Entertainment News Roundup: Uffizi masterpieces show Black culture's role in the Renaissance; Musical 'Hamilton' goes from Broadway to America's living rooms and more

Mexico's TV Azteca invests in music streaming company Deezer Mexico's TV Azteca, a unit of Grupo Salinas, is investing in music streaming company Deezer with an agreement that includes an equity stake and commercial partnerships, the companies said in a statement on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Uffizi masterpieces show Black culture's role in the Renaissance

Italy's Uffizi gallery said on Thursday it was planning to pick out nine of its masterpieces for a project to highlight the part that Black people and culture played in the Renaissance. Under the "Black Presence" initiative, images of works including Cristofano dell’Altissimo's "Portrait of the King of Abyssinia" will be posted online from this weekend for a series of discussions and other events.

Musical 'Hamilton' goes from Broadway to America's living rooms

Five years after taking Broadway by storm with its multi-racial, hip-hop take on America's founding fathers, "Hamilton" arrives in millions of homes around the world on Friday as a film. Shot over three days in 2016 at the stage musical featuring the original cast, the film lands on the Disney+ streaming service as America celebrates Independence Day weekend.

'Help!' cry British musicians, warning of crisis in live music industry

Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran and The Rolling Stones were among some 1,500 musicians who called on Thursday for the British government to help the live music business survive the novel coronavirus outbreak. "The future for concerts and festivals and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them looks bleak," the musicians wrote in an open letter to British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.

Harry Potter fan sites step back from Rowling over transgender views

Two of the biggest Harry Potter fan sites on Thursday distanced themselves from author J.K. Rowling because of her beliefs on transgender issues, calling them at odds with the message of empowerment in her best-selling books. Websites The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet said they would no longer provide links to the British author's personal website, use photos of her, or write about achievements that do not relate to the Wizarding World she created.

Hollywood weighs how to foster lasting Black inclusion

Hollywood came under intense scrutiny for a lack of diversity in 2015 when the #OscarsSoWhite movement spotlighted the dearth of Black nominees for the film industry's highest honors. Following the mass protests after the death of African American George Floyd in U.S. police custody, the entertainment business faces new criticism for failing to do enough to include Black people in front of and behind the camera.

Johnny Depp's 'wife beater' libel case can go ahead, UK judge rules

A British judge ruled on Thursday that Hollywood star Johnny Depp's libel case against The Sun newspaper over claims he abused his ex-wife can go ahead next week after rejecting the publication's bid to have the case thrown out. Depp, the 57-year-old star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, issuing the tabloid's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, at London's High Court for libel over an article Wootton wrote in 2018 calling Depp a "wife-beater".

NBCU's Peacock strikes deal with ViacomCBS to stream 'The Godfather' and others

Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal has struck a deal with ViacomCBS Inc to bring "The Godfather" trilogy, "Undercover Boss" and other hit franchises to the upcoming Peacock streaming video platform, the companies announced on Wednesday. Peacock, set to launch nationally on July 15 on mobile devices, Web and connected television platforms, will compete against Netflix Inc, Amazon.com Inc Prime Video, Walt Disney Co's Disney+, Hulu, and AT&T Inc's HBO Max in the fight for paying subscribers.

Mexico's TV Azteca invests in music streaming company Deezer

Mexico's TV Azteca, a unit of Grupo Salinas, is investing in music streaming company Deezer with an agreement that includes an equity stake and commercial partnerships, the companies said in a statement on Thursday. Paris-based Deezer said the agreement, including commercial partnerships and access to TV Azteca's production capabilities, is estimated to have a $40 million value.

U.S. television broadcaster Hugh Downs dies at age 99

Hugh Downs, whose congeniality and authoritative manner allowed him to move between the world of game shows and U.S. network news, has died at the age of 99, the Arizona school named after him said on Thursday. Downs hosted the game show "Concentration" and the ABC News show "20/20" during a radio and television career of more than 60 years.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)