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Blues singer Etta James remembered in Los AngelesLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of mourners gathered at a Los Angeles-area church on Saturday to remember rhythm-and-blues singer Etta James, saying she overcame great personal and professional hurdles to sing "the times that she lived." During a two-hour service that featured performances by pop stars Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera, the Rev. Al Sharpton eulogized James as a woman who rose from a tough childhood and poured her pain into...Read Full Story

(Reuters) - Silent film "The Artist" and the apocalyptic tale "Take Shelter" led the Independent Spirit Award nominations on Tuesday, each taking nods for best feature, director and for acting."The Artist," which led Tuesday's New York Film Critics Circle honors with wins for best picture and director, took two Spirit Award nominations for Michel Hazanavicius for directing and screenplay. The festival hit about the transition in Hollywood from silent films to talkies also scored a nod for...Read Full Story

(Reuters) - Blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, who penned the screenplay for the classic film "Roman Holiday," had his credit restored by a Hollywood writers group on Monday, reversing history 58 years after the movie's release.Trumbo, the writer behind the original story for the 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, was part of the Hollywood Ten, a group of industry writers and directors who were accused of being Communist sympathizers by the U.S. House of Representatives...Read Full Story

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Romantic comedy "New Year's Eve" topped the domestic movie box office during the weekend but Hollywood had little to celebrate as North American ticket sales slumped to their lowest level in three years."New Year's Eve" led the charts with a disappointing $13.7 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters on Sunday. The movie added $12.9 million from international markets, for a combined global debut of $26.6 million...Read Full Story

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The three finalists of TV contest "The X Factor" went back to their roots on Wednesday, each performing their first audition songs as they battled for votes and a $5 million recording contract.Power ballad singer Melanie Amaro, 19, belted out Beyonce's hit "Listen," while 30-year-old rocker Josh Krajcik played guitar for a pared-down version of the Etta James classic "At Last."Recovering drug addict Chris Rene, 28, performed his original rap song "Young Homies" that...Read Full Story