Month: September 2024

Just one day after a judge ruled Sean “Diddy” Combs was liable for $100 million in a default judgment for a sexual assault case, a new lawsuit has been filed against him.

Per TMZ: Dawn Richard, a singer in the former girl group Danity Kane, has filed a lawsuit against Combs for sexual and physical assault, as well as inhumane treatment. Richard accuses Diddy of sexual abuse, physical violence and heinous demands while she was attached to his Bad Boy records label. Richard was also part of ‘Diddy – Dirty Money’, a trio featuring Diddy and singer Kalenna Harper.

Richard also alleges that she witnessed Combs physically and sexually abuse his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura on multiple occasions. Richard alleges in 2009, she says she personally witnessed Diddy throw Cassie against a wall, choke her and drag her up a flight of stairs in his L.A. home. Also mentioned by name in the lawsuit is the late Kim Porter, Combs’ ex-girlfriend and mother of three of his children. Court docs state that Richard saw Porter crying as she left a music studio in 2005, with her face bruised.

Additionally, court documents obtained by Page Six states that Combs subjected Richard to verbal abuse, and forced her to work for 48 hours straight. As a result of overworking, the singer, 41, says she lost a substantial amount of weight, became dehydrated and developed rashes. Richard is seeking compensatory damages for mental pain, anguish and emotional distress, as well as punitive and exemplary damages and money for her attorneys’ fees.

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Saturday Night Live‘s Colin Jost and Michael Che are teaming up to host Peacock’s first live comedy special, ahead of SNL’s 50th season premiere. “Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark,” will stream live on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT with an in-person audience at The Bell House in Brooklyn.

The “Weekend Update” anchors will be joined by special guests on the livestream as “drop-ins only,’ with Peacock describing the guests as “Colin and Michael’s favorite NYC club comics, fresh faces, and maybe even some names you already know and love. Watch live to see who hits the stage. Special guest appearances will feature both up-and-coming and established comics in New York.” A house band, the Grammy-nominated musical ensemble 1500 or Nothin’, will accompany performances throughout the special.

Take a look at the trailer for Colin Jost & Michael Che Present: New York After Dark: HERE.

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MTV announced that Eminem, 51, will debut The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce), when he delivers the opening performance at the 2024 Video Music Awards. The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) was released in July, marking Eminem’s 12th studio album. The project debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, while lead single “Houdini” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The rap icon – real name Marshall Mathers – earned eight nominations at this year’s VMAs, including video of the year, best hip-hop, best direction, best editing, best visual effects and song of summer (for “Houdini”).  Eminem is currently tied with Peter Gabriel for the most VMA wins by a solo male artist in show history; so he could potentially break that record with just one win this year. He also holds the record for most wins by a rap artist with 13 VMAs and is the second most nominated artist in VMAs history with 67 nods.

Megan Thee Stallion will also serve as the host of this year’s show, with Taylor Swift leading the 2024 VMA nominations with 12 nods, followed by Post Malone with 11, Eminem with eight and Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion, SZA and Sabrina Carpenter with seven each.

Other artists set to perform at the 2024 VMAs are Katy Perry, Anitta, Karol G, LL Cool J, Shawn Mendes, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Camila Cabello, GloRilla, Rauw Alejandro, Halsey, Lenny Kravitz, Lisa, Megan Thee Stallion and Benson Boone. Perry, 39, will receive this year’s Video Vanguard Award and willp also perform a medley of her biggest hits

The 2024 VMAs are set to take place live from Long Island’s UBS Arena on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 8 p.m.

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Multiple outlets reported that a Michigan judge ordered Sean “Diddy” Combs to pay $100 million after losing a default judgment to a Michigan inmate who claimed Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted him nearly 30 years ago. Combs, through his legal team, has denied any wrongdoing.

After Combs failed to appear at a virtual hearing related to the civil lawsuit, the judge awarded the $100M judgment to 51-year-old Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, who is currently incarcerated for an unrelated crime. Cardello-Smith claimed that he met Combs while working at a Detroit restaurant in 1997 (per Variety).

As a result of the judgment, Combs has been ordered to pay $10 million a month beginning on October 1. However per Billboard, if Combs’s legal team responds to the lawsuit now, “they could seek to overturn the default judgment and proceed to normal litigation, where Cardello-Smith would need to prove his allegations to a jury before securing a judgment.”

Combs’s attorney Marc Agnifilo has denied all of Cardello-Smith’s claims, sharing in a statement: “This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years. His resume now includes committing a fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit. Mr. Combs looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed.”

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Hollywood icon and actor James Earl Jones has died at the age of 93. Jones rep at Independent Artist Group confirmed to Deadline that Jones died on Monday, September 9, at his home in Dutchess County, New York.

Born on January 17, 1931, in Arkabutla, MS, his many big-screen credits also films such Conan the Barbarian (1982), Coming to America (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), The Sandlot (1990), Patriot Games (1992), and Sneakers (1992). He also appeared on The Simpsons three times.

Jones, the iconic voice behind Star Wars‘ Darth Vader and The Lion King‘s Mufasa, is also widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest stage and screen actors. Jones is is an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner, though his Academy Award was Honorary. Jones has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy, a spoken-word Grammy Award in 1977 and three Tony Awards. Jones also was a 2002 Kennedy Center Honoree and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from SAG-AFTRA in 2009 and by the National Board of Review in 1995.

Jones provided the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, and voiced The Lion King‘s Mufasa in both the 1994 animated pic and 2019 hybrid remake, and lent his sonorous voice to the famous “This is CNN” promo campaign for the cable news network.

Jones is survived by his is son Flynn Earl Jones. His wife Cecilia Hart died in October 2016 after battling ovarian cancer. Jones was previously married to Julienne Marie from 1968-1972.

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