CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — Rapper pleaded guilty Monday to a conspiracy drug charge that carries a mandatory five-year prison sentence, admitting that he participated in a massive drug trafficking racket that moved drugs from the West Coast to Long Island.
The plea in Central Islip came before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke, who had revoked his bond and sent him to jail two weeks ago. After the plea, he was returned to jail to await sentencing, though a date was not immediately set.
Locke revoked the rapper’s $500,000 bail, secured by property he owns in Georgia, after prosecutors said that Wap, whose real name is Willie Maxwell, threatened to kill a man during a FaceTime call in 2021, violating the terms of his pretrial release in his drug case.
The “Trap Queen” rapper was initially arrested last October on charges alleging he participated in a conspiracy to smuggle large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs into the New York City area.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, the top charge in an indictment against him, though the plea pertained only to cocaine. It carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison while federal sentencing guidelines are likely to recommend about two additional years in prison. The plea spared him from a potential life sentence if he had been convicted on all the charges he faced.
His lawyers did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Maxwell and five co-defendants were accused of conspiring to possess and distribute more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine between June 2019 and June 2020. Two codefendants also have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
The scheme allegedly involved using the U.S. Postal Service and cars with hidden compartments to move drugs from the West Coast to Long Island, where they were stored for distribution to dealers on Long Island and in New Jersey, prosecutors said.
Maxwell rose to prominence after “Trap Queen,” his debut single, reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 2015.
The Long Island arrest was not his first. In 2019, he was arrested in Las Vegas for allegedly assaulting three employees at a hotel-casino. He was also arrested in November 2017 on a DUI charge after police said he was drag racing on a New York City highway.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Are you ready for some football? Fine, but the return of the NFL is why the 2022 Emmy Awards have been drop-kicked from their usual Sunday berth to Monday.
Television’s top awards rotate among the top four networks, and this year’s broadcast home, NBC, has reserved the second Sunday night in September for Tampa Bay vs. Dallas. After the Emmys slogged through two years of pandemic-restricted ceremonies, a day’s delay seems a minor annoyance.
The industry is expected to put on its Monday best, swan down the red carpet and celebrate itself and the wealth of shows across streaming services, cable and, to a degree that pales compared to years’ past, old-school network fare.
But what’s a Hollywood awards show without a TV audience? A low-rated disappointment, and that’s where you come in. If you decide to do your bit and tune in, here’s a roadmap to everything you need to know about the 2022 Emmys.
WHEN ARE THE 2022 EMMMYS?
The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards are set for Monday, Sept. 12, at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. The roughly three-hour ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. EDT and air live on NBC and, for free, on the streaming service Peacock.
But the Emmys, with 118 total awards, aren’t a one-day affair. Winners in 25 key categories including best drama and comedy series will be announced during the broadcast ceremony, with the rest divvied up between the Sept. 3 and 4 creative arts awards. An edited version of the weekend ceremonies, with categories including sound editing and cinematography, will air at 8 p.m. EDT Sept. 10 on FXX.
WHO IS HOSTING THE EMMYS CEREMONY?
The honor usually goes to a comedian with a link to the network airing the event, and NBC stayed the course: It chose “Saturday Night Live” veteran Kenan Thompson, a first-time Emmy host who’s been preceded in the emcee job by a number of “SNL” stars. The ceremony has tried going without a host, most recently in 2019, but the results weren’t always pretty. Or entertaining.
WHICH SHOWS ARE NOMINATED FOR THE TOP AWARDS AT THE EMMYS?
Some previous winners are vying again for best series honors, including “Ted Lasso,” a freshman when it won 2021’s best comedy series, and “Succession,” which claimed the 2020 best drama award. (The series didn’t air during the eligibility window for 2021, when “The Crown” won.)
There are also formidable newcomers, including the dystopian drama “Squid Game” and comedy crime romp “Only Murders in the Building.”
Among the nominated actors, those hoping to be repeat victors include Jason Sudeikis of “Ted Lasso,” Jean Smart of “Hacks” and Zendaya of “Euphoria.” Check out the full list of Emmy nominees.
WHAT WERE THE MOST SURPISING EMMY NODS?
So many, where to begin? The farewell season of “This Is Us” got a single nomination, for original music and lyrics, after reaping Emmys for several cast members in years past. It was a similar case for the last year of “black-ish,” which ended its groundbreaking run with just two creative arts nominations. On the flip side, it was far from a slam dunk that Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer,” with its controversial anti-transgender comments, would earn a best variety special nomination. It did.
