Simon Cowell predicted "The X Factor" would be a TV hit and eclipse his ex-employer, "American Idol." He was wrong, and now his show has been gutted of three of its five stars, including Paula Abdul, putting its future in question.

Where does Fox's "X Factor" go from here in trying to replace them and compete in a crowded field of singing contests when it returns this year for season two?

Adele is nominated for six Grammys, and she'll be on deck to collect anything she wins: The 23-year-old singer is set to perform at the awards show.

Adele had surgery on her vocal cords last year, and the Grammys will be the first time she has performed live in five months, The Recording Academy announced Tuesday.

A cute, trick-performing Jack Russell versus a snarling, orphan-chasing Doberman -- a potentially ugly Oscars dog fight is squaring up on Hollywood's red carpet.

Even as Tinseltown's A-listers vie for Academy Award glory, a contest for the canine equivalent -- the Golden Collar -- which seemed sewn up, has been ripped wide open. And by Martin Scorsese, no less.

Madonna announced she has teamed up with an American charity to build schools in Malawi, reviving a project she had earlier dropped due to financial mismanagement and lawsuits.

"This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of buildOn we can maintain our ongoing commitment to move forward efficiently," the US singer's organization Raising Malawi said in a statement issued Monday.

No tickets for the 2012 Olympics? Don't despair: You don't need one to enjoy the games and the party atmosphere in London this summer.

Although most sporting events take place in ticketed Olympic venues, there is plenty to see and do elsewhere in the run-up to and during the games.

"Baywatch" and "Knight Rider" star David Hasselhoff on Tuesday proposed to girlfriend Hayley Roberts, 28 years his junior, on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Hasselhoff, 59, posted the news on his Twitter account, but left his followers guessing over how Roberts, a Welsh factory worker, replied.

Camilla Williams, believed to be the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company, has died. She was 92.

Williams died Sunday at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, her attorney, Eric Slotegraaf, said Monday. She died of complications from cancer, said Alain Barker, a spokesman for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where Williams was a professor emeritus of voice.

Renowned jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela and heavy metal in Botswana feature in Rolling Stone's take on music in its new South African edition, which hopes to fill a conspicuously empty niche.

The American title launched its latest international edition in South Africa in November, tackling a crowded media market that has not yet cashed in on the country's rich musical heritage spanning rock to pop and jazz.

French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, who produced the black-and-white silent movie "The Artist," has won a Directors Guild of America award in an indication that the film stands a good chance of winning an Oscar next month.

Hazanavicius competed for the outstanding achievement in feature film award with two big-name Hollywood directors, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, respective producers of "Midnight in Paris" and "Hugo."

Thousands of people packed into London's Trafalgar Square on Sunday to celebrate Chinese New Year, with pyrotechnics and dancers in dragon costumes entertaining the crowds.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the big turnout "shows the way the world economy is going", as people braced the chilly weather to see performers parade through the city and sample Chinese food.