Entertainment News Roundup: ViacomCBS to launch new streaming platform and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

New York jurors shown naked photos of Harvey Weinstein

Jurors in Harvey Weinstein's New York rape trial were shown naked photographs of the former Hollywood producer on Tuesday over his lawyers' objections. A sketch artist hired by Reuters saw a couple of the naked photos when they were passed to the jury and produced a drawing for the news agency. In the courtroom, prosecutors did not say why the photographs were introduced or how many were presented.

Woman testifies masturbating Weinstein trapped her in hotel bathroom

A woman testified at Harvey Weinstein's rape trial on Wednesday that the film producer trapped her in a hotel bathroom in 2013 and masturbated in front of her while groping her breasts, and told her: "This is what all the actresses do to make it." Lauren Young, a 30-year-old model and actress, is the last of six accusers scheduled to testify in a Manhattan courtroom against Weinstein, a once-powerful Hollywood figure.

Kirk Douglas, Hollywood's tough guy on screen and off, dead at 103

Kirk Douglas, the cleft-chinned movie star who fought gladiators, cowboys and boxers on the screen and the Hollywood establishment, died on Wednesday at the age of 103, his son Michael Douglas said. “It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” Michael Douglas said in a statement to People magazine and on his Facebook page.

Even with 'Irishman' nominations, could Netflix wind up an Oscars bridesmaid again?

Netflix Inc will storm into Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony boasting more nominations than any other movie distributor, but can the streaming service finally take home the film industry's most coveted prize? Netflix's Mafia epic "The Irishman" has a shot at the best picture Oscar, according to awards experts, but faces tough competition from Warner Bros' World War One drama "1917," Sony Corp's Quentin Tarantino film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and South Korean genre-bending movie "Parasite" from privately held company Neon.

First defense witness in Weinstein's New York rape trial takes aim at accusers

The first defense witness in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial acknowledged on Thursday sending messages to the former producer in which he disparaged the "dog pile of actresses" who had accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Writer Paul Feldsher testified for the defense that actress Annabella Sciorra told him in the early 1990s that she had a sexual encounter with Weinstein but did not say she had been raped.

'Joker' star Phoenix takes aim at climate apathy with film about dying Earth

Oscar favourite Joaquin Phoenix stars as a medic battling to save a dying planet Earth in a film launched on Thursday, the first in a series of short Hollywood productions aimed at spurring action on climate change. The "Joker" star teamed up with environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion and Amazon Watch, a California-based organisation campaigning to protect the Amazon rainforest, to produce the 2-minute film "Guardians of Life."

Disney's weapon against Netflix and Amazon in India: Hotstar

When Walt Disney Co's Disney+ streaming service makes its debut in India on March 29, it will enjoy the luxury of home-court advantage: Hotstar. Disney's control of Hotstar, which it acquired through the $71 billion purchase of Twenty-First Century Fox in 2019, gives Disney+'s entrance into the Indian market in partnership with Hotstar hundreds of millions of potential subscribers it can attract.

R. Kelly's sexual abuse trial in New York delayed to July

A federal judge on Thursday delayed R. Kelly's racketeering, sexual abuse and bribery trial in Brooklyn, New York to July 7, so it would not conflict with the singer's upcoming trial in a separate Chicago case. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn federal court said the scheduled April 27 trial date in Chicago made the May 18 target to begin the Brooklyn trial "somewhat unrealistic."

ViacomCBS to launch new streaming platform: source

ViacomCBS Inc is preparing to launch a subscription streaming video service that will combine the free and paid services of CBS, programming from brands including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET as well as films from the Paramount movies studio, a source familiar with the matter said. The yet-unnamed new service is expected to build on top of CBS All-Access and include live and on-demand news sports and entertainment spanning the portfolio of its brands. Blockbuster franchises from the Paramount library, such as "Top Gun", "Mission Impossible", "The Godfather" and "Star Trek", are eventually expected to be available on the service.

Cliffhangers, slam dunks and dark horses at Sunday's Oscars

Hollywood's awards season reaches its climax at Sunday's Oscars, with a cliffhanger over the top prize after a season marked by dark horses, renewed anguish over diversity, and a South Korean underdog that could snatch victory from the biggest names in show business. While dark comic book movie "Joker" goes into the ceremony with a leading 11 nominations, it's the immersive World War One movie "1917" that has emerged as the film to beat in the best picture race after winning a slew of accolades in the last five weeks.

(With inputs from agencies.)