Epic fantasy drama "Game of Thrones" led the pack of contenders for television's coveted Primetime Emmy awards Thursday for a second straight year, with nods in an impressive 24 categories. 

The grisly show will once again vie for the coveted outstanding drama series trophy -- an honor that has so far eluded it -- against "Better Call Saul," "Downton Abbey," "Homeland," "House of Cards," "Orange is the New Black" and "Mad Men." 

A planned concert by U.S. pop group Maroon 5 in China has been cancelled, the promoter said, prompting speculation that authorities refused permission because a band member met the exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama.

The China office of U.S. promoter Live Nation apologized to ticket holders and pledged refunds, but gave no reason for the cancellation for the concert which was to have taken place in the country's commercial hub, Shanghai.

Acclaimed African-American filmmaker Spike Lee's new movie "Chiraq" about violence in inner-city Chicago will be the first original film to be distributed by the new Amazon Studios, the company said Wednesday.

The film will be distributed first in theaters and later online, but Amazon has not yet announced a timeline for either release.

Olympic champion Caitlyn Jenner issued an impassioned plea for transgender acceptance Wednesday in her first public appearance since coming out as a transgender woman, defying a blizzard of derision on social media.

Formerly Bruce Jenner, the U.S. decathlon champion of the 1976 Montreal Olympics seized the moment for transgender advocacy as she collected the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the nationally televised ESPY sports awards gala in Los Angeles.

Australia's "war on terrier" with Johnny Depp has taken another turn, with authorities saying Thursday the Hollywood star's wife faces charges over bringing their two dogs into the country.

The Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for biosecurity, said actress-model Amber Heard was served with a summons to answer charges on Tuesday for allegedly breaching quarantine laws.

It only took 92 years for the U.S. publisher of Kahil Gibran's inspirational classic "The Prophet" to release the book in paperback.

The Penguin Random House imprint Vintage Books told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the new edition would be available July 21, two weeks before the opening of an animated film adaptation that features the voices of Liam Neeson and Selma Hayek.

The 15-year-old son of Australian rock icon Nick Cave has died after falling from a cliff in Brighton on the southern coast of England, police and the family said Wednesday.

"Our son Arthur died on Tuesday evening. He was our beautiful, happy loving boy," Cave and his wife, model Susie Bick, said in a statement issued by Sussex Police.

U.S. entertainment giant Disney on Wednesday unveiled details of its planned theme park in Shanghai, promising Chinese features and new attractions not found in its five other resorts.

The Walt Disney Co. and Chinese Partner Shanghai Shendi Group broke ground on the $5.5 billion park in April 2011. The opening was originally planned for this year, but Disney has pushed it back to 2016.

Hollywood star Richard Gere expressed outrage Tuesday over the death in a Chinese prison of a key Tibetan dissident, as the U.S. Congress explored ways to ratchet up pressure on Beijing over Tibet.

Testifying before the House of Representatives human rights commission, Gere remembered Tenzin Delek Rinpoche as one of Tibetan Buddhism's most respected and revered lamas.

British-born musician Joe Jackson on Tuesday announced a new album recorded in four cities, in the latest musical exploration for the eclectic artist.

The songwriter, a longtime resident of New York who has touched on jazz, pop and classical over his more than 35-year career, said that his first album since 2012 will come out on October 2.