Sylvester Stallone, 76, spoke candidly about his family life and personal experiences in a new interview. (Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Sylvester Stallone opened up about his marriage, fatherhood and politics in a revealing new interview.
During a conversation with the Sunday Times, the Rocky star, 76, spoke openly about his split from wife Jennifer Flavin, which occurred when she left him back in August and filed for divorce after 25 years of marriage. However, the couple reconciled the next month.
“Let’s just say that it was a very tumultuous time,” Stallone explained. “There was a reawakening of what was more valuable than anything, which is my love for my family. It takes precedence over my work and that was a hard lesson to learn.”
Upon their reconciliation, a spokesperson for the couple told Page Six, "They decided to meet back up at home, where they talked and were able to work out their differences. They are both extremely happy."
The couple share three daughters. Looking back on his earlier days of parenting, Stallone — who also has two sons, including Sage, who died in 2012 — expressed his deep remorse for being an absentee father who was entirely focused on his film career.
“I didn’t pay enough attention when they were growing up,” Stallone admitted. “I was so career-oriented and now I go, ‘OK, I don’t have that much runway up ahead and I want to start asking them about their lives.’ I ask them about their day and they started at first a little monosyllabic. Then I heard one say, ‘I was just thinking about you.’ Oh my God. I’ve never heard that before in my life. When a daughter knows you care, she’s there forever.”
Stallone also revealed how he came to understand politics, recognizing that he was often assumed to be a member of the Republican Party, despite voting for both parties at times. That association with Republicans came largely from the patriotic point of view of his films.
“I didn’t even know what a Republican or a Democrat was until I was 30 years old,” Stallone shared. “I really didn’t until I went to Hollywood. I didn’t know wrapping myself in a flag in Rocky would throw down the gauntlet.”
While his hugely successful Rambo franchise immediately associated him with military skills and firearms knowledge, the actor and director says he has mixed feelings about certain aspects of gun control, including the popularity of automatic weapons.
“I don’t see a purpose in hunting with a 40-round magazine,” he said. “If you can’t hit something in five shots, then you’re not a very good hunter. To be able to buy a weapon that I can change in one second to automatic? I don’t see it. You can’t take guns away, they’ve been ingrained for 250 years, but you have to take the irresponsibility out of it.”
Article From & Read More ( Sylvester Stallone says his brief split from wife Jennifer Flavin was 'a very tumultuous time' - Yahoo Entertainment )
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Drummer D.H. Peligro (real name: Darren Henley) died at his home in Los Angeles on Friday. Police reported that he died from a trauma to the head caused by an accidental fall.
Peligro joined The Dead Kennedys in February 1981 and appeared on the EP In God We Trust, released in December 1981.
He would also record on the studio albums Plastic Surgery Disaster, Frankenchrist, and Bedtime for Democracy. He also appeared on the singles/rarities collection, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.
Guitarist East Bay Ray, who performed with Peligro, posted on Facebook following the death. “I am heartbroken. D.H. Peligro passed away in his Los Angeles home yesterday, Oct 28th. He died from trauma to his head from an accidental fall. Arrangements are pending will be announced in the coming days. We were musical brothers. Thank you for your thoughts and words of comfort.”
The Dead Kennedys broke up in December 1986, and Peligro moved on to a short gig with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, replacing Jack Irons.
In 1988, Peligro joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers, replacing drummer Jack Irons. He helped write some songs on the band’s album Mother’s Milk, but did not perform on the album.
The Dead Kennedys reunited in the 200s, and Peligro stayed with the band through several changes in front men. He took a hiatus in 2008, but rejoined in 2009.
Peligro played with several other bands on the punk scene, and had his own solo career as a front man, releasing three albums. Of those, the most notable was Sum of Our Surroundings, which was voted Rock Album of the Year by the American Independent Music Awards.
Details on survivors and memorial plans was not immediately available.
Article From & Read More ( D.H. Peligro Dies: Drummer For Dead Kennedys, Red Hot Chili Peppers Was 63 - Deadline )
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Entertainment
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Mel B attends the MEN Pride of Manchester Awards 2022 at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel on May 10, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
The Spice Girls member, 47, appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox in the U.K. on Friday, when she dished about the details of her recent engagement to her boyfriend of three years, hair stylist Rory McPhee.
Sporting her signature animal print, Brown cozied up to her friend, comedian Ruby Wax, who asked her about the engagement.
"He said, 'I love you, you're my best friend and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,' " Brown recapped, then noting that McPhee, 36, popped the question while they were on a getaway in Berkshire.
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"There were rose petals everywhere, a log fire, a hotel — which was Cliveden. It was very romantic. I love flowers," she added to Wax.
McPhee, who worked with Brown on this season of The Masked Singer, often posts hairstyles he gives his now-fiancee on his Instagram account.
Representatives for Brown did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The pop star was previously married to Jimmy Gulzar from 1998 to 2000, and the pair have a daughter, Phoenix Chi, 23. Brown was also married to Stephen Belafonte from 2007 to 2017, and together they share custody of daughter Madison, 10.
Brown was also in a prior relationship with Eddie Murphy, whom she shares a daughter, Angel Iris, 15, with.
As she read lyrics to the Spice Girls' 1997 hit "Who Do You Think You Are" to her girls, Madison guessed the singer was Lady Gaga, before then suggesting it was Adele.
