Entertainment News Roundup: Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Dave were nominated for Ivor songwriting awards; Departing WarnerMedia CEO Kilar sees future of Hollywood in the blockchain and more

Batiste, who leads the band on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," landed five awards overall, including the night's biggest prize for "We Are," a jazz album inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Rock on: teen misfits go heavy in movie 'Metal Lords' Two misfits try to start a heavy metal band at their high school in new Netflix film "Metal Lords", a coming-of-age comedy part inspired by writer D.B. Weiss' own teenage musical experiences.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Dave were nominated for Ivor songwriting awards

British singers Adele, Ed Sheeran and Raye, rapper Dave and group Coldplay will compete for songwriter of the year at the Ivors, organizers said on Thursday, announcing nominees for the annual awards honoring those penning famous lyrics. Producer Dean "Inflo" Josiah Cover, who has worked with the likes of Adele and Little Simz, leads nominations for the awards for songwriters and screen composers with four nods, three of them in the best album category, the UK-based Ivors Academy said.

Departing WarnerMedia CEO Kilar sees future of Hollywood in the blockchain

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said the future of Hollywood is in the blockchain as he prepares to leave the media company that he helped lead into the streaming era. Kilar said he saw new opportunities at the intersection of storytelling and technology although he declined to discuss his next pursuit.

'The Northman' aims to tell Viking tale with accuracy and action

Filmmaker Robert Eggers says his new star-studded revenge epic "The Northman" is both a big popcorn movie and a truthful portrayal of Viking culture and mythology. Set in 895, the film stars Alexander Skarsgard as Viking prince Amleth, who flees his home in the North Atlantic after his uncle (Claes Bang) brutally kills his father, King Aurvandil (Ethan Hawke).

Actress Betty White's personal belongings to go under the hammer

Personal items that once belonged to the iconic comedic actress Betty White, including a gold watch from her mother, are set to go up for auction in September. Awards, paintings, scripts, jewelry, and red carpet outfits from the homes of "The Golden Girls" actresses were put on display at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.

Batiste wins album honor, Zelenskiy makes appeal at Grammys

Multi-genre artist Jon Batiste won album of the year and R&B duo Silk Sonic took two of the top honors on Sunday at a Grammy awards ceremony that featured a surprise appeal for support from wartime President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine. Batiste, who leads the band on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," landed five awards overall, including the night's biggest prize for "We Are," a jazz album inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Rock on: teen misfits go heavy in movie 'Metal Lords'

Two misfits try to start a heavy metal band at their high school in the new Netflix film "Metal Lords", a coming-of-age comedy part inspired by writer D.B. Weiss' own teenage musical experiences. "Knives Out" actor Jaeden Martell plays student Kevin, who wants to please his best friend Hunter, a hardcore metal fan determined to win the Battle of the Bands contest with their group Skullf*cker.

Camila Cabello gets 'true to herself' with new album

Popstar Camila Cabello went from a bad place to a good place in the making of her third album, "Familia" set for release April 8. The 25-year-old singer said part of that happiness came from a priority shift.

Rock n' Roll singer Bobby Rydell dies at age 79

Rock n' Roll singer and actor Bobby Rydell, a teen idol in the 1950s and 60s who starred in the hit movie musical "Bye Bye Birdie" and recorded dozens of hits, has died in Pennsylvania, his website said. He was 79. Rydell died on Tuesday of non-Covid-19 related pneumonia complications in a hospital in Abington, a statement on his website said.

Sheeran slams 'baseless' lawsuits after victory in 'Shape Of You' case

British singer Ed Sheeran said baseless copyright claims were damaging the music industry after he won a case at the High Court in London on Wednesday over whether a refrain in his 2017 mega-hit "Shape Of You" had been lifted from another artist. Sheeran had been involved in a legal battle with grime artist Sami Chokri, who performs as Sami Switch, and music producer Ross O'Donoghue, who had argued the hook from "Shape of You" had been copied from their 2015 song "Oh Why".

Film academy moves up discussion of Will Smith slap to Friday

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has moved up its meeting to discuss possible sanctions against best actor winner Will Smith for slapping presenter Chris Rock to Friday, a letter from the group's president said. The board of governors of the organization, the group that hands out the Academy Awards, previously had been scheduled on April 18 to discuss the incident at last month's Oscars ceremony.