Entertainment News Roundup: Elton John AIDS fundraiser brings in $6M; HBO addresses 'Game of Thrones' backlash

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

The 1975, Dave among rockers and rappers nominated for Mercury Prize

Rock bands The 1975 and Foals as well as rappers slowthai and Dave are among the 12 acts nominated for this year's Mercury Prize, organizers of the British music award said on Thursday. The annual 25,000-pound ($31,252) prize, which is seen as less mainstream than the BRIT Awards, shortlists a dozen albums of the year released by British and Irish acts in the UK.

Dutch Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer dies at 75: ANP

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, best known for his role in science fiction classic Blade Runner, died on July 19 after a short illness, Dutch news agency ANP reported on Wednesday, citing his family. He was 75. Hauer, whose funeral took place in the Netherlands on Wednesday, appeared in a total of over 100 Dutch and international movies. He won a Golden Globe in 1988 for his role in Escape from Sobibor.

Lil Nas X is sued for $25 million for alleged song theft

Lil Nas X, the rapper who shot to fame this year with the blockbuster "Old Town Road," has been sued by a California music publisher for $25 million for allegedly stealing from a 1982 Bobby Caldwell song for another of his songs. In a complaint filed on Wednesday, The Music Force LLC said Lil Nas X borrowed without permission from Caldwell's R&B song "Carry On" for his own song with the same title, which he then posted to YouTube and streaming platforms such as Spotify and SoundCloud.

Rapper A$AP Rocky to face trial in Sweden on assault charge

U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky will be tried for assault in Sweden starting on July 30 over his alleged involvement in a street brawl in central Stockholm last month, the Swedish public prosecutor announced on Thursday. Best known for his song "Praise the Lord", the 30-year-old performer, producer and model, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained about three weeks ago following an altercation with two men on June 30.

Polanski, 'The Laundromat' and 'Joker' vie for top prize at Venice film festival

A space odyssey starring Brad Pitt, Steven Soderbergh's financial thriller "The Laundromat", Joaquin Phoenix's stint as "Joker" and Roman Polanski's new movie on the Dreyfus affair will vie for the top prize at next month's Venice film festival. Other titles competing for the Golden Lion include "Marriage Story", starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple in crisis; "Wasp Network", a spy thriller with Penelope Cruz; and the French-Japanese co-production "The Truth", with Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche.

Rapper Meek Mill granted new trial on 2008 drugs, weapons convictions

Meek Mill, a rap artist from Philadelphia who has become an advocate for reform of the U.S. criminal justice system, is entitled to a new trial on drugs and weapon charges that have kept him on probation for a decade, a Pennsylvania appeals court ruled on Wednesday. A three-judge Pennsylvania Superior Court panel agreed that Philadelphia Judge Genece Brinkley, who presided over a 2008 trial that resulted in his conviction, was no longer impartial, as Meek Mill's attorneys have argued. It ordered a replacement for Brinkley in the case.

HBO addresses 'Game of Thrones' backlash, prequel in the works

The first episode of a possible prequel series to HBO's global hit "Game of Thrones" has completed filming in Belfast, a network executive said on Wednesday. HBO executives will review the episode before deciding whether to make a full season but Casey Bloys, president of programming at the network owned by AT&T Inc, appeared upbeat about what he had seen so far.

Gaultier brings catwalk to the London stage in 'Fashion Freak Show'

French designer Jean Paul Gaultier brought his lively and eccentric "Fashion Freak Show" to the London stage this week, a musical production looking back on his life from childhood classroom sketches to the Paris haute couture catwalks. The two-hour extravaganza, previously at Paris' Folies Bergere hall, sees actors, dancers and performance artists take to the stage as an eclectic mix of characters to recount Gaultier's memories from his nearly 50 years in fashion.

Climate activist Thunberg teams up with rockers The 1975 for music track

Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg has teamed up with rockers The 1975, warning about climate change on a new track for the British band's upcoming album. The 16-year-old, who has inspired young climate protesters around the world, speaks about the dangers of inaction and global warming against a soft musical backdrop.

Elton John AIDS fundraiser brings in $6 million for Kenya HIV testing

Elton John on Wednesday hosted a celebrity-packed gala that raised more than $6 million to fight HIV/AIDS in Kenya, thanks partly to auctions of a luxury car and an autographed piano used in the singer's "Rocketman" movie musical. The British singer-songwriter, on a break from his farewell world tour, welcomed the likes of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend, actress Joan Collins and Taron Egerton, who plays John in "Rocketman," to a villa in Cap d'Antibes in France.

Also Read: UPDATE 1-Dutch Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer dies at 75 -ANP