Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Caged like a ‘canary’, Vivienne Westwood protests for Assange in London

Vivienne Westwood, dressed in yellow, was locked into a giant bird cage outside England’s Old Bailey court on Tuesday, a stunt to show her support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who is fighting extradition from Britain to the United States. “I am Julian Assange,” fashion designer Westwood said. “I am the canary in the cage. If I die down the coal mine from poisonous gas, that’s the signal.”

Kanye West posts series of rambling late night tweets

Rapper Kanye West posted a series of tweets late on Monday claiming his wife was trying to have him locked up on medical grounds, comparing himself to Nelson Mandela and suggesting the movie “Get Out” was based on his own life. The late night flurry of activity on West’s official Twitter account – the bulk of which was deleted a few hours later – came a day after he launched his U.S. presidential campaign with a rambling rally in Charleston, South Carolina.

Cancel culture takes the fun out of life, says comedian John Cleese

John Cleese does not have much time for political correctness or cancel culture, and as for the state of the world? It’s completely hopeless, the former “Monty Python” star says. Instead, Cleese, 80, is promising “a short selection of Peruvian burial ditties,” when he presents a comedic live-stream plus Q&A session from London next month.

Depp threw bottles ‘like grenades’ in fight where he severed finger, UK court told

U.S. actress Amber Heard on Wednesday denied severing the tip of ex-husband Johnny Depp’s finger during a violent argument, saying that the Hollywood star had been throwing bottles at her “like grenades”. Heard is giving evidence at London’s High Court for a third day on behalf of the publishers of Britain’s Sun newspaper, which Depp is suing for libel after it labeled him a “wife beater” in a 2018 article.

Kim Kardashian asks for compassion as Kanye West struggles with bi-polar disorder

Kim Kardashian on Wednesday asked for compassion and empathy for her rapper husband Kanye West’s struggles with bi-polar disorder that have led to a series of rambling public remarks on subjects ranging from politics to his marriage. Kardashian’s statement on her Instagram stories account was her first public comment on weeks of interviews, public appearances and Twitter comments by West that have raised concern about the Grammy-winning singer’s mental health.

Hollywood stars team up with ex-players to bring NWSL to Los Angeles

Israeli-American actress Natalie Portman and more than a dozen former U.S. women’s national team players have formed an ownership group to set up a professional women’s soccer team in Los Angeles from 2022. The new team, which has yet to be named, was announced by the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) on Tuesday.

Disney’s ABC News sacks senior executive over allegedly racist comments

ABC News, a Walt Disney Co unit, has sacked senior executive Barbara Fedida after an independent investigation alleged she had made racially insensitive comments and used inappropriate language, according to a company email. Fedida also managed in a rough manner and would not return to ABC, Disney executive Peter Rice told staff in an email which ABC shared with Reuters.

Rolling Stones jam with Jimmy Page in lost track from ‘hallowed era’

The Rolling Stones on Wednesday released a previously lost track, “Scarlet”, recorded at guitarist Ronnie Wood’s house in 1974 and featuring Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. The song combines Mick Jagger’s swaggering vocal with richly textured guitars and is described in a statement as “as infectious and raunchy as anything the band cut in this hallowed era, a holy grail for any Stones devotee”.

Forgive or forget Johnny Depp? Jury is out on his post-trial career

From a severed finger to defecation pranks and graffiti written in blood, the Johnny Depp libel case in London has exposed the kind of dirty laundry that Hollywood usually loves to hide. Yet whoever wins or loses, Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard may find it easier than expected to resume their acting careers after the lurid headlines generated by the three-week trial.

Heard says she punched Depp to stop him pushing sister downstairs

Amber Heard told London’s High Court on Tuesday she punched her ex-husband Johnny Depp because she feared he would push her sister downstairs, as the American actress alleged he had done to his former girlfriend, model Kate Moss. Heard, 34, is giving evidence on behalf of the Sun newspaper whose publisher, News Group Newspapers, is being sued by her former husband Depp for libel over a 2018 article which labelled him a “wife beater”.