Judge lets Cosby have jurors from other Pennsylvania county

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) - A judge granted a request by Bill Cosby's defense lawyers on Monday to have jurors picked from a different Pennsylvania county in his upcoming sexual assault trial.

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Actor Bill Paxton, known for roles in 'Big Love,' 'Titanic,' dies at 61

(Reuters) - American actor Bill Paxton, who rose to stardom in such Hollywood blockbusters as "Titanic" and inspired budding meteorologists as a tornado chaser in "Twister," has died at age 61, his family said on Sunday.

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Meryl Streep accuses Karl Lagerfeld of spoiling her Oscars

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Meryl Streep on Saturday accused designer Karl Lagerfeld of spoiling her night at the Academy Awards ceremony by falsely accusing her of being paid to wear a gown on the Oscars red carpet.

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Emma Thompson won't take part in short 'Love Actually' sequel

LONDON (Reuters) - Actress Emma Thompson has said she is not taking part in a short "Love Actually" sequel for Britain's Comic Relief charity appeal because it is "too soon" to reprise her role in the romantic comedy after the death last year of co-star Alan Rickman.

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Judge allows a second accuser to testify at Cosby sex assault trial

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A judge ruled on Friday that a second woman who said comedian Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her would be allowed to testify at his upcoming trial in Pennsylvania on charges he sexually assaulted a former employee of Temple University.

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Pregnant Beyonce pulls out of Coachella music festival

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pregnant singer Beyonce on Thursday pulled out of performing at California's Coachella music festival in April, citing doctor's orders.

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Arsenio Hall drops defamation lawsuit against Sinead O'Connor

(Reuters) - Comedian Arsenio Hall has dropped a lawsuit against Sinead O'Connor after the Irish singer apologized for claiming he had long provided the late pop star Prince with narcotics, his publicist said on Thursday.

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Angelina Jolie says 'we'll always be a family' despite divorce

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Angelina Jolie said on Tuesday she hoped her family would be stronger after her divorce from Brad Pitt, but that the actress still thinks of him as a wonderful father.

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Ex-IMF boss Rato sentenced to jail in Spain over credit card scandal

MADRID (Reuters) - Former International Monetary Fund chief Rodrigo Rato was sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison by Spain's High Court on Thursday following a scandal over the widespread misuse of company credit cards during his tenure at lender Bankia.

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Stock market data pioneer George 'Mr. Quotron' Levine dies at 88

NEW YORK (Reuters) - George Levine, a pioneer in the electrification of the financial markets who helped bring real-time market data to Wall Street early in his 50-year career, died on Feb. 13 of natural causes at the age of 88, a family friend confirmed on Tuesday.

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Lincoln, Washington and Roosevelt ranked top three U.S. presidents

(Reuters) - Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt were ranked as the top three U.S. presidents in history respectively while Barack Obama entered the rankings in the 12th spot, based on a survey of historians released on Friday.

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Ex-teen idol David Cassidy says he has dementia

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former teen idol David Cassidy said on Monday he was suffering from dementia, a day after weekend performances in California in which he forgot his words and appeared to fall off stage raised concern about his health.

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Federal judge dismisses Massachusetts defamation lawsuit against Cosby

BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby by an actress who claimed he raped her, ruling that the comedian acted within his rights when he proclaimed himself innocent of the crime.

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Durst of 'The Jinx' HBO series faces more testimony in murder case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Robert Durst, the real estate scion tied to slayings explored in HBO's series "The Jinx," was expected to face a third day of testimony from an old friend connecting him to the murder of a close confidante.

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Robert Michel, champion of Washington civility in senior House post, dies at 93

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Robert Michel, a gentlemanly Midwesterner who championed civility in Washington as House Republican leader but left Congress dismayed by the rise of conservative firebrands in his own party, died on Friday at age 93, a former aide said.

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Dick Bruna, creator of children's favorite Miffy, dies

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch artist and children's author Dick Bruna, whose much-loved cartoon rabbit Miffy has sold more than 80 million books since its creation in 1955, has died aged 89, his publisher said in a statement on Friday.

