Critics blasted Oscars host Seth MacFarlane on Monday for "crudely sexist antics" and peddling "offensive" Jewish stereotypes, as the Academy Awards post mortem got into full swing.

Others said the "Family Guy" creator, brought in to appeal to younger viewers with edgy humor, was simply dull -- while satirical website The Onion had to apologize for an expletive tweet about the youngest ever Oscar nominee.

Quvenzhane Wallis, fresh from the Oscars spotlight as the youngest ever best actress nominee, is to play "Annie" in a Tinseltown remake of the hit Broadway musical, filmmakers said.

The nine-year-old, who drew praise for her amazingly mature performance in "Beasts of the Southern Wild," will play the title role in "Annie," also a remake of the Oscar-nominated 1982 movie.

A new film that attempts to portray Austrian Natascha Kampusch's eight-year imprisonment by a man who kidnapped her when she was just 10 years old shows the horror of a living hell.

But the reality of the mental, physical and sexual abuse was far worse than "3096 Days", which premiered Monday, could possibly show, says Kampusch, whose ordeal came to light when she escaped in 2006.

French actor Gerard Depardieu has hit a dance floor in Russia's predominantly Muslim Republic of Chechnya to perform the region's highlander dance.

Depardieu, who has been at the center of a heated debate over tax exiles in France, in January received a Russian passport from President Vladimir Putin. On Saturday he officially became resident of Saransk, a city of 300,000 about 640 kilometers (400 miles) east of Moscow.

In a surprising bounce back, the comedy "Identity Thief" topped the box office in the United States and Canada in its third week after slipping off the top spot, early figures showed Sunday.

The comedy, starring Jason Bateman from the TV series "Arrested Development" and "Bridesmaids" star Melissa McCarthy, pulled in $14 million from Friday to Sunday, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.

Fur is dominating many Milan runways this season, which would be handy for this week's unusually persistent snowy weather.

From big shaggy coats, often belted, to furry little details, fur has made a firm comeback for next winter's womenswear — with a classic mink coat returning after many seasons.

Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama "Argo" won the coveted best film Oscar on Sunday, as other key prizes were shared among several films at the 85th Academy Awards, Hollywood's biggest night.

Taiwan-born Ang Lee won best director for spectacular 3D fantasy "Life of Pi," while Daniel Day-Lewis won a record third best actor trophy for "Lincoln" and Jennifer Lawrence was crowned best actress for "Silver Linings Playbook."

Popular Syrian comedian Yassin Bakush was killed on Sunday after his car was hit by a shell in an area of war-torn southern Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Anti-regime activists blamed the Syrian army for his death, and distributed via the Internet an amateur video of the body of a man believed to be Bakush, along with images of his passport and identity card.

Multiple Oscar-winning Hollywood legends Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman were added Friday to the presenting line-up at this weekend's 85th Academy Awards.

The pair will join a star-studded cast on stage Sunday including Michael Douglas, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.

Emmanuelle Riva, at 85 the oldest actress to pick up a best actress Oscar nomination, on Friday won best actress at France's Cesars for her turn as a dying woman in Michael Haneke's "Love" ("Amour") for which he also won best director.

Riva stars with French acting legend Jean-Louis Trintignant in the film which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year and a Golden Globe for best foreign language film in January. It has been nominated in five categories including best actress in Sunday's Oscars.