Another member of the legendary rock group Kiss has tested positive for COVID-19.
Following a Friday announcement that Paul Stanley tested positive for the virus — and that the band was canceling the evening’s show as a result — Gene Simmons has also tested positive, and the group will be postponing multiple upcoming shows as a result.
"Kiss will postpone their next four tour dates. While Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from COVID, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms," Kiss tweeted Tuesday. "The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days and doctors have indicated the tour should be able to resume on September 9th at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA."
The Post has reached out to reps for Simmons for comment.
Purchased tickets for their "End of the Road" farewell tour will be honored at the new dates once they are announced, the post added. The now postponed shows were set to take place in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. The show canceled upon Stanley’s diagnosis was in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.
In announcing the rockers’ breakthrough cases, Kiss has also revealed that the entire band and touring crew are fully vaccinated.
Members of Kiss "and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows," the band wrote in a statement following Stanley’s diagnosis. "The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines."
Another member of the legendary rock group Kiss has tested positive for COVID-19. (2014 Getty Images)
Stanley shared his experience with the virus on Twitter.
The slow-walk exit of Britney Spears’ father from the conservatorship that has ruled the performer’s life for the past 13 years needs to pick up the pace, the one-time Princess of Pop’s lawyer says, and without a price tag.
“Regardless of the past, Mr. Spears and his counsel are now on notice: the status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted,” says Matthew Rosengart in a fiery response filing Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
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“Mr. Spears’s blatant attempt to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the millions already reaped from Ms. Spears’s estate by Mr. Spears and his associates, is a non-starter,” added the former federal prosecutor, who earlier this summer was brought on by Spears as her first chosen attorney in the much criticized conservatorship.
“The only honorable, decent, and humane course of action is for Mr. Spears to resign now, provide all necessary information to evaluate his accounting, and, if matters cannot be resolve consensually, to try to defend his accounting,” says the dense 12-page supplemental petition (read it here).
Already under direct and public pressure from his superstar offspring to be removed from the co-conservator perch he has occupied in one form or anther since 2008, Jamie Spears sent a resentment-filled legal salvo on August 12 to begin a self-described “transition process.” With the next hearing in the convoluted conservatorship set for distant September 29 in Judge Brenda Penny’s downtown Los Angeles courtroom, the elder Spears knows full well his disentanglement from his daughter’s professional affairs and nearly $60 million fortune could take months
Seeking a suspension of Jamie Spears if he doesn’t pick up what she’s putting down, Britney Spears isn’t inclined to wait around as today’s filing makes clear.
“Contrary to the powers that Mr. Spears and his counsel seek to arrogate unto themselves, they do not get to choose the time and place of Mr. Spears’s departure,” says the petition put in the court docket today. “Those issues are governed by law, the best interests of Ms. Spears, and by this Court.”
“This is not about him, it is about the best interests of his daughter, which as a matter of law, mandate his removal,” Greenberg Traurig’s Rosengart told Deadline today about what he compares to a “hostage” situation. “Even putting aside the legal issues requiring his prompt removal, if he loves his daughter, Mr. Spears should resign now, today, before he is suspended. It would be the correct and decent thing to do.”
Jamie Spears’ Holland & Knight LLP lawyers did not respond to request for comment on today’s filing when contacted by Deadline.
Still, they may take solace in some court context here. So far, Penny has rejected or postponed any attempt to remove him from the conservatorship or offer a new and sooner day for a hearing on the matter.
As of now, the elder Spears still hold the reins on his daughter’s financial and career decisions, while co-conservator Jodi Montgomery remains in charge of much of Britney Spears’ personal and medical affairs. In recent weeks, Rosengart has suggested to the court that forensic CPA Jason Rubin replace Jamie Spears in the conservatorship. That matter was not mentioned in today’s filing, but it is clearly not far from mind.
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• President Biden defended the decision to exit Afghanistan, saying he was faced with a "real choice between leaving or escalating."
• Our long national Jeopardy! nightmare is not totally over, but it took a definitive step toward being over: executive producer Mike Richards has been fired.
• If you're still confused by why some people are ingesting horse paste to fight COVID-19 despite serious side effects and no scientific backing, HuffPost breaks it all down.
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Britney Spears says her father, Jamie P. Spears, is attempting to extort her as he prepares to exit the conservatorship he’s helmed for 13 years, according to her attorney.
Court documents obtained by Fox News on Tuesday claim Jamie has already accepted the fact his time as pseudo-CEO of Spears’ life is coming to an end – and thus, he should simply bow out right now instead of dragging out the inevitable.
"Mr. Spears was forced to concede in his August 12, 2021 ‘First Response’ to Britney Spears’s Petition to remove him that he must depart -- and his departure is now inexorable," Spears’ attorney, former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart, told Fox News in a statement on Tuesday.
"As we wrote in our new filing with the Court, however, the quid pro quo preconditions that Mr. Spears’s sought in his August 12, 2021 court filing are inappropriate and unacceptable," he continued, adding, "Britney Spears will not be bullied or extorted by her father."