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Durst of 'The Jinx' told friend he killed his wife: court testimony

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The woman who real estate scion Robert Durst is charged with murdering 16 years ago in Los Angeles confided to a mutual friend that Durst had privately confessed to killing his wife nearly two decades earlier, that friend testified on Thursday.

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Roman Polanski in new bid to resolve 1977 rape case

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Roman Polanski's legal team has launched a new bid to resolve the movie director's 1977 rape case and allow him to return to the United States without serving any more jail time.

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Dr. Luke email shows criticism of Kesha's weight in legal case

(Reuters) - Music producer Dr. Luke said in 2012 that musicians were unwilling to give pop singer Kesha their songs to perform because of her weight, according to court documents filed this week amid the singer's case to get out of her recording contract.

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Rock singer Debbie Harry crowned Style Icon at Elle Style Awards

LONDON (Reuters) - Debbie Harry, frontwoman of rock band Blondie, was crowned a fashion icon at London's Elle Style Awards, and she thanked her punk influences for defining her style.

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Mystery witness to testify against Robert Durst of 'The Jinx'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Robert Durst, the real estate scion tied to several slayings explored in HBO's series "The Jinx," returned to a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday to face a prosecution witness whose identity was being kept secret until taking the stand.

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Seven-time Grammy winner Al Jarreau dies at 76

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jazz and R&B singer Al Jarreau, a seven-time Grammy winner whose hits included "We're in This Love Together" and "Moonlighting," died on Sunday in Los Angeles at age 76, just days after announcing he was retiring from touring because of poor health.

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Family of late singer George Michael 'extremely upset' at leaked emergency call

LONDON (Reuters) - The family of George Michael is "extremely upset" that a recording of an emergency call about the singer on the day he died at his southern England home was leaked to the press, lawyers said.

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Prince back on streaming platforms, two new albums coming

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Prince's early music catalog was made available across all streaming services on Sunday, almost a year after his death, and record label Warner Bros. said it planned to release two albums of new music from the pop funk musician in June.

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Detroit Tigers and Red Wings owner Ilitch dead at 87

(Reuters) - American entrepreneur and Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Ilitch, owner of the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings, died on Friday at the age of 87, his company announced in a statement. No cause of death was given.

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George Clooney and wife Amal expecting twins: Matt Damon

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - George Clooney and his wife Amal are expecting twins, actor Matt Damon said on Thursday, adding he was so thrilled for the high-profile couple that he "almost started crying" when he found out last fall.

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LeBeouf's anti-Trump New York exhibit shuttered over safety concerns

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York City museum has shut down an exhibit protesting U.S. President Donald Trump co-created by actor Shia LaBeouf, saying the installation titled "HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US" had triggered threats of violence and endangered public safety.

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Jake Gyllenhaal to make Broadway debut at historic Hudson Theatre

NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of New York's oldest theaters will stage a play for the first time in almost 50 years when movie star Jake Gyllenhaal makes his Broadway debut later this month at the Hudson Theatre in a musical about 19th century French artist Georges Seurat.

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Aretha Franklin to retire from full time touring

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soul music legend Aretha Franklin says she plans to retire from full-time touring after she releases a new album in September.

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Tommy Hilfiger, Gigi Hadid unveil collection on famed LA beach

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - American designer Tommy Hilfiger and model Gigi Hadid presented their latest collaboration - "TOMMYxGIGI" - at a show on Venice Beach in Los Angeles.

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Madonna introduces newly adopted twin girls from Malawi

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Madonna debuted two new daughters on social media on Wednesday, saying she had completed her adoption of the twins from Malawi and was "overjoyed" to bring them into her family.

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Tom Hiddleston says Taylor Swift shirt a joke, romance 'was real'

(Reuters) - British actor Tom Hiddleston has opened up about his 2016 summer romance with Taylor Swift, insisting their relationship "was real" but explaining that his much-mocked "I (heart) T.S." tank top was just a joke.

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Lady Gaga tells bodyshamers 'I'm proud of my body'

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lady Gaga hit back at cyber bullies who made fun of her body during her spectacular halftime show at Sunday's Super Bowl.

