Renowned jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, who led the way on his instrument in the transition between the swing and bebop eras, has died at the age of 91, his family said Friday.
DeFranco's family told The Associated Press that the famed musician died Wednesday evening at a Panama City hospital. His wife, Joyce, said he had been in declining health in recent years. The couple lived in Panama City.

Raunchy comedy "The Interview" took in one million dollars in its limited release opening day, Sony Studios said Friday, after the film was turned away by major theaters.

Sony's iconic gadgetry and the star appeal of Hollywood may have appeared to be a perfect match when the electronics giant bought Columbia Pictures in 1989. A quarter century later, it's apparent that Sony Corp. has not attained the magic synergy it was hoping for.
The stolid silence of Sony's Tokyo headquarters over the hoopla surrounding Sony Pictures Entertainment's "The Interview" underscores the longstanding divide between the Japanese parent company and its U.S.-led and -run motion pictures subsidiary, successor to Columbia Pictures.

Don't let the powdered wigs and oil paintings fool you: Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the other eventual Americans who changed the course of history were a ragtag band of secretive and sometimes mischievous young radicals.
Just ask Paul Revere, aka actor Michael Raymond-James, who's part of the cast of "Sons of Liberty," a new miniseries premiering in January on the History Channel.

A fictional plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un drew throngs of moviegoers Thursday, as it became an unlikely symbol of free speech thanks to hacker threats that nearly scuppered its release.
The future of Sony's "The Interview" had been in doubt after the entertainment giant said it was canceling the release following an embarrassing cyber attack on its corporate network and threats against patrons.

Morocco has banned cinemas from showing the biblical epic "Exodus: Gods and Kings" just one day before the Hollywood blockbuster was due to be screened, media reports said Thursday.
It was unclear why officials decided to ban the movie which had been given the green light by the state-run Moroccan Cinema Centre (CCM), which implements all rules concerning the industry.

Raunchy comedy "The Interview" -- a movie about a fictional plot to kill North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un which has enraged Pyongyang -- opened in U.S. theaters Thursday, a move its star attributed to public pressure.

Sony's "The Interview" has been a hacking target, a punchline and a political lightning rod. Now, with its release online at the same time it debuts in theaters, it has a new role: a test for a new kind of movie release.
"The Interview" stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as journalists tasked by the CIA with killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Its Christmas Day release was canceled by Sony after threats of violence by hackers linked to North Korea. But after an outcry, the release was reinstated in some independent theaters and now, through a few online video services.

A Los Angeles judge refused Wednesday to reopen the case of filmmaker Roman Polanski, who pleaded guilty in 1977 to raping a 13-year-old but left the United States before sentencing.
Judge James Brandlin, from the superior court of Los Angeles, turned down a request from Polanski's lawyers, who wanted a new hearing to try and close the case on procedural grounds.

Kristina Pimenova has been dubbed "the most beautiful girl in the world" but her mother says the eight-year-old Russian supermodel is completely ignorant of her worldwide fame.
On catwalks since the age of three, Kristina, who models for Armani and Roberto Cavalli, is famed for her big blue eyes and bewitching smile, with over 2.5 million fans on Facebook and nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram.
