People News Roundup: Alan Parker dies at 76; Bryan Cranston says he has recovered from COVID-19 and more

Eusebio Leal, Castro loyalist who started Old Havana restoration, dies Eusebio Leal, a historian and orator who befriended Fidel Castro and led the reconstruction of the crumbling historic center of Havana, died on Friday morning from a "painful illness," Cuban official media said.

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

Ellen DeGeneres TV show to make workplace changes after probe of culture

Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday sent an emotional message to the staff of her television talk show saying she was taking steps to improve the culture on set following accusations of a hostile working environment. The email followed an internal investigation by Warner Bros. Television, which produces "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," of complaints ranging from bullying to racism among production staff.

Eusebio Leal, Castro loyalist who started Old Havana restoration, dies

Eusebio Leal, a historian and orator who befriended Fidel Castro and led the reconstruction of the crumbling historic center of Havana, died on Friday morning from a "painful illness," Cuban official media said. He was 77. Calling himself a "Fidelist" rather than a Marxist, Leal was a member of the ruling Cuban Communist Party's elite Central Committee and came to be seen as an elder statesman of Cuba.

Alan Parker, director of 'Bugsy Malone' and 'Mississippi Burning', dies at 76

British filmmaker Alan Parker, director of movies ranging from "Bugsy Malone", a gangster comedy featuring children armed with machineguns that fired cream, to the tense prison drama "Midnight Express", died on Friday aged 76. Parker, who also directed "Fame", "Mississippi Burning", "Evita", "The Commitments" and other successful movies, died after a lengthy illness, a spokeswoman said.

U.S. appeals court delays release of Ghislaine Maxwell deposition

A U.S. appeals court on Friday temporarily delayed the release of a 2016 deposition about Ghislaine Maxwell's sex life, after she argued it could destroy her ability to get a fair trial against criminal charges she aided the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the order after last-ditch scrambles by Maxwell to keep potentially embarrassing information, which her lawyer said could make it "difficult if not impossible" to find an impartial jury, out of the public eye.

'Breaking Bad' star Bryan Cranston says he has recovered from COVID-19

Emmy-winning "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston disclosed on Thursday that he had recovered from mild symptoms of COVID-19 and donated his plasma in the hopes that his antibodies would help others with the disease. Wearing a face mask, Cranston revealed the news in an Instagram video in which he documented the donation process at a blood and plasma center run by the University of California at Los Angeles.

(With inputs from agencies.)