbuster "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" ruled the North American box office this weekend, holding off a strong festive season challenge from Disney's animated musical "Frozen," estimates showed Sunday.

The second part of Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's trilogy of films, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved classic, earned almost $29.9 million over the weekend, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Despite a string of summertime flops, Hollywood is expected to have a banner year at the domestic box office, coming in just shy of $11 billion, the largest annual take ever. But because of higher ticket prices, actual attendance at North American theaters remained flat after a decade of decline.

With the current domestic box-office tally nearly 1 percent ahead of last year at this time, 2013 could surpass 2012's overall haul of $10.8 billion by more than $100 million, according to box-office tracker Rentrak.

Britney Spears began her two-year residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Friday night, just in time to catch the town's massive New Year's Eve crowds.

The audience stayed on its feet for the entire 90 minute show, dancing to airbrushed versions of the 32-yer-old Spears' top hits, including "Toxic" and "I'm A Slave 4 U."

Oscar voters, start your ballots.

Voting began Friday for 2014's Academy Awards nominees. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were invited to cast secret ballots for their favorite film work from the past year until Jan. 8, 2014.

In the old days, filmmakers flocked to Hollywood for its abundant sunshine, beautiful people and sandy beaches. But today a new filmmaking diaspora is spreading across the globe to places like Vancouver, London and Wellington, New Zealand.

Fueled by politicians doling out generous tax breaks, filmmaking talent is migrating to where the money is. The result is an incentives arms race that pits California against governments around the world and allows powerful studios —with hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal— to cherry-pick the best deals.