Written by Anthony Sargon

I wasn’t exactly looking forward to Maleficent. Recent re-tellings and re-imaginings of classic stories and fairytales like Snow White and the Huntsman and Alice in Wonderland have left me quite cold, so I just wasn’t expecting much. I’m sad to say that my apprehensions were validated; excluding Angelina Jolie’s captivating performance, this new spin on the classic Sleeping Beauty tale does absolutely nothing to enhance the story, and actually detracts from it. The film is essentially a giant, expensive excuse to cast Jolie in the iconic role, and while that does pay some dividends, a good movie it is not.

Movie star Brad Pitt is visiting China with his partner, actress Angelina Jolie, effectively ending an unspoken ban after he angered communist authorities by appearing in the 1997 film "Seven Years in Tibet".

Jolie was in Shanghai on Tuesday to promote her latest film "Maleficent", a modern retelling of the life of Sleeping Beauty's arch-nemesis, along with three of their children, but Pitt seemed intent on keeping a low profile.

Miranda Lambert has learned something about human nature since becoming one of country music's most identifiable stars.

"People are very, very mean," she says of the tabloids that have made sport of her life, her looks and her marriage since her husband, Blake Shelton, joined NBC's musical competition "The Voice" as a celebrity coach.

Fashion rules are made to be broken, Rihanna told a glittering crowd of fashion industry leaders on Monday, and her outfit dramatically conveyed that message: a sheer fishnet gown, sparkling with thousands of embedded crystals, that left little underneath to the imagination.

The singer cemented her role as a fashion luminary by receiving the 2014 Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Her trophy was presented by Anna Wintour, the powerful Vogue editor, who said that with Rihanna, "the point is to be audacious — even jaw-dropping or button-pushing."

Police say they have recovered a luxury car that was stolen from Miley Cyrus' home last week.

Los Angeles police Lt. Andy Neiman says Cyrus' 2014 Maserati was found Monday afternoon in Simi Valley, a city about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef said on Monday he has canceled his television show which mocked ex-army chief and president-in-waiting Abdel Fattah al-Sisi because of "enormous" pressure.

The heart surgeon turned comedian, often compared to U.S. satirist Jon Stewart, had moved to Saudi-owned channel MBC last year after his show was suspended by the private Egyptian broadcaster CBC.

Michelle Obama's fashionable clothing has become something of a given in her five-plus years as first lady. Yet her wardrobe still is the subject of endless public fascination and one long-simmering question: Who pays for those incredible outfits?

It's no small matter. Her high-low fashion choices mix everyday, off-the-rack fare with custom creations from top designers whose gowns can run into five figures.

Legendary French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour, who celebrated his 90th birthday on stage in Berlin last month, defied the years to charm 5,500 spectators at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

Taking the limelight to a standing ovation, the activist-singer promised the audience: "I'll sing half in English, half in French...tonight is about Entente cordiale".

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and gay rights activist Melissa Etheridge has gotten married.

People magazine says the 53-year-old Etheridge married partner Linda Wallem at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California, on Saturday.

The biggest box-office debut of Angelina Jolie's career propelled Disney's twisted fairy tale "Maleficent" to a scary-good $70 million opening.

The PG-rated fantasy beat forecasts to easily top all films over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though "Maleficent" was early on considered a risky endeavor for Disney that might turn away family audiences by retelling "Sleeping Beauty" from the villain's perspective, the film emerged as a hit largely because of the draw of Jolie.