Critics are queuing up to praise Natalie Portman in her latest movie "Black Swan," the opening picture at this year's Venice film festival, with one review saying the performance "elevates her ... to a major star."
The 29-year-old plays a New York ballerina whose obsession with technical perfection takes a heavy toll on mind and body.

Nobody ever said Hollywood relationships were easy, and the on-again off-again affair of Justin Long and Drew Barrymore certainly proves that out.
Are they still on? Are they off? This Friday, as the pair's romantic comedy "Going the Distance" debuts in theaters, it looks as if they are on, although one never truly knows.

A sheriff's official says detectives have given prosecutors the results of their investigation into domestic violence allegations against Mel Gibson.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore says the results were turned over Wednesday for a decision on whether charges will be filed.

Actor Paul Hogan, star of the "Crocodile Dundee" movie trilogy, has been barred from leaving Australia until he pays a disputed tax bill, his lawyer said on Thursday.
The 70-year-old actor, who currently lives in Los Angeles and first gained a public profile in the United States with his cheerful offer to "slip an extra shrimp on the barbie" in Australian tourism TV ads in the mid 1980s, arrived in Sydney last week to attend the funeral of his mother Florence Hogan.

Lindsay Lohan's judge on Wednesday laid out a path paved with therapy sessions and 12-step program meetings that could lead to the actress's recovery and an end to a three-year-old drug case.
It also would allow the starlet to return to work after spending more than a month in jail and inpatient rehab.

Azeri Library Experts Participate in Ifla-2010 Conference
Azeri experts in library participated in IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2010, 76th IFLA General Conference and Assembly on the theme "Open access to knowledge - promoting sustainable progress" took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, from August 10-15.

China said it will expand its movie industry by making more films and building more theaters to meet growing demand.
"So far this year, we have already matched the number of total theaters built last year, but we still have yet to meet the increasing demand," Zhao Shi, deputy director of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, said at a news conference Thursday.

"Date Night" saw a big score on home video.
The Steve Carell-Tina Fey comedy, which grossed $99 million in theaters, debuted at No. 1 on all three national DVD and Blu-ray Disc charts, kicking aside the previous week's triple-play winner, "Kick-Ass."
"Kick-Ass" slipped to No. 3 on both the Nielsen VideoScan DVD sales chart and Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week ending August 15, right behind another new release, "Death at a Funeral," which grossed $42.7 million at the box office.
"Kick-Ass" slipped to No.

Eric Clapton will release his first solo album in five years on September 28, his Reprise Records label said on Wednesday.
"Clapton," the rock guitarist's 19th solo studio album, features guest appearances by former girlfriend Sheryl Crow and former Blind Faith bandmate Steve Winwood, among others.

If you're looking for Cameron Diaz, Julia Roberts or Jessica Biel online, look out!
The movie stars top the latest list of the most dangerous celebrities to search for online, according to new research by computer-security software maker McAfee Inc.