Sheen 'threatened to kill wife'
Actor Charlie Sheen put a knife to his wife's throat and threatened to kill her in a fight that began over Christmas, she tells police.

Blunt named biggest album seller
James Blunt's Back to Bedlam is revealed as the biggest selling album of the decade, according to the Official Charts Company.

Van Morrison a father again at 64
Acclaimed Belfast-born singer Van Morrison is a father again at the age of 64, a statement on his website announces.

Avenged Sevenfold drummer dead
James 'The Rev' Sullivan, drummer for US heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold dies aged 28.

Tyra Banks to leave chat show
Former model Tyra Banks announces she will no longer present her chat show after its fifth season.

Animal Collective album tops poll
Dance act Animal Collective's record Merriweather Post Pavilion is hailed album of the year in a critics' poll.

Avatar takes Christmas box office
Sci-fi epic Avatar tops the Christmas box office in a record-breaking weekend at the north American box office.

O Fortuna is 'most listened to'
The 30 most listened to classical music pieces of the last 75 years are revealed on BBC Radio 2.

Lloyd Webber beaten in power list
Theatre owners Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire beat music impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber to the top slot of a theatre power list.

Palmer painting in UK export ban
A painting by Samuel Palmer is temporarily banned from being exported from the UK in a bid to raise money to keep it in the country.

Caravaggio's remains removed
The remains of Renaissance artist Caravaggio are retrieved by Italian scientists hoping to find out more about his death.

Banksy art tackles global warming
Graffiti artist Banksy marks the end of the Copenhagen climate conference with a mural about global warming.

Glaston-furry - Michael Eavis wins beard of the decade
Glastonbury Festival boss Michael Eavis beats Cuban leader Fidel Castro to become "Beard of the Noughties".

Status Quo 'hardest-working band'
Status Quo is the hardest-working band in British music, according to a list compiled by the Performing Rights Society.

McElderry climbs to top of chart
X Factor winner Joe McElderry replaces Rage Against The Machine at the top of the singles chart with his song The Climb.

Johnny Hallyday leaves hospital
French rock star Johnny Hallyday is released from a Los Angeles hospital after back surgery that led to a coma.

Winehouse charged with assault
Singer Amy Winehouse is charged with assault and a public order offence at a theatre in Milton Keynes.

'Grisly' Murphy artwork withdrawn
Artwork for a DVD release showing late actress Brittany Murphy lifeless in a bathtub is withdrawn by a US rental chain.

Sarandon-Robbins split confirmed
Hollywood couple Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have ended their 23-year relationship, the actress's publicist confirms.

Star Trek 'most pirated' in 2009
The latest Star Trek film has been illegally downloaded more than 10 million times, according to a blog monitoring file-sharing.

Woo to receive Venice honour
Hong Kong film director John Woo is to be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at next year's Venice Film Festival.

BBC accused of central belt bias
An MSP calls on BBC Scotland to consider regional opt-outs for its flagship Reporting Scotland news programme.

Big Brother cash for Comic Relief
Profits from the final series of Celebrity Big Brother are to go to Comic Relief, Channel 4 announces.

EastEnders tops festive viewing
EastEnders was the most watched TV programme on Christmas Day, attracting 10.9m viewers, figures show.

Bastian wins Christmas Strictly
Actress Ali Bastian is named crowned the Strictly Come Dancing 2009 Christmas Champion.

The entertainment year in quotes
Some of the best quotes from the world of entertainment uttered during 2009.

Girl next door
How the late Farrah Fawcet ended line of 'posh' TV icons

Plant food
The flesh-eating Triffids return to TV after 30 years

Quiz of the year
Test your 2009 entertainment knowledge

Ideal Holmes
Sherlock is dusted off and updated for a new movie outing