M*A*S*H actor Allan Arbus dies at age 95

US actor Allan Arbus, best known for his role as Army psychiatrist Sidney Freedman on the 1970s hit television series M*A*S*H and as the husband of the late photographer Diane Arbus, has died at the age of 95. Arbus, who gave up his photography for acting, passed away from congestive heart failure at his home in Los Angeles on Friday, his second wife Mariclare Costello Arbus said.

Roddy Doyle's The Commitments finally made into musical

Irish author Roddy Doyle's bestselling novel The Commitments is finally being made into a musical, more than 25 years after the heartwarming tale of a group of aspiring soul musicians was first published. The Booker Prize winner's 1987 story about young working class Jimmy Rabbitte's efforts to form the "finest soul act in Dublin" became a hit film in 1991, but Doyle said he turned down a flood of requests to adapt it into a musical at the time.

New Star Trek boldly voyages to Australia for premiere

Hundreds of fans screamed and waved as the cast of Star Trek: Into Darkness beamed into Sydney on Tuesday with the crew of the starship Enterprise returning to space in the world premiere of one of the season's most anticipated movies. Fans swarmed the red carpet in central Sydney for a glimpse of Chris Pine and co-star Zachary Quinto, who play Captain James T. Kirk and Mr Spock in the sequel to J.J. Abrams' highly acclaimed reboot of the famous franchise.

Kuwait author wins Arabic book prize for tale of foreign workers

Kuwaiti author Saud Alsanousi has won the 2013 International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his portrayal of the lives of foreign workers in Gulf countries in The Bamboo Stalk. The 31-year-old Alsanousi became the youngest winner in the $50,000-prize's six-year history for the story seen through the eyes of Issa, the son of a Kuwaiti father and a Filipina mother.

New Andy Warhol exhibit features the artist as subject

More than 30 years ago in the south of France, the camera switched its focus to the celebrity-obsessed artist Andy Warhol, who became the reluctant subject of a photo study that was then relegated to a storage cabinet filed under "W". Sometime last year, a friend of photographer Steve Wood happened upon the trove of 35mm slides and persuaded wood that the "lost" images deserved their Warhol-allotted 15 minutes of fame.

Backstreet Boys get Hollywood star ahead of world tour

Boy band the Backstreet Boys - now all grown men - on Monday marked their 20th anniversary and their upcoming world tour by getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "Backstreet is Back ... and we aren't going anywhere," Nick Carter, 33, told fans as all five members of the 1990s band gathered to unveil their star - located right next to another popular boy band, Boyz II Men.

Ang Lee selected to judge Cannes Film Festival with Nicole Kidman

Double Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and Australian actress Nicole Kidman will be on the nine-member jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival, organizers said on Wednesday. The panel, led by triple Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg, will decide the awards handed out when the world's most important annual cinema showcase closes on May 26.

Iron Man 3 goes back to basics in a quest to save the US

After battling grandiose villains and teaming up with other superheroes, it's back-to-basics for Iron Man in the third installment of the multi-million-dollar franchise featuring Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man 3, which opened in most of the world on Friday and on May 3 in the United States, has Downey reprising his role of superhero industrialist Tony Stark from the first two films as well as last summer's The Avengers.

Reuters

(China Daily 04/28/2013 page4)