Entertainment briefs 3/29/17

Darlene Cates, mom in 'Gilbert Grape,' dies

NEW YORK -- Darlene Cates, who played the housebound mother in the 1993 film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," has died. Cates died in her sleep Sunday morning at her home in Forney, Texas, according to her son-in-law, David Morgan. She was 69. Cates was cast in the film as the morbidly obese mother of Johnny Depp, in the title role, and his younger brother, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. She had been spotted by the film's screenwriter, Peter Hedges, while appearing on the "Sally Jessy Raphael" talk show, where she discussed her struggles with her weight. The film, directed by Lasse Hallstrom, won acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of a troubled but loving family in a small Iowa town. Cates later appeared on the series "Picket Fences" and "Touched by an Angel."

Ken Burns making Muhammad Ali film

NEW YORK -- The late Muhammad Ali is getting the Ken Burns treatment. The PBS documentarian announced Tuesday he and two partners will make a two-part, four-hour film about the former heavyweight champ, who died in June. Burns, his daughter Sarah and David McMahon collaborated for a PBS documentary on Jackie Robinson that debuted last year. The tentative plan is to air the Ali film in 2021.

Video Game Hall names finalists

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The World Video Game Hall of Fame's 2017 finalists span decades and electronic platforms, from the 1981 arcade classic "Donkey Kong" that launched Mario's plumbing career to the 2006 living- room hit "Wii Sports," made gamers out of grandparents. The hall of fame at The Strong museum in Rochester said Tuesday 12 video games are under consideration for induction in May. They include: "Final Fantasy VII," "Halo: Combat Evolved," "Microsoft Windows Solitaire," "Mortal Kombat," "Myst," "Pokemon Red and Green," "Portal," "Resident Evil," "Street Fighter II" and "Tomb Raider." An international panel of video-game scholars and journalists will select the winners. They will be inducted May 4.

-- From wire reports