NEW YORK Phyllis Somerville, an actor with a lengthy career of roles in film, television and Broadway productions, has died. Somervilles manager Paul Hilepo says the actor died Thursday in New York City of natural causes. A native of Iowa, Somerville moved to New York in the 1970s. On television, she appeared in The Big C, NYPD Blue and was in films like Arthur and was among The Curious Case of Benjamin Button cast members nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In The Big C, she played the foul-mouthed neighbor to Laura Linney's character, a straight-laced history teacher who is given a grim cancer prognosis.

FILE - In this July, 26, 2019 photo, actor and producer Michael B. Jordan poses for a portrait during the 2019 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jordan has partnered with Amazon Studios for A Night at the Drive-In that will bring diverse films to drive-in theaters for free screenings. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK For Michael B. Jordan, timing is everything. So when the SAG award winner marched in a Los Angeles Black Lives Matter protest last month demanding that Hollywood drastically increase its diversity in the executive ranks, it was a moment he felt prepared for. Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said the partnership falls into the companys efforts to support social justice initiatives. What were doing right now while we have the energy and the momentum, lets continue to keep the conversation pushing forward, Jordan said.

LOS ANGELES Rapper 21 Savage will be launching a free online financial literacy education program for youth sheltered at home during the coronavirus pandemic. His efforts will include a partnership with Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to provide free WiFi and tablets for underserved students in the city. 21 Savage said he wants to empower youth to manage their money. The rapper launched his Bank Account program in 2018 to teach financial literacy to teenage students across the United States. It was updated on July 2, 2020 to fix a reference to the recipients of the program.

LOS ANGELES Rapper 21 Savage will be launching a free online financial literacy education program for youth sheltered at home during the coronavirus pandemic. His efforts will include a partnership with Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to provide free WiFi and tablets for undeserved students in the city. 21 Savage said he wants to empower youth to manage their money. His program will work with mobile banking service provider Chime and EverFi, an education technology platform. The rapper launched his Bank Account program in 2018 to teach financial literacy to teenage students across the United States.

Cynthia Erivo, John David Washington, Eva Longoria, Zendaya and Awkwafina are among the 819 people who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. If they accept, which most do, those in the new class will have voting privileges at this years Oscars. A handful of actors from this years best picture winner Parasite, including Jang Hye-Jin, Jo Yeo-Jeong, Park So-Dam and Lee Jung-Eun, were also invited to join. The Academy said that 49% of the new invitees are international and represent some 68 countries. It has since surpassed those goals and continues to infuse membership classes with both women and people from underrepresented communities.

In this video grab issued Sunday, June 28, 2020, by BET, Beyonce accepts the humanitarian award during the BET Awards. The singer dedicated her award to the Black Lives Matter movement, and encouraged activists to continue to push forward. DaBaby rapped a verse from the Black Lives Matter remix of his hit song Rockstar with Roddy Ricch at the awards. While holding a baseball bat, DaBaby then stood on a stage behind a group of people who had their fists raised high while others held Black Lives Matter signs. During the performance, video clips were shown of the national protests over the deaths of unarmed Black people including Floyd, Arbery and Taylor.

(Neon via AP)Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, Clemency was well-reviewed but got unjustly overshadowed by some of the higher profile awards contenders when it was released in December. Doctor Sleep: The Directors Cut: This Danny Torrance-focused sequel to The Shining was a little divisive upon release, which wasnt all that surprising. Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSICGrey Daze: Fans of the late Grammy-winning screeching rock singer Chester Bennington will get a chance to hear him one more time. HAIM: Its been three years since sister trio HAIM have released a new album.

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2012 file photo, actor Ian Holm appears at the premiere of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in London. Holm, the acclaimed British actor whose long career included roles in Chariots of Fire and The Lord of the Rings has died, his agent said Friday. Holm died peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by his family and carer, his agent, Alex Irwin, said in a statement. (Photo by Jon Furniss/Invision/AP, File)LONDON Ian Holm, an acclaimed British actor whose long career included roles in Chariots of Fire and The Lord of the Rings has died. Holm died peacefully Friday morning in a hospital, surrounded by his family and carer, his agent, Alex Irwin, said in a statement.

LOS ANGELES Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has been elected to the film academys Board of Governors for the first time. The academy has increased the number of women and people of color on the board. Incumbent governors reelected include Whoopi Goldberg, Dolemite Is My Name screenwriter Larry Karaszewski and Participant Media CEO David Linde among others. The organization that puts on the Oscars said that the number of women on the board has gone from 25 to 26 and people of color from 11 to 12. The Board of Governors represent each of the academys 17 branches and work to set the organizations strategy, finances and fulfillment of its mission.

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Renée Zellweger completed a Hollywood comeback for the ages at the Oscars on Sunday night, winning as best actress for her role as Judy Garland in "Judy." Written off during a six-year hiatus from acting that ended in 2016, Zellweger returned to claim her second Oscar after 16 years. “If only I could stand up straight, I was shaking so much,” Zellweger said as she walked offstage. “Miss Garland, you are certainly among the heroes who unite and define us, and this is certainly for you,” Zellweger said onstage. Once again, as she has done throughout this season, Zellweger honored Garland's legacy.

Laura Dern accepts the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role for "Marriage Story" at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Laura Dern’s turn as a steely divorce attorney in “Marriage Story” made the case with Oscar jurors, who completed her awards season sweep by awarding her the best supporting actress trophy. Dern’s win Sunday came nearly three decades after her first Academy Award nomination, a lead actress bid in 1992 for “Rambling Rose.” She received a supporting actress nod in 2015 for “Wild,” and has earned Emmys and a wealth of critics’ honors over the years. I say if you’re really blessed, you get them as your parents,” an emotional Dern said in accepting the trophy. Dern comes from a pedigreed Hollywood family: father Bruce is a two-time Oscar nominee (“Coming Home,” “Nebraska”), and Ladd played her mom in “Rambling Rose” and earned her own Oscar nomination, for supporting actress.