Veteran arena-packing diva Cher has canceled the rest of her tour as she recovers from a kidney illness.

The 68-year-old -- who had announced in 2002 that she was retiring but has kept on performing -- called off the more than 20 remaining concerts on her "Dressed to Kill" tour, including at New York's Madison Square Garden.

President Barack Obama said he is in love, though he was not speaking about Michelle -- but he swears she understands. 

"I've said it publicly: I love Meryl Streep. I love her. Her husband knows I love her. Michelle knows I love her. There's nothing either of them can do about it," he said at the Presidential Medal of Freedom awards Monday. 

Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman has confessed admiration for "scrumptious" Briton Judi Dench, saying he would love to make a romantic film with the Dame.

The star of "The Graduate" spoke after co-starring with Dench in an adaptation of Roald Dahl's Esio Trot made by British broadcaster BBC One.

Lebanon marked Independence Day on Saturday; although the government canceled all celebrations because of the country's presidential vacuum; patriotic songs blared through radios and TV channels but Lebanese composer Jad Mehanna chose to swim against the tide.

Mehanna launched a short and what he described as a “shocking” song that criticizes Lebanon instead of praising it.

"Mockingjay, Part 1" didn't catch fire like the previous installments of "The Hunger Games," but it still had the biggest opening of the year with $123 million at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Lionsgate's "Mockingjay" opened well below the $158 million debut of last year's "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and the $153 million opening of the 2012 original. But even with a $30-million-plus slide in the franchise, "Mockingjay" far surpassed the previous top weekend of the year: the $100 million debut of "Transformers: Age of Extinction."

Boy band One Direction took home top prizes Sunday at the American Music Awards as chart-topper Taylor Swift used the platform to deliver a staunch defense of traditional album buying.

The American Music Awards focus on commercial success with fans voting for their favorites, in contrast to the older Grammy Awards in which music industry professionals select what they consider to be the year's top work.

A new feminist comic book, the Jewelry Box, has emerged in Egypt, the latest addition in a blossoming scene of alternative comics, as artists seek freer outlets of expression in a country where independent voices are finding it harder to speak.

Cartoons and political satire go back over a hundred years in Egypt, and are a staple in newspapers that have often lampooned social mores and officials in public office. But a new generation of young comic artists is finding space to express what is often a hard sell in mainstream media. Building on the region's spirit of rebellion over the past four years, they are experimenting with new and more subversive style to look at Egypt's realities.

In the world of auctions, there's always a chance no one will bite. Such was the case for James Cagney's 1942 best actor Oscar for his role in "Yankee Doodle Dandy."

The trophy failed to meet the $800,000 minimum bid by the auction's close Thursday night.

New York's opera community on Friday paid tribute to the legendary soprano Jessye Norman, with Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison calling her voice almost singular in its beauty.

The Metropolitan Opera Guild, which raises money to support the Met as well as music education programs, honored the 69-year-old Norman with an annual end-of-the-year luncheon that features performances by opera singers Latonia Moore, Dolora Zajick and Susan Platts.

A lawyer for embattled U.S. comic Bill Cosby lashed out Friday at new claims of rape and sexual abuse dating back several decades, saying they have "escalated far past the point of absurdity."

The comments came as Cosby suffered a new setback when a live performance in Las Vegas was canceled, just days after the plug was pulled on two TV projects.