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Swedish statistician and "edutainer" Hans Rosling dies

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish academic Hans Rosling, a doctor and statistician who captured a worldwide audience with his witty style and original thinking on topics like population growth and development, has died at the age of 68.

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Madonna granted permission to adopt twins from Malawi

LILONGWE (Reuters) - Malawi's High Court on Tuesday granted Madonna permission to adopt twins from the Southern African country, a judiciary spokesman said.

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Professor Irwin Corey, comedian dubbed 'world's foremost authority,' dies at 102

(Reuters) - Madcap comedian Professor Irwin Corey, who billed himself as "the world's foremost authority" and entertained audiences in comedy clubs and on TV and stage with rambling and nonsensical commentary, has died at age 102, his family said on Tuesday.

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Obama kiteboards in Caribbean with billionaire Richard Branson

(Reuters) - Former U.S. president Barack Obama is trying some new and dangerous water sports that the Hawaii native had to miss out on for safety reasons while serving in the White House.

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Ex-NBA star Rodman gets three years probation on driving charges

(Reuters) - Former pro basketball star Dennis Rodman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years' informal probation on Monday on charges that he drove the wrong way on a California highway, forcing another car to swerve into a concrete dividing wall.

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Gun salute marks Queen Elizabeth's 65 years on British throne

LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth, the world's longest-reigning living monarch, celebrated her Sapphire Jubilee on Monday as Britain commemorated 65 years since she ascended the British throne.

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Kindness matters, Britain's Duchess of Cambridge tells schoolchildren

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Duchess of Cambridge told a group of children to look for opportunities to be kind as she and her husband Prince William visited a primary school on Monday as part of a campaign to raise awareness of children's mental health issues.

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Ricky Gervais' shtick gets tricky in Trump and Brexit era

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Playing a brash, bigoted bore in the Trump and Brexit era is double trouble for comedian-actor Ricky Gervais.

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Body found off Florida coast thought to be missing Canadian filmmaker

(Reuters) - A Florida dive team found a submerged body thought to be Rob Stewart, a Canadian filmmaker and environmental activist who went missing after a deepwater dive off the southern Florida coast, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman.

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Angelina Jolie slams Trump travel ban, calls for 'compassionate America'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress and human rights advocate Angelina Jolie on Thursday said U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order barring travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries hurts vulnerable refugees and could fuel extremism.

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Beyonce bares all in pregnancy photo shoot

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pop superstar Beyonce on Thursday released a slew of photos of herself posing pregnant and nude, a day after announcing she was expecting twins with her husband, rapper Jay-Z.

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Shark protection activist, filmmaker Stewart goes missing off Florida

(Reuters) - A search for award-winning Canadian filmmaker Rob Stewart, an environmental activist campaigning to protect sharks from being killed, entered its third day on Thursday after he went missing while diving off Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

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Beyonce's surprise twins announcement goes viral

(Reuters) - Pop superstar Beyonce said on Wednesday that she and her husband, rap star and entrepreneur Jay Z, were expecting twins, sending social media into a meltdown.

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British singer Vera Lynn to release new album for 100th birthday

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer Vera Lynn will celebrate her 100th birthday by releasing an album of remastered classic songs next month, which could make the wartime singer the first centenarian to hit the UK charts.

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Islands, chateau, art: Johnny Depp's lifestyle laid bare in lawsuit

(Reuters) - Johnny Depp took himself to the brink of financial ruin by spending tens of millions of dollars on homes, art, cars, a yacht and Hollywood memorabilia, according to a lawsuit filed by his former business managers.

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Polish fans buy Tom Hanks iconic 'toddler' car

WARSAW (Reuters) - Residents of a city in southern Poland have bought U.S. Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks an iconic communist era "toddler" car after he shared a photograph of himself with the automobile on social media last year.

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French judge interviews Kardashian in New York over Paris robbery

PARIS (Reuters) - The French judge in charge of the investigation into Kim Kardashian's armed robbery last year in Paris was in New York on Wednesday to interview the U.S. TV reality star in the case, a source close to the matter said.

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