Spears’ camp has consistently claimed that Jamie is seeking some $2 million on his way out – a portion of which is likely to land in the hands of his attorneys and her former business manager, Tri-Star.
When Jamie agreed to step aside from his post as conservator, he did so under the pretense that he would have to say yes to a succession plan he felt would be suitable and to his liking.
However, Spears’ camp is now saying such a request is his attempt to control his daughter until the absolute last moment possible.
"Nor does Mr. Spears have the right to try to hold his daughter hostage by setting the terms of his removal," the statement from Rosengart reads. "This is not about him, it is about the best interests of his daughter, which as a matter of law, mandate his removal."
Britney Spears is calling for her father, Jamie Spears, to remove himself as conservator immediately or else risk suspension by the court on Sept. 29. (AP Photo, File)
Added the litigator: "Even putting aside the legal issues requiring his prompt removal, if he loves his daughter, Mr. Spears should resign now, today, before he is suspended. It would be the correct and decent thing to do."
The two have been locked in a court battle over the past few years as the singer works to regain control of her life.
"Mr. Spears’s blatant attempt to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the millions already reaped from Ms. Spears’s estate by Mr. Spears and his associates, is a non-starter," the court filing reads.
Jamie has controlled Spears' conservatorship since 2009 after she went through a series of involuntary psychiatric holds.
She adds in the memorandum that the court should suspend her father by Sept. 29 – the next court hearing in her conservatorship -- if he hasn’t removed himself by then.
A rep for Jamie Spears did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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Amelia Hamlin is looking to keep the peace as tension brews between boyfriend Scott Disick and drummer Travis Barker, whose PDA with Disick’s ex, Kourtney Kardashian, is seemingly fueling drama between the two celebs.
The 20-year-old model took to Instagram Tuesday, sharing photo of a man holding up a sign that reads, “Let’s be nicer to each other. We’re all trying our best.”
The suggestion came after Kardashian’s ex, Younes Bendjima, shared an alleged screenshot of DMs from Disick, 38, throwing shade at the affectionate couple.
“Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this. In the middle of Italy,” Disick appeared to write to Bendjima, attaching a photo of their shared ex, Kardashian, 42, mounting the Blink-182 rocker, 45, on a boat.
Bendjima responded by dismissing the Talentless co-founder’s jabs, saying he actually wishes the Poosh founder the best.
Scott seemingly takes issue with the amount of PDA between his ex, Kourtney Kardashian and her current beau, Travis Barker.Cobra Team / BACKGRID
“Doesn’t matter to me as long as she’s happy,” Bendjima seemed to respond. “PS: i aint your bro.”
Barker also appeared to respond to Disick’s commentary with a screenshot of a laughing meme from the movie “Goodfellas.”
Amelia Hamlin appears to be playing peacemaker between boyfriend Scott Disick and Blink-182 drummer, Travis Barker.Instagram ; Getty Images
Kardashian herself then posted her own cryptic response, sharing a bible verse as her exes and current beau took subtle shots at one another.
The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star, tweeted Tuesday, “John 15:7. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask anything you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Hamlin and Disick were first linked in October but didn’t become Instagram-official until Valentine’s Day.Instagram
As for Amelia, she’s been focused on family as of late, even catching her parents, Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin, skinny-dipping this weekend.
“I just caught my parents skinny dipping in the hot tub and idk if I’m traumatized or like if its [sic] cute,” she wrote Saturday.
Hamlin and Disick were first linked in October but didn’t become Instagram-official until Valentine’s Day.
It comes after a turbulent few weeks for the long-running syndicated program, which saw Richards, who joined Jeopardy! as exec producer in 2020, ousted as host after one day of production.
Suzanne Prete, EVP, Business and Strategy, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, just sent an internal note to staff on these shows explaining that Richards would depart effective immediately with Embassy Row’s Michael Davies agreeing to help on an interim basis.
She said that they hoped that Richards exiting as host would have “minimized the disruption and internal difficulties” that they experienced over the last few weeks, but added that “clearly has not happened.”
Deadline understands that given all that has transpired over the last few weeks, it was clear that Richards’ position as EP has been too compromised for him to effectively continue in that role. It’s thought that given he doesn’t have the internal or external support that he needs to lead the team, his exit was in the best interests of the show.
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Richards stepped down as host earlier this month following a Ringer report about insensitive and sexist comments Richards had made towards his female co-hosts and guests on The Randumb Show, a podcast he hosted in 2013 and 2014, along with off-color remarks about Haitians and Jews.
Last week, the staff and crew of the venerable game show were summoned for a Microsoft Teams meeting this morning, sources told Deadline. Richards apologized to his staff for the comments and addressed his team during the meeting, which was attended by Sony’s top TV executive, Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Sony Global Television Studios, who oversees the studio’s gameshow franchises and was in charge of the search for a permanent Jeopardy! host following the death of Alex Trebek. A similar virtual meeting was held with the staff of Sony’s Wheel of Fortune, which Richards also executive produces.
