Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Justin Bieber says he has been fighting Lyme disease and mono

Canadian pop superstar Justin Bieber revealed on Wednesday that he had been battling Lyme disease and a serious case of mononucleosis but said he was overcoming his health issues. On Instagram, Bieber noted that some people had recently criticized his appearance and suggested he was using drugs. Will having a lead female defense attorney help Harvey Weinstein? The jury is out

When Donna Rotunno agreed to represent former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein as lead defense attorney in his New York rape trial, she believed that her gender could prove to be an asset in the courtroom. Rotunno took the case in June 2019, two years after dozens of allegations against Weinstein fueled the #MeToo movement, in which hundreds of women accused powerful men in business and politics of sexual harassment or assault. Millions of people used the hashtag "#MeToo" to share their stories on social media and Hollywood celebrities began the "Times Up" campaign to fight sexual misconduct in the workplace. Judge refuses to remove himself after Weinstein's lawyers claim bias

Denying he was biased, the judge in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial on Thursday refused to remove himself from the high-profile case, rejecting an accusation by the former film producers' lawyers. "I have in no way prejudged this case," Justice James Burke told Weinstein's lawyers. "I am going to great lengths to afford your client a fair trial." 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. Bill Cosby asks Pennsylvania top court to hear appeal on sex crime conviction

Lawyers for Bill Cosby on Thursday asked the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania to hear his appeal of his 2018 sexual assault conviction, a month after a lower court rejected their argument that the disgraced comedian did not get a fair trial. Cosby, who played a beloved father figure on the 1980s TV hit "The Cosby Show," had been found guilty of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, at his Philadelphia home in 2004. 'Hope, Heartbreak and Hollywood Classics': Harvey Weinstein's trial reading

Harvey Weinstein's New York trial on rape charges is expected to last up to two months, and the former film producer appears to be planning on spending some of that time reading a biography about two brothers whose personal lives marred their Hollywood award-winning careers. As jury selection kicked off this week, Weinstein, 67, brought two books to court: "The Brothers Mankiewicz: Hope, Heartbreak and Hollywood Classics" and what appeared to be a vintage edition of Ken Follett's historic novel "The Pillars of the Earth." Brazil's Supreme Court overturns censorship of Netflix show

Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday overturned an injunction against Netflix Inc that had prevented the video streaming service from showing a domestically-made controversial Christmas special that depicts Jesus as gay. The Supreme Court president, Justice Dias Toffoli, said that the U.S. streaming platform should be allowed to continue showing the program, saying that freedom of speech was fundamental in a democracy. Alex Trebek sees 'Jeopardy!' legacy as 'the importance of knowledge'

"Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek said on Wednesday he has no plans to retire any time soon, but after 36 years on the television quiz show he knows what his legacy should be. "I hope I have been an influence on the benefits of emphasizing the importance of knowledge," said Trebek, 79. "It enriches you and makes you a better human being and a more understanding human being."