Entertainment News Roundup: Television's 'Seinfeld' comes to Netflix in October; Stars return to Venice red carpet as film festival opens and more

In her second day of testimony, the woman, who identified herself as Faith, said the Los Angeles encounter took place in January 2018, near the end of an 11-month relationship during which Kelly flew her to concerts or recording studios and trained her to please him sexually. Ex-host Mike Richards out as executive producer of 'Jeopardy!' Mike Richards, who earlier this month stepped down as the new host of "Jeopardy!" after a backlash over past offensive comments, will no longer serve as executive producer of the long-running quiz show, Sony Pictures Television said on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Almodovar opens Venice film fest with tribute to those who disappeared under Franco

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar shines a spotlight on the tens of thousands of people who disappeared during the civil war and Franco's dictatorship in his latest film "Parallel Mothers", which opens the Venice film festival on Wednesday. The film, starring Penelope Cruz as one of two women giving birth in the same Madrid hospital on the same day, is a reflection on motherhood and the importance of family ties. But it also dwells on a painful chapter of Spanish history that the country is still struggling to come to terms with.

Asian-led 'Shang-Chi' battles for glory in Marvel's film universe

Marvel's next big-screen superhero spectacle, "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," opens Friday, aiming to thrill audiences while breaking Hollywood barriers with a predominantly Asian cast. The movie's stars said the film follows the path blazed by "Black Panther," the 2018 Marvel Studios movies starring the late Chadwick Boseman and a predominantly African-American cast that became a global blockbuster. Walt Disney Co is sending "Shang-Chi" exclusively to theaters.

Television's 'Seinfeld' comes to Netflix in October

Television comedy "Seinfeld" will stream globally on Netflix starting in October under a deal reached two years ago, Netflix Inc said on Wednesday. All 180 episodes of "Seinfeld," one of the most popular TV comedies of the 1990s, will be available on Netflix starting Oct. 1, the streaming platform said in a statement.

Tom Cruise films 'Top Gun,' 'Mission: Impossible' delayed amid COVID wave

Paramount Pictures has postponed the release of Tom Cruise films "Top Gun: Maverick" until May 2022 and "Mission: Impossible 7" until September 2022, a spokesman for the ViacomCBS Inc studio said Wednesday, as COVID-19 infections rise. The "Top Gun" sequel, which has been delayed multiple times during the pandemic, had been set to debut in theaters on Nov. 19, just ahead of Thanksgiving, to kick off the holiday moviegoing season.

UK regulator clears broadcaster over Piers Morgan's Meghan comments

High-profile television personality Piers Morgan did not breach Britain's broadcasting code in his criticism of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on ITV's "Good Morning Britain" show earlier this year, Britain's media regulator ruled on Wednesday. The programme in March, in which Morgan said he did not believe a word Meghan had said in a landmark interview she and her husband Prince Harry gave to Oprah Winfrey, attracted more than 50,000 complaints. Most concerned comments Morgan made on mental health and suicide.

Britney Spears' lawyer wants father out immediately as conservator

The father of Britney Spears should step down immediately and without conditions from his role as conservator of her estate, the singer's lawyer said in court documents. Mathew Rosengart, the pop star's lawyer, accused Jamie Spears of trying to link his departure from his 13-year-long role with payment of some $2 million in fees to his attorneys and for experts handling the media.

Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho says concerts cancelled

Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho said on Wednesday an arts organisation has cancelled her concerts due to be held this month, further stoking worries over artistic freedoms in the former British colony. In a statement on Twitter, Ho's company Goomusic Ltd said the decision was based on a contract clause that cited circumstances where "public order or public safety would be endangered" as a result of the performance or hiring of venue.

R. Kelly accuser frightened by nearby gun during oral sex with R&B singer

A woman who accuses R. Kelly of sexually abusing her told jurors at his racketeering trial on Wednesday that she was unnerved when she saw a gun near where the R&B singer forced her to perform oral sex on him. In her second day of testimony, the woman, who identified herself as Faith, said the Los Angeles encounter took place in January 2018, near the end of an 11-month relationship during which Kelly flew her to concerts or recording studios and trained her to please him sexually.

Ex-host Mike Richards out as executive producer of 'Jeopardy!'

Mike Richards, who earlier this month stepped down as the new host of "Jeopardy!" after a backlash over past offensive comments, will no longer serve as executive producer of the long-running quiz show, Sony Pictures Television said on Tuesday. Richards also has given up producing duties at game show "Wheel of Fortune," Sony Executive Vice President Suzanne Prete said in a memo released by the company.

Stars return to Venice red carpet as film festival opens

Decked out in a black and white Chanel gown, Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz led the comeback of movie stars to the red carpet of the Venice film festival on its opening night on Wednesday, as cinema hopes to shake off the gloom of the coronavirus pandemic. Unlike rival Cannes, the world's oldest film festival did not skip the 2020 edition due to the health crisis but it is only this year that celebrities are returning in force to the Lido waterfront, in a show of support for an industry hammered by lockdowns.

(With inputs from agencies.)