Entertainment News Summary: Oprah, John Legend lend voices to VR passion project: Facebook rolls out Watch video service

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Oprah, John Legend voice 'Madagascar' director's VR passion project

It's been around for decades, but, unlike regular 3D, virtual reality (VR) has yet to make a big impact in the movie industry, something a maker of Hollywood animations believes can change - if the films are good enough. Eric Darnell, who co-wrote and directed the "Madagascar" movies, showed his own VR film at the Venice Film Festival this week, "Crow: The Legend", in which the viewer is immersed in the story of a mythical bird that has to fly to the sun to bring back warmth to the Earth.

Del Toro promises no favours for amigo Cuaron at Venice Film Festival

Guillermo del Toro has vowed no national bias as head of the jury at the Venice Film Festival, in which fellow Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron has a hotly tipped movie in competition. Del Toro, whose "The Shape of Water" won the Golden Lion in Venice last year, will sit in judgement on "Gravity" director Cuaron's "Roma", an autobiographical drama in 1970s Mexico City.

'First Man' shows Armstrong's view after Moon landing, sitting in 'tin can'

Everyone knows what Neil Armstrong said as he stepped onto the Moon, and when Ryan Gosling delivers the line in "First Man", which opened the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday, it sounds like dialogue as familiar as "To be or not to be". But Oscar-winning "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle takes the viewer deeper than that epic moment when Armstrong took "one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind," to show what it must have felt like to leave the world behind, with a high chance of never coming back.

London fans pay tribute to Michael Jackson on 60th birthday

Fans of Michael Jackson honoured the "King of Pop" on what would have been his 60th birthday on Wednesday by gathering at a temporary monument in the shape of a crown erected in his honour in London. Braving the rain, fans imitated his famed dance and moonwalk moves around the 13-foot (4 meters) white, sparkling crown erected by record label Sony Music on the south bank of the River Thames.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Fans pay their last to Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin's body lay in repose on Tuesday while her soaring voice poured out from loudspeakers outside a Detroit museum, stirring fans to sway and sing along and others to weep as they lined up for the last glimpse of the Queen of Soul. Franklin died last week at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer in Detroit, where she began her career as a child singing gospel in the New Bethel Baptist Church Choir.

Facebook rolls out Watch video service internationally

Facebook is rolling out its Watch video service globally one year after it launched in the United States with original entertainment news and sports content to compete with platforms like Alphabet Inc's YouTube. Facebook's Head of Video Fidji Simo said Watch was gaining real momentum in a crowded marketplace because it was built on the notion that watching videos could be a social activity.

Prince Harry and Meghan attend hit musical Hamilton in London

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan attended a performance of the hit musical Hamilton on Wednesday to raise money for a charity which works with children affected by HIV in southern Africa. At the end of the show, Harry and the musical's creator Lin-Manuel Miranda planned to address the audience, said a statement from Harry's Kensington Palace residence.

Idris Elba gets behind the camera for crime drama 'Yardie'

British actor Idris Elba goes behind the camera for his directorial debut "Yardie", a crime drama he says will offer young people a "perspective" on violence at a time when London is suffering from a surge in knife crime. Based on the novel by Victor Headley, the film follows the story of D, a young Jamaican who arrives in London in the 1980s and comes across the man who, a decade earlier, killed his brother in Jamaica. Rather than abandon his life of crime, he soon sets out on a bloody quest for justice.

Cliff Richard to release first album of new material in 14 years

Veteran British singer Cliff Richard, who won substantial damages in a privacy case ruling against the BBC last month, said on Wednesday he would release his first album of new material in 14 years, called "Rise Up". Making the announcement on the 60th anniversary of when he released his debut single "Move It", the 77-year-old said the record would come out in November and the title referenced "the bad period" he had recently endured.

'Spinal Tap' creators may pursue fraud claim in $400 million U.S. lawsuit

A U.S. judge said the creators of "This Is Spinal Tap" may pursue the fraud claim underlying they're $400 million lawsuits against Vivendi SA over the 1984 cult film. The decision on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles is a victory for Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner and Harry Shearer, who accused Vivendi of depriving them of a "fair return" from the film, its music and related merchandise.

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