Guilty Pleasures
By Associated Press
Jury selection starts slowly at Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial
SANTA FE, N.M. | Jury selection got off to a slow start Tuesday in a New Mexico courtroom at the involuntary manslaughter trial of Alec Baldwin in the shooting of a cinematographer.
The judge and attorneys had expected to have a jury seated within a day, but questioning of prospective jurors didn’t begin until more than two hours later than expected because of technical problems.
When Judge Mary Marlowe Summer asked the pool of 70 prospective jurors if they were familiar with the case, all but two raised their hands to indicate they were.
Two others indicated they would not be able to be fair and impartial and were excused.
The 66-year-old Baldwin, the star of “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October” and a major Hollywood figure for 35 years, sat in the courtroom with a team of four of his lawyers, dressed in a gray suit, dark tie, white shirt with glasses and neatly combed hair.
His wife Hilaria Baldwin and his brother, “The Usual Suspects” actor Stephen Baldwin, were seated in the back of the courtroom.
Under questioning from prosecutor Kari Morrissey, a potential juror said she hates firearms, but many others acknowledged owning them and few people expressed strong opinions about guns.
No jurors had been selected before a mid-afternoon lunch break.
Getting chosen to serve in a trial of such a major star accused of such a major crime would be unusual even in Los Angeles or Baldwin’s hometown of New York. But it will be essentially an unheard-of experience for those who are picked as jurors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, though in recent years the state has increasingly become a hub of Hollywood production.
Baldwin and his wife arrived at the courthouse early with their youngest child, Ilaria Catalina Irena Baldwin. The couple have seven children, ranging in ages from 1 to 10.
Baldwin could get up to 18 months in prison if jurors unanimously decide to convict him. The jurors will be tasked with deciding whether Baldwin committed the felony when, during a rehearsal in October 2021, a revolver went off while he was pointing it at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza. They were on the set of the Western film “Rust,” at Bonanza Creek Ranch some 18 miles (29 kilometers) from where the trial is being held.
Baldwin has said the gun fired accidentally after he followed instructions to point it toward Hutchins, who was behind the camera. Unaware that the gun contained a live round, Baldwin said he pulled back the hammer — not the trigger — and it fired.
Joe Bonsall, celebrated tenor in the country, dies at 76
Joe Bonsall, Grammy award winner and celebrated tenor of the country and gospel group the Oak Ridge Boys, died Tuesday. He was 76.
Bonsall died from complications of the neuromuscular disorder Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, according to a statement from representatives of his family.
“Joe loved to sing. He loved to read. He loved to write,” the statement read. “He loved to play banjo. He loved working on the farm. And he loved the Philadelphia Phillies. But Jesus and his family always came first — and we will see him again on the Promised Day.”
A Philadelphia native and resident of Hendersonville, Tennessee, Bonsall left his gospel group the Keystones in 1973 to join the Oak Ridge Boys, which originally formed in the 1940s. He saw the band through its golden period in the ‘80s and beyond, which included its signature 1981 song, “Elvira,” its 1982 hit “Bobbie Sue” and 1983’s “American Made.” “Elvira” marked a massive crossover moment for the group, reaching No. 1 on the country chart and No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease that damages nerve cells and connections that are necessary to control muscles for movements such as walking, talking and breathing. Most patients die within three to five years of a diagnosis. The illness became known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after the star baseball player was diagnosed in 1939.
In September 2023, the Oak Ridge Boys embarked on a farewell tour that was scheduled to last into 2024. But in January, Bonsall announced his retirement from touring, saying it was too difficult for him physically after a four-year battle with ALS. Ben James, who has performed with Doyle Lawson and Dailey & Vincent, was announced as his replacement.
“I am now at a point where walking is impossible, so I have basically retired from the road. It has just gotten too difficult,” Bonsall said at the time of his retirement. “It has been a great 50 years, and I am thankful to all the Oak Ridge Boys, band, crew, and staff for the constant love and support shown to me through it all. I will never forget, and for those of you who have been constantly holding me up in prayer, I thank you and ask for you to keep on praying.”
In June 2022, Bonsall shared on X, formerly Twitter, that he “could have easily died” after suffering pulmonary embolisms.
His memoir, “I See Myself,” will be released posthumously in November. It is his 11th book, a collection which includes the four-part children’s series, “The Molly Books.”
During his five decades with the Oak Ridge Boys, Bonsall was a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“For 50 years, Joe Bonsall was the Oak Ridge Boys’ sparkplug. He was as exciting a performer as any who ever hit a gospel or country stage,” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a written statement. “His tenor voice was high and clear, and his jovial spirit always provided a jolt of energy, immediately rousing audiences to come on in and take a load off. He certainly lightened our cares every time he sang.”
John Rich of country music duo Big & Rich shared a remembrance on X. Country music is crying today,” he wrote. “Joe was a real friend, and someone I looked up to not only as an artist, but as a man. He’s left a legacy of incredible music, and endless accounts of his kind heartedness.”
