Word that Beirut-born Amal Alamuddin has stolen the heart of Oscar-winning heartthrob George Clooney has caused a frenzy in Lebanon, where citizens are more used to bad news.

In Baakline, the leafy home district of Alamuddin's father in the Lebanese mountains, Ramzi Sabbagh could hardly contain his enthusiasm.

Live Aid founder Bob Geldof's daughter Peaches died of a heroin overdose, the same cause of death as her mother Paula Yates in 2000, Britain's Times newspaper reported on Thursday.

The model died suddenly on April 7, aged 25, but the autopsy proved inconclusive.

British actor Bob Hoskins, the gruff star of films including "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "The Long Good Friday", has died at the age of 71 following a bout of pneumonia, his family said Wednesday.

The short, stocky Londoner, who rose to fame in British gangster movies in the 1980s and went on to have a long career as a Hollywood character actor, died in hospital on Tuesday night.

Two dozen white-clad Imperial Troopers and other Star Wars characters marched Wednesday down a stately, tree-lined avenue in Tunis — a site where activists once fought riot police during the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions.

The empire was not striking back against the poster child for Arab democracy — just an innovative campaign to encourage tourists to return to this sunny desert-and-beach nation in North Africa.

An aspiring rapper who was arrested during a search of Justin Bieber's mansion pleaded no contest Wednesday to felony possession of ecstasy and was sentenced to probation and community service.

Xavier Domonique Smith, who goes by the name Lil Za, was also ordered into a drug treatment program and fined $1,000 for breaking a jail telephone while in custody, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokesman Ricardo Santiago said.

Young Anglo-American actor Andrew Garfield is springing back into action in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," throwing himself anew into the web-spinning ordinary hero's role.

The Sony film has its North American premiere on Friday after a staggered release around the world that started in mid-April.

Prince Harry and his girlfriend Cressida Bonas have split up.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt tweeted that the break-up was "said to be 'amicable' and they remain 'the best of friends'".

Written by Anthony Sargon

You can imagine my lack of excitement walking into “The Other Woman.” None of the marketing suggested anything other than yet another generic, revenge chick-flick where a scorned group of women go after an unfaithful and dishonest male antagonist. Well, I have two words for you: Leslie Mann. She’s the film’s saving grace, and makes “The Other Woman” a lot more tolerable than it would have been otherwise. Oh, and watching Jaime Lannister shit himself is another plus.

Written by Anthony Sargon

Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2″ is one of my all-time favorite movies. I watched it in theaters a total of 10 times, and still consider it one of the greatest comic book movies ever made. Spider-Man is hands down my favorite superhero, and the only reason I ever got into in comics in the first place. I didn’t exactly mind the idea of a reboot; in fact it was the only way for me to move on from the traumatic “Spider-Man 3.” I ended up really enjoying “The Amazing Spider-Man” and couldn’t wait to see where the series would go next. While the sequel is a bit of a mixed bag overall, it’s still a highly enjoyable piece of summer entertainment, and includes a final half hour that packs a big emotional wallop. It won’t replace Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2″ as the best Spidey flick yet, but it’s far from being the next “Spider-Man 3.” Director Marc Webb may have bitten off a bit more than he can chew, but he’s delivered a very solid – if not amazing – Spidey adventure.

Newspapers in the United Arab Emirates are reporting that the American drummer for the rock band Scorpions has been sentenced to one month in jail after being convicted of offensive behavior in Dubai.

The government-backed National newspaper reported Tuesday that James Kottak was convicted of insulting Islam, raising his middle finger and being under the influence of alcohol while in transit at Dubai airport.