Tolkien fantasy epic "The Hobbit" enjoyed a second week at the top of the North American box office, while controversial low-brow comedy "The Interview" scored $15 million from online rentals and purchases.

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," directed by Oscar-winning heavyweight Peter Jackson, is the last of six films adapted from J.R.R Tolkien's books and the third and final installment based on the author's novel "The Hobbit."

One of this year's hottest independent films -- watched closely in the Oscars race -- is the gritty thriller "A Most Violent Year," set in crime-ridden 1981 New York.

The film, whose restrained style slowly builds powerful suspense amid acerbic humor, tells the tale of immigrant entrepreneur Abel Morales, who aims to build an oil empire with the help of his wife, played by Jessica Chastain, heiress of a fallen oil tycoon.

Taylor Swift insists that she's happily single, but according to her friend Ed Sheeran, the "Shake It Off" singer should look no further than her New York City apartment building for love.

Sheeran told British magazine Now that he thinks Orlando Bloom would be a wonderful match for the 25-year-old.

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.