During this meeting, the studio confirmed that he would continue as executive producer. Yet, multiple Jeopardy! staffers who attended the meeting said that they had expected for him to step down as EP as the show is restarting the search for a permanent host.
I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately. We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened.
Michael Davies from Embassy Row has agreed to help with production on an interim basis until further notice. Michael and I will work together with all of you in the weeks ahead to ensure that production remains on schedule and we do not miss a beat as we head into the new season.
I know this has been a challenging time for the entire team, and I want to thank you all for your cooperation and professionalism over these last few weeks. As Ravi mentioned last week, I will be more involved in the day-to-day on our shows moving forward and I am looking forward to working closely with all of you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything.
Another member of the legendary rock group Kiss has tested positive for COVID-19.
Following a Friday announcement that Paul Stanley tested positive for the virus — and that the band was canceling the evening’s show as a result — Gene Simmons has also tested positive, and the group will be postponing multiple upcoming shows as a result.
“Kiss will postpone their next four tour dates. While Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from COVID, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms,” Kiss tweeted Tuesday. “The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days and doctors have indicated the tour should be able to resume on September 9th at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA.”
The Post has reached out to reps for Simmons for comment.
Purchased tickets for their “End of the Road” farewell tour will be honored at the new dates once they are announced, the post added. The now postponed shows were set to take place in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin. The show canceled upon Stanley’s diagnosis was in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.
In announcing the rockers’ breakthrough cases, Kiss has also revealed that the entire band and touring crew are fully vaccinated.
Members of Kiss “and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows,” the band wrote in a statement following Stanley’s diagnosis. “The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines.”
Stanley shared his experience with the virus on Twitter.
“My COVID symptoms were MILD compared to many others and let me tell you … It kicked my ass,” he wrote Monday. “It’s over now.”
Scott Disick allegedly slid into the DMs of Kourtney Kardashian’s ex-boyfriend, Younes Bendjima, in an attempt to join forces against the reality star who has been jet-setting around the world with Travis Barker -- but Bendjima didn’t exactly go for the buddy routine.
Referencing the wildly public display of affection the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star, 42, and Blink-182 drummer, 45, have been exchanging during their recent vacation to Italy, Disick, 38, allegedly appeared to turn to Bendjima for support but the model, 28, didn’t take the bait and ended up putting Disick on blast afterward.
"Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this. In the middle of Italy," Disick allegedly wrote to Bendjima, who shared the alleged direct message to his Instagram Stories on Monday. The message was sent alongside a photo of Kardashian – who is the mother of Disick’s three children – straddling Barker on a boat.
"Doesn’t matter to me as long as she’s happy," Bendjima appeared to write back, adding, "PS: i aint your bro."
Scott Disick appeared to shade ex Kourtney Kardashian in alleged DMs exposed by her other ex, Younes Bendjima. (Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images)
Bendjima, who dated the Poosh founder from 2016 until their split in 2018, also wrote over the screenshot of the alleged direct message, stating: "keep the same energy you had about me publicly, privately."
In a follow-up slide on his Instagram Story, Bendjima wrote, "couldn’t miss this one. He been playing around for too long, tired [sic] to stay quiet and be the nice guy."
Disick has yet to publicly respond to Bendjima, who many believed had also shaded his ex in a shared-then-deleted Instagram Story post back in April.
"Shamelessness has become so normal in today’s society that modesty has become strange," Bendjima posted at the time in the wake of Kardashian sharing a photo of herself donning a thong bikini and kissing Barker.
Scott Disick, left, was shaded by ex Kourtney Kardashian's former boyfriend Younes Bendjima after he appeared to criticize her PDA in Italy with Blink-182 rocker Travis Barker, right. (Getty Images)
Barker shares daughter, Alabama, 15, and son, Landon, 17, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler, 46. They split in 2008 after four years of marriage.
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Apparently Scott Disick thinks Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s PDA is a bit much.
In a plan that truly backfired, Disick appeared to direct message Kardashian’s other ex-boyfriend Younes Bendjima on Instagram looking for support in his horror over her paparazzi-snapped makeout sessions with Travis Barker.
Unfortunately, not only did the model, 28, not give Disick, 38, what he was looking for, he also put him on blast by sharing screenshots of the exchange on his Instagram Story.
“Yo is this chick ok!???? Broooo like what is this. In the middle of Italy,” Disick appeared to write to Bendjima, attaching a photo of Kardashian, 42, mounting the Blink-182 rocker, 45, on a boat.
Younes Bendjima put Scott Disick on blast by sharing alleged DMs from the Talentless founder about their mutual ex-girlfriend’s PDA.Getty Images; Backgrid
“Doesn’t matter to me as long as she’s happy,” Bendjima seemed to respond. “PS: i aint your bro.”
Bendjima added over the photo, “keep the same energy you had about me publicly, privately.”
