A cute, trick-performing Jack Russell versus a snarling, orphan-chasing Doberman -- a potentially ugly Oscars dog fight is squaring up on Hollywood's red carpet.

Even as Tinseltown's A-listers vie for Academy Award glory, a contest for the canine equivalent -- the Golden Collar -- which seemed sewn up, has been ripped wide open. And by Martin Scorsese, no less.

Madonna announced she has teamed up with an American charity to build schools in Malawi, reviving a project she had earlier dropped due to financial mismanagement and lawsuits.

"This remains a very big priority in my life and I am excited that with the help of buildOn we can maintain our ongoing commitment to move forward efficiently," the US singer's organization Raising Malawi said in a statement issued Monday.

No tickets for the 2012 Olympics? Don't despair: You don't need one to enjoy the games and the party atmosphere in London this summer.

Although most sporting events take place in ticketed Olympic venues, there is plenty to see and do elsewhere in the run-up to and during the games.

"Baywatch" and "Knight Rider" star David Hasselhoff on Tuesday proposed to girlfriend Hayley Roberts, 28 years his junior, on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Hasselhoff, 59, posted the news on his Twitter account, but left his followers guessing over how Roberts, a Welsh factory worker, replied.

Camilla Williams, believed to be the first African-American woman to appear with a major U.S. opera company, has died. She was 92.

Williams died Sunday at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, her attorney, Eric Slotegraaf, said Monday. She died of complications from cancer, said Alain Barker, a spokesman for the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where Williams was a professor emeritus of voice.

Renowned jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela and heavy metal in Botswana feature in Rolling Stone's take on music in its new South African edition, which hopes to fill a conspicuously empty niche.

The American title launched its latest international edition in South Africa in November, tackling a crowded media market that has not yet cashed in on the country's rich musical heritage spanning rock to pop and jazz.

French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius, who produced the black-and-white silent movie "The Artist," has won a Directors Guild of America award in an indication that the film stands a good chance of winning an Oscar next month.

Hazanavicius competed for the outstanding achievement in feature film award with two big-name Hollywood directors, Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, respective producers of "Midnight in Paris" and "Hugo."

Thousands of people packed into London's Trafalgar Square on Sunday to celebrate Chinese New Year, with pyrotechnics and dancers in dragon costumes entertaining the crowds.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the big turnout "shows the way the world economy is going", as people braced the chilly weather to see performers parade through the city and sample Chinese food.

"Made in India" clothing is often seen as the product of sweatshop labor, but fashion designer Saloni Lodha, whose fans include film stars Naomi Watts and Emma Watson, wants to give it a luxury tag.

"I have great faith in the made-in-India idea, and wanted to see an Indian, made-in-India brand in the world's best stores," she told Agence France Presse while on a visit to Mumbai to source fabrics.

Actress Demi Moore was convulsing and "burning up" after taking an unidentified drug when emergency services were called earlier this week, according to the 911 call released Friday.

During the 10-minute call friends tell the 911 operator that the 49-year-old, who split from her younger husband Ashton Kutcher in November after his alleged infidelity, has "been having some issues lately."