Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Queen Elizabeth presents naturalist Attenborough with award for ocean pollution fight

Queen Elizabeth presented broadcaster David Attenborough with an award on Wednesday for his hit television nature series Blue Planet II, which raised public awareness around the world of the danger of plastic pollution in oceans. Attenborough, who like the monarch is 93 years old, was awarded the Chatham House prize along with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit for "the galvanizing impact" of the series, the London-based international affairs think tank said.

'The Crown' peddles subversive republican message, says royal historian

Television series "The Crown" might have won millions of fans across the globe with its dramatization of the life and reign of Britain's Queen Elizabeth but one royal historian has accused it of peddling a subversive republican message. The third season of the hit Netflix show was released on Sunday, portraying events around Elizabeth and her family from the mid-1960s until 1977.

Ukrainian artist strikes a chord with matchsticks

Ukrainian Bogdan Senchukov wants to carve his way into the Guinness Records: by making the world's biggest collection of musical instruments from matchsticks. Already, 15 of his real-sized instruments, including two guitars, accordions, violin and drums, are played by a band of musicians which prides itself as the only "match music band" in Ukraine.

Elton John: I needed teleprompter for Princess Diana's funeral song

British singer-songwriter Elton John said he was so worried about getting the words wrong when performing an adaptation of "Candle In the Wind" at Princess Diana's funeral that he had a teleprompter installed by the piano. John, who was a friend of Diana, sang the new version of the hit song using revised words penned by lyricist and frequent collaborator Bernie Taupin.

Jussie Smollett sues Chicago, claims malicious prosecution over alleged beating

Jussie Smollett has filed a lawsuit accusing Chicago of maliciously prosecuting him after concluding that the actor's claim to having been the victim of a racist and homophobic beating on a city street was a hoax. Smollett, 37, best known for his work on the Fox television drama "Empire," made his accusation in counterclaims filed on Wednesday, after Chicago sued him to recoup $130,106 in police overtime costs to investigate the beating claim.

The Who are first honored as London unveils Music Walk of Fame

British rock band The Who became the first act to receive a paving stone on the Music Walk of Fame in London on Tuesday, in the unveiling of a new cultural attraction that echoes the starry sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard. Following the presentation of the Walk's founding stone, The Who's two surviving members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend posed by their own plaque, depicting a music record, laid out in London's buzzing Camden district.

Anna and Elsa face risky journey in 'Frozen 2'

In the sequel to Walt Disney Co's 2013 hit animated musical "Frozen," sisters Anna and Elsa find themselves drawn far outside their icy kingdom of Arendelle. "Frozen 2," which debuts in theaters on Friday, sees the sisters embark on an "epic, dangerous adventure" into an enchanted forest, said star Kristen Bell, who voices younger sister Anna. Along the way, the pair discover new information about their family "that doesn't sit well," Bell said.

MTV launches 2020 '+1thevote' campaign to mobilize Millennials and Gen Z

In 1990, a bikini-clad Madonna wrapped in a U.S. flag urged MTV viewers to vote in Senate elections as the youth television network partnered with a “Rock the Vote” campaign that mixed pop culture and politics. Thirty years on, with Millennials and Gen Z poised to outnumber the Baby Boomer generation for the first time in a U.S. presidential election, MTV on Tuesday launched its most ambitious turnout campaign ever, reaching beyond celebrities to tap into burgeoning youth activism.

Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X dominate Grammy nods, Taylor Swift sidelined

Pop newcomers Lizzo, Billie Eilish and country rapper Lil Nas X dominated Grammy nominations on Wednesday in a list for the highest awards in the music industry that favored diversity and women over established stars like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Madonna. Lizzo, the body-positive "Truth Hurts" and "Juice" singer, scored a leading eight nods, including in the top categories of album and record of the year and best new artist.

Julia Roberts once floated for role as African-American slavery hero Harriet Tubman

A Hollywood movie studio executive once suggested that Julia Roberts could play Harriet Tubman, the 19th century escaped slave who is seen as an African-American icon. Gregory Allen Howard, the co-writer of the new biopic "Harriet," starring Cynthia Erivo, said the idea was floated 25 years ago by a former movie studio executive.