In a follow-up slide on his Instagram Story, Bendjima wrote, “couldn’t miss this one. He been playing around for too long, tired [sic] to stay quiet and be the nice guy.”
Disick hasn’t publicly responded to Bendjima putting him on blast.
Disick appeared to be looking for support from Bendjima.Instagram
Perhaps the Talentless founder thought he had an ally in Bendjima because the Algerian model appeared to shade the former “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star’s PDA with Barker in April.
“Shamelessness has become so normal in today’s society that modesty has become strange,” Bendjima posted — and deleted — on his Instagram Story shortly after his ex-girlfriend shared a photo of herself wearing a thong bikini and kissing the famed drummer.
Kardashian and Bendjima dated from around 2016 to 2018, when they split following a lengthy vacation in Italy. They sparked romance rumors again in December 2019 when they were spotted at Disneyland together.
During their on-again, off-again courtship, Bendjima, who is Muslim, called out his then-girlfriend for her sexy photos.
“[That’s] what you need to show to get likes?” he commented on a bikini snapshot, then deleted it.
Candyman director Nia DaCosta has made history by becoming the first black woman to have a film open at number one on the North American box office chart.
The director's reimagining of the 1992 horror made $22m (£16m) in its first weekend in US and Canadian cinemas.
That is almost as much as the film - co-written and produced by Get Out's Jordan Peele - actually cost to make.
Based on a Clive Barker story, the film is named after a hook-handed killer who has spawned a fearsome urban legend.
The new film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a visual artist who comes to regret basing an exhibit on the Candyman myth.
DaCosta only had one feature credit, 2018's Little Woods, when she was invited to direct the latest instalment in the horror franchise.
Getty Images
The 31-year-old is currently working on The Marvels, the sequel to the 2019 Marvel comic book blockbuster Captain Marvel.
Candyman is the latest horror release to perform strongly in US cinemas as the sector recovers from the impact of the Covid pandemic.
A Quiet Place Part II was another scary success story, having made more than half of its $296m (£215m) worldwide haul from North American audiences.
Box office analysts said Candyman surpassed their expectations for an R-rated film opening in the Covid-19 era.
It performed better than had been expected even with Hurricane Ida depressing attendance in some southern US states.
Candyman also bucked a recent trend by launching only in cinemas, without a simultaneous release on streaming sites.
Films that have adopted a dual-release strategy, such as Black Widow and The Suicide Squad, have seen takings decline steeply in their second weekend in cinemas.
Candyman's success came at the expense of action comedy Free Guy, which slipped to second place with weekend takings of $13.6m (£9.8m).
Canine cartoon Paw Patrol: The Movie also dropped down a place, making $6.6m(£4.8m) in its second weekend in North American picture houses.
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Matthew Mindler's, a former child actor, manner of death has been revealed.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office told TMZ Mindler's death has been ruled a suicide but his cause of death is still "pending toxicology results."
Fox News previously confirmed Mindler was found dead on Saturday morning. He was just 19 years old. His body was located near Millersville University's campus in Lancaster County after he was reported missing late Wednesday from the Pennsylvania college. He was last seen on Tuesday.
"It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. Our thoughts of comfort and peace are with his friends and family during this difficult time," Millersville University president Daniel A. Wubah wrote in a statement obtained by Fox News.
"A search had been underway for Matthew since Thursday, after he was reported missing. Millersville University Police and law enforcement agencies from the area had been searching for him since that time. Matthew was found deceased this morning, Saturday, August 28 in Manor Township near campus. Matthew was transported to the Lancaster County Forensic Center by the coroner for further investigation."
"This is a time of grief for the family, our campus and the community. I ask that the campus community come together to support each other, and our students, during this difficult time," the statement concluded.
Mindler's biggest role as a kid was opposite Paul Rudd in the 2011 film "Our Idiot Brother." He also starred in "As the World Turns," and "Frequency" in 2013 but hasn't acted since 2016.
Former child star Matthew Mindler’s death has been ruled a suicide.
The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office made the “manner of death” ruling Monday, though the exact cause of Mindler’s death is still pending the toxicology screen, TMZ reports.
Mindler, 19, was found dead on Aug. 28, just three days after the college freshman was reported missing. His college, Millersville University, announced the news to the student body Saturday.
“It is with a grieving heart that I let you know of the death of 19-year-old Matthew Mindler from Hellertown, Pennsylvania, a first-year student at Millersville University. A search had been underway for Matthew since Thursday, after he was reported missing,” the announcement read.
“Matthew was found deceased this morning, Saturday, August 28, in Manor Township near campus. Matthew was transported to the Lancaster County Forensic Center by the coroner for further investigation.”
Mindler’s family said he “did not return to his room or return phone calls from his family” Wednesday and he was consequently reported missing. His last sighting was when he left his dorm room building in the evening on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Wednesday morning, he did not show up for his classes.