"My kids have no clue when it comes to Spice Girl Songs," Brown wrote as a caption on one of the Instagram clips.
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Angel, however, went on to encourage Madison to sing the next line, as Brown continued with more lyrics. Angel finally realized the answer, yelling, "It's you, it's the Spice Girls!" as Madison smiled.
"So spice girls may have sold over 100 million records but I think I need to buy one more album for my kids," she captioned the follow-up clip, along with a cheeky emoji.
Article From & Read More ( Spice Girls' Mel B Is Engaged to Rory McPhee After 3 Years of Dating: 'It Was Very Romantic' - Yahoo Entertainment )
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Entertainment
It is no longer enough to dress like an evil slag. The annual tradition of wearing something unusual on October 31 is nothing if not an excuse to trumpet your vast cultural capital. Heaven forbid you wear some black tights and pencil on a couple of measly whiskers or, I don’t know, dress as a Marvel character. You should want your costume to say “Yes, I surf the web!” You should want people to know that you have a Twitter account and that you keep abreast of the discourse! You don’t want to actually SCARE people, you want them to say “Uh yeah, that rings a bell I think?”
Oh sorry! Did you and your boyfriend want to go to the party as Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly?? Sweetie, yesterday’s news is today’s chip paper!! Had you one iota of what was going on in the world you might have realised that, actually, people are going as lettuces this year – yeah, just the most hilarious bit of Great British Banter that happened to grace the timeline last week. But what if you live your life untethered to the news cycle? What if you DID want to go as a superhero? Thankfully, we’ve done the emotional labour (a bit of content) for you. Read below and you might avoid being ostracised for forgetting about a thing that happened the other month – like when the Tories said we need to drink sewage.
All comedians have to learn to handle a heckler or two—emboldening critics is often just another day on the job. But getting punched in the face before even stepping onstage to perform? That’s one for the books for anyone, even in a post-Slap era.
Unfortunately, a pre-set attack was exactly the plight Saturday Night Live alum Chris Redd faced at Manhattan comedy venue the Comedy Cellar on Wednesday night, when an unknown assailant struck him across the face ahead.
Per an initial police investigation obtained by New York’s ABC7 Eyewitness News, Redd was exiting his vehicle around 9:40 P.M. E.T. on Wednesday night when an unknown assailant charged him. The attacker (who was reportedly disguised as a security guard) punched Redd in the face before fleeing the scene.
After the incident, Redd was reportedly transported to Bellevue Hospital with a profusely bleeding nose. No arrests have been made yet in the altercation, although the perpetrator has been described as wearing a “blue ‘security’ jacket, black pants, black grey and white sneakers and a bucket hat.” It’s still not exactly clear what spurned the assault on Redd, and the attacker still hasn’t been identified.
Regardless of motive, this isn’t the first incident of onstage violence against comedians this year. At the Netflix Is A Joke Festival in May, Dave Chappelle was attacked onstage at the end of his set. After the attacker, Isaiah Lee, was apprehended, the LAPD confirmed he had been in possession of a weapon that could “eject a knife.”
In comparison to Redd, Chappelle’s stand up has become rightfully maligned in recent years, due to the comedian’s extensive exploration of blatantly transphobic content. But even from an activism standpoint, it’s hard to argue that clocking your evening’s entertainment in the jaw before or during their time onstage is the most restorative way to express dissent.
Article From & Read More ( Chris Redd punched in the face ahead of Comedy Cellar show in Manhattan - The A.V. Club )
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James Gunn spent his summer thinking about the future.
Three months before Tuesday’s shock announcement that he and longtime manager-turned-producer Peter Safran would take the reins at DC Films, the director showed up to July’s San Diego Comic-Con as a Disney employee, in town to give a first look at the sequel “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3.” As he walked the red carpet, Variety asked him there about expanding his Marvel superhero purview beyond Chris Pratt and company’s galactic misadventures.
“All I care about is that when I take on a project, I gotta say, this is something that’s going to excite and delight me for the next two to three years … I don’t want to be bored,” said Gunn.
Boredom won’t be an option as Gunn and Safran now hold the titles of co-chairmen and chief executive officers of DC Studios, where they will control the creative direction of the company’s arsenal of comic book villains and heroes across film, TV, streaming, animation and beyond. The job is a massive one and success is far from assured despite Gunn and Safran’s impressive resumes. The two will have to find novel ways to compete with Marvel, the studio that propelled Gunn onto the A-list and created the gold standard for cinematic universes, while also finding ways to control costs at a time when DC’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is increasingly focused on staying on budget.
Numerous Hollywood players Variety spoke with heralded the decision as “bold” on the part of David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who has made it clear that he wanted nothing less than his own answer to Marvel guru Kevin Feige. In Gunn, he has found a renegade (and, at one point, incendiary) filmmaker who is steeped in geek culture and has demonstrated flair for coloring outside the lines without alienating mainstream audiences.
“If Marvel proves anything, you need someone with fanboy chops and producer chops. That’s what they seem to have here, for the first time, at DC,” said one powerbroker, speaking anonymously. Both Safran and Gunn will report to Zaslav, known as a demanding manager with little difficulty drilling down into minutiae.
Talks with Gunn and Safran began during the summer, according to insiders, and overlapped with discussions the studio was having with prolific producer Dan Lin. Gunn and Safran now rank among some of Hollywood’s most powerful figures. Although the pair’s compensation package is currently unknown, industry insiders speculated that a job of this size would command a package of $6 million to $8 million each in salary and incentives.
