Angelina Jolie is set to play a British woman who helped map out the modern Middle East including Iraq in the early 20th century, the Hollywood Reporter said Friday.

The Oscar-winning actress is attached to play Gertrude Bell, described as the female Lawrence of Arabia for her pioneering work in establishing the framework for what would become Jordan and Iraq.

More than ever, we need a world where a pig can be romantically linked to a frog. A world where no one finds it odd that Jason Segel's little brother is a puppet, and they share a room with twin beds as well as a taste for pastel leisure suits.

"The Muppets" marks a very welcome return for Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of Jim Henson's creations after a 12-year big-screen absence. From start to finish, the movie is a healthy, dizzy dose of childlike bliss, the songs campy but catchy, the humor corny but clever, the cast — both human and Muppet — one of the most lovable gangs you'll ever spend time with at the pictures (another lovable gang, the "Toy Story" playthings, star in a short animated charmer that precedes "The Muppets").

British soul diva Adele hopes to add to her growing collection of prizes at the American Music Awards this weekend, even if she has had to be bow out because of throat problems.

The 23-year-old has four nominations, followed closely Lady Gaga and Katy Perry among others with three nods for the annual star-studded awards, to be presented at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre on Sunday evening.

A yacht captain said on national TV Friday that he lied to investigators about Natalie Wood's mysterious death 30 years ago and blames the actress' husband at the time, Robert Wagner, for her drowning in the ocean off Southern California.

The circumstances of her death remain one of Hollywood's enduring mysteries and continue to create renewed intrigue, with homicide detectives Thursday unexpectedly reopening the case that had long been classified as a tragic accident.

The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (HKLGFF) opens Friday, offering new work from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam and throwing a light on the challenges sexual minorities face around Asia.

With more than 30 full-length and short films on offer over two weeks, organizers said the festival promised new insight into what it is like to be gay in some of the world's most repressive societies.

The headboard of Michael Jackson's death bed has been withdrawn from an auction of personnel effects, due to family objections, the auctioneer behind the sale said.

But the sale, which comes after doctor Conrad Murray was convicted over Jackson's 2009 death, is expected to include other items from the mansion in Los Angeles' plush Holmby Hills area where Jackson died on June 25, 2009.

Demi Moore is ending her marriage to fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, she told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Moore, 49, and Kutcher, 33, were wed in September 2005, but the couple's relationship became tabloid fodder in recent months as rumors swirled about Kutcher's alleged infidelity.

Crisis-hit France has found escape from its ever grimmer economic reality in a feel-good buddy movie about a quadriplegic aristocrat and his black home-help that has stormed the box office.

"An unreal world for a tired France," was Rue89 news website's description of the surprise hit "Intouchables" (Untouchables), which has drawn five million viewers in its first two weeks of release.

Russia's Bolshoi Theatre Thursday acknowledged that the sensational resignation of its best known dance couple had affected preparations for the premiere of the first full ballet in its restored theatre.

In a battle of competing forces worthy of any ballet, world renowned soloists Ivan Vasiliev and Natalya Osipova stunned the dance world this week by announcing they were to join a lesser known Saint Petersburg theatre.

Ricky Gervais is returning as host of the Golden Globes.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced through Twitter on Wednesday that Gervais will take his third turn as Globes host in January.