Candice Glover, a soul singer from rural South Carolina, was named “American Idol” on Thursday, becoming the first female singer to win the television singing competition since 2007.

An Australian choreographer alleged Thursday that Michael Jackson sexually abused him for seven years as a child, a claim the late singer's estate described as “outrageous and sad.”

Singer Bob Dylan was made an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, joining the ranks of leading writers, composers and artists in the prestigious 115-year-old group.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has a new process to select artists who receive one of America's top arts prizes, the Kennedy Center Honors, after an outside group last year said Latinos have been largely excluded.

Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum is selling a limited number of copies of the Dutch master's sketchbooks for the first time, providing rare insight into his life and the origin of some of his most famous portraits, the museum said on Thursday.

Museums in Taiwan are set to host a series of events May 18 ranging from treasure hunts to sleepovers to celebrate International Museum Day.

David Beckham says he will retire from professional soccer at the end of the season.

Nicole Kidman and “Amelie” star Audrey Tautou kicked off 12 days of red carpet fashion at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

Health activists, doctors and movie fans hailed glamorous Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie on Tuesday for her decision to reveal that she had had her breasts removed to reduce her cancer risk.

A painting by Barnett Newman that Sotheby's described as an icon of Abstract Expressionism sold Tuesday in New York for a record US$43.84 million at an auction peppered with stunningly expensive works.