Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

U.S. judge rejects settlement of Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse claims

A U.S. judge on Tuesday rejected a proposed $18.9 million civil settlement for women who claimed they were subjected to sexual abuse and workplace harassment by the disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan said the preliminary settlement would be unfair to women who Weinstein raped or sexually abused, because it treated them no different from women who had merely met him.

Depp tells court ex-wife attacked him on night he learned he'd lost $650 million

Movie star Johnny Depp concluded five days of testimony in his libel case against Britain's Sun newspaper on Monday, saying his ex-wife Amber Heard had thrown a "haymaker" punch at him on the night he found out he had lost $650 million. The 57-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is suing the Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, at London's High Court after the tabloid labelled him a "wife beater" in a 2018 article.

Movie gives Eric Garner's family the trial they never got

Art is giving Eric Garner's family the trial the U.S. justice system never provided them. "American Trial: The Eric Garner Story" depicts the trial that did not happen after a white New York police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, was videotaped using a deadly chokehold on Garner, a Black man, in July 2014 after he was arrested for selling loose cigarettes on a street in Staten Island.

Jimmy Fallon returns to a bit like TV's normal

Jimmy Fallon has returned to the television studio for his "Tonight Show," becoming the first late-night host to get back to something approaching normal production in almost four months. Fallon appeared from NBC's New York studio on Monday for a show in which camera operators wore masks, there was no audience, and house band the Roots played in a socially distanced space.

Banksy mural stolen at Bataclan returned to France from Italy

Italy on Tuesday handed back to France a mural painted by British street artist Banksy which was stolen from the Paris Bataclan theatre, where militant Islamist gunmen killed scores of people in an attack in November 2015. In June 2018, Banksy created a mural of a veiled female figure in a mournful pose on a fire-exit door of the concert venue where 90 people were killed in one of the coordinated attacks which caused 130 fatalities in the French capital.

China's Wanda Film warn a loss

China's largest cinema chain operator Wanda Film said on Tuesday it expects to report a net loss of 1.5 to 1.6 billion yuan (214 to 228 million dollars) in the first half of this year, after the coronavirus kept its cinemas shut for almost the entire period. In comparison, the company reported a net profit of 524 million yuan (75 million dollars) in the same period last year.

'Glee' star Naya Rivera died of accidental drowning, autopsy finds

"Glee" star Naya Rivera died of accidental drowning, the Ventura County medical examiner said on Tuesday following the recovery of her body from a lake near Los Angeles. Rivera, 33, was found in the lake on Monday five days after going missing on a boating trip with her young son. The medical examiner's report said there was no indication that drugs or alcohol played a role in her death.

Actress Kelly Preston dies of breast cancer at 57

American actress Kelly Preston who has appeared in films including "Jerry Maguire" and "Twins", has died aged 57 after battling breast cancer for nearly two years, her husband, John Travolta, announced in an Instagram post late on Sunday. "It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer," the 66-year-old "Grease" actor said in his post.

Six Harvey Weinstein accusers call $18.9 million New York settlement a 'cruel hoax'

Six women who claim they were sexually abused by Harvey Weinstein urged a U.S. judge on Monday to reject an $18.9 million settlement with the disgraced movie producer, the board of his former studio and other accusers. The settlement announced on June 30 would end litigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James and separate class-action litigation, and permit accusers to claim $7,500 to $750,000 each.

Masks, cameras, action! Film production restarts in California

Filming crews are beginning to tentatively return to set in California, after a hiatus forced on the industry by the coronavirus pandemic. State-designated safety protocols - such as wearing masks, taking temperature checks, and crew members staying at least six feet away from each other - are in place.