Filming has begun for the “Downtown Abbey” movie. Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary in the global hit, posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, “And…we’re off.” The film will reunite the Crawley family on the big screen. Series creator Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay and will produce. The …

The response to Bradley Cooper’s romantic saga “A Star Is Born” has been intense. Critics have boasted of crying uncontrollably. Fans outside theaters have swooned for its star, Lady Gaga. Words like “glorious,” “rapturous” and, of course, “gaga” are running rampant.   “Having been on the other side of it, …

Larry Probst will step down as chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, exiting with a complicated legacy that includes restoring the federation’s international reputation while leaving it saddled with as many problems on the home front as he faced when he arrived. Probst, who announced his departure Monday, will step …

A new Indian movie about human trafficking starring Freida Pinto and Demi Moore is to be screened in towns and villages around the country to raise awareness of a crime that affects millions. “Love Sonia,” which traces the journey of a young girl trafficked from rural India into the global …

The short story that begat Angie Thomas’ breakthrough young adult novel The Hate U Give was inspired by the shooting of Oscar Grant III, the Oakland, Calif., African-American 22-year-old who was shot by a white transit police officer in 2009. In the years that followed, more shootings followed and Thomas …

When Chilean air force jet engines arrived for repair at a Rolls-Royce factory in Scotland in 1974, inspector Bob Fulton swiftly decided he would not touch them. The World War II veteran had been shaken by images thousands of miles away in Santiago of Hawker Hunter jets bombing La Moneda …

Olivia Newton-John says she has been diagnosed with cancer for the third time in three decades. The four-time Grammy winner, who will turn 70 on Sept. 26, told Australian news program Sunday Night that doctors found a tumor in her lower back in 2017. Newton-John says she’s “treating it naturally …

Opening Ceremony, the label that always seems to find quirkier and more unusual ways to display its clothes during Fashion Week, upped the ante on Sunday with a festive drag show, featuring a surprise performance by Christina Aguilera and an appearance by Nicki Minaj — her first fashion show since …

Scaling Emmy heights is tough in the era of so-called peak TV, with the volume of shows matched by lofty expectations from academy voters. Good isn’t enough for comedies and dramas, which need to resonate with the current political and social zeitgeist. Actors who also pull off the high-wire act …

CBS Corp said on Monday it will pay up to $120 million to former Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves if an internal investigation into allegations of harassment fails to provide grounds for his dismissal. Moonves, who turned CBS from an aging radio and TV broadcaster into a successful provider of …

The first woman to win the Miss America crown without having to don a swimsuit says she’s glad she didn’t have to. Nia Imani Franklin, who won the title Sunday night in Atlantic City while competing as Miss New York, said the changes in the 98-year-old are a welcome modernization. …

The U.S. Open final suddenly appeared to be slipping away from Novak Djokovic. He dropped three consecutive games. He was angered by a crowd roaring for his popular opponent, Juan Martin del Potro. He was, in short, out of sorts. And then came Sunday’s pivotal game, a 20-minute, 22-point epic. …

The 2018 football season quietly kicked off across the U.S. Sunday without the widespread player protests over alleged police brutality against African-Americans. Only two players  both on the Miami Dolphins  protested police violence by kneeling during the national anthem. Another Dolphins player raised his fist in defiance while a member …

The top executive of broadcasting and media giant CBS, Les Moonves, resigned late Sunday after six more women accused him of sexual assault. CBS says his resignation is effective immediately. A statement did not directly mention the allegations against him, but said CBS and Moonves will donate $20 million to …

The U.S. Tennis Association fined 2018 U.S. Open runner-up Serena Williams $17,000 Sunday for violations during the women’s final the day before. Williams will pay for three violations made during the extremely controversial match with 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, who claimed her first grand slam title. Williams’ first violation for allegedly …

The swimsuits are gone, but there has been plenty of controversy surrounding this year’s Miss America competition that could keep viewers tuning in.        The next Miss America will be crowned around 11 p.m. Sunday on a nationally televised broadcast on ABC from Atlantic City.          This …

Tiffany Haddish led an African-American sweep of Emmy Awards for TV series guest actors, a milestone in the entertainment industry’s effort to reflect a diverse society.          Haddish was honored at Saturday’s creative arts Emmys for hosting “Saturday Night Live,” while Katt Williams won the guest comedy actor award …

The Democratic Republic of Congo is known across the continent for its high-energy dance culture. The contemporary local pop dances that feature winding waist movements and stiff leg kicks have become famous. But some dance artists are focused on older styles of dance. Ballet Grand Danseurs is a Kinshasa-based group …

American companies are producing a growing range of “Halal products” — food prepared to conform to strict Islamic law as prescribed by the Koran.  That includes strict adherence to how an animal is slaughtered, to the way it is prepared for consumption. As VOA’s Vardha Khalil reports, although many Muslims …

Naomi Osaka became Japan’s first Grand Slam singles champion after she thumped Serena Williams 6-2 6-4 in a controversial U.S. Open final on Saturday, with the American suffering a mesmerizing meltdown after being handed a code violation. It was drama-filled conclusion to a final that was rich with story lines …

Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, bringing Netflix its first major festival victory to seal the online streaming company’s reputation as a big name in arthouse movies. Roma, named after the neighborhood in Mexico City where writer-director-cinematographer Cuaron grew up, is a Spanish-language drama that critics almost …

More than 30 dresses and accessories worn on stage by Aretha Franklin are going up for auction. The Queen of Soul died at age 76 in Detroit on August 16. Julien’s Auctions says the items include a red sequined dress Franklin wore at Radio City Music Hall in 1991, a …

Hikers have embarked on a 500-mile (805-kilometer) expedition that will traverse New Mexico. The mission: Chart out the best route and identify what challenges might lie ahead as the state moves closer to establishing the Rio Grande Trail. Following in the footsteps of other states, New Mexico is looking to …

Actor Burt Reynolds, the charismatic star whose career lasted for more than half a century, died Thursday at 82. His agent announced the actor’s death in Jupiter, Florida, but did not give a cause. The rugged, mustached, handsome Reynolds was an icon of 1970s America and its fixation on Hollywood …

Britain’s Burberry will no longer burn unsold luxury goods to protect its brand after an admission that it destroyed almost $40 million worth of stock last year sparked a furor over waste in the fashion industry. Burberry also said on Thursday it would no longer use real fur such as …