The hugely ambitious and well-connected director of Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater will on Thursday oversee the opening of a controversial new ballet and opera house, one of the biggest cultural projects in post-Soviet Russian history.

The new "Mariinsky-2" theater will open with a gala on Thursday night conducted by director Valery Gergiev with great performers from across the world and expected to be attended by President Vladimir Putin.

Netflix's groundbreaking "House of Cards" may be the first digital series nominated for a best drama Emmy. But it will start with a Webby.

The Webby Awards are honoring "House of Cards" producers Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti with a Webby special achievement award. The political thriller, for which Netflix released all 13 episodes at once, proved that digital media can produce cable-quality drama. Netflix also won for best streaming media site.

Michael Jackson's mother accused the promoter of his doomed final tour of sacrificing the troubled star in a "ruthless" pursuit of profit in the months before his 2009 death.

At the opening of a trial pitting Katherine Jackson against AEG Live, her lawyer Brian Panish alleged the promoter was negligent in hiring doctor Conrad Murray, who was convicted in 2011 of causing Jackson's death.

Written by Anthony Sargon

Michael Bay is known for a lot of things, but subtlety and poignancy have never been one of them. Bay is arguably the most bombastic American filmmaker around, and while his brand of entertainment has sold millions of tickets (the "Transformers" films), people still generally agree that he hasn't made a good film since 2003's "Bad Boys II". His latest flick, "Pain & Gain", offers us flashes of what made Bay a promising director in the past, but by turning a violent true story into a dark "comedy", the entire experience feels a little strange and unfocused.

Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones on Monday headed back into treatment for bipolar disorder, her spokeswoman said.

"Catherine has proactively checked into a health care facility," her spokeswoman Sarah Fuller said in an email to Agence France Presse.

Action comedy "Pain & Gain" starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson grabbed the top spot at the U.S. box office in its debut this weekend, snagging $20 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The Paramount Pictures production about bodybuilders caught up in crime pushed "Oblivion" into second place, according to tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Iron Man 3" was the heavy-lifter at theaters with a debut outside the U.S. that overshadowed a gang of mercenary bodybuilders in a sleepy pre-summer weekend at the domestic box office.

The Marvel Studios superhero sequel starring Robert Downey Jr. got a head-start on its domestic launch next Friday with a $195.3 million opening in 42 overseas markets, distributor Disney reported Sunday.

The stage adaptation of Mark Haddon's novel "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" on Sunday claimed seven prizes at Britain's prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards.

The mystery drama's haul included best play and best actor for Luke Treadaway and equaled the 2012 record set by musical hit "Matilda".

Lawyers for Michael Jackson's mother will launch their case Monday for massive compensation from the promoter of his last doomed tour, at the trial over the late King of Pop's 2009 death.

Opening statements are due in Los Angeles at the wrongful death trial pitting Katherine Jackson against AEG Live, whom she blames for negligently hiring Conrad Murray, the doctor convicted over his killing.

Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri said Saturday the Lebanese authorities have banned his award-winning film "The Attack" from cinemas in his home country because it was partly shot in Tel Aviv using Israeli actors.

"I regret to inform you that the Interior Minister of Lebanon, Minister (Marwan) Charbel, has decided to punish us and the film by banning it... claiming that the reason for the rejection is that I, Ziad Doueiri, had spent time in Israel filming," the director said in a statement on his Facebook page.