Entertainment News Roundup: Oscars to go host-less for second year; 'Joker' leads BAFTA nominations and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Oscars to go host-less for second year, ABC says

The 2020 Oscars ceremony in February will again have no host, the head of ABC Television Entertainment said on Wednesday. "Let me confirm it now. Together with the Academy (of Motion Pictures), we have decided there will be no traditional host again this year," Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, told television reporters.

Dark drama 'Joker' leads BAFTA nominations with 11 nods

"Joker", a dark origins story about the comic book villain, led nominations for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards on Tuesday, but Britain's top movie honors drew criticism over the lack of diversity in the acting categories. Netflix film "The Irishman", a star-studded gangster drama directed by Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", which won the best comedy/musical Golden Globe on Sunday, got 10 nominations each.

Judge excuses dozens of New Yorkers from serving on Weinstein rape trial jury

Dozens of potential jurors were excused on Wednesday from serving in the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, including two women who said they had been assaulted in the past and one who said a close friend had an encounter with the movie producer. In all, 50 of 120 potential jurors called on the second day of jury selection were dismissed by noon, most after saying they could not be impartial in the case.

Bollywood A-lister backs protesting students, faces boycott calls

A top Indian actress who joined students protesting against the government drew calls on social media on Wednesday for a boycott of her upcoming film, as well as praise for being a rare Bollywood A-lister to stand up against a crackdown on dissent. Deepika Padukone stood silently behind students chanting anti-government slogans at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University on Tuesday evening, surprising many in a country where top film stars typically avoid politics.