In Safran, DC gets an amiable executive with the charm and finesse needed to navigate the corporate world. Safran was described as “elegant” by one top talent representative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, and “solid as oak.” Raised in the U.K. and educated as a lawyer before he landed on an assistant’s desk at United Talent Agency, Safran spent years in leadership at the management company Brillstein-Grey (during that shop’s heyday, when clients included Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston). He cut his teeth building out James Wan’s “The Conjuring” universe, which has become one of Warners’ most profitable film franchises, and then showed he could handle superhero tentpoles by producing “Shazam!” and “Aquaman.” Gunn and Safran worked together on “The Suicide Squad,” which was a critical success, but a box office failure — though many attribute that to the studio’s decision to launch it simultaneously on HBO Max. The pair scored a hit with “Peacemaker,” a spin-off series that demonstrated the kind of multi-platform approach, one in which movies feed streaming shows and vice versa, that Zaslav been eager to see more of at the studio.
But Zaslav and company will need patience. The two men begin work on Nov. 1, but it takes months, even years to build up a slate. They will inherit stewardship of several projects left over from the previous regime of Walter Hamada, the well-liked DC executive who left after Zaslav shelved “Batgirl” in favor of a tax write-off, and Toby Emmerich, the former Warner Bros. chief. These include “The Flash,” which has wrapped, and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which is currently in post-production. Michael De Luca, who pushed for Gunn’s hire and made the introductions to Zaslav, according to insiders, and Pamela Abdy, the new heads of Warner Bros. film group, greenlit “Joker: Folie à Deux,” But that movie will exist outside of any cinematic universe that Gunn and Safran will be building out. Also on deck are a sequel to “The Batman,” but writer and director Matt Reeves has yet to deliver a finished script, so that movie will not hit theaters until 2025 at the earliest. There’s also lingering questions about what to do with the Man of Steel, with a Chuck Roven-produced Superman sequel currently soliciting pitches from writers. Henry Cavill recently announced he planned to don Superman’s cape once more.
So what will this mean for Gunn and Safran? Several top executives and dealmakers said they were curious to see how incoming filmmakers will view Gunn, a brash and distinctive voice who will now be cutting checks and stepping into edit rooms.
“Imagine if Todd Philips was going in tomorrow to pitch ‘Joker,’” said one producer, “Is he going to want to work for James Gunn?” Other players with knowledge of the studio said that specific scenario is where Safran would ideally be most effective, and speculated that De Luca and Abdy could serve as important ambassadors. Under the four-year deal, DC can still get Gunn behind the camera. The pact just means that he will no longer be able to take his particular set of skills across the street in Burbank to Marvel.
Gunn’s hire also loudly signals that Zaslav is willing to bet on style over four-quadrant safety. Gunn’s voice is distinctly adult-facing, and never afraid to be mocking or meta. After all, “The Suicide Squad” ended with the team impaling a giant starfish — that’s a move into the rococo that seems far afield from Thanos and his infinity gauntlet.
Gunn rose to prominence as the maker of slyly subversive genre fare such as “Slither” and “Super,” movies made with a rebel yell, and ones crafted outside of the creative constraints of the blockbuster business. But with “Guardians of the Galaxy,” he also showed a talent for retaining some of that flavor while servicing the needs of a corporate behemoth that needs to make movies that spawn toy lines and theme park rides.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing in space. After all, Gunn was fired from the “Guardians” franchise in 2018, following backlash to social media dispatches in which the director made light of pedophilia, AIDS patients, the Holocaust and sexual assault. Alan Horn himself, a beloved elder statesman of the industry who ironically now advises Zaslav and Warner Bros. Discovery, decried Gunn’s jokes as “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values.” Gunn apologized, and spent his time in Disney jail making “The Suicide Squad” for DC Films. In 2019, Gunn was reinstated as director of the third “Guardians” film following statements of support from key talent like Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff. Those who know him said he was chastened by the experience and grateful to have been given a second chance.
Ultimately, Gunn and Safran will be judged by their ability to keep introducing new heroes, while keeping the old ones relevant. But for today, at least, both Gunn and Safran are winners, having emerged from one of the mostly closed watched job auditions in recent Hollywood history with the keys to the DC kingdom.
Article From & Read More ( James Gunn and Peter Safran Give DC Studios and David Zaslav Bold, Brash and Slightly Risky New Guardians - Variety )
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Harvey Weinstein’s defense told the jury that there is absolutely no evidence against their client and that every woman who will testify in his trial is an actress who will be playing a role on the stand — all to fit the narrative of #MeToo, which they characterized as an “asteroid” of a movement that “burst forth like a supernova” with Weinstein as the poster child.
Weinstein’s attorney Mark Werksman told jurors that they should prepare to hear a “firehose of false and unprovable allegations” from women who agreed to have consensual sexual interactions with Weinstein, but years later, are now embarrassed and lying about what really happened.
“Look at my client,” Werksman said, pointing to Weinstein. “He’s not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Do you think these beautiful women had sex with him because he’s hot? No, it’s because he’s powerful.”
Weinstein’s attorney told the jury that Hollywood has changed today, but back in the day, “transactional sex” was par for the course. “Sex was a commodity” for “rich and powerful men, like my client,” Weinstein’s attorney said, even getting its own nickname: the casting couch.
