Entertainment News Summary: Jay-Z sues Mississippi prison officials; 'Joker' leads Oscar nominations and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

It's a (mostly) man's world as 'Joker' leads Oscar nominations

Dark comic-book story "Joker" led nominations on Monday for the Oscars in the best picture lineup dominated by stories by or about men and featuring only one actor of color despite efforts over the past few years to diversify the field. The 11 nods for "Joker," which turned the comic-book genre on its head with its terrifying portrayal of an isolated loner, covered all the major fields, including best picture, director Todd Phillips and Golden Globe-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix. The controversial Warner Bros. movie has taken in more than $1 billion at global box offices.

Oscar voters pass over big names including Eddie Murphy, JLo

Hollywood's Oscar voters passed over big names including Jennifer Lopez, Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro on Monday while issuing a surprise first Academy Award nomination to actor Antonio Banderas for the Spanish film "Pain and Glory." Singer and actress Lopez was widely praised for her role as an enterprising pole dancer in "Hustlers" as was Murphy for his lead role in "Dolemite Is My Name." But neither landed among the contenders for acting honors that will be awarded at the Oscars ceremony on Feb. 9 after both had been nominated for Golden Globe awards.

French filmmaker detained over alleged sexual assault: prosecutors

French movie director Christophe Ruggia was taken into custody on Tuesday, Paris prosecutors said, over allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl who was cast in one of his movies nearly two decades ago. Jean-Pierre Versini-Campinchi, a lawyer for Ruggia, said the filmmaker denied any misconduct.

'Game of Thrones' actors among Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' cast

Amazon.com Inc unveiled the first cast of actors for its highly anticipated "The Lord of the Rings" streaming television series on Tuesday, including two "Game of Thrones" veterans, and said production would begin in New Zealand next month. Among the 15 cast members are the British actors Robert Aramayo, who portrayed a young Ned Stark, and Joseph Mawle, who played Benjen Stark on HBO's medieval fantasy hit "Game of Thrones." Others coming to "Lord of the Rings" include British theater actor Owain Arthur, British-Iranian actress Nazanin Boniadi, Australian actor Tom Budge, British actress Morfydd Clark, and Slovak-American actress Ema Horvath, the company said.

Keeping it real: a behind-the-scenes look at 'The Lion King' visual effects

How do you make a computer-generated lion, warthog, and hyena look real while singing and talking at the same time? That was the challenge a visual effects team of more than 1,000 people faced when working on Disney's "The Lion King" remake of the 1994 animation, aiming to bring to life the much-loved characters, Mufasa and Simba, against a stunning but fake African savannah backdrop.

Director Spike Lee to head 2020 Cannes Film Festival jury

U.S. director Spike Lee has been named president of the jury for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, organizers said on Tuesday The 62-year-old filmmaker, who succeeds Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, will head the panel that will award the 73rd Palme d'Or prize.

Billie Eilish calls James Bond theme song 'huge honor'

American teen pop sensation Billie Eilish said on Tuesday she was honored to have been chosen to write and record the theme song from the upcoming James Bond film "No Time to Die." Eilish, 18, who wrote the song with her brother Finneas O'Connell, will be the youngest artist in history to take on the task, following in the footsteps of musicians like Adele, Madonna, and Paul McCartney, producers said in a posting on the official @007 Twitter account.

'Parasite' director Bong says 'language barrier' broken after Oscar nod

"Parasite," director Bong Joon-ho said he was surprised and overjoyed when the film won six Oscar nominations on Monday, a historic first for South Korea's film industry and a sign that language is no longer a barrier to global success. "Parasite," a dark comedy about the vast gap between the rich and poor in South Korea, snagged a coveted best picture nomination, best director for Bong, and best screenplay in addition to its best international feature nomination.

'For Sama' directors hope Oscar nod will shine the spotlight on Syria

Filmmakers Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts are hoping the Oscar nomination for their documentary "For Sama" will remind people of the plight of Syrians affected by the country's nearly nine-year-old civil war. "For Sama" was nominated in the best documentary field on Monday after getting four British BAFTA nods and a prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Jay-Z sues Mississippi prison officials over unfair conditions: NBC News

Rapper Jay-Z on Tuesday sued two Mississippi prison officials on behalf of 29 inmates who say authorities did nothing to stop the violence that has killed five prisoners in the last two weeks, NBC News reported. The lawsuit, filed by Jay-Z's lawyer Alex Spiro in the U.S. District Court in Greenville, Mississippi, says "these deaths are a direct result of Mississippi's utter disregard for the people it has incarcerated and their constitutional rights," according to the report https://nbcnews.to/2tmTUm7.