Irish rock veterans U2 will play their Oscar-nominated song "Ordinary Love" from the movie "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" at this year's Academy Awards, organizers announced Wednesday.
The March 2 performance at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood will be the first time U2 has played the song live, said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, producers of the 86th Academy Awards.

Japanese women flocked to department stores Thursday to buy Valentine's Day chocolates for all the men in their lives, but more of them this year are dispensing with tradition and treating themselves or their friends.
In much of the West, February 14 is a day when men can sink or swim on their ability to make impressive dinner plans or buy a suitable bunch of flowers.

Indian fashion designer Bibhu Mohapatra on Wednesday unveiled his fall/winter 2014 collection in New York, created for the global woman inspired by the beauty and colors of Tibet.
The 41-year-old award-winning designer, who has dressed First Lady Michelle Obama, sent 41 breathtaking looks down the runway, confections of plum, black, ivory, bronze, red and neutrals.

New Zealand immigration authorities have banned Los Angeles rappers Odd Future from entering the country after deciding they pose a threat to public order.
The group was due to play an open-air concert with headline act Eminem on Saturday in Auckland.

What better way to spend Valentine's Day but to binge out on the machinations of the most duplicitous Washington power couple ever to grace the small screen?
"House of Cards" returns Friday to Netflix, the Internet streaming video service that threw away the Hollywood playbook a year ago when it sent out all 13 hour-long episodes of its flagship original drama in one fell swoop.

Written by Anthony Sargon
If you’re in the mood for a quirky, feel-good movie with likable characters and snappy dialogue, then “Frances Ha” is the movie you’ve been waiting for. Director Noah Baumbach and star Greta Gerwig also co-wrote the script, which is heavily influenced by Woody Allen’s previous work, and that’s in no way a bad thing.

Written by Anthony Sargon
Sometimes, all it takes is an accusation to ruin your life, no matter whether or not it’s true. The mere idea of your wrong-doing can be enough to turn your world upside down, and Thomas Vinterberg’s “Jagten” (The Hunt) makes that absolutely clear. It’s a very powerful film that’s bolstered by a great central performance by Mads Mikkelsen. The Danish film is also among the nominees for best Foreign Language film at the 86th Academy Awards.

If George Clooney thought the battle over art's rightful ownership — the subject of his World War II movie "The Monuments Men" — was in the past, he knows better now.
The actor-director has touched a nerve in Britain by suggesting the 2,500-year-old Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece.

Duchess Kate returned to her public duties with a black tie fundraising dinner in aid of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Officially known as the Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton gave a short speech before guests including movie star Elizabeth Hurley and rocker Bryan Adams.

Michelle Obama chose a Venezuelan-American designer for the gown she wore Tuesday to the state dinner honoring French President Francois Hollande.
But the formal, ornate style of the sumptuous gown by Carolina Herrera reflected French aesthetics, from the intricate beaded black bodice, to the train and full skirt in a color called liberty blue, according to Susan Swimmer, author of "Michelle Obama: First Lady of Fashion and Style."
