Entertainment News Roundup: Hollywood studios say they offered actors $1 billion in gains before strike; Fifty years on, Bruce Lee's legacy squares up to modern life in Hong Kong and more

The French Culture Ministry said the country had lost a "timeless Francophone icon". Elton John gives evidence by videolink at Kevin Spacey's London trial Singer Elton John appeared by videolink in a London court on Monday to give evidence at Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Hollywood studios say they offered actors $1 billion in gains before strike

Major film and television studios offered Hollywood actors more than $1 billion in higher compensation and enhanced benefits before the SAG-AFTRA union called a strike last week, a group that represents media companies said on Monday. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which negotiates on behalf of Netflix Inc, Walt Disney Co, Warner Bros Discovery and others, said SAG-AFTRA "continues to mischaracterize the negotiations."

Fifty years on, Bruce Lee's legacy squares up to modern life in Hong Kong

Fifty years after the death of Bruce Lee, who galvanised the imaginations of generations of young people worldwide with feats of kung fu immortalised on screen, it sometimes seems as if his legacy of the martial art he practiced is fading in Hong Kong. Born in San Francisco but brought up in the Asian financial hub which would make him famous, Lee died of brain edema aged 32 on July 20, 1973, just six days before the release of "Enter the Dragon", his most popular film.

Soccer-Netflix plans documentary series on U.S. Women's World Cup team

Netflix is preparing a documentary series on the United States women's national soccer team, focusing on their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive Women's World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand. The series will be available later this year and is already in production, the streaming giant said, and will feature newcomers, including 18-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson, and veterans, such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.

Actress and singer Jane Birkin dies, France loses an 'icon'

British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, a 1960s wildchild who became a beloved figure in France, has died in Paris aged 76. The French Culture Ministry said the country had lost a "timeless Francophone icon".

Elton John gives evidence by videolink at Kevin Spacey's London trial

Singer Elton John appeared by videolink in a London court on Monday to give evidence at Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty at London's Southwark Crown Court to 12 charges of sexual offences allegedly committed against four men in Britain between 2001 and 2013.

(With inputs from agencies.)