Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Director says in lawsuit Apple, Shyamalan stole her movie

A television series developed for Apple Inc by famed director M. Night Shyamalan blatantly copied a 2013 film, a copyright lawsuit filed on Wednesday claimed. Italian-American director Francesca Gregorini sued Apple and Shyamalan in Los Angeles federal court, alleging the recently released horror series "Servant" plagiarized her 2013 film "The Truth About Emanuel." Whitney Houston among six Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees

Late superstar Whitney Houston and five other artists and bands, living and dead - and representing a wide range of musical genres, including pop, electronica and rap - were unveiled on Wednesday as this year's inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Also entering the Rock Hall in its 35th annual induction ceremony will be 1970s mainstream bands the Doobie Brothers and T.Rex, 1980s techno rockers Depeche Mode, murdered hip-hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. and industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. 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. 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. Lawyers in Weinstein rape case begin questioning potential jurors

More than 100 potential jurors in the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein were expected in Manhattan criminal court on Thursday as lawyers strive to choose 12 impartial New Yorkers to decide the former film mogul's fate. The potential jurors, who have passed an initial round of pre-screening, include supermodel Gigi Hadid, who said she had met Weinstein before but could nonetheless be fair. 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. 'Star Trek' return 'irresistible,' says Patrick Stewart at new series premiere

Sir Patrick Stewart said returning to "Star Trek" was irresistible as he led a new generation of cast members down the red carpet for the premiere of a series devoted to his much-loved character Jean-Luc Picard. The 79-year-old British actor had repeatedly refused efforts to lure him back as the starship captain Picard. 'For Sama' directors hope Oscar nod will shine 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 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.

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