“Transactional sex … it may have been unpleasant … and now embarrassing,” Werksman said. “[But] everyone did it. He did it. They did it.”
Weinstein’s attorney said the #MeToo movement is like a movie that turned Weinstein into “Hollywood’s Chernobyl,” casting him in the “smoldering radioactive” part of the “bad guy.”
And the women? “The sequel to the casting couch is the #MeToo trial,” Weinstein’s defense said. “They will play the part of the damsel in distress with this beast.”
“They have to lie to themselves, to you, to this court,” Werksman told the jury. “Their hypocrisy will be on full display.”
Earlier in the day, the prosecution painted a starkly different picture of Weinstein, telling the jury that the former Hollywood producer and already-convicted rapist was a serial predator who used business meetings as a cover to sexually assault women over decades. The deputy D.A.’s explained to jurors that Weinstein’s power enabled him to take advantage of aspiring hopefuls in the entertainment industry by assaulting and harassing them, which made them fearful of Weinstein’s retaliation. During the prosecutor’s opening statement, quotes from women who will testify in the trial were presented to the jury, sharing their allegations of forcible oral sex, groping, fondling and rape.
When the defense faced the jury, they urged the jury to use their “common sense” and realize that there is no forensic evidence, such as a police report, rape kit, DNA, semen sample or surveillance video of any criminal activity to back up the women’s accusations. “Each will boil down to ‘believe me,'” Weinstein’s attorney said of the victims. “If an accuser waits years, the allegation boils down to her word.” (The prosecution plans to bring in a forensic psychiatrist to serve as an expert witness to educate the jury on “rape myths,” which could explain some of these behaviors described by Weinstein’s defense.)
Werksman shared a side of Weinstein that the D.A. did not, and instead of focusing on his power in Hollywood, his attorney re-focused on Weinstein’s humble beginnings, telling the jury he was not born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth. He worked hard to create success for himself, his attorney said, urging the jurors not to get distracted by the stories of private jets and celebrity parties. “With tremendous fame and fortune came fame of fortune seekers,” his attorney said, categorizing the women as having “consensual sex with Mr. Weinstein because they wanted to exploit their connection with Mr. Weinstein” and having “sex in exchange for something with value.”
Weinstein’s attorney spent much of his time during opening statements focusing on Jane Doe #4, who was revealed to be Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the actress and director who is married to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Weinstein of raping her in a hotel room in 2005. She has become a leading voice against sexual harassment and assault in recent years.
“She’s made herself a prominent figure of the #MeToo movement,” Werksman said, listing her current accolades and status as the First Partner of California. But back in the early 2000s when Siebel Newsom was an aspiring actress and filmmaker, Weinstein’s attorney says she was a “Hollywood wannabe.”
Werksman told the jury that during the alleged rape in 2005, Siebel Newsom says she faked an orgasm to end the assault quickly. Weinstein’s attorney said there is no more “enthusiastic signal of consent” than “yes, yes, yes” — which is why, he said, “Mr. Weinstein believed she consented.”
Weinstein’s attorney also noted that Weinstein was a big donor to the Democratic Party, and contributed money to Gavin Newsom throughout the years. He noted that in 2007, Weinstein had the couple as guests to one of his parties, during the time when Newsom was the mayor of San Francisco. “She brought her husband to meet and party with her rapist. Who does that?” Werksman said. “He took money from his wife’s rapist for his political campaigns.”
Werksman said if Siebel Newsom didn’t have her current place in politics today, “She’d be just another bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead.”
Article From & Read More ( Harvey Weinstein’s Lawyers Say Everyone Had ‘Transactional Sex’ in Hollywood Before #MeToo — And Call Jennifer Siebel Newsom a ‘Bimbo’ - Variety )
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MRC said Monday that it was not moving forward with its recently completed documentary about Kanye West, the news coming amid growing criticism of the rapper/entrepreneur’s recent anti-Semitic statements.
“We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform,” MRC’s co-leaders Modi Wiczyk, Asif Satchu and Scott Tenley said in a statement.
The latest move comes as more in Hollywood have been calling for companies to sever ties with West, who has been increasingly vocal about his views toward Jewish people. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, Gersh’s Bob Gersh and UTA’s Jeremy Zimmer are among the most recent big names to speak out over West, who has since been dropped by fashion house Balenciaga. Sportswear company Adidas is facing similar pressure.
Last week, the rapper’s appearance on The Shop: Uninterrupted was pulled according to host Maverick Carter, who said West “used The Shop to reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes.”
West has been making controversial claims of alleged mistreatment by Jewish people, which he has been doubling down on in media interviews and on social media after comments first made during an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Among other things, West posted on Twitter that he was going to go “death con 3 on Jewish people,” a play on the military alert term “Defcon.”
The comments have prompted Wiczyk, Satchu and Tenley (“a Jew, a Muslim, and a Christian”) to speak out after scrapping their documentary, which had recently been completed. MRC had produced and financed it.
Article From & Read More ( Kanye West Documentary Scrapped By MRC Amid Anti-Semitic Statements; Company Leaders Speak Out - Deadline )
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Jeremy Zimmer, co-founder and CEO of United Talent Agency, is the latest prominent Hollywood figure to speak out against Kanye West’s controversial claims of alleged mistreatment by Jewish people, which he has been doubling down on in media interviews.