Matthew Mindler’s manner of death has been ruled a suicide.Twitter ; Getty Images
Per IMDB, Mindler’s first onscreen role was in a 2009 episode of “As the World Turns.” Two years later, he was featured in “Our Idiot Brother” alongside a host of A-listers, including Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones and Zooey Deschanel.
He notched appearances in a live stage performance of “This American Life” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2014 and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” in 2015. His last credited role, in 2016, was in the made-for-TV movie “Chad: An American Boy,” alongside Nasim Pedrad.
UPDATE: Spotify has corrected a statement it sent to Variety earlier on Monday that inaccurately stated that West also topped Rodrigo’s record as 2021’s most-streamed artist in 24 hours; West’s record is only for 2021’s most-streamed album in 24 hours.
After several weeks of one of the most highly publicized and confusing album rollouts in history, Kanye West’s “Donda” finally was officially released to streaming services at the unusual, if not completely unprecedented, time of early Sunday morning. While it’s unclear exactly when the album was posted, a press release from Def Jam, West’s label, announcing it arrived at around 8:15 a.m. ET.
Around 32 hours later, the numbers are still rolling in, but one thing that can be confirmed is that “On Sunday, August 29, Kanye West’s ‘Donda’ broke the record for the most-streamed album in a day so far in 2021,” topping Olivia Rodrigo and her debut album “Sour,” according to a rep for the streaming giant, the world’s largest paid music subscription service.
“Donda” seems likely to break even more records as the week goes on — at least until Drake’s hotly anticipated “Certified Lover Boy” album finally drops on Friday. At the time of this article’s publication, songs from “Donda” occupied six of the top 10 spots on Spotify’s Top 200, with another six between 11 and 20, and another six between 21 and 30, and another five between 31 and 50. That’s 23 of the album’s 27 songs taking up more than half of the Top 50.
While no official certifications have been announced at the time of this article’s publication, at Apple Music it’s even bigger, with songs from the album occupying the top 18 spots in its U.S. Top 100, with another seven further down in the top 50.
Variety will have more on this fast-moving situation as it develops.
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The first man to publicly accuse R. Kelly of sexual abuse testified at the singer’s trial in Brooklyn on Monday, Vulture reports.
The man was identified as Louis and claimed that Kelly abused him when he was 17 years old. It was also later revealed that Louis had been arrested for offering money to a potential witness against Kelly, and was testifying as part of a plea agreement with the government.
Louis said he met Kelly in 2006, when the singer came to a McDonald’s where Louis was working. Kelly asked Louis to give his phone number to a female colleague, while Kelly also gave Louis his phone number as well.
Louis said he aspired to be a musician, and he attended several parties at R. Kelly’s home in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The first time, he went to Kelly’s home with his parents, but during later visits he went alone. He periodically worked on music in Kelly’s studio, though nothing materialized.
During a later visit to Kelly’s residence, Louis claimed that Kelly brought him to a detached garage that was set up like a boxing ring, where the two of them spoke about Louis’ aspirations. Kelly allegedly asked Louis what he was “willing to do for the music,” and Louis said he offered to do “crazy” tasks like carrying Kelly’s bags. Eventually, Louis claimed, Kelly asked him if he had any fantasies.
“I said, I got fantasies,” Louis testified. “I told him I had fantasies of two or three girls at one time. He said, ‘You ever had a fantasy about a man?’ I said no. He crawled down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex.”
Louis claimed he told Kelly he “didn’t like it” and “wasn’t into it,” and Kelly stopped. “He just told me, ‘Keep it between me and him. We’re family now. We’re brothers,’ ” Louis said.
Louis continued to attend Kelly’s parties, and claimed that Kelly would record their sexual encounters. He also accused Kelly of making him engage in a sexual encounter with a stranger while Kelly watched. It’s unclear when Kelly and Louis allegedly stopped engaging in sexual activities with each other, though they were in contact until at least 2018.
Later in his testimony, Louis explained that he had been arrested for trying to bribe a potential witness against R. Kelly. Louis said he didn’t know the potential witness was already cooperating with the government and was recording their conversation at the time. Louis said Kelly was not involved with the bribery scheme, but said he offered the witness money so they would “not cooperate with the government.”
Louis later pleaded guilty to attempted bribery and said if he follows the rules of the agreement, the government will write a letter requesting a more lenient sentence to the judge overseeing his case. Louis said he did not want to testify because “it will affect my reputation” in the music industry, where he still hoped to succeed. When asked what Kelly did to help his career, though, Louis replied: “Nothing.”
“Candyman” director Nia DaCosta made history this weekend when her film took the No. 1 spot at the box office, grossing $22.3 million in its opening weekend.
The horror flick is a big milestone, both for the 31-year-old filmmaker and the industry: She’s the first black female director to top the box-office chart.
“Candyman” is a remake of the 1992 horror classic of the same name. Co-written by DaCosta, Oscar winner Jordan Peele and Win Rosenfeld, the plot follows Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an artist who moves into the first film’s gentrified Cabrini-Green neighborhood with his girlfriend. The slasher movie also stars Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Vanessa Williams, Tony Todd and Virginia Madsen.
