Entertainment News Roundup: Dolly Parton says turning to rock was 'one of the most fun things I've done'; Hollywood stars stand by actors not 'swimming in money' and more

The SAG-AFTRA union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said they would extend their current contract, which had been set to expire at midnight, through July 12. Hollywood stars stand by actors not 'swimming in money' Laz Alonso recalled his days as an aspiring actor trying to break into the industry with the preconceived notion that all actors were rich.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Hollywood actors extend contract talks, temporarily averting strike

Hollywood's actors union and major Hollywood studios agreed on Friday to keep negotiating through mid-July, staving off the immediate threat of a second labor strike in the entertainment business this summer. The SAG-AFTRA union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said they would extend their current contract, which had been set to expire at midnight, through July 12.

Hollywood stars stand by actors not 'swimming in money'

Laz Alonso recalled his days as an aspiring actor trying to break into the industry with the preconceived notion that all actors were rich. "It's very easy to think all the Hollywood stars or anybody in Hollywood is rich and swimming in money in a swimming pool. That's just not the case," Alonso said as he marched in solidarity with the striking Writer's Guild of America (WGA) during a picket outside the Amazon Studios lot.

Dolly Parton says turning to rock was 'one of the most fun things I've done'

Country music star Dolly Parton says her first rock album "Rockstar" is some of her best, as well as most fun, work she has ever done. Parton, 77, has teamed up with famous names like former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, veteran singers Elton John and Sting as well as her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, for the record released in November.

U.S. actor Kevin Spacey is a 'sexual bully', London court told

Kevin Spacey is an aggressive "sexual bully" who assaults men and gets turned on when his unwanted advances provoke anger, a British prosecutor said on Friday at the start of the Oscar-winning U.S. actor's trial on sex offence charges.

Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen allegations of historic sex offences committed against four men, then aged in their 20s and 30s, which are said to have taken place between 2001 and 2013. His lawyer said the claims were "damned lies".

'Rust' armorer accused of handing off cocaine after shooting

The armorer for the movie "Rust" allegedly transferred cocaine to an unnamed person to dispose of evidence on the day the film's cinematographer was shot dead in 2021, special prosecutors said as they sought protection for a witness. The armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, passed a small bag of cocaine to the witness on the evening of Oct. 21, 2021, after a police interview "to prevent law enforcement from obtaining highly inculpatory evidence directly related to the defendant's handling of the firearm," prosecutors said in a court filing on Thursday.

Robot takes podium as orchestra conductor in Seoul

An android robot, EveR 6, took the conductor's podium in Seoul on Friday evening to lead a performance by South Korea's national orchestra, marking the first such attempt in the country. The two-armed robot, designed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, made its debut at the National Theater of Korea, leading musicians in the country's national orchestra.

Versatile Oscar-winning American actor Alan Arkin dies at 89

Alan Arkin, a versatile and prolific American actor who thrived in both comic and dramatic roles and won an Oscar for playing a heroin-using grandfather in the 2006 film "Little Miss Sunshine," has died at 89, his family said. "Our father was a uniquely talented force of nature, both as an artist and a man. A loving husband, father, grand and great grandfather, he was adored and will be deeply missed," Arkin's sons Adam, Matthew and Anthony wrote in a joint statement.

'Rogers: The Musical,' first Marvel musical at Disneyland opens

For the first time ever, Marvel fans will be able to watch heroic super soldier Steve Rogers sing and dance on stage in Disneyland Resort's one-act musical theater production “Rogers: The Musical.” As part of Walt Disney's 100th anniversary celebration, Disneyland opened the 30-minute musical on Friday at the Hyperion Theater in Disney California Adventure Park. It runs until August 31.

Rapper Travis Scott avoids charges over Texas crowd crush

A Texas grand jury on Thursday declined to press criminal charges against rapper Travis Scott and five others over a 2021 crowd crush at a music festival that left 10 dead and injured thousands, prosecutors said. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said the grand jury was the culmination of 19 months of investigation into the tragedy at Scott's Astroworld Festival in November 2021.

(With inputs from agencies.)