Country musician Travis Tritt also posted a tribute to Bonsall on X, writing, “Joe had amazing talent and a wonderful personality and he will be missed terribly by everyone who knew him.”
Bonsall is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; daughters Jennifer and Sabrina; sister Nancy; granddaughter Breanne; grandson Luke; and great grandsons, Chance and Grey.
Momoa and Bonet are officially divorced
LOS ANGELES | Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet are officially divorced.
A Los Angeles County judge’s dissolution of the marriage of the two actors, who had already been separated for years, took effect Tuesday.
Bonet and Momoa were married for more than seven years and were a couple for 12 years before they wed.
Bonet, whose legal name is Lilakoi Moon, filed for divorce in January. The documents listed the couple’s separation date as October 7, 2020, more than three years earlier. They made their separation public in 2022.
The divorce went as quickly as legally possible and came without dispute. Neither person will get financial support, they have agreed on how to split their assets, and they will have joint custody of their 16-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son.
Momoa, 44, is best known for his roles in the “Aquaman” movies and on “Game of Thrones.” Bonet, 56, was a star of “The Cosby Show,” its spinoff “A Different World,” and the films “High Fidelity” and “Enemy of the State.”
It was the first marriage for Momoa, who has revealed on social media that he is dating “Hit Man” and “Father of the Bride” actor Adria Arjona.
It was the second marriage for Bonet, who was previously married to rocker Lenny Kravitz and has another daughter, actor Zoë Kravitz, with him.
NYC prosecutors intend to bring new sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein ahead of retrial
NEW YORK | Manhattan prosecutors said Tuesday that they intend to bring new sexual assault charges against Harvey Weinstein as they anticipate a November retrial for the disgraced media mogul.
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg said in court that prosecutors are actively pursuing claims of rape that occurred in Manhattan within the statute of limitations.
She said some potential survivors that were not ready to step forward during Weinstein’s first New York trial have indicated they are now willing to testify.
But when pressed by the judge, Blumberg said prosecutors have not yet brought their findings to a grand jury. She also said she could not provide the court a timeline for when their investigation will be complete.
“The People are still investigating in a trauma-informed manner,” she said. “That is an ongoing process.”
Weinstein’s lawyer Arthur Aidala, with his client sitting next to him in a wheelchair, suggested the investigation was simply a delay tactic from prosecutors, saying something similar happened ahead of the initial rape trial.
“Once again, they’re doing the ‘1-800-Get-Harvey,” he said outside the courthouse following the morning hearing. “They’re trying to find someone else to come forward because I guess they feel that their current case is not strong enough.”
In court, Blumberg rejected the notion and said the prosecution’s plan is to proceed to trial in the fall.
“There’s certainly no delay tactics on our part,” she said. “We’re proceeding in the most expeditious manner.”
When asked by Judge Curtis Farber what month she anticipated, Blumberg responded: “November would be a realistic timeframe.”
Aidala said his client simply wants to get the trial going as soon as possible, noting he’s in his fifth year of incarceration.
“He’s suffering tremendously,” Aidala said, adding that the 72-year-old suffers from macular degeneration, fluid in his lungs and heart and diabetes that is “through the roof” because of the poor diet behind bars.
“He’s basically getting no treatment for any of it,” Aidala said. “He’s not a young man. He’s a sick man.”
“These tactics from prosecutors are just delay, delay, delay,” he added.
Judge Farber set the next pre-trial hearing for July 19.
Among those in the packed courtroom Tuesday was Jessica Mann, the former actor Weinstein was convicted of raping his 2020 trial.
Mann did not speak to reporters but prosecutors have said she is prepared to testify against Weinstein again.
Weinstein’s other accuser, Mimi Haley, did not attend Tuesday’s hearing and has expressed reluctance about going through the trauma of testifying again. Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, said in an email Tuesday that her client has not yet made her decision about participating in the retrial.
The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named, as Haley and Mann have.
Weinstein has maintained that any sexual activity was consensual.
He’s currently in custody at the city’s Rikers Island jail complex where his lawyers complain he’s not receiving adequate medical care and remains essentially in solitary confinement.
“He was in better shape before his case was reversed when he was upstate in a hospital facility and he was getting treatment and medication,” Aidala said Tuesday after the hearing.
Behind bars, Weinstein calls his representatives nearly every day and reads “profusely,” he added. His latest read is a book about 20th Century Fox and the movie industry.
In April, New York’s highest court threw out Weinstein’s rape conviction after determining the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against him based on allegations from other women that were not part of the case.
The ruling reopened a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures. The #MeToo era began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein.
Weinstein, who had been serving a 23-year sentence in New York, was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and is still sentenced to 16 years in prison in California. But in an appeal filed last month in California’s Second District Court of Appeal, Weinstein’s lawyers argued he did not get a fair trial in Los Angeles.
—From AP reports
