After a remarkable run with leading roles in films such as "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Inception," actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt stepped behind the camera to direct "Don Jon's Addiction," a raunchy comedy that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. "Don Jon's Addiction," which Gordon-Levitt also wrote and stars in, leads a slate of films about sex on this year's Sundance roster. The film follows the story of Jon, a handsome young man who is unable to maintain a relationship, due to his addiction to pornography. When Jon meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), a beautiful but high-maintenance woman obsessed with Hollywood romantic comedies, and Esther (Julianne Moore), an emotionally fragile widow, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Gordon-Levitt, 31, a former child star who has risen through the ranks of television and independent film to become one of Hollywood's most bankable actors, said he thought it would be "hilarious" to pair a porn addict with a woman addicted to romance films. More»

Barbra Streisand will add the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Chaplin Award to her roster of honors, in recognition of her achievement as a director, writer, producer and film star, the group said on Friday. Streisand, who shot to fame in the 1960s on Broadway and as a major recording star, will receive the honor at the 40th Annual Chaplin Award gala in New York on April 22 which will feature celebrity guests and a host of film and interview clips. "The Board is very excited to have Barbra Streisand as the next recipient of The Chaplin Award," Ann Tenenbaum, The Film Society of Lincoln Center's board chairman, said in a news release. "She is an artist whose long career of incomparable achievements is most powerfully expressed by the fact that her acclaimed 'Yentl' was such a milestone film." More»

At first glance the D Cappuccino cafe in Cairo looks like any other fashionable western style espresso bar. You’ll find them in most cities across the world. But there are key differences and it’s not in the coffee. One area of the cafe is reserved for single men only.  In another section you can only order and drink your coffee if you are an unmarried female. There is another section which is set aside for families only. The cafe was opened in May and adheres to Islamic law. There are no flatscreen televisions and western music is barred. It is a small, but some believe significant, change in Cairo society.  “Psychologically it’s good to have a cafe like this where there is only calm Islamic music and segregation with men and women separated,” said one of the customers.  Our correspondent in Cairo Mohammed Shaikh ibrahim concluded: “Social changes began to appear in Egyptian society after Islamists came to power including the establishment of this kind of cafe committed to the laws of Islam. Perhaps it’s the beginning of other changes which will appear in the days ahead.” More»

Miss New York won the 2013 Miss America crown on Saturday at the annual pageant which tapped into the reality TV format by incorporating fan participation that pulled one contestant into the semifinals. Mallory Hytes Hagan, 23, scored in the talent competition with a tap dance to James Brown's "Get Up Offa That Thing," and wowed judges with an unadorned, off-the-shoulder white evening gown. "Oh, my God, thank you!" Hagan, from Brooklyn, said as she was crowned at the end of the two-hour live broadcast from Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on ABC. The first runner-up was South Carolina's Ali Rogers, followed by Alicia Clifton from Oklahoma, Wyoming's Lexie Madden and Miss Iowa, Mariah Cary. Montana's Alexis Wineman, who has spoken about having been diagnosed with autism when she was 11, was chosen by fans online and made it to the semifinals. Fourth runner-up Cary discussed having Tourette's syndrome. More»

"Lincoln", the story of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, won 10 BAFTA nominations on Wednesday, putting it ahead of the pack at Britain's top film honors. The biopic was shortlisted in categories including best film, actor, supporting actor (Tommy Lee Jones) and supporting actress (Sally Field), but director Steven Spielberg was not nominated. Added to its domination of the Golden Globe contenders going into Sunday night's awards ceremony, British critics said the film appeared to be in pole position to sweep Oscar nominations which are announced on Thursday. "Les Miserables", the movie version of the global hit stage musical, and shipwreck saga "Life of Pi" followed with nine BAFTA nominations each, while the latest installment of James Bond, "Skyfall", garnered eight. More»

If you’ve ever lived with a vocal cat, you’ve almost certainly asked yourself this question. After all, who could resist wanting to know what your feline friend is thinking as she meows plaintively at your sleeping face early in the morning or weaves her way between your legs while crying herself hoarse? Most of the typical in-the-wild feline sounds—like hissing, spitting, growling, and that hair-raising high-pitched screaming thing cats do when they’re fighting and mating—are self-explanatory: They’re angry, scared, or hoping to impress. But the plain-old “meow” can seem confusing to us humans. Behaviorists say that cats meow at humans because they want something and, most important, because meowing gets results. More»

British supermodel Naomi Campbell was mugged by two assailants who tried to steal her handbag in Paris in late November, the prosecutor's office and police said on Friday. Campbell lodged a complaint with police after being attacked by two men on motorbikes in the capital's trendy Marais neighborhood. The men attempted to steal Campbell's bag from inside the car she was in on the evening of November 21, a police source said. "There was an attempted robbery with violence," an official at the prosecutor's office said. U.S. media reported that Campbell had suffered a knee injury in the attack and could require surgery. A spokesman for Campbell declined to comment and Paris police could not give details of any injuries, saying Campbell had declined an offer to be examined by doctors at the police station. The incident occurred a short distance from a bar where fashion designer John Galliano made headlines in early 2011 by making an anti-Semitic outburst at fellow drinkers. Campbell, 42, has been convicted herself of assaults on her staff and on police officers and was ordered by one judge to attend anger management classes. More»

More than £1bn was spent on downloaded films, music and games in 2012, the highest annual total. Sales increased 11.4% from 2011, meaning that a quarter of the entertainment market is now digital. But figures released later by entertainment retailers will also show a big drop in physical sales - more bad news for high street shops. Sales of CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray and video games fell by 17.6% in 2011 although they still make up most of the market. Kim Bayley, director general of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), which will release the figures, said that breaking the £1bn barrier was an "incredible achievement" for retailers. "This reflects their huge investment in new and innovative services - which means you can buy music, video and games literally at any time of the day and wherever you are. More»

The hot-button topic of "fracking" has finally made its way to Hollywood in the new movie "Promised Land," out in U.S. theaters on Friday, with actors Matt Damon and John Krasinski teaming up to further the debate on the energy drilling technique. The film explores the social impact of hydraulic fracturing drilling technique, or "fracking," which has sparked nation-wide environmental and political battles over its impact on drinking water, U.S. energy use, seismic activity and other areas. "Promised Land" will see Damon, 42, reunite with director Gus Van Sant for the third time, following their success with 1997 film "Good Will Hunting and 2002's "Gerry." In their latest film, Damon plays a corporate salesman who goes to a rural U.S. town to buy or lease land on behalf of a gas company looking to drill for oil. He soon faces opposition from a slick environmentalist, played by Krasinski. More»

Actress Katie Holmes' return to Broadway has been cut short, with producers announcing that the play "Dead Accounts" in which she co-stars will close on January 6, nearly two months early. Holmes, the ex-wife of actor Tom Cruise, played Lorna, a wan, beaten-down woman living with her parents in the five-character play by Theresa Rebeck which opened on November 29 to mostly negative reviews. No reason was given for the play's early closing, but media reports said it was earning only a fraction of its box office potential. Many reviewers said Holmes acquitted herself alongside a roster of Broadway veterans, who included Tony-winning actor Norbert Leo Butz as the brother who returns to his Midwestern family and unleashes havoc in the comedy. More»