HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The screenwriter for the movie "Lincoln" has conceded taking some liberties in its portrayal of a 19th century vote on slavery, but he said his changes adhered to widely accepted standards for the creation of historical drama.

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Republicans launched a political ad in Kentucky this week attacking actress Ashley Judd as a "Hollywood liberal" even though she has not yet decided to run for the Senate. The ad, backed by Republican strategist Karl Rove, prompted Judd to respond that she was grateful for the attention as she mulls a run against Republican U.S. Senate leader Mitch McConnell in the 2014 Kentucky race. ...

WARSAW (Reuters) - The Polish city of said it was offended by Hollywood blockbuster "Zero Dark Thirty" for labeling the home town of the communist bloc's first independent labor union as the location of a secret CIA detention centre. The critically acclaimed movie has already sparked controversy by suggesting that the torture of al Qaeda suspects played an important role in tracking down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed by U.S. special forces during a raid on a Pakistan compound in 2011. Polish prosecutors are looking into the country's role in helping U.S. ...

VIENNA (AP) — Mira Sorvino's list of awards includes an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a host of nominations reserved for the world's best actors and actresses. She's had meaningful roles in more than 50 films and TV productions in a career that began two decades ago and is still going strong.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It's a downward spiral for Charlie, a successful professional whose life slides into despair when his girlfriend breaks up with him. This Charlie could be Charlie Sheen, but it's actually the fictional Charles Swan, a charming, immature character played by Hollywood's favorite bad boy actor and filmed only a few months after Sheen's off-screen antics got him fired in 2011 from TV comedy "Two and a Half Men." Sheen stars in "A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III," opening in U.S. movie theaters on Friday. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dame Shirley Bassey, who recorded the theme songs for the James Bond films "Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Moonraker," will make her first appearance at the Academy Awards this month, the show's producers said on Friday. Bassey, whose career has spanned more than six decades, will perform at the awards show on February 24 in Los Angeles, along with others including Adele, Norah Jones and Barbra Streisand. ...

LONDON (AP) — Everyone who's had a fender bender knows the cost of repairs is going up. But few cars can be as costly to fix as "Mr. Bean" actor Rowan Atkinson's rare McLaren F1.

BERLIN (AP) — Matt Damon hopes "Promised Land," his drama on the divisive practice of fracking, will win over international critics, despite a U.S. reception that disappointed the actor.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Polish director Malgoska Szumowska tackles the controversial topic of homosexuality in the Roman Catholic priesthood in her film "In the Name of" that had its world premiere on Friday but she said her aim was not to deliver a political message. "In the Name of", the first of 19 competition entries to screen at this year's Berlin film festival, focuses on a priest's struggle with his sexuality while working with troubled youths in a deprived corner of rural Poland where drug and alcohol abuse are commonplace. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - They may have had accolades and a knighthood in common, but veteran British thespian Alec Guinness found his fellow actor and former mentor Laurence Olivier tiresome and vindictive, newly released extracts from his diary show. Writing just a day after Olivier's death, Guinness praised his contemporary as a "giant" of the theatre, but said he was unmoved by Olivier's performance in "Oedipus Rex". "His 'I defy you, stars' in Romeo was memorable. And so was his Poor naked wretches etc in Lear. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Home-grown talent will feel the pressure to perform at the BAFTAs on Sunday with Daniel Day-Lewis expected to win best actor for his role in "Lincoln" and British films as diverse as "Les Miserables" and "Skyfall" up for a range of trophies. But there could be stiff competition at Britain's top movie awards ceremony from "Argo", a drama directed by Ben Affleck about the rescue of American hostages from Iran in 1979, which has just beaten Lincoln to a clutch of prestigious U.S. prizes. Argo has seven BAFTA nominations including for best film. ...

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean military conscripts may have dreamed a dream of defending the homeland, but their life is one of snow shovelling and thwarted love - at least in a parody of "Les Miserables" starring real airmen that has become an Internet hit. The opera-style video "Les Militaribles" was made by 80 conscripts for $900 and has garnered over a million views in three days, raising hopes it could be on the way to a repeat of rapper Psy's "Gangnam Style" blockbuster hit. (http://www.youtube. ...

(Reuters) - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc might cut a maximum of 500 jobs from its 2,000 member workforce following disappointing holiday results and delays to its film lineup, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing a person familiar with the situation. On Tuesday, the studio said in a statement that it would push back the release of its film "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" to March 2014, while "Me & My Shadow," originally slotted for a 2014 release, would return to development. (http://link.reuters.com/hux75t) "The move of 'Mr. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A British writer has written a book based on Jane Austen's classic novel "Pride and Prejudice" but told from the servants' point of view, its U.S. publisher said on Thursday. In "Longbourn," which will be released later this year in the United States, writer Jo Baker focuses on a romance between the main characters, a newly arrived footman and a housemaid on the Bennet family estate. ...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Fawad Mohammadi has spent half his life peddling maps and dictionaries to foreigners on a street of trinket shops in Kabul. Now the 14-year-old Afghan boy with bright green eyes is getting ready for a trip down the red carpet at the Oscars.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Actor James Cromwell has been arrested for allegedly disrupting a University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting where he was protesting animal testing.

It seems ironic that the title of the movie is "Identity Thief" when its co-stars have such a firm grasp on their well-established screen personae.

It's a boy for Cam Gigandet! The "Burlesque" hunk, 30, and his fiancee, Dominique Geisendorff, have welcomed their second child.

Tim McGraw has been married to fellow country superstar Faith Hill for over 16 years (it'll be 17 in October), and on Thursday's Access Hollywood Live , the singer revealed the secret behind the pair's lasting love.

BERLIN (AP) — Martial arts epic "The Grandmaster" kicked off the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, introducing an international audience to Yip Man, the man who mentored Bruce Lee and brought kung fu to the masses.