Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Kevin Hart re-considering Oscars hosting role after DeGeneres backing

Kevin Hart, who stepped down as host of the Oscars following criticism over past anti-gay tweets, said he is evaluating his decision after popular comedian Ellen DeGeneres revealed she supported him in the role. In an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," released on Friday, DeGeneres said she recently called the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to advocate for Hart.

Get the hankies out. Romance 'The Notebook' headed for Broadway

Romantic drama "The Notebook," which sparked a real-life love story between movie stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, is headed for Broadway as a musical. Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday that she has been developing the musical for more than a year. Bekah Brunstetter, a producer on the NBC family drama series "This is Us," is writing the show, which will be produced in collaboration with Nicholas Sparks, author of the book on which it is based.

Hollywood ready to party in (possibly) Trump-free Golden Globes

The Golden Globes kick off the showbusiness awards season on Sunday with Hollywood apparently in the mood for a party, and with plenty to celebrate. After a record $41.7 billion global movie box-office in 2018, crowd-pleasers like "A Star is Born," "Black Panther," "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Mary Poppins Returns" are competing for Golden Globe honors.

'Black Panther' and 'Dunkirk' actors among BAFTA Rising Star nominees

"Black Panther" actress Letitia Wright and "Dunkirk" actor Barry Keoghan are among the five nominees for the 2019 EE Rising Star Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) said on Thursday. The annual prize, the sole award voted for by the public at the glitzy BAFTAs ceremony in London, recognizes "outstanding achievement by upcoming actors". Past winners include "Get Out" star Daniel Kaluuya, "Star Wars" actor John Boyega and Oscar nominee Tom Hardy.

Britney Spears suspends shows after dad 'almost died'

Britney Spears said on Friday she was pulling out of her upcoming Las Vegas concerts and other work commitments to be with her family after her father was taken ill. Spears, 37, said in an Instagram posting that her father Jamie was hospitalized late last year and "almost died."

Kim and Kanye expecting fourth child; West repeats support for Trump

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting a fourth child - again using a surrogate, according to multiple media reports on Wednesday. Celebrity magazines Us Weekly and People quoted sources close to the couple as saying the surrogate was pregnant and expected to give birth in May.

U.S. judge orders Ed Sheeran to face Marvin Gaye plagiarism lawsuit

A U.S. judge has rejected English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran's request to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of lifting from Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get It On" for his 2014 smash "Thinking Out Loud." In a decision made public on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton in Manhattan said a jury should decide whether Sheeran, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Atlantic Records should be liable to the estate and heirs of the late producer Ed Townsend, who co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Gaye.

Beyonce and Jay-Z help Paris Louvre to record number of visitors

A music video by Beyonce and Jay-Z set in the Louvre helped boost visitor numbers to a record 10.2 million last year, the most for any museum in history, the Louvre said on Thursday. A rebound in tourist numbers to Paris, following a drop after Islamist militants killed 130 people in the French capital in November 2015, also helped the museum achieve a 25 percent increase in visitors on the previous year.

Daryl Dragon of pop duo Captain and Tennille dies at 76

Singer and pianist Daryl Dragon, best known as "The Captain" of 1970s soft rock duo Captain and Tennille, has died at the age of 76, his publicist said on Wednesday. Dragon died of kidney failure in Prescott, Arizona, on Wednesday, publicist Harlan Boll said in a statement.

Hollywood's equality push fails to boost female film directors: study

Only 8 percent of Hollywood's top films in 2018 were directed by women, down from 11 percent the prior year, despite high-profile efforts to improve gender equality, a study released on Thursday showed. The percentage is roughly unchanged from two decades ago, according to the annual study, which found a "radical underrepresentation" of women in the industry.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)