Reuters Entertainment News Summary
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Weinstein jury to keep deliberating after deadlock on most serious charges
Jurors in the sexual assault trial of former movie producer Harvey Weinstein are expected to begin their fifth day of deliberations on Monday, after suggesting last week they were deadlocked on the most serious charges in the case. The seven men and five women on the jury began deliberating in criminal court in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Berlinale study of slavery unearths the roots of modern Brazil
Making films in a bitterly divided Brazil that is increasingly hostile to artistic freedom is an act of resistance in itself, the maker of a new drama about race relations in the years after the country abolished slavery said. Speaking ahead of the Berlin premiere of "All the Dead Ones" on Sunday, director Caetano Gotardo said the dozens of Brazilian films being screened at international festivals was testimony to the power of art to resist oppression.
'Parasite' star hopes film will help Japan-Korea cultural ties
One of the stars of "Parasite" said on Sunday he hoped the film would help improve cultural ties between Japan and Korea, which have been strained by disputes including a trade row that ignited between the Asian neighbors last year. Actor Song Kang-ho, who in the Oscar-winning film plays the father of the basement-dwelling Kim family, said he was happy about the warm welcome Japanese fans had given "Parasite" and hoped relations would continue to improve.
Box Office: 'Sonic' Narrowly Beats Harrison Ford's 'Call of the Wild'
After a close box office battle, Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog" pulled ahead of Disney and 20th Century's "The Call of the Wild" on North American charts. The two movies had been in a tug-of-war for first place. Heading into the weekend, "Sonic" was expected to easily dominate again but Harrison Ford's "Call of the Wild" surprised by taking the top spot on Friday. Ultimately, "Sonic" finished the weekend with $26.3 million, enough to defeat "Call of the Wild" and its $25 million debut.
WarnerMedia to reunite 'Friends' in HBO Max special
WarnerMedia is reuniting its "Friends" cast for an untitled, unscripted special for its upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, the company said on Friday. AT&T Inc's WarnerMedia said series stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer will return to the hit comedy's original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros studio lot in Burbank, California.
Belgian designer Raf Simons joins Prada as co-creative director
Raf Simons will join Prada as co-creative director, marking the first time the Italian fashion house has hired an outsider to work with renowned head designer Miuccia Prada. Belgian-born Simons, 52, will join Prada on April 2, the group said in a statement. He was most recently creative director at Calvin Klein and before that at Christian Dior and Jil Sander, a brand which was then owned by Prada.
Amazon in Holocaust row about 'Hunters' series, anti-Semitic books
The Auschwitz Memorial criticized Amazon on Sunday for fictitious depictions of the Holocaust in its Prime series "Hunters" and for selling books of Nazi propaganda. Seventy-five years after the liberation of the Nazi German Auschwitz death camp by Soviet troops, world leaders and activists have called for action against rising anti-Semitism.
Actor Jussie Smollett due for arraignment in Chicago on hoax charges
Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was due in court on Monday for arraignment on renewed felony charges that he made false reports to Chicago police about being attacked in a hate crime he is accused of staging in a bid to advance his career. Smollett was indicted on Feb. 11 on six counts of disorderly conduct, capping a five-month investigation by a court-appointed special prosecutor who overruled a decision by the state's attorney's office last year to dismiss the original case. His arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago.
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd joins Assange supporters in London protest march
Hundreds of people including Roger Waters, co-founder of the Pink Floyd rock group, and designer Vivienne Westwood, marched through central London on Saturday demanding that jailed Wikileaks founder Julian Assange be released. A London court begins hearings on Monday to decide whether the Australian-born Assange should be extradited to the United States, almost a decade after WikiLeaks enraged Washington by publishing secret U.S. documents.
BTS says new album tells of conquering doubts and fears
The young stars in South Korean boy band BTS said on Monday the theme of their new album dealt with how they overcame doubts and fears encountered since they burst on the K-Pop scene seven years ago. Having performed at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles last month, BTS stands at the forefront of South Korean pop music and has helped gather an international audience for the genre.
