Two women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual offenses decades ago have joined a defamation lawsuit, contending the comedian publicly branded them as liars through statements by his representatives.

The amended complaint was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Springfield, in western Massachusetts, where Cosby has a home in Shelburne Falls.

Falling ratings, canceled shows and lurid scandals: 2014 was a trying year for reality television in the United States, as American audiences wearied of producers chasing success by recycling the same old formats.

The question is, will 2015 be any better? Some experts say real life-based TV shows are facing a grim new reality.

Independent movies including "Boyhood," "Birdman" and "Whiplash" featured among films nominated for awards by the Producers Guild of America on Monday, but at least two widely-tipped films were left out.

Angelina Jolie's World War II epic "Unbroken" and civil rights drama "Selma" failed to make the shortlist of the PGAs, one of the industry shows leading up to the all-important Oscars next month.

Hollywood kicked off the New Year on a positive note, with three films vying closely for the weekend box-office title that nevertheless remained with "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" for the third straight week.

Peter Jackson's Middle-earth finale took in $21.9 million for Warner Bros. in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, narrowly edging out the Disney musical "Into the Woods" ($19.1 million) and Angelina Jolie's World War II survival tale "Unbroken" ($18.4 million) from Universal.

The first star-studded film-award ceremony of the new year was literally something to sing about.

While not an honoree himself, actor-producer Brad Pitt stole the spotlight with a sing-along for a few moments Saturday night at the annual black-tie gala for the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

New York hip-hop artist Joey Bada$$ has been charged in an Australian court with assaulting a security guard before a performance last week, officials said Monday.

The 19-year-old Brooklyn performer was headed for the stage at the Falls Music and Arts Festival near the tourist town of Byron Bay in New South Wales state on Friday when he was asked by a 20-year-old security guard to prove his identity, police said in a statement.

British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney claimed in an interview published Saturday that she was threatened with arrest in Egypt after identifying flaws in the judicial system that later contributed to the convictions of three Al-Jazeera journalists.

Clooney, a rights lawyer who married Hollywood star George Clooney in a lavish Venice ceremony last year, helped compile a report for the International Bar Association in February 2014 that raised questions about the independence of judges and prosecutors in Egypt.

Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk and his British actress wife Talulah Riley have agreed to "amicably" end their marriage, according to a joint statement received Friday.

It was the second split for the couple, who first married in 2010, and again after a breakup rewed in 2013.

Madonna is defending herself against criticism after she posted Instagram photos of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela that were altered to look like her own image on her new album.

Madonna's cover for the album "Rebel Heart" is a closeup of her face with black string on it. Her social media posts show the faces of King and Mandela doctored to make it appear as though they have similar string on their faces. Some consider the posts offensive.

U.S. actress Zoe Saldana announced Friday she had given birth to twin boys, Cy and Bowie, with her Italian artist husband Marco Perego.

"Happy #2015 ! Starting our #NewYear with a fullhouse," the "Avatar" star wrote on her Twitter account.