Zimmer addressed the subject Sunday In an email to the agency staff titled “Rise of Anti Semitism and Hate”, a copy of which was obtained by Deadline. In it, Zimmer speaks about West’s comments and the wave of anti-Semitism that has followed, from banners in his support hung over the 405 freeway in Los Angeles to anti-Semitic flyers distributed around Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Zimmer listed the banners, the flyers as well as the recent the endorsement by Wellesley College’s student newspaper of the controversial Boston “Mapping Project” as behaviors that “ignite the embers of bigotry, and they must not be tolerated.”
“As a company we stand for a wide diversity of voices and ideas. But we can’t support hate speech, bigotry or anti-semitism,” he wrote. “Please support the boycott of Kanye West. Powerful voices spewing hatred have frequently driven people to do hateful.”
Zimmer’s comments follow Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel’s op-ed in the Financial Times earlier this week, in which he called on companies to stop doing businesses with West. Since then, West has been dropped by one of his top business partners, fashion powerhouse Balenciaga.
Article From & Read More ( UTA’s Jeremy Zimmer Joins Calls For Boycott Of Kanye West, Citing Rise Of Anti-Semitism - Deadline )
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The Season 1 finale of “House of the Dragon” was leaked online on Friday, two days before the episode airs on HBO and begins streaming on HBO Max.
It appears that the leak came from a distribution partner in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, a spokesperson for HBO told Variety.
“We are aware that the tenth episode of ‘House of the Dragon’ has been posted on illegal torrent sites. It appears to have originated from a distribution partner in the EMEA region,” the full statement reads. “HBO is aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet. We’re disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show, who will get to see a pristine version of the episode when it premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, where it will stream exclusively in 4K.”
While this is seemingly the first-ever leak for “House of the Dragon,” the franchise is no stranger to this issue. “Game of Thrones” frequently fell victim to piracy, especially in the final seasons, when so many leaks occurred that HBO opted to cease offering advance screeners to the press. This still didn’t prevent the problem. In Season 8, for example, episodes appeared on both illegal sites and on legitimate platforms such as DirecTV Now and Amazon Prime Video’s German platform ahead of their scheduled airings.
Article From & Read More ( ‘House of the Dragon’ Season Finale Leaks, HBO ‘Disappointed’ and ‘Aggressively Monitoring’ - Variety )
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A jury sided with Kevin Spacey on Thursday in one of the lawsuits that derailed the film star's career, finding he did not sexually abuse Anthony Rapp, then 14, while both were relatively unknown actors in Broadway plays in 1986.
The verdict in the civil trial came with lightning speed. Jurors at a federal court in New York deliberated for a little more than an hour before deciding that Rapp hadn't proven his allegations.
When the verdict was read, Spacey dropped his head, then hugged his lawyers. He didn't speak to reporters as he left the courthouse.
"We're very grateful to the jury for seeing through these false allegations," said his attorney, Jennifer Keller.
"What's next is Mr. Spacey is going to be proven that he's innocent of anything he's been accused of. That there was no truth to any of the allegations," she added, a reference to other sexual misconduct claims against the actor, including criminal charges in England.
During the trial, Rapp testified that Spacey had invited him to his apartment for a party, then approached him in a bedroom after the other guests left. He said the actor, then 26, picked him up and laid partially on top of him on a bed before he wriggled away and fled as an inebriated Spacey asked if he was sure he wanted to leave.
In his sometimes-tearful testimony, Spacey told the jury it never happened, and he would never have been attracted to someone who was 14.
The lawsuit sought $40 million in damages.
Rapp and his lawyers also left the courthouse without speaking to reporters. In his closing statements to the jury Thursday, Rapp's lawyer, Richard Steigman, accused Spacey of lying on the witness stand.
"He lacks credibility," Steigman said. "Sometimes the simple truth is the best. The simple truth is that this happened."
Rapp, 50, and Spacey, 63, each testified over several days at the three-week trial.
Rapp's claims, and those of others, abruptly interrupted what had been a soaring career for the two-time Academy Award winning actor, who lost his job on the Netflix series "House of Cards" and saw other opportunities dry up. Rapp is a regular on TV's "Star Trek: Discovery" and was part of the original Broadway cast of "Rent."
Spacey faced charges in Massachusetts that he groped a man at a bar — allegations that were later dropped by prosecutors.
A judge in Los Angeles this summer approved an arbitrator's decision to order Spacey to pay $30.9 million to the makers of "House of Cards" for violating his contract by sexually harassing crew members.
The Associated Press does not usually name people alleging sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Rapp has done.
At the trial, Spacey testified that he was sure the encounter with Rapp never happened, in part because he was living in a studio apartment rather than the one bedroom that Rapp cited, and he never had a gathering beyond a housewarming party.
"I knew I wouldn't have any sexual interest in Anthony Rapp or any child. That I knew," he told jurors.
During her closing arguments to the jury, Keller suggested reasons Rapp imagined the encounter with Spacey or made it up.
It was possible, she said, that Rapp invented it based on his experience performing in "Precious Sons," a play in which actor Ed Harris picks up Rapp's character and lays on top of him, mistaking him briefly for his wife before discovering it is his son.
She also suggested that Rapp later grew jealous that Spacey became a megastar while Rapp had "smaller roles in small shows" after his breakthrough performance in Broadway's "Rent."
