The high court will not take up the sexual assault case against the comedian, leaving in place the decision by Pennsylvania’s highest court to toss out his conviction.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday without comment that it would not review Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case, leaving him a free man and ending a two-decade legal drama that shifted the cultural landscape, destroyed the groundbreaking Black actor’s reputation, and sent him to prison for several years in his late 70s.
The high court — whose nine members include two men accused of sexual misconduct themselves — declined to review a stunning decision out of Pennsylvania that released Cosby from prison in June over the word of a former prosecutor who said he had made a secret promise with Cosby’s lawyers that he could never be charged.
A Cosby spokesperson expressed “sincere gratitude to the justices” on behalf of Cosby and his family for the announcement and said he was the victim of “a reprehensible bait and switch” by the prosecutor and trial judge in the case.
“This is truly a victory for Mr. Cosby, but it shows that cheating will never get you far in life, and the corruption that lies within Montgomery County District’s Attorney Office has been brought to the center stage of the world,” spokesperson Andrew Wyatt said.
The 84-year-old Cosby, according to Wyatt, remains in good health despite being legally blind. He said that “many people are calling for projects for him” and that he is considering a final standup tour.
Accuser Andrea Constand planned to issue a statement later in the day.
District Attorney Kevin Steele in suburban Philadelphia’s Montgomery County said in a statement that asking the high court to revive the case “was the right thing to do,” even if it was a long shot. He thanked Constand for her courage and wished her well.
“All crime victims deserve to be heard, treated with respect and be supported through their day in court,” Steele said.
Steele has said there’s no evidence that Cosby had a legally binding agreement that he could never be prosecuted.
His predecessor, Bruce L. Castor Jr., never put it in writing or told anyone in his office about it. He never mentioned it in public until new evidence emerged and the case was reopened a decade later.
“A secret agreement that permits a wealthy defendant to buy his way out of a criminal case isn’t right,” Steele argued in court in 2016 as he pressed to send the case to trial.
Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill found Castor’s testimony on the point not credible and sent the case to trial. However, the state Supreme Court later ruled that whether or not the supposed agreement was legally binding, Cosby relied on it when he gave eye-popping — and potentially incriminating — testimony in a lawsuit later filed by Constand.
“The principle of fundamental fairness that undergirds due process of law in our criminal justice system demands that the promise be enforced,” Justice David N. Wecht wrote last year.
During the deposition, a seemingly free-wheeling Cosby gave long, stream-of-consciousness answers to questions from Constand’s lawyers. He detailed his sexual involvement with a string of young women, a few still in their teens, over the years. And he recalled giving several of them, including Constand, alcohol or pills while he remained sober.
“I don’t hear her say anything. And I don’t feel her say anything. And so I continue and I go into the area that is somewhere between permission and rejection. I am not stopped,” Cosby said in the 2006 deposition, describing a sexual encounter that came after he gave her three pills for stress, which she said knocked her out.
He was arrested in the Constand case on Dec. 30, 2015, just days before the 12-year statute of limitations expired. Steele had reopened the case after The Associated Press went to federal court to unseal Cosby’s long-buried testimony in Constand’s lawsuit.
Cosby, after giving four days of testimony, had paid her $3.4 million to settle the case.
He went on trial in the criminal case in June 2017. The jury could not reach a verdict. Less than a year later — after media reports about media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse of women galvanized the #MeToo movement — a second jury convicted Cosby of drugging and molesting Constand.
The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Constand has done so.
Scores of women have come forward to say Cosby also sexually assaulted them, but Constand’s is the only one that led to an arrest. His insurer, against Cosby’s wishes, settled a Massachusetts lawsuit involving seven accusers for an undisclosed amount after the 2018 conviction. At least two other lawsuits remain pending against the actor.
Castor, who said he made the deal with Cosby, later represented former President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial, at which Trump was acquitted of inciting the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Castor said he declined to arrest Cosby in 2005 based in part on his belief that both parties “could be held in less than a flattering light.” Constand later sued Castor for defamation and won a settlement from him. Castor countersued Constand, but the judge threw it out.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Comedians Chris Rock and Kevin Hart have announced an iconic co-heading comedy show tour that will be a five-show run- to start-titled ROCK HART: Only Headliners Allowed. The shows will be produced by Live Nation and will begin this July.