WHO DECIDES THE EMMY WINNERS?
The more than 17,000 voting members of the TV academy are eligible to decide nominees and winners in 14 categories, including drama, comedy and limited series. The acting awards, including lead, supporting and guest actors, are determined by peer groups, as are directing, writing and other individual areas of achievement. The number of nominees in most categories generally is tied to the number of submissions, with exceptions including best comedy and dramas series: They get eight nominees each.
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See more Emmys coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards
Jamie Foxx teamed up with The BSB Boys for “BUD (Mowing Down Vamps).” The song comes from the actor’s Netflix film Day Shift which was released on Aug. 12th. In the music video, directed by Taylor Chien, Foxx and the BSB crew turn killing vampires into a fun, party-like activity. The visual also features cameos from actors Dave Franco and Meagan Good, who also star in the film.
In the movie, Foxx plays Bud, a struggling father whose job as a pool cleaner is only a front for his true career as a vampire slayer. Good plays his ex-wife and the mother of his child.
Day Shift also stars Snoop Dogg, Karla Souza, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Oliver Masucci, Steve Howey, Scott Adkins, and Zion Broadnax. The movie is directed by J.J. Perry.
“For me, the appeal was Joss being a mother and being a badass and showing that at any stage in your life, you can still continue to be strong, continue to be nurturing, continue to be feminine. But because I don’t have any children yet, it was really figuring out what is this relationship between the two of them and how they connect—the components of that relationship,” shared Good with AV Club on her role in Day Shift.
“And then also the relationship between my character and Jamie’s character; what was it exactly that went wrong? When did they fall in love? What feeling [do they have] that they still love each other now? And so it really was just about building the fullness of who Joss is and her strengths and weaknesses, her fears and all of that.”
Watch the music video for “Bud (Mowing Down Vamps)” below.
Source: VIBE, The AV Club
Will Smith has opened up about the ongoing controversy surrounding his assault of Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards, offering up his most unvarnished thoughts about an altercation that has marred his public image. In an emotional YouTube post, Smith addressed why he didn’t apologize to Rock when he accepted a best actor prize for his work in “King Richard” shortly after he charged the stage and slapped the comic for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s short haircut.
“It’s all fuzzy,” Smith says. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out.”
Smith once again reiterated that he was sorry for his actions, calling his behavior “unacceptable.” The actor has said he responded violently because Rock’s joke referenced the hair loss that Pinkett Smith suffers because of her alopecia. It’s a struggle that Pinkett Smith has publicly addressed in the past.
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith, who sighs deeply at points and seems to be fighting back tears, says in the video. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith also addressed questions about whether or not Pinkett Smith, who was seen on camera rolling her eyes at Rock’s joke comparing her buzzcut to the one Demi Moore sports in “G.I. Jane,” had urged him to charge the stage. The actor said his wife said nothing to spur him to assault Rock.
“It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,” Smith says. “Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, babe. I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.”
There had been speculation that Smith would open up about the fallout surrounding the Rock slap in a sit-down interview with a high-profile journalist like Oprah Winfrey, but instead the actor has opted to use social media to directly address his fans. In the wake of the slap, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group behind the Oscars and offered up statements of contrition, but has otherwise maintained a low profile.
Rock recently broke his silence during a standup show in New Jersey, on July 24. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock joked, according to US Weekly. He went on to say he wasn’t a “victim,” joking, “Yeah, that sh-t hurt, motherf–ker. But I shook that sh-t off and went to work the next day … I don’t go to the hospital for a papercut.”
On Oscar night, Smith assaulted Rock moments before the award for best documentary was about to be presented to “Summer of Soul” director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. The shocked response to the incident overshadowed Thompson’s time at the podium.
“To all my fellow nominees, you know, this is a community, it’s like I won because you voted for me,” Smith says in the video. “And it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes. You know, it happened on Questlove’s award. And, you know, it’s like, ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”
Smith ultimately closed the video with a pledge to learn from his mistakes.
“I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking,” he says. “But I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. And, you know, if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
Source: Variety
Comedian Lil Duval had to be airlifted to a local hospital after getting into an accident while on his ATV in the Bahamas.
On Tuesday, the comedian told his fans he broke his leg after a car crashed into his ATV in a post on Instagram.
“Somebody hit me in they car while i was on my 4 wheeler. Now my leg broke and i gotta get flown over to Nassau and have surgery,” he captioned a clip that showed him being transferred to an aircraft as he laid in a gurney heavily bandaged and looking pained.
On Wednesday, the comedian updated his fans on his condition, saying he is not responding to calls because he is still in a lot of pain following the accident.