The movie beat expectations, according to Variety, since it was projected to earn $15 million in ticket sales.
The blowout weekend for “Candyman” also marks the second-highest opening-weekend gross for a film directed by a black woman. Ava DuVernay holds that top spot, with 2018’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” which grossed $33 million in its opening weekend. It was also the first film directed by a black woman to pass $100 million at the box office.
“Candyman” is in theaters now.
While DaCosta’s achievement is a righteous one, black women are still underrepresented in the world of directing. But she’s is on a mission to change all of that.
The Brooklyn native will make history yet again as the first black woman and the youngest person to direct a Marvel film with “The Marvels” — the sequel to 2019’s “Captain Marvel.” The superhero flick is currently in production and will hit theaters in 2022.
“I got tired of seeing it [Black bodies brutalized],” the actor explained.
Oscar winner Jordan Peele is giving audiences a fresh new take on a cult classic urban legend: Candyman.
Critically acclaimed filmmaker Nia DaCosta directs this contemporary reimagining of Candyman, which returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began, and the original film from 1992 took place.
The storyline is timely, and the film is sure to give movie audiences that particular woke horror fix that’s become synonymous with a Peele flick.
Set a decade after the last of the Cabrini towers were torn down, Anthony (Yahya-Abdul Mateen II) and his girlfriend, Brianna, (Teyonah Parris) move into a fabulous loft in the now-gentrified Cabrini. A chance encounter with a longtime neighborhood resident (Colman Domingo) exposes Anthony to the true story behind Candyman. Anthony’s intrigue in the urban legend opens a door to a past that unravels his own sanity and unleashes a terrible wave of violence.
(Credit: Youtube: Candyman – Official Trailer 2 (Universal Pictures)
In an interview with theGrio, Domingo opened up about how he recently became “exhausted” by movies and TV shows that focus on Black trauma, and expressed appreciation in the fact that viewers will never see a Black body being brutalized in Candyman.
“I started to examine the things that I’m so concerned with in my personal life. I got tired of seeing it [Black bodies brutalized]. I thought it was a narrative that kept perpetuating the things that I was seeing on the news channels and on cell phones, you name it,” Domingo said. “I need love and joy as well. I need a new way to examine this stuff.”
The Fear the Walking Dead star added that DaCosta’s Candyman won’t be so horrific that audiences will be compelled to look away from what they’re watching on-screen.
“I love that Nia DaCosta uses puppetry. It has more size, and I think there is a bit more of a remove and you can actually experience it — even analytically as well,” he said. “So it’s not just emotional. Like, you know… you have to look away. It’s like, ‘no, you have to look towards it now, because it’s even more epic and mythic.’ It’s a true examination of the reality of it. I think something about that is really special.”
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DaCosta made history last year when it was announced that she would be the first Black woman to direct a Marvel film with the Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, slated for release Nov. 11, 2022.
Domingo, who’s worn many hats as an actor and tackled nearly every genre, revealed he’s anxious for a chance to star in a Marvel movie.
“My phone rings. It just doesn’t ring from the Marvel Universe,” Domingo joked. “I’m waiting. I’m ready. I mean, I’ve worked out, and I’m fit. I can play anything. So they just have to give me a call.”
The Zola star added that he’d love to play a villain if given the chance.
“I love playing villains. They’re even more complex to me, and I think that can find what makes a villain tick and what their emotional, psychological trauma is. I love to do deep dives and do all this character work. I feel like I’d live as a villain in the Marvel Universe. So I’m waiting for my phone to ring.”
Candyman is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Chris Witherspoonis the Founder – CEO of the movie and TV show discovery appPopViewers, and an entertainment contributor for theGrio.com.
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Article From & Read More ( Colman Domingo talks absence of black trauma in ‘Candyman,’ reveals Marvel movie aspirations - Yahoo News )
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Entertainment
Jones, however, exclusively told Page Six at the reopening of Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club Saturday, “I never made any comments about the rumors of me and Kim Kardashian dating as I found it absurd.”
He added, “It was flattering for me, but it probably wasn’t flattering for her.”
Stars including Meek Mill, Megan Thee Stallion, The-Dream, Fabolous, J Balvin and Victor Cruz were also in attendance at Jay-Z’s event Saturday.
Former Bad Boy rapper Moses Michael “Shyne” Levi Barrow was there too, but he said he had no intention of performing any of his hits — even if Jay-Z, 51, requested it — because he is now a political representative in Belize.
“Absolutely not,” he told Page Six. “I’m here as a leader of the House of Representatives in Belize, and Jay-Z is a friend of mine. He’s also a world leader — not just in hip-hop; he is a leader in the world, and it’s a culture. So, he’s one of the greatest entrepreneurs ever an American icon but [also] a world icon.”