“Chris and I realized we were both going to be on tour this year we immediately knew we needed to do something special we have been friends and mentors each other for 20 years but we have never shared a headlining stage together until now. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the return of live comedy than to call headliner show with my brother Chris Rock this is a major moment in comedy and one for the history books”, said Kevin Hart.
Lauded by peers and critics alike Chris Rock is one of our generation’s strongest comedic voices. With a career spanning more than three decades, Rock has enjoyed ongoing success in both film and television as a comedian actor, writer, producer, and Director. Rock recently wrapped production in the upcoming Higher Ground Produced biopic Rustin and David O’Russell’s untitled film. He’s also set to direct an untitled Chris Rock project in 2023.
Hailed as one of the highest-earning stand-up comedians of 2019 by Forbes, Hart’s most recent global comedy tour sold over 100 arenas around the world, and sold over 1 million tickets worldwide in 2018 despite his Irresponsible Tour. Hart continues to break records with his hometown standup performance at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field during his What Now Tour marking it the first time a comedian has sold out an NFL stadium in Philadelphia. Recently Kevin Hart announced his first major tour in four years Reality Check heading to over 30 arenas in North America starting this summer.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Janet Jackson, Kevin Hart and Nicki Minaj are among the headliners announced Thursday for this summer’s Essence Festival of Culture, which returns to New Orleans after a two-year hiatus brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Others tapped to entertain June 30 through July 3 include New Edition, The Isley Brothers, Jazmine Sullivan, Summer Walker, The Roots & Friends, and D-Nice & Friends, Essence Communications Inc. said in a news release. Additional talent and details will be announced later.
“We are excited to welcome the family back live to New Orleans and thrilled to connect with more of our diasporic family through new digital experiences,” Essence CEO Caroline Wanga said in the announcement.
In addition to the nightly concerts inside the Superdome, the festival will include programming on networking, finance, career, wellness, fashion, beauty, and more at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other entertainment in venues citywide.
Launched in 1995 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine, the festival has evolved into the world’s largest celebration of Black women, culture, and communities, convening more than 530,000 people annually over the July 4th weekend in New Orleans, the company statement said.
The festival, with the 2022 theme “It’s The Black Joy For Me,” plans to expand its digital programming, live-streaming “select on-the-ground activities” as well as creating new digital-only content and experiences, the company added.
And even though some COVID-19 restrictions have been eased, proof of vaccination is required to participate in festival events, organizers said.
Will Smith is ready to revisit one of his signature roles. The actor is attached to star in a sequel to I Am Legend, his celebrated post-apocalyptic 2007 film. Michael B. Jordan is also attached to star in the feature, which will be written by the original film’s co-writer Akiva Goldsman for Warner Bros.
A sequel to I Am Legend has long been bandied about, with a version of the project discussed as far back as 2012.
Goldsman and Mark Protosevich co-wrote the original, which was directed by Francis Lawrence and was praised for bringing an intimacy to the blockbuster sphere, as well as for its images of barren cityscapes. The film grossed $585 million worldwide and ended with the death of Smith’s character, a scientist attempting to find a cure for a plague that has killed most of humanity and turned survivors into monstrous creatures. It is unclear how Smith might return for the sequel.
Jordan is producing the I Am Legend sequel along with Elizabeth Raposo via their Outlier Society. Smith will produce via his Westbrook Studios with Jon Mone. Westbrook’s Ryan Shimazaki will oversee on behalf of Westbrook, while James Lassiter will executive produce. Goldsman, who produced the original I Am Legend, will also return to produce with Greg Lessans via Weed Road Pictures.
I Am Legend, based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel, has long been one of Smith’s proudest achievements as an actor thanks to its small moments. For most of the film, he had nothing to act opposite of, save for mannequins and a dog.
