Entertainment News Roundup: No evidence Ed Sheeran copied 'Let's Get It On,' jury is told; Jared Leto wears giant 'Choupette' costume to Met Gala and more

A first-time nominee for the rock honor, Nelson joins country legends Dolly Parton, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Factbox-How will TV shows be affected by the Hollywood writers strike? Thousands of Hollywood film and television writers will go on strike starting Tuesday, an action that will disrupt TV production.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

'Some Like It Hot' leads 2023 Tony nominations

Film-turned-musical "Some Like It Hot," led the nominations announced Tuesday for the 2023 Tony awards, the highest honors in American theater, followed by "& Juliet," "New York, New York," and "Shucked." "Kimberly Akimbo," and a revival of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," also topped the list of nominations by production for the 76th annual awards, according to a statement from the Tony Awards committee.

'Plagiarism machines': Hollywood writers and studios battle over the future of AI

Hollywood writers have for decades penned sci-fi scripts featuring machines taking over the world. Now, they are fighting to make sure robots do not take their jobs. The Writers Guild of America is seeking to restrict the use of artificial intelligence in writing film and television scripts. Hollywood studios, battling to make streaming services profitable and dealing with shrinking ad revenues, have rejected that idea, saying they would be open to discussing new technologies once a year, according to the guild.

Country legend Willie Nelson, at 90, among 2023 Rock Hall inductees

Country music icon Willie Nelson, who celebrated his 90th birthday last weekend with a star-studded concert at the Hollywood Bowl, is among the performers who will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, organizers announced on Wednesday. A first-time nominee for the rock honor, Nelson joins country legends Dolly Parton, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.

Factbox-How will TV shows be affected by the Hollywood writers strike?

Thousands of Hollywood film and television writers will go on strike starting Tuesday, an action that will disrupt TV production. How will the walkout by the Writers Guild of America's affect viewers' favorite TV shows and movies? Which shows will feel the first impact of the strike?

Union to brief Hollywood writers as strike disrupts TV production

Striking film and television writers are set to meet with union leadership on Wednesday to discuss the work stoppage that threw Hollywood into disarray as the industry deals with changes brought on by the streaming TV boom. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and other late-night shows aired re-runs on Tuesday night after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike, leaving them without teams to craft topical jokes based on the day's news. Production for scripted series in Los Angeles was halted for the remainder of the week.

Cannes Film Festival to honour Michael Douglas with honorary Palme d'Or

Hollywood actor Michael Douglas will add to his long list of accolades this month when the Cannes Film Festival awards him an honorary Palme d'Or. Organisers of cinema's biggest showcase said on Wednesday they would pay tribute to the two-time Oscar winner at the festival's opening ceremony on May 16 in recognition of "his brilliant career as well as his engagement for cinema".

Jared Leto wears giant 'Choupette' costume to Met Gala

An enormous fluffy, white, blue-eyed Burmese cat mascot ascended the Metropolitan Museum of Art steps on Monday in homage to Karl Lagerfeld's beloved pet "Choupette," who later revealed himself as actor Jared Leto, bringing a whole new meaning to this year's Met Gala dress code "in honor of Karl." In another homage to the famous feline, American rapper and singer Doja Cat wore a prosthetic cat nose and a hooded Oscar de la Renta gown fitted with cat ears.

No evidence Ed Sheeran copied 'Let's Get It On,' jury is told

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran's lawyer on Wednesday urged jurors to reject a lawsuit accusing Sheeran of copying Marvin Gaye's classic "Let's Get it On," calling the copyright infringement case involving the hit song "Thinking Out Loud" an attempt to claim ownership over basic elements of music. Ilene Farkas, in her closing argument in Manhattan federal court, said there was "not a single shred of evidence" to contradict testimony by Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge, who told jurors they wrote "Thinking Out Loud" based on their own experiences and drew musical inspiration from singer Van Morrison.

Ed Sheeran calls copycat claims 'insulting' in 'Thinking Out Loud' trial

A sometimes-riled Ed Sheeran on Monday denied copying Marvin Gaye's classic "Let's Get it On" in his second day of testifying to jurors in a copyright trial in Manhattan federal court, calling the claim "insulting." As he had last week, the British singer-songwriter played guitar and sang from the witness stand to underscore his testimony, telling jurors his song "Thinking Out Loud" had actually been inspired by Irish musician Van Morrison.