Shyne, 42, added, “Whenever I could come and celebrate an icon such as Jay-Z that I’ve known for 20 something years, I’ll take the opportunity.”
The new “Candyman” opened at the top of the domestic box office this past weekend, making Nia DaCosta the first Black female filmmaker to have a movie debut in the No. 1 slot.
Distributed by Universal Pictures and MGM, “Candyman” is a sequel to the 1992 horror flick of the same name and stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the lead role. It was projected to earn $15 million in ticket sales, according to Variety, but wound up raking in roughly $22 million in its first three days.
The film was delayed by more than a year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and premiered amid concerns of the delta variant’s impact on moviegoing. Peer studios Warner Bros. and Disney have responded to the evolving situation by releasing some titles simultaneously on streaming platforms, but Universal and MGM stuck to their plan for “Candyman” to premiere exclusively in theaters.
The film has received relatively positive reviews, though some writers have critiqued how, per Rolling Stone’s K. Austin Collins, “it overreaches, most prominently for relevance, to the point of raising questions about whether the movie understands its own, initially provocative, questions.”
DaCosta co-wrote the screenplay with Win Rosenfeld and Jordan Peele, both producers on the project through Monkeypaw Productions. In response to the delayed release, she tweeted last year that “we wanted the horror and humanity of ‘Candyman’ to be experienced in a collective, a community.”
“We made ‘Candyman’ to be seen in theaters,” she wrote. “Not just for the spectacle but because the film is about community and stories — how they shape each other, how they shape us. It’s about the collective experience of trauma and joy, suffering and triumph, and the stories we tell around it.”
As IndieWire noted, a few other Black female directors have previously come close to debuting a film at the top of the weekend box office — including Ava DuVernay, whose fantasy adaptation “A Wrinkle in Time” premiered at No. 2 in March 2018 behind “Black Panther,” and Gina Prince-Bythewood, whose romantic comedy “Love and Basketball” debuted behind “U-571” in April 2000. (“A Wrinkle in Time” also made DuVernay the first Black woman to direct a film passing the $100 million box office mark.)
DaCosta’s next move will take her to the superhero realm, as she was hired to direct “The Marvels” — making her both the first Black woman and the youngest director to helm a Marvel film.
Article From & Read More ( With 'Candyman,' Nia DaCosta becomes the first Black female director to debut a film at No. 1 - The Washington Post )
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Entertainment
Kim Kardashian was busted for listening to estranged husband Kanye West’s new album, “Donda,” on mute on Sunday.
The KKW Beauty founder, 40, posted screengrabs of the album playing on her iPhone — specifically “Hurricane,” “Donda,” “Lord I Need You” and “Ok Ok, Pt. 2” — with the volume turned all the way down. Fans of course, quickly noticed this detail and immediately began calling her out on social media.
“kim really said kanye’s music sounds [so much] better when it’s on mute,” one fan wrote onTwitter.
“kim kardashian posting screenshots of her listening to kanye’s new album on MUTE is taking me out,” another joked.
Kardashian has since deleted the muted grabs and reuploaded new ones with the volume turned up.
But the damage was already done. Internet trolls seized the opportunity to roast Kimye, with one suggesting, “That’s what Kanye did during the course of their marriage: listen to Kim on mute.”
Kardashian’s screengrabs of “Donda” all had the music turned down.Instagram
“Yes Kim, that’s exactly how Kanye’s songs should be heard, on mute,” someone else tweeted.
Kim surprised fans by participating in the “Donda” listening event on Friday.David X Prutting /BFA courtesy o
Kardashian’s muting snafu comes two days after she shocked fans by appearing in a wedding gown at West’s listening event on Friday in Chicago.
The couple appeared to “remarry” as Ye’s “No Child Left Behind” played in the background. Not only did the stunt spark reconciliation rumors, but the estranged pair were later seen holding hands while leaving the venue.
Kim Kardashian joined Kanye West at his Chicago “Donda” listening event on Friday.David X Prutting /BFA courtesy o
West is even telling his music industry friends that he and Kim are back together, a source told Page Six exclusively on Sunday.
However, the source said that “everybody knows that isn’t true” and alleged West is “putting on a big show” so he can beat Drake in record sales.
A man testified Monday in R. Kelly's trial that the singer sexually assaulted him when he was 17.
He said Kelly invited him over to a music studio, but instead brought him to his home and performed oral sex.
Kelly sexually assaulted the man on numerous subsequent occasions, he testified.
The first man to publicly accuse R. Kelly of sexual misconduct testified Monday at the singer's federal sex crimes trial, saying Kelly sexually assaulted him repeatedly while he was a 17-year-old high school student.
Testifying under the pseudonym "Louis," the man said he met Kelly in 2006 while working the overnight shift at a McDonald's drive-thru in suburban Chicago.
Kelly, who was 39 years old at the time, asked for the phone number of Louis' female manager, and gave a slip of paper with his own phone number to Louis to thank him.
