La Scala scales back on productions due to crisis
La Scala has reduced the number of operas it will stage during the 2013-14 season due to Italy's economic crisis, the theater's general manager said ...

Russian court denies Pussy Riot's Alekhina parole
A Russian court denied parole on Thursday to a member of the Pussy Riot punk group. The ruling came despite letters that singers Paul McCartney, Peter ...
Georges Moustaki, who penned for Piaf, dies
Georges Moustaki, an Egyptian-born composer, singer and poet who wrote songs for Edith Piaf and other French stars, has died at age 79.

Beatles' lyrics headed for British Library
Shakespeare, the Magna Carta — and now some of John Lennon's finest lyrics. The British Library on Wednesday added substantially to its already ...

Germany celebrates composer Wagner's 200th
Germany on Wednesday celebrated the 200th birthday of Richard Wagner, the 19th-century composer whose music has been hailed as sublime art at the ...

10 Things to Know for Wednesday
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday: 1. A RACE TO FIND SURVIVORS Rescuers ...

Justin Bieber's monkey becomes German property
Justin Bieber's pet monkey is no longer his. The capuchin monkey named Mally was seized by German customs on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian ...

In Coens' Cannes hit, Oscar Isaac gets his break
Joel and Ethan Coen had almost given up on casting the lead for their film "Inside Llewyn Davis." The part, a folk musician in early 1960s Greenwich ...

Moscow blasts alleged vote theft at Eurovision
Russia's point man on Syria and on its relations with the U.S. on Tuesday turned his attention toward a subject close to Russian hearts — alleged vote ...

Publicist: Founding member of The Doors dies at 74
Ray Manzarek, a founding member of the 1960s rock group The Doors whose versatile and often haunting keyboards complemented Jim Morrison's gloomy ...

Coens' folk revival 'Llewyn' serenades Cannes
The Coen brothers' resurrection of the pre-Dylan folk scene in Greenwich Village serenaded Cannes with its period music and melancholy tale of a ...

Denmark's de Forest wins Eurovision song contest
Denmark's Emmelie de Forest has won this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her ethno-inspired flute and drum tune "Only Teardrops," despite tough ...

Hot off the press: Seen and heard in Cannes
Associated Press journalists open their notebooks at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival: Will a switched-at-birth Japanese drama tug on Steven Spielberg's ...

Blinking skirts, fake tans: It must be Eurovision
Flashy skirts, fake tans, fur and feathers: It's the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. The televised extravaganza, with an audience of 125 million ...

Weinstein showcases Grace Kelly, Mandela flicks
The Weinstein Company's fall slate of awards contenders will feature a glamorous Grace Kelly, a brawny Nelson Mandela and a mysterious J.D. Salinger.

Bieber will have to pay for German monkey business
Justin Bieber will face a bill for thousands of euros (dollars) for his pet monkey's two-month stay at an animal shelter since it was seized by German ...

George Michael injured in another car crash
George Michael was being treated at a hospital Friday for what his publicist called minor injuries after being a passenger in a car crash near London.
Boston Symphony Orchestra names new music director
Andris Nelsons has been named the Boston Symphony Orchestra's music director. The chairman of the 132-year-old orchestra's trustees made the ...

Boy band One Direction: World tour next year
Hit boy band One Direction has announced plans for an ambitious world tour in 2014. Plans call for the youthful chart-toppers to play major stadiums ...

Zoe Saldana brushes off criticism of Simone role
Zoe Saldana has played an alien and a future space traveler — but taking on the role of an actual famous person proved even harder. The 34-year-old ...

Beyonce cancels Belgium show under doctor's orders
Beyonce is canceling her Tuesday concert in Belgium because of dehydration and exhaustion. In an email to The Associated Press, the singer's publicist ...

3-man space crew returns safely to Earth
A Soyuz space capsule with a three-man crew returning from a five-month mission to the International Space Station landed safely Tuesday on the ...
Astronaut exits space station with music video
In a high-flying, perfectly pitched first, an astronaut on the International Space Station is bowing out of orbit with a musical video: his own custom ...
France mulls culture tax on smartphones
The French government is considering creating a new tax on smartphones and tablets in a bid to raise millions to support the creation of digital ...

US high school choir will back Rolling Stones
You can't always get what you want. Unless, perhaps, you're a member of the Green Valley High School choir and you want a chance to sing on stage with ...