“I appreciate everybody checking up on me but if you call and i don’t pick up don’t take it the wrong way. I’m really f** up and can’t move cuz I’m in so much pain,” he tweeted on Wednesday.
Hours before he posted about the accident, the comedian posted that his ATV was not working to his Instagram stories.
Source: CBS
Dave Chappelle was the unannounced opener for the Chris Rock-Kevin Hart double bill at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. To Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” and wearing a white Nirvana In Utero shirt, the controversial comic came out smoking a cigarette without any introduction other than his white, green and red letter “C” logo on the LED screens. The capacity crowd greeted him with abundant applause and cheered whenever he brought up the topic of “cancel culture,” which was frequently.
“Had to sneak my way in here,” he opened, just days after he had to move a Minneapolis show to another venue after the initial space reportedly faced backlash for booking the comedian.
Chappelle assured the crowd that “despite what you may have read about in the news, I’m okay, and I appreciate the support.” He referenced the criticism he’s received since his Netflix special, The Closer, and he “gets it” but then added, “I already spent the money.”
During his 22-minute opening set, he joked about the surreal quality of getting attacked while onstage at the Hollywood Bowl in early May and yelled at his bodyguards for “wearing dress shoes on the job,” griping he would have been safer if they weren’t “sliding all over the place like at a bowling alley.”
He kvetched that Chris Rock was able to get the first joke in after the scuffle that night (“was that Will Smith?”) and then admitted his follow-up gag (“that was a trans man”) didn’t merely bomb, it “set up another two-day news cycle.”
His real fury came at the press, particularly the New York Post, for calling the attack “alleged” when the incident was captured on video. He also accused the paper of putting words in the man’s mouth, urging the man to say he was triggered by Chappelle’s material. The comic claimed he knew the lines were fed, because he spoke to the man backstage for himself and “all he could say was”—at which point Chappelle made “cuckoo” noises.
He added that he hoped his attacker gets monkeypox in jail—“not that he should die, but his ass should itch for four to six weeks.” Chappelle also claimed the first call he got that night was from Louis C.K., whom he later shouted out, saying, “Louis, even if you get in trouble in the streets, you are my friend.”
Chappelle handed the mic to Chris Rock who did an hourlong set, with Rock passing the mic to Kevin Hart. Both men brought up Will Smith a few times, though Rock leaned on the “cancel culture” theme a little harder. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” was one line that brought the house down.
The night concluded when the three men appeared on stage for a 10 minute free-for-all. They ribbed one another and expressed sentiments of love and gratitude. “This doesn’t happen by accident” Hart said.
Hart then said he had a gift for Rock, who is 14 years his senior, and presented him with a goat wearing gold chains. “I’m not taking care of that shit!” Rock shouted, as the arena seemingly vibrated with laughter. As Hart spoke sincerely about how he considers Chris Rock to be the Greatest of All Time, Chappelle interrupted to say, “this is the worst night of this goat’s life.”
Rock batted that away: “He’s just happy he’s not at a Jamaican restaurant!”
Around this time, the goat had an accident on stage. “How’s your first night in show business?” Chappelle asked, putting a microphone to the goat’s mouth. At the goat’s lack of response, he asked “what are we gonna call him?”
“Will Smith!” Hart shot back.
As things wrapped up, Chappelle turned down the volume for a minute to thank Hart and Rock for having his back. He said that comedians have a bond that only other comedians can understand, and “when my brothers call, I come running.”
The five night Headliners Only mini-tour kicked off at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on Long Island on Thursday before it headed to Newark, New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Friday. Sunday night the pairing heads to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, before the jaunt ends at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Monday. Rock then continues his Ego Death tour through Nov. 19, while Hart’s Reality Check tour ends Sept. 8.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Eddie Murphy is set to star in Candy Cane Lane, a Reginald Hudlin-directed holiday comedy for Prime Video. Produced by Amazon Studios, Imagine Entertainment, and Eddie Murphy Productions, the comedy was acquired as a spec script written by Kelly Younger and inspired by Younger’s childhood holiday experiences. Production begins this winter in Los Angeles.
Murphy is producing alongside Imagine’s Brian Grazer and president of features Karen Lunder, and Charisse Hewitt-Webster. The film reunites the team behind the 1992 hit Boomerang. It marks the seventh collaboration between Grazer and Murphy. Plot details are being kept under wraps, and production will begin this winter in Los Angeles.
