Entertainment News Roundup: Hollywood ponders post-pandemic future of cinemas; Disney signs deal to stream 'Spider-Man and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Hollywood ponders post-pandemic future of cinemas

As Hollywood prepares to celebrate the Oscars on Sunday, movie theaters are trying to lure back audiences that have been streaming films at home for over a year. Some cinemas have closed permanently while others are trying to recover and hope that a string of delayed blockbusters will produce a moviegoing rebound. Reuters asked actors, directors, writers, and producers what they see for the future of cinemas. Their replies have been edited for length and clarity.

BRIT music awards to host 4,000-strong audience in UK pilot event

Some 4,000 people will attend the BRIT Awards next month, in what organizers of Britain's pop music honors said would be the first major indoor music event with a live audience as the country emerges from COVID-19 lockdown. The ceremony, to be held on May 11 at London's O2 arena, will form part of the UK government’s Events Research Programme, looking at whether major events can take place in closed environments without social distancing.

'A little bit of sparkle': fashionistas eye Oscars red carpet frocks

Looking through a rack of colorful evening gowns, celebrity stylist Cristina Ehrlich pulls out a shiny black and chrome frock she describes as a classic red carpet look. "The actual design of the dress is very classic and simple," Ehrlich says. "This is the perfect kind of dress for an evening like the Academy Awards because you can do so much to what we call style it out."

Excitement builds in Icelandic fishing town vying for Oscars glory

The tiny Icelandic town of Husavik, which was propelled to global fame by a hit Netflix comedy, has rolled out a red carpet on its main street in anticipation of even greater glory on Oscars night. The power ballad "Husavik (My Hometown)", which featured as the climactic moment in the movie about a couple bumbling their way through the Eurovision Song Contest, is nominated for Best Original Song, and residents are fired up.

Five years after the death of Prince, fans gather at his Paisley Park estate

Draped in shades of purple, fans of the late artist Prince huddled in a line outside his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota, waiting to enter the museum to remember the musician's life on the fifth anniversary of his death. "We came to pay our respects to the best, greatest, most, amazing musician ever. You know, we've been fans forever. We're family. We've made a family from all over the world through this man ... It was important for us to be here," said Barbara Rodgers, who traveled to Minnesota from Florida with her husband Ali and her friend Sara.

'Who's going to play me?' Boy George launches casting search for biopic

British singer Boy George launched a casting search on Tuesday, looking for an actor to portray him in a music biopic set to start filming this summer. The Culture Club frontman, whose real name is George O’Dowd, took to social media to make the announcement. In a video, he said "Line of Duty" actor Daniel Mays would play his father, and added teasingly "there are rumors of Keanu Reeves popping in".

Beyond Oscars glitz, movie theaters face uncertain future

Maryo Mogannam snuck into the Empire theater in San Francisco with his older cousins to watch "Animal House" when he was 14. He watched most of the James Bond movies at the historic art house and took his wife there on some of their first dates.

The cinema, which had been showing movies since the silent film era, served notice in February that it was permanently closing because of the impact of COVID-19. The marquee is now blank, and cardboard and paper cover the box office window.

Disney signs deal to stream 'Spider-Man,' other Sony films

Walt Disney Co said on Wednesday it had reached a deal with Sony Pictures to bring new "Spider-Man" movies and other films to Disney's streaming services and TV networks in the United States after they play on Netflix. Disney also secured rights to offer hundreds of older Sony films much sooner, including "Jumanji" and "Hotel Transylvania." The company said it will add a significant number of Sony titles to Hulu starting in June.

Burberry's Tisci eyes "modern armour" for winter womenswear

Capes, flags, and helmet-like hats dominated the Burberry catwalk on Wednesday in what designer Riccardo Tisci described as a "modern armor" collection for women this winter. In a runway presentation filmed at the British brand's flagship London Regent Street store, models strutted in an array of outerwear adorned in faux fur as well as block colored dresses with fluttering fringes and cape-like sleeves.

Space drama 'Stowaway' puts Kendrick, Kim and Collette in tight spot

Actors Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, and Toni Collette star as a space crew whose two-year mission to Mars is thrown into turmoil when they discover an unplanned passenger onboard their spacecraft in the new Netflix movie "Stowaway". The unexpected presence of an additional person on a damaged space ship already pushed to its capacity with a three-member crew forces the trio to make tough choices in order to survive.

(With inputs from agencies.)