Louis, an aspiring R&B musician himself, texted Kelly — whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly — and was ultimately invited to one of the singer's music studios to play some music he had worked on.
But Louis didn't get very far.
"He let the song play for only five seconds and he said he didn't like it," Louis said.
Louis left the studio discouraged that "the king of R&B" wasn't interested in his music. But he continued to text Kelly and later saw him at a gym around the corner from the McDonald's where he worked in Markham, Illinois. Soon enough, he was regularly invited to Kelly's home for parties and to play basketball with the singer.
'We're brothers now'
Kelly ultimately invited Louis to a studio at his home in Olympia Fields, another suburb of Chicago. But when Louis got there, they met in a detached garage where Kelly had exercise equipment and a boxing ring, rather than in one of the studios the singer maintained in the main building.
"He asked me what I was willing to do for music," Louis said on the stand.
Louis rattled off ways he would assist Kelly, like carrying his bags. But Kelly appeared unreceptive.
"He asked me if I had any fantasies," Louis said, then quoted Kelly: "'You never had fantasies about men?'"
"I said no," Louis continued. "And then he crawled down on his knees and proceeded to give me oral sex. He zipped my pants down and he started doing it."
John Doe "Louis" testifies during R. Kelly's sex abuse trial at Brooklyn's Federal District Court in a courtroom sketch in New York, U.S., August 30, 2021.REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have accused Kelly of numerous sex crimes, saying he directed people to produce women for sex, and then abused them. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.
The indictments identify two men who prosecutors say Kelly sexually abused, in addition to over a dozen women. Four of those women have already testified in Kelly's trial so far, and all of them said they too had aspirations in the entertainment industry when they met Kelly.
On that first occasion Kelly performed oral sex, Louis testified that he told the singer to stop. After Kelly stepped back, he swore Louis to secrecy.
"Don't tell anyone," Kelly said, according to Louis. "We're brothers now."
Louis said he continued to see Kelly, still hoping to be mentored for his music career. He said Kelly sexually abused him on subsequent occasions, recording those encounters on an iPad and camcorders and asking that he call him "daddy."
Other women who previously testified in Kelly's trial also said Kelly recorded their sexual encounters and demanded they call him "daddy."
Louis said that after additional encounters, Kelly's attitude toward him changed.
"As our relationship got stronger, he said I was like a brother," Louis said. "I was his 'little brother.'"
Louis tried to bribe another R. Kelly accuser so she wouldn't testify
Louis said he last saw Kelly in person in the late 2010s, in the hallway outside the singer's apartment in Chicago's Trump Tower. Kelly summoned him there to talk, saying he needed "protection."
In the hallway, Kelly told Louis to write a letter saying that someone planned to pay him to say that he was in a homosexual relationship with Kelly. Louis testified that the letter's content wasn't true.
"He gave me the notepad and I wrote the letter," Louis said on the stand. "He told me word for word what to say."
Other witnesses also testified that Kelly forced them to write false letters distorting their relationship with the singer, at times even falsely saying they stole from him.
R. Kelly sits beside his lawyer Thomas Farinella during Kelly's sex abuse trial at Brooklyn's Federal District Court in a courtroom sketch in New York, U.S., August 30, 2021.REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Louis appeared uncomfortable while testifying. He spoke softly and haltingly, using few words when answering questions posed by Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Geddes and Kelly's attorney, Deveraux Cannick.
In August 2020, prosecutors accused Louis of attempting to bribe another witness not to testify against Kelly. Louis pleaded guilty to bribery in February 2021 and, facing a potential 15-year prison sentence, agreed to testify in the Brooklyn trial as part of a cooperation agreement with prosecutors.
In phone records included in the original charging documents, Louis suggested that Kelly would pay for the bribe. But on the stand, he testified that Kelly — in jail at the time — wasn't involved in the scheme, and that he came up with it on his own.
While cross-examining Louis, Cannick suggested he had an incentive to tell a story that maligned Kelly to fulfill the terms of his cooperation agreement.
John Doe "Louis" is cross examined by defense attorney Deveraux Cannick during R. Kelly's sex abuse trial at Brooklyn's Federal District Court in a courtroom sketch in New York, U.S., August 30, 2021.REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
However, Cannick struggled to come up with factual discrepancies in Louis's story. He spent several minutes asking Louis why he testified that Kelly opened the door to his Olympia Fields home on the day he allegedly sexually assaulted Louis for the first time, when Louis had said at another point that a person named "Candy" handled security at the door. Louis said Candy simply wasn't there that day.
Louis testified that one of the reasons he tried to bribe the other accuser was to "help both of them." He believed the woman might have recordings of sexual encounters with Kelly, and he hoped they would never see the light of day.
Despite his past, Louis said he still hoped to "make it in music." Assistant US Attorney Elizabeth Geddes asked Louis the same question prosecutors asked other witnesses who said Kelly promised to bolster their music careers: What, if anything, did the singer do to help?
Louis gave the same answer as every other witness.
