U.S. magazine Rolling Stone said Monday it has asked the highly regarded Columbia Journalism School to look into its discredited story about a gang rape at a major American university.

In a statement to appear in the magazine's next issue, co-founder and publisher Jann Wenner said Columbia would be investigating "the editorial process that led to the publication" of the 9,000-word story on sexual assault at the University of Virginia.

Tolkien epic "The Hobbit" worked its magic at the North American box office this weekend, signaling a farewell to the blockbuster fantasy franchise, industry data showed Monday.

The last of six films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's books by Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" took $54.7 million on its debut weekend in the United States and Canada, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Joe Cocker, whose intense, gritty voice won him wide acclaim that spanned both rock and blues, has died at age 70, his agent said Monday. 

Bright colors, strange clothes and a striking white mask steal the attention of everyday people going about their business in downtown Cairo. This is the stage for Mohammed Saeed (aka Sheetos) who is waging a lonely campaign to introduce the art of mime to modern Egypt.

"I know I look like the strangest thing in their eyes. But I do this to publicize this art. I believe in this art," said Saeed, 21. "I try to help people smile during their difficult lives. My wish is to draw smiles on faces."

The festive wreath above the New York stage bore the insignia "MC" -- at once "Merry Christmas" and the initials of the evening's attraction, Mariah Carey.

Indeed for the pop diva, the holiday and her identity as an artist increasingly go hand-in-hand.

North Korea hates the currently scrapped Hollywood film that revolves around the assassination of its beloved leader, but the country has had a long love affair with cinema — of its own particular styling.

In the six decades since North Korea began to cultivate its own film industry, a South Korean director and his movie star wife have been kidnapped, a Godzilla-inspired monster movie has bombed at the box office in the South, American defectors have hammed it up in anti-U.S. propaganda films — and there has even been a foray into "girl power" cinema with the more recent "Comrade Kim Goes Flying."

The son of kung fu star Jackie Chan has been charged with providing a venue for others to use drugs, the state Xinhua news agency reported Monday, citing prosecutors.

Jaycee Chan, who like his father has worked as an actor and singer, was detained in August after police said they found 100 grams of marijuana in his Beijing home.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd described allegations he tried to hire a hitman as "ludicrous" Monday and said he wanted to keep his job with the top-selling rock band.

Rudd faces charges of threatening to kill and drug possession in New Zealand and fellow band members, including guitarist Angus Young, have hinted he will be dropped for AC/DC's upcoming world tour.

British actress Billie Whitelaw, famous for her intense collaboration with playwright Samuel Beckett who wrote several roles for her, died on Sunday aged 82, her son told the BBC.

Described by Beckett as the "perfect actress", Whitelaw became the playwright's muse and they created a series of experimental performances together.

Madonna and Sony Pictures both were separately torpedoed by major hacks this month, in what the pop icon called "crazy times."

"Shit, this is the age that we're living in. It's crazy," she told Billboard magazine, when asked about the investigation into how at least 10 of her unfinished, unreleased songs were leaked onto the Internet.