Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Berlin stars in tale of a refugee's hunger to belong

Away from Berlin's clubs, far from the tourist hotspots, young drug dealers, many of them immigrants, eke out a marginal existence on the fringes of the city: theirs is the story of Afghan-German director Burhan Qurbani's "Berlin Alexanderplatz". A retelling of Alexander Doeblin's 1929 novel, the film thrusts itself into contemporary debates over immigration and identity that are racking Germany by turning Franz, the small-time crook at the heart of the novel into Francis, an African refugee, played by Portuguese-Guinean artist Welket Bungue. Polanski win at Cesars would send wrong message in #MeToo era: minister

French Culture Minister Franck Riester on Friday waded into the storm over the nomination of Roman Polanski for best director at the Cesar Awards, saying the success of a director facing rape accusations would send the wrong signal in the #MeToo era. The French-Polish director's latest movie, 'An Officer and a Spy', was a box office hit in France and received 12 nominations, including best film and best director, for an award at France's equivalent of the Oscars. Actress Lori Loughlin among parents to face U.S. college scam trial in October

A federal judge on Thursday said actress Lori Loughlin in October will be among eight parents accused of participating in a vast U.S. college admissions bribery and fraud scheme to face the first trial to result from the scandal. The "Full House" star, along with her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are among 15 parents fighting charges brought by federal prosecutors in Boston stemming from the U.S. college admissions scandal. Weinstein's acquittal on some charges may hamper appeal of sex crimes conviction

Harvey Weinstein will seek to overturn his sex crimes conviction by arguing that the jury was prejudiced by testimony from women unconnected to prosecutors' underlying case, his lawyers have said. But, according to experts, he faces a legal hurdle: his acquittal on some of the most serious charges. Weinstein, 67, faces up to 29 years in prison for sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, in 2013. Placido Domingo cancels Madrid 'La Traviata' show following sexual misconduct claims - EFE

Spanish opera star Placido Domingo canceled his scheduled performances of "La Traviata" in Madrid's Teatro Real following allegations of sexual misconduct, EFE news agency reported on Thursday citing a statement from the singer. Domingo apologized on Tuesday to the women who had accused him of sexual misconduct after an investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists concluded he had behaved inappropriately with female performers. Shanghai Fashion Week to go ahead online as virus disrupts events

Shanghai Fashion Week, initially postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, will go ahead as scheduled online in a tie-up with Alibaba Group's Tmall marketplace, its organizers said. The event, which last October hosted eight couture shows in its Spring/Summer season, was among numerous trade and business events in Asia that announced changes to their dates this month due to the coronavirus. South Korea boy band BTS cancels April Seoul concert on coronavirus concerns

South Korean boy band BTS canceled its scheduled April concert in Seoul, amid growing concerns of the new coronavirus outbreak, its music label, Big Hit Entertainment, said on Friday. "The current global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has made it impossible at this time to predict the scale of the outbreak during the dates of the concert in April," Big Hit said in a statement. Hong Kongers turn out for indie club's last performance as coronavirus forces closure

Hundreds of Hong Kongers sporting face masks pulsated under strobe lights at a reknowned indie club for the last time on Thursday as cancellations by performers due to the coronavirus have forced the venue to close. The music house known as Hidden Agenda: This Town Needs (TTN) opened its doors in 2009 and quickly attracted a loyal crowd of young Hong Kongers to one of few independent venues for live indie music in the city. U.S. SEC out for justice over Steven Seagal's cryptocurrency marketing

Steven Seagal, the star of action movies including "Above the Law" and "Out for Justice," has agreed to pay $314,000 to resolve charges of "unlawfully touting" a cryptocurrency offering, the U.S. securities regulator said on Thursday. Seagal, 67, agreed to give up $157,000 in ill-gotten gains and to pay another $157,000 as a penalty for failing to disclose payments he received for promoting an investment in an initial coin offering from Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G), the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a statement. Nigerian artist turns plastic waste into fashion to raise awareness

The sight of discarded plastic bottles and bags floating in the open drains of Nigeria's megacity Lagos moved visual artist Adeyemi Emmanuel to despair. So one day last year he began collecting bits of discarded plastic and used them to make a backpack. Seeing a way to raise environmental awareness in fashion-conscious Nigeria, Emmanuel in November launched a line of bags, wallets and gift boxes made of 20% leather and around 80% plastic waste, called ECO.