An old woman dressed as a zombie. A man disguised as a drag-queen Joker. Entire families kitted out as superheroes.

At first glance, the crowds at Comic-Con International in San Diego can look like they've escaped from a strange sect.

Big record stores, streaming services and hit charts adjusted longtime practices as the music industry Friday began a coordinated global release for new albums.

For the first time most new albums will be released in all formats on Fridays everywhere in the world, ending regional divergences that industry players found increasingly anachronistic in the age of instant digital music.

French fashion designer Christian Audigier, who made his fortune with "street wear" which became a hit with celebrities, including Madonna and Kim Kardashian, has died in Los Angeles aged 57.

"He died yesterday at the Cedars-Sinai hospital, of cancer," Michele Elyzabeth, who had been his spokeswoman, told AFP.

Egyptian-born film legend Omar Sharif, who died Friday aged 83, captivated audiences worldwide for more than half a century, but will forever be remembered as the eponymous "Doctor Zhivago".

Known for his debonair style, raffish good looks and often mischievous joie de vivre, Sharif, who also gained worldwide fame as a bridge player, had Alzheimer's disease.

With 3D-printed jackets, medieval capes and boys dressed as girls, the designers of Paris's haute couture shows kept the glitterati guessing this week as they presented their fantastical vision of autumn and winter trends.

Not that most people will be wearing them.

Spanish singing legend Julio Iglesias has announced a new album of songs inspired by Mexico, scotching speculation that the 71-year-old is retiring.

Latin music's top-selling artist said he will release on Friday the single "Fallaste Corazon" ("You Failed, Dear"), the first track on his album "Mexico - Julio Iglesias" that will come out September 18.

"Hunger Games" stars Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth unveiled Thursday a new trailer and poster for the dystopian franchise's finale, due out in November. 

The Katniss Everdeen actress and her hunky co-star appeared together at the Comic-Con pop culture festival in San Diego. 

They joke about knocking on heaven's door, but a Japanese 'girl band' with an average age of 84 have struck a blow for grannies everywhere by becoming pop idols.

Hailing from the remote, coral-fringed island of Kohama in Okinawa, KBG84 -- a play on the name of saccharine teeny boppers AKB48 -- admit to being slightly bemused by their success after cutting their first disc and completing a sellout Japan tour.

Cross-dressing Austrian diva Conchita Wurst was in Tokyo Thursday for a low-key meeting with the mayor of the trendy Shibuya district, which is set to become the first Japanese municipality to recognize same-sex partnership.

But the event, which could have helped create momentum for the gay rights movement in Japan, took place behind closed doors, with officials from the liberal council blocking reporters and putting their hands in front of cameras.

The Spike television network says it is making a six-part TV series based on the life of anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee, centered around interviews with him.

McAfee formed a software security company named for himself and sold it, earning a fortune. He's lived an eccentric life that included being the subject of a manhunt after a U.S. expatriate who lived near McAfee's home in the Central American nation of Belize was found dead. He has denied any involvement in the shooting.