"Fame did not follow him," Keller said. "Mr. Rapp's coach has turned into a pumpkin."
"So here we are today and Mr. Rapp is getting more attention from this trial than he has in his entire acting life," Keller said. She said Rapp is well known now because he's taken down one of Hollywood's biggest actors.
During two days of testimony, Spacey expressed regret for a 2017 statement he issued when Rapp first went public, in which he said he didn't recall the encounter, but if it happened "I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior."
Dabbing his eyes with a tissue, Spacey said he'd been pressured by publicists and lawyers into issuing an empathetic statement at a time when the #MeToo movement made everyone in the industry nervous.
"I've learned a lesson, which is never apologize for something you didn't do," he said.
He also cried as he said he regretted revealing publicly that he was gay the same day Rapp's accusations surfaced because some interpreted his announcement as an effort to change the subject or deflect from Rapp's revelations.
Spacey had testified that he spoke at the trial about deeply personal matters, telling the jury his father was a white supremacist and neo-Nazi who berated him as gay because he liked the theater.
Spacey also gave courtroom spectators a brief taste of his acting chops when he imitated his Broadway costar at the time, Jack Lemmon. He had testified earlier that his ability at impressions aided him in his acting career.
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel today called on companies doing business with Kanye West to end their relationships with the outspoken rapper.
West has been making the media rounds following his infamous “Death Con 3” tweet (see below), doubling down on his claims of alleged mistreatment by Jewish people.
In a Financial Times op-ed response, Emanuel wrote, “Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience. There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism,” Emanuel wrote in a Financial Times piece. “This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential. Silence and inaction are not an option.”
He added that Apple and Spotify should stop streaming West’s music.
West is reportedly a billionaire thanks to his music and fashion endeavors. But he recently was forced out of a banking relationship and has other associations end because of his views. While his career wouldn’t stop if his current distribution relationships terminate, maintaining his empire at present levels would be difficult.
Emanuel refused to buy that West’s recent statements can be attributed to his past widely reported battles with mental illness.
“Some of West’s behavior has been dismissed over time, citing mental illness, given that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being hospitalized in 2016,” Emanuel wrote.“However, mental illness is not an excuse for racism, hatred or anti-Semitism.”
A particular danger to West’s comments are its effects on his young followers, Emanuel contended
“West is not just any person — he is a pop culture icon with millions of fans around the world. And among them are young people whose views are still being formed,” he wrote. “This is why it is necessary for all of us to speak out. Hatred and anti-Semitism should have no place in our society, no matter how much money is at stake.”
Emanuel extended an olive branch at the end of his comments, offering to broker talks with religious leaders “if West would like to be educated about the history and consequences of anti-Semitism and the conspiracy theories he’s parroting.”
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Kelsea Ballerini, Kelly Clarkson, and Carly Pearce will hit the stage to perform their track You’re Drunk, Go Home.
Here is everything you need to know.
Kelsea Ballerini, Kelly Clarkson, and Carly Pearce will sing to the obnoxious dudes
Production sources have revealed that Kelsea Ballerini is teaming up with Kelly Clarkson and Carly Pearce to sing their song You’re Drunk, Go Home at this year’s Country Music Awards.
The song is included in Ballerini’s new album, Subject To Change, which was released on 23rd September.
Moreover, the track addresses female empowerment and criticizes drunk men who hit on women at bars.
If you didn’t know, all three singers have experienced divorce as they recently split from their respective spouses.
The Since U Been Gone singer announced her split from her husband of seven years Brandon Blackstock while Pearce called it quits with Michael Ray after less than a year of marriage. Both Clarkson and the 32-year-old singer filed for divorce in June 2020.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee native broke off her five-year marriage to Morgan Evans this year in August. Ballerini has been very open about her divorce procedure.
Kelsea Ballerini posts an emotional video amid her divorce
Kelsea Ballerini took to social media to share an emotional video of herself as she navigates her divorce from her estranged husband and fellow country singer Morgan Evans.
She also announced her divorce in her Instagram Story.
The 28-year-old singer wrote, ‘Friends. I’ve always tried my best to share my life with you in a real and vulnerable way. While also protecting layers of my personal life as they unfold. This is now public record so I wanted you to hear from me directly. I am going through a divorce.’
She continued, ‘This deeply difficult decision is the result of a journey of love, growth, and effort that ultimately has come to an end. It’s hard to find the words here … but I feel extremely grateful for the years of marriage to Morgan and hopeful for the next seasons.’
Ballerini concluded the message with, ‘With very active schedules coming up, please be mindful that we are both fragile, actively healing, and showing up the best we can.’
Around the same time, Morgan shared, ‘I am very sad to confirm that after almost 5 years of marriage, Kelsea and I are parting ways. I wish it were otherwise but sadly it is not.’
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The writer is chief executive of Endeavor, an entertainment and media company
It’s not enough for Twitter to lock the rapper Kanye West out of his accounts following his anti-Semitic tweet that he was going to go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” West’s business partners across the fashion and entertainment industries also need to speak out and take action.
Apple and Spotify, which host West’s music, whoever organises West’s tours, and Adidas, which collaborates with West on his fashion line, should all stop working with him. The parent company of Parler, the Twitter competitor, should refuse to sell to West.
Silence is dangerous. It allows forms of hatred and racism, including anti-Semitism, to spread and become normalised. It coarsens and degrades our society and country.
