Tom Cruise has reached a settlement with a magazine publisher he sued for $50 million in libel damages over claims he abandoned his daughter Suri after his divorce, the star's lawyer said Friday.
Terms of the agreement remain confidential, but a statement said German publisher Bauer acknowledged that it 'never intended" to suggest the "Mission Impossible" star abandoned his daughter.

Oscars organizers shortlisted nine movies including Palestinian, Danish and Hong Kong films Friday for best foreign language prize, offering surprises and some unexpected snubs.
Films left out included Saudi Arabia's first-ever candidate and Pakistan's first entry in five decades, while an Oscar-winning Iranian director also failed to make the cut.

Nine movies including works by Palestinian, Danish and Hong Kong filmmakers have been shortlisted for best foreign language Oscar, organizers announced Friday.
But films left out included Saudi Arabia's first ever candidate and Pakistan's first entry in five decades, while an Oscar-winning Iranian director also failed to make the cut.

Woody Allen has had a long and eclectic career in Hollywood. Few directors are as reliable or consistent, and “Blue Jasmine” is another great addition to the legendary director’s repertoire. Not only does it touch on a lot of timely themes, but it boasts a riveting central performance by Cate Blanchett, one that is almost guaranteed to earn her an Academy Award.
When Jasmine’s (Cate Blanchett) marriage to wealthy businessman Hal (Alec Baldwin) ends in turmoil, the shallow housewife is forced to move in with her sister (Sally Hawkins) in her San Francisco apartment to start her life anew. It’s a lot easier said than done, though, given that Jasmine has grown accustomed to living the high-life and fraternizing with New York’s social elite. The thought of living like everyone else is a very difficult pill to swallow for Jasmine, and boy does she struggle. As the story unfolds, we learn more and more about what really happened between Jasmine and her husband, and why they ended up broke and divorced in the first place.

Harry Potter is coming to the stage.
J.K. Rowling says she is working on a play about the boy wizard's life before he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Finding a knockoff version of the fur you want under the Christmas tree would ordinarily be a disappointment.
Not this year.

Singing star Adele has been honored at Buckingham Palace, being made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Prince Charles.
The 25-year-old with the soulful voice has become a worldwide star since her debut album topped the charts in 2008.

Disney delves into its own history in "Saving Mr. Banks," a movie about the difficult birth of the classic film "Mary Poppins," wrenched from a tale by a reluctant British author.
Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney, who used all his sunny Californian charms to persuade writer P.L. Travers, played by Emma Thompson, to allow him to use the story.

Just a week before Christmas, a former Lebanese pop star and heartthrob turned Islamist fugitive has released a song about Jesus.
Once adored by women across the Arab world for his warm voice and good looks, Fadel Shaker gave up pop music in 2011, when he became a follower of a radical Sunni Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir.

The News of the World hacked voice-mail messages from Prince William to Kate Middleton in which the heir to the throne called his future wife "babykins", a British court heard Thursday.
The messages were obtained by police and read out during the trial over phone-hacking at the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid, which was shut down in disgrace in July 2011.
