Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Lead roles in Chinese saga 'So Long My Son' share best actor awards at Berlinale

Wang Jingchun and Yong Mei won Silver Bears for best actor and best actress respectively for their joint lead roles as husband and wife in Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai's epic family saga "So Long My Son" at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday. The two play a couple who live through the vicissitudes of life in China as it emerges from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution and rises to become today's economic superpower. Swiss actor Bruno Ganz who played Hitler in 'Downfall' dies aged 77

Bruno Ganz, the Swiss actor who portrayed Adolf Hitler in Oscar-nominated film "Downfall" and the kindly grandfather in "Heidi", died of cancer at his home in Zurich on Saturday aged 77, his agent said. Ganz had been active in German language theater, film and television for more than 50 years and was the holder of the Iffland-Ring, the most important award for German-speaking actors. Sexism still an issue, says Parton, as '9 to 5 the Musical' opens

Nearly 40 years after playing a secretary who takes revenge on her sexist boss in "9 to 5", Dolly Parton again beat the drum for gender equality at the West End premiere of a musical version of her hit 1980 movie. The country superstar joined the cast of "9 to 5 The Musical" for the curtain call at the end of Sunday's official opening performance in London. Fiascos and fumbles: Oscar organizers stumble to restore glory

First it was the furor over a proposed new "popular" film category, then it was the fiasco over planned host Kevin Hart, and last month the organizers of the Oscars were accused of intimidating celebrities not to present at rival award shows. Last week, another storm erupted when, as part of a pledge to shorten next Sunday's Oscars ceremony, plans to present awards for cinematography, film editing, live-action shorts and makeup/hairstyling during commercial breaks were slammed as insulting by actors, directors and cinematographers. Five days later, the plan was scrapped. Israeli director Nadav Lapid's 'Synonyms' wins Berlinale

Nadav Lapid's "Synonyms", an anarchic story about an Israeli who tries to suppress his origins after moving to Paris, won the Berlin Film Festival's coveted Golden Bear award on Saturday. The film, a faintly comedic, semi-autobiographical study of identity and the ambivalence of national belonging, tells the story of Yoav, played by newcomer Tom Mercier, and his struggle to reinvent himself as French. Women in Hollywood see some gains after Oscars equality plea

A year after best actress winner Frances McDormand used the Oscars stage to advocate for more women in front of and behind the camera, Hollywood is celebrating some progress - but remains far from reaching parity with men. McDormand urged powerful celebrities to insist on inclusion riders: contractual provisions that require producers to interview female candidates for jobs ranging from gaffer to director. 'Roma' actress says she is proud of her roots after fellow actor uses racial slur

Oscar-nominated Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio, who stars in the critically acclaimed film "Roma," said on Saturday that she was proud of her indigenous roots after a soap opera star used a racial slur to describe her. "I am proud to be an Oaxacan indigenous woman, and it saddens me that there are people who do not know the correct meaning of words," Aparicio, who became the first indigenous woman to be nominated for a best actress Oscar, said in a statement. Box Office: 'Alita: Battle Angel' Wins Dismal Presidents Day Weekend

Fox's sci-fi adventure "Alita: Battle Angel" dominated in North America, but its opening weekend win isn't leaving the box office with much to celebrate. Tracking services estimate that this will be one of the lowest grossing Presidents Day weekends in years. "Alita," the cyberpunk CGI spectacle, earned $27 million when it debuted in 3,790 locations and $33 million over the four-day frame. Since opening on Thursday, the movie has generated $41 million at the domestic market. It came in slightly ahead of expectations heading into the weekend, but "Alita: Battle Angel" still has a lengthy uphill battle to become profitable. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, the Japanese manga adaptation cost over $170 million to produce -- and that's not including the tens of millions spent in marketing. Chicago police seek follow-up interview with 'Empire' actor

Chicago police have shifted the direction of their investigation into actor Jussie Smollett's report of a hate-crime assault and are seeking to interview him again, after releasing two men detained for questioning in the probe, a police spokesman said on Saturday. Smollett, 36, an openly gay African-American performer who plays a gay character on the musical hip-hop TV drama "Empire," ignited a furor on social media last month when he reported he had been attacked on the street by two men yelling racial and homophobic slurs.