This wasn’t just one tweet. Shortly before his ugly return to Twitter, West was locked out of his Instagram account for an anti-Semitic post. And now Vice has obtained unaired footage from West’s interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox of West “making bigoted statements about Jewish people”.
We know that hatred is on the rise and is surfacing in troubling ways — from public figures of all kinds. In just the past few weeks, both LA City Council member Nury Martinez and Alabama Senator and former college football coach Tommy Tuberville were exposed for their deeply offensive, racist remarks.
West is not just any person — he is a pop culture icon with millions of fans around the world. And among them are young people whose views are still being formed.
This is why it is necessary for all of us to speak out. Hatred and anti-Semitism should have no place in our society, no matter how much money is at stake. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents in the US were up 34 per cent in 2021 over the previous year.
Some of West’s behaviour has been dismissed over time, citing mental illness, given that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being hospitalised in 2016. However, mental illness is not an excuse for racism, hatred or anti-Semitism. Millions of people affected by mental illness do not perpetuate hateful ideologies. Others brush his comments off as just words, but hateful words far too easily become hateful actions.
In 2006, Mel Gibson made an anti-Semitic rant after being pulled over for driving while drunk in Malibu, California. I immediately called on the entertainment industry to refuse to continue working with Gibson.
Yes, several years later, I recommended him for roles. But that was only after Gibson’s public apology and his commitment to understanding the consequences of his actions.
He put in the work. “There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark,” Gibson said.
I agree. It was true then and it’s true now. We are all capable of learning and evolving, and if West would like to be educated about the history and consequences of anti-Semitism and the conspiracy theories he’s parroting, if he wants to reach out to religious leaders — including rabbis, Muslim leaders, Christian leaders — I’d be happy to help.
But until that happens, the leaders he’s doing business with need to speak up. Our clients LeBron James and Maverick Carter just cancelled an episode of James’s YouTube talk show The Shop: Uninterrupted after West continued to repeat dangerous stereotype during filming. “Hate speech should never have an audience,” said Carter.
Those who continue to do business with West are giving his misguided hate an audience. There should be no tolerance anywhere for West’s anti-Semitism. This is a moment in history where the stakes are high and being open about our values, and living them, is essential. Silence and inaction are not an option.
Before the Rock’s first true superhero movie hits theaters on Friday, get a crash course on the history of one of DC’s oldest heroes
DC/Ringer illustration
It’s finally happened: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is starring in a superhero movie. When Black Adam opens in theaters on Friday, the blockbuster king will enter the cinematic world of tights and capes at last. The only surprise is that it’s taken this long. (That is, if you’re not counting his voice work as Krypto in DC League of Super-Pets, or his pseudo-superhero movies in cars … or that movie in which he climbs up a flaming skyscraper with his bare hands. That’s what that one was about, right?) As the upcoming film’s trailers have teased, though, Black Adam isn’t your typical superhero.
More antihero than hero, Black Adam shows no reservations about killing his enemies, a line that some caped crusaders refuse to cross. Born with the same magic as Shazam (more on that later), he’s a living god, awakened for the first time in 5,000 years. He rejoins a world where the modern-day gods known as superheroes are commonplace, as the film is set to introduce the Justice Society of America to the big screen, while also forging ties to Task Force X’s Amanda Waller and the rest of the DCEU.
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Black Adam marks the DCEU’s first major theatrical release since James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad premiered simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in August 2021. (It’s all a little confusing, but The Batman exists in a universe of its own.) Compared to Marvel Studios’ frenetic release schedule, 14 months between DCEU releases seems like a long time. Not only will Black Adam end that drought, but it will also be one of the first opportunities to peek into a supposed new era of the DCEU as Warner Bros. ostensibly steps away from the Snyderverse. Considering how heavily the Black Adam trailers have leaned into that Snyder-centric past, though, it remains to be seen just how “new” and different this era will be.
Ahead of the release of Black Adam, here’s everything you need to know about the character from the comics and where he fits into the DCEU.
In the Comics
As unsurprising as it is to find the Rock crossing off “superhero movie” from his blockbuster bingo card, the former WWE star also knows a thing or two about playing the bad guy. It’s fitting, then, that Black Adam got his start in the comics as a full-fledged villain.
Although Black Adam will mark the first time that the title character has appeared on the big screen, he made his debut in the comics in 1945, within the pages of The Marvel Family, a Fawcett Comics publication that was later licensed and acquired by DC. Created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, Black Adam might not be one of the better-known DC figures today, but he has a long history; just take a look at the art style and some of the dialogue from his first appearance:
Fawcett Comics
Originally imagined as an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Teth-Adam (Black Adam’s original alter ego) was the first mortal being to be granted the powers of Shazam, long before the teenaged Billy Batson was chosen as the ancient wizard’s champion. (OK, to be as clear as possible here: Shazam is the name of the wizard who empowered Batson as he transformed him into the superhero Captain Marvel. But thanks to a complicated, long-lasting legal battle involving Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and the now-defunct Fawcett, Marvel secured the rights to the title. Eventually, the Captain Marvel name needed to be changed, so Shazam’s champion took the name of Shazam as well. Ironically, Marvel’s Captain Marvel and DC’s Shazam! were released in theaters less than a month apart in 2019.)
