German soprano, Dame Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, has died at the age of 90. The soprano, who was born in Poland, was one of the most admired singers of the 20th century, equally famous for her operatic performances and concert appearances around the world. Dame Elisabeth retired from the stage in 1971. Britain, her adopted country, made her a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1991

Mighty peculiar stuff goes on in this quiet Barnyard when the farmer's away. The cows, pigs, mules and chickens stop grazing, slopping in mud and egg-sitting to walk upright, chat up their friends, party and even steal a car for teenage bovine joy riding. Mostly they stay inside the farmer's fence, safe from the local coyote gang's midnight henhouse snack runs. The coyotes are the barnyard's only fear because the old farmer is a vegan

She might not be seeing much of Tom Cruise any more, but Spanish actress Penelope Cruz says she is among the select few who have met his baby daughter, Suri. Cruz, in London to attend the British premiere of her new film Volver, said she met Cruise, his partner Katie Holmes and their daughter, who was born on April 18 but has yet to be seen in public. Cruz, who dated Cruise from 2001 to 2004, declined to offer details of the meeting, but praised Suri as a special baby

20th Century Fox will release the next installment in the "Die Hard" action franchise next summer over the coveted July 4 holiday weekend, reports Variety. Live Free or Die Hard will return Bruce Willis to the big screen as rough-and-tumble New York cop John McClane. The film, set to begin shooting next month, will be released on June 29, 2007

Gold-medal snowboarder Ross Rebagliati is suing CTV over the television show, Whistler, which he says makes him look like a drunken criminal. His lawyer, Joyce Thayer, says the lead character looks exactly like Rebagliati. The character, Beck Mac-Kaye, is a drunk driver who paralyses a woman in a hit-and-run accident. He's blond and an Olympic champion

Actor Hugh Jackman is set reprise the role of Billy Bigelow in Fox 2000's upcoming film remake of the musical Carousel, it was reported in Hollywood. Jackman previously played the musical role as part of a Rodgers & Hammerstein tribute performance at Carnegie Hall in 2002. He won a Tony in 2004 for best actor in a musical for The Boy from Oz. Carousel focuses on carnival worker Bigelow who is granted one day to right his wrongs after he is gunned down in a botched robbery

Actress Helena Bonham Carter will join the cast of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Warner Bros. Pictures announced in Burbank, Calif. Carter -- who was nominated for an Oscar for "The Wings of the Dove," and most recently starred in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" -- will play Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black's cousin and a Death Eater in the fifth movie based on author J.K. Rowling's series of books about a boy wizard. Warner Bros

Star Trek memorabilia spanning four decades - including Vulcan jewellery and Starfleet mini-dresses - went on display on Wednesday in London in preparation for the first official auction of studio items from the science-fiction phenomenon. The collection of more than 1 000 items is being sold by CBS Paramount Television to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Star Trek TV episode, said Helen Bailey, head of entertainment collections at Christie's auction house

Two of America's top authors made a plea to J.K. Rowling, asking her to not kill off Harry Potter in the final book of the series. As we reported in June, JK Rowling announced that at least two characters will die in the seventh Harry Potter novel. "One character got a reprieve, but I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die," Rowling said, without giving away any further details. "No, I'm not going to commit myself, because I don't want the hate mail or anything else

Michael Jackson has had trouble getting along with his lawyers. For the second time in a year, a law firm representing Jackson in one of his many financial disputes has quit, saying it has not been paid and cannot get the troubled pop star on the phone. Jackson, however, claims he fired the firm