Guilty pleasures
By NewsPress Now
Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accuser acknowledges inconsistencies
A woman who accused rappers Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexually assaulting her when she was 13 at an awards show after-party has acknowledged certain inconsistencies in her story, while her lawyer said he will continue to vet her claims.
The unnamed woman described being driven from Rochester, New York, to New York City for the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000 and then Combs’ limo driver offering her a ride to an after-party, NBC News reported on Friday. She claimed she spoke with musicians Benji Madden and his brother at the party, and her father picked her up after the alleged assault.
But a representative of the Maddens confirmed to NBC that they were on tour in the Midwest during the VMAs, while her father said he doesn’t remember the drive home of more than five hours. The woman’s friend who reportedly drove her to the awards has since died, NBC reported.
The woman had first sued Combs, alleging she was raped at an after-party, and then amended the lawsuit Sunday to include a new allegation that Jay-Z, whose legal name is Shawn Carter, also was at the party and participated in the sexual assault.
Jay-Z said in a statement that the article proves Tony Buzbee, a personal injury lawyer in Houston, filed a false complaint against him for money and fame.
“This incident didn’t happen and yet he filed it in court and doubled down in the press,” he said. “True Justice is coming. We fight FROM victory, not FOR victory. This was over before it began. This 1-800 lawyer doesn’t realize it yet, but, soon.”
Buzbee told The Associated in an email that if someone raises a new issue which didn’t previously exist, his legal team’s job is to continue collecting facts and evidence.
Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro, asked the court to dismiss the case, saying in a statement, “It is stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press.”
The woman admitted to making “some mistakes” when recalling that night, but said she stands by her allegations.
Combs’ attorney, Teny R. Geragos, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Saturday: “Yesterday, a lawyer admitted that over 50 people falsely claimed to be victims. Today, for the second time this week, a Buzbee plaintiff has been exposed. This is the beginning of the end of this shameful money grab.”
The litigation is part of a wave of sexual assault lawsuits levied against Combs as the hip-hop mogul remains in custody in New York awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The unnamed woman said that while she was in the limousine, she was asked to sign a nondisclosure document. Once at the party, the lawsuit said, she took a drink that made her feel “woozy and lightheaded” and went into a bedroom to lie down.
She said Combs and Jay-Z then barged into the room, along with another unnamed celebrity, and raped her. The woman said she eventually escaped the room, fled the house and called for a ride from a nearby gas station.
Jay-Z, a 24-time Grammy award winning rapper, producer and music mogul, anonymously sued Buzbee last month, alleging he was attempting to blackmail the rapper by threatening to make the rape allegation public if he did not agree to a legal settlement. Jay-Z said Buzbee sent a letter to his lawyer appearing to seek a settlement, which had the “opposite effect” on him.
Buzbee previously said the notion that he was trying to blackmail Jay-Z is “stupid and laughable” and his letter simply sought confidential mediation in the litigation.
Buzbee announced at a news conference in October that he represents some 120 people, men and women, with allegations of sexual misconduct against Combs.
His firm, which has set up a toll-free phone line for accusers, began filing a wave of lawsuits against the hip-hop mogul a few weeks later.
Combs was denied bail a third time last month. He has pleaded not guilty to charges he coerced and abused women for years and faces trial in May.
Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Jay-Z and Combs are part of a generation of hip-hop titans who rose to prominence in the 2000s, emerging as wide-ranging entrepreneurs and two of the world’s wealthiest rappers. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated Jay-Z’s net worth to be $2.5 billion.
The artists have collaborated over the years, with Jay-Z featured on Combs’ debut album, “No Way Out,” and Combs appearing on Jay-Z’s sophomore album, “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1.”
While frequently photographed together at events, they also have been business competitors. Diddy launched his Bad Boy Records around the same time Jay-Z launched his Roc-A-Fella record label.
‘Kraven the Hunter’ flops while ‘Moana 2’ tops the box office
The Spider-Man spinoff “Kraven the Hunter” got off to a disastrous start in North American theaters this weekend.
The movie starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson earned only $11 million, according to studio estimates Sunday, making it one of the worst openings for a Marvel-adjacent property. Its box office take was even less than the film “Madame Web.”
The weekend’s other major studio release was Warner Bros.’ animated “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” which made $4.6 million. Made for about $30 million, the movie is set 183 years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings” films and was fast-tracked to ensure New Line did not lose the rights to Tolkien’s novels. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have been working on future live-action films for the franchise.
Meanwhile, the top of the charts again belonged to “Moana 2” and “Wicked.”
“Moana” added $26.6 million to its domestic total in its third weekend and $57.2 million internationally, bringing its global tally to $717 million. It’s now the fourth highest grossing film of the year, surpassing “Dune: Part Two.”
“Wicked,” which is in its fourth weekend, brought in another $22.5 million to take second place. The Universal musical has made over $359 million domestically and over $500 million worldwide.
“Gladiator II” also made $7.8 million, bringing its domestic total to $145.9 million in four weeks.
“Kraven the Hunter” is the latest misfire from Sony in its attempt to mine the Spider-Man universe for spin-off franchises without the lucrative web slinger himself. “Kraven” joins “Madame Web” and “Morbius” in franchise additions that fell flat with both audiences and critics. The one exception on this rollercoaster journey has been the “Venom” trilogy, which has made over $1.8 billion worldwide.
The R-rated “Kraven the Hunter” was directed by J.C. Chandor and faced a number of delays, partly due to the Hollywood strikes. It was shot nearly three years ago and originally slated to hit theaters in January 2023. The film cost a reported $110 million to produce and was co-financed by TSG. Internationally, it made $15 million, but its potential for longevity appears limited: It currently carries a 15% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and got a C grade on CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences.
“It’s not always a guarantee that you’ll be able to connect with audiences when you have a spinoff character,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “General audiences seem to want to know exactly what they’re getting.”
Several awards contenders opened in limited release over the weekend, including Paramount’s “September 5” about ABC’s coverage of the Munich Olympics hostage crisis. Amazon MGM and Orion’s “Nickel Boys,” based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winner about an abusive reform school in Florida, opened in two theaters in New York. It averaged $30,422 per screen and will be expanding to Los Angeles before going nationwide in the coming weeks.
Some big hitters are on the way in the home stretch of the 2024 box office. “Mufasa” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” will hit in the coming weeks along with a bevy of arthouse and adult releases like “Babygirl,” “Nosferatu” and “A Complete Unknown.”
The box office has seen a dramatic recovery since June, when it was down nearly 28% from the previous year. The deficit now stands at 4.8%.
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. | Jamie Foxx required stitches after getting hit in the face with a glass while celebrating his birthday at a restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, a representative for the actor told the Los Angeles Times.
It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the incident Friday night at the celebrity hotspot Mr. Chow.
“Someone from another table threw a glass that hit him in the mouth,” a spokesperson for the actor said in a statement to the newspaper. “He had to get stitches and is recovering. The police were called and the matter is now in law enforcement’s hands.”
The Beverly Hills Police Department said it responded around 10 p.m. Friday to a reported assault with a deadly weapon and determined it was unfounded.
“Instead, the incident involved a physical altercation between parties,” said a department statement. “The BHPD conducted a preliminary investigation and completed a report documenting the battery. No arrests were made.”
A telephone message seeking details was left Sunday at Mr. Chow.
In an Instagram post Sunday morning, Foxx thanked those who had checked in on him.
Apparently referring to the Mr. Chow incident, he wrote, “The devil is busy … but I’m too blessed to be stressed.”
Foxx, who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ray Charles in 2004’s “Ray,” turned 57 on Friday.
—From AP reports