Like Batson, Teth-Adam has only to utter the magic word, “Shazam,” in order to transform into the superhero known as Mighty Adam. But the resulting powers become too overwhelming for Adam, corrupting him and inspiring the ancient wizard to rename him “Black Adam” as a result. (As Johnson explained to Vanity Fair: “The ‘Black’ in Black Adam refers to his soul.”
Black Adam is one of the DC Universe’s more powerful beings, having gone toe-to-toe against the likes of Shazam and Superman many times. But given all the years that have passed since his comics debut, Black Adam’s origin story has been retconned several times over. Under the direction of writers Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer—along with artist Marcos Martin—during their iconic run on JSA (the Justice Society of America) in the early 2000s, Black Adam became something of a reformed villain, joining forces with the Justice Society (for a little while, at least) as he evolved into the antihero archetype that he remains today. That transformation came with a revised history, as his ancient Egyptian roots were tweaked so that his home became the fictional Middle Eastern country of Kahndaq. It’s this version of the character, including his ties to the JSA, that will serve as the basis for Black Adam.
Introducing: The Justice Society of America
Before the Justice League of America, there was the Justice Society of America. The Justice League has become the more famous of the two superteams, but the Justice Society was created two decades earlier, in 1940. Several iterations of the team have appeared in DC’s CW shows over the years, from Smallville to Stargirl, but Black Adam marks the first time that the JSA will appear on the big screen as a part of the DCEU.
Like any long-standing team of superheroes, the Justice Society has featured a vast number of characters over the years, with just about every notable figure either joining the roster or teaming up with it at some point. Black Adam will introduce four of them: Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Cyclone, and Atom Smasher.
Hawkman (played by Aldis Hodge) wields a spiked mace made of one of the most powerful metals in the DC universe and serves as the leader of the team. Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) was one of the original members of the JSA, along with Hawkman. He’s a sorcerer with a wide range of abilities granted by the Helmet of Fate—an ancient, magical object that has changed hands several times in the comics among sorcerers who’ve shared the Doctor Fate moniker. The film will depict the original and most famous iteration of the character, Kent Nelson.
The remaining JSA members—Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo)—are newcomers to the team, but both have ties to JSA alums: Cyclone is the granddaughter of the hero known as Red Tornado, and Atom Smasher is the godson of Al “Atom” Pratt. If the names “Cyclone” and “Red Tornado” weren’t dead giveaways, Maxine Hunkel possesses the power of wind manipulation, while Atom Smasher can alter his molecular structure, allowing him to increase his strength and size to gigantic, King Kong–like levels.
If some of these names or powers sound reminiscent of some of the heroes we’ve seen in the MCU, well, it’s because they do share a lot of similarities. I mean, Doctor Fate might as well be DC’s version of Doctor Strange, while Atom Smasher—a moniker that never ceases to amaze me—is just Ant-Man in his giant form at all times. As evidenced by the headache of a story behind Captain Marvel’s eventual name change to Shazam, there’s a long history of stolen concepts in the cutthroat world of superhero comics—especially in the earlier days of the eternal rivalry between DC and Marvel Comics. All of these characters have roots in the comics that date back to at least the mid-’90s, and Hawkman and Doctor Fate both debuted in 1940. Hawkman is the most famous of the bunch, thanks in part to his ties to Hawkgirl (shout-out to the legendary Bruce Timm’s animated Justice League series), but the MCU has simply beaten the DCEU to the big-screen introductions of these similar characters over the past decade.
For DC diehards, the JSA’s big-screen debut has been a long time coming, though the wait makes sense given the team’s obvious likeness to the JLA, which would’ve made the JSA confusing or redundant if introduced on a similar timeline. (Though in light of the failure that was Justice League and the volatile state of the DCEU at large, I’m not so sure the JSA will be any less confusing to newcomers now—but I digress.)
Ties to Shazam! and the DCEU
Although Black Adam is arriving three years after the release of Shazam!, a surprise 2019 hit starring Zachary Levi, Warner Bros. originally had plans for the new movie character to star opposite his longtime comics rival, with Johnson remaining in the role. “When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie,” Johnson told Vanity Fair. “Now that was the goal—so it wasn’t a complete surprise. But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, ‘We can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.’ It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam.”
Johnson fought for his character to get his own starring vehicle, even if it meant delaying his DCEU debut by a few years—and his wish was granted. (But honestly, how hard do you think the freakin’ Rock had to fight Warner Bros. to let him star in his own superhero movie?) Although the debuts were sold separately, the connections between Black Adam and Shazam are still strong. The lighter tone of Shazam! and the more brutal, brooding stylings of Black Adam may have been at odds with each other had they been packaged together, but as Johnson has already teased, a crossover is imminent. Instead of mashing several major heroes in one movie—you know, like in Justice League—these characters will have the chance to shine on their own before facing off with each other further down the line.
The sequel to Shazam!, Fury of the Gods, is slated for release next year, so by then the two characters may share the screen, a scenario that seems destined for a post-credits scene. There was once a considerable distance between Shazam! and the rest of the DCEU, but between the possible link between Black Adam and that character, along with Black Adam’s connections to the The Suicide Squad and the Justice Society of America, we’re beginning to see the foundations of a bigger DC crossover event at some point in the not-so-distant future. But as volatile as the situations at DC and at Warner Bros. Discovery at large have been, including the recent cancellations of DC projects, no one knows what that future will look like. The level of success Black Adam has at the box office in the weeks to come will no doubt help determine that.
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