Candy Cane Lane will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries, as the first film under Murphy’s three-picture and first-look film deal with Amazon Studios. That deal came on the heels of Coming 2 America, a film that moved from Paramount to Amazon during the pandemic and became the #1 streamed movie its opening weekend, per Amazon, and had the biggest streaming film opening weekend in 2021. Per Nielsen, it was the top streamed movie among Black audiences that year.
Said Hudlin: “The holiday season is my favorite time of year—just ask my family about my nine-hour Christmas playlist. I‘m excited to be working again with Eddie Murphy, Brian Grazer, and Amazon.”
Said Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke: “As we know firsthand with our hit Coming 2 America, Eddie is someone who brings global audiences together, and we can’t wait to make it happen again. We look forward to seeing the multi-talented Reggie Hudlin take the helm in bringing this future holiday classic to life!”
Murphy is coming off an Emmy win for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy series for his return in hosting Saturday Night Live, 35 years after he left the show to become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, with 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places among his successes. Those were all theatrical releases but lately he has been thriving in the streaming world, drawing strong reviews for playing Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name for Netflix. He’s producing and starring in Beverly Hills Cop 4 and opposite Jonah Hill in the Kenya Barris-directed You People, both for Netflix.
Younger’s credits include writing/developing several projects for The Muppets Studio. He co-created and co-executive produced Muppets Now, and wrote and co-executive produced Muppets Haunted Mansion, and has story credit on Disney Animation’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. He also contributed to Frozen 2, Moana, and Raya and the Last Dragon during his time serving as a member of the Disney Animation Story Trust.
Murphy is repped by WME, ML Management and Ziffren Brittenham; Hudlin is repped by CAA and Younger is Verve and Myman Greenspan.
Source: Deadline
Mo’Nique, the comedian who received a settlement from Netflix after she accused the streamer of systematically underpaying Black women, is set to film her first comedy special for Netflix.
In a video shared to the streamer’s social media accounts on Tuesday, the comedian opened with, “Can y’all believe this shit? I done came on home to Netflix.”
Additional details about the currently untitled Mo’Nique special are expected to be released at a later date.
Last month, Netflix settled with Mo’Nique for an undisclosed sum after the comedian alleged the streamer low-balled her with an opening offer of $500,000 for a one-hour show that Netflix would have complete copyright and audio-only rights to. After the comedian said the offer was discriminatory, her complaint alleged that Netflix retaliated by shutting down any further negotiations on the show.
The complaint also pointed to eight-figure deals that Netflix has made with Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer, who allegedly were paid 26 times more than what Mo’Nique was offered.
In an early 2018 interview, Mo’Nique also spoke out about not taking the offer because of the impact it could have on the negotiating power for other Black female comedians. “If I accepted $500,000, what does Tiffany Haddish have coming? If I accept that, what does the Black female comedian have coming? Because what they’ll say is, ‘Mo’Nique accepted this and she’s got that.’ So, what do they have coming?” Mo’Nique said on the Sway in the Morning show.
Also upcoming at the streamer, Mo’Nique has the faith-based film The Deliverance, which will reunite her with Precious director Lee Daniels.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Desus & Mero is no more at Showtime.
The premium cable outlet says the late-night talk show hosted by Desus Nice and The Kid Mero won’t return. The news comes amid reports of a falling out between the two hosts.
“Desus Nice and The Kid Mero will be pursuing separate creative endeavors moving forward,” Showtime said in a statement. “Showtime’s late-night talk show Desus & Mero will not be returning for a fifth season. Its final episode aired Thursday, June 23.”
After noting the show’s Writers Guild Award win for best comedy/variety talk series in 2021 and notable interviews including with Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Denzel Washington, among others, the statement concludes, “They have been brilliant hosts, and we wish them the best, along with the team at [producer] JAX Media and the incredible crew.”
The end of the Showtime show comes amid speculation that the two hosts had gone their separate ways. Their Bodega Boys podcast hadn’t released a new episode since November, and in a recent Reddit post, Mero (aka Joel Martinez) wrote, “PODCAST DONE ENJOY THE BACK CATALOG MY PALS.” Sent a screenshot of Mero’s post, Desus (Daniel Baker) replied on Twitter, “I tried y’all.” A compilation of the pair’s recent social media activity by fan account Bodega Boys Daily further fueled speculation of a split.
On Monday, Desus tweeted confirmation of the Showtimes series’ end, while Mero shared the show’s official post:
Desus & Mero premiered on Showtime in 2019 after several years on cable outlet Viceland. The Showtime series ran for 180 episodes across its four seasons; their final guest was New York Yankees great Derek Jeter.