“I’m obsessed with trying to put small character dramas into the middle of blockbuster packages. … The most successful I’ve ever been with that concept is I Am Legend,” Smith told The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg in 2015. “I Am Legend easily could’ve been a stage play, right? You know, a one-man show, a dude with a dog — you generally would think you need a little bit more than that for a blockbuster, but to date, that’s my biggest opening and my second-biggest film.”
Smith is in the Oscar race for his work in King Richard, recently winning a SAG Award. Jordan is preparing to star and direct Creed III.
Smith is repped by CAA. Jordan is repped by WME and Johnson Shapiro. Goldsman is repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Johnny Brown, the easygoing actor, comedian and singer best known for portraying the housing project superintendent Nathan Bookman on Good Times, has died. He was 84.
Brown died Wednesday, his daughter, actress Sharon Catherine Brown, announced on Instagram. “Our family is devastated. Devastated. Devastated. Beyond heartbroken. Barely able to breathe,” she wrote.
Further details of his death were not immediately available.
Brown also recorded songs and performed in a band with saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor, appeared twice on Broadway in the 1960s and was a regular performer for three seasons on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.
Brown, who did a mean impression of Louis Armstrong and others, was a leading contender to play Lamont opposite Redd Foxx on Sanford and Son, but because his contract bound him to Laugh-In, the role went to Demond Wilson.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Peacock has handed a series order to Twisted Metal, a comedic half-hour live-action adaptation of the popular video game, from Sony Pictures TV, PlayStation Productions and Universal Television. Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) stars and executive produces the project, first announced in September, which is written and executive produced by Cobra Kai writer Michael Jonathan Smith, who will serve as showrunner. Will Arnett and Marc Forman, who secured the rights to the material and helped put the adaptation together, also executive produce via their Electric Avenue production company.
Based on the classic PlayStation game series, Twisted Metal is a high-octane action comedy, based on an original take by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (Deadpool, Zombieland) about a motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life, but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. With the help of a trigger-happy car thief, he’ll face savage marauders driving vehicles of destruction and other dangers of the open road, including a deranged clown who drives an all too familiar ice cream truck.
Mackie stars as John Doe, a smart-ass milkman who talks as fast as he drives. With no memory of his past, John gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make his wish of finding community come true, but only if he can survive an onslaught of savage vehicular combat.
“Twisted Metal has been a global phenomenon for more than 25 years but it was the creative vision for this live-action adaptation, led by Michael Jonathan Smith, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, that blew us away. Also Anthony Mackie starring made it undeniable!” said Lisa Katz, president scripted content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “This adrenalin-infused comedy series is in expert hands with our partners at Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions and Universal Television, and will be the perfect addition to Peacock as we continue to look for uniquely entertaining programs.”
Reese and Wernick also executive produce along with Jason Spire of Inspire Entertainment, Peter Principato of Artists First, Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan from PlayStation Productions and Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios. The series is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
“We are thrilled that our first series with our good friends at Peacock is with our amazing partners at Electric Avenue, Universal Television and colleagues at PlayStation Productions,” said Jeff Frost, President, Sony Pictures Television Studios and Jason Clodfelter, co-President, Sony Pictures Television Studios. “Michael Jonathan Smith and Rhett and Paul have ingeniously brought this high-action comedy to life and we are so fortunate to have Anthony at the center of the show. We look forward to this incredible team blowing audiences away with this twisted and inventive concept.”
Twisted Metal joins another upcoming live-action series adaptation of a hit PlayStation video game, HBO’s The Last Of Us, which Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions also co-produce.
“Twisted Metal is one of PlayStation’s most beloved franchises,” Asad Qizilbash, head of PlayStation Productions, said. “We are thrilled to have such an amazing creative team and partners working together who have such passion for this iconic property. We can’t wait for fans to see what we have planned for them.”
Mackie has starred as Sam Wilson/The Falcon in multiple films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, as well as the Avengers films. He recently reprised his role in the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and will appear as Captain America in the upcoming Captain America 4 film. Mackie’s credits also include starring roles in Synchronic, Seberg, The Hurt Locker as well as Outside the Wire, which he and Jason Spire produced for Netflix. He is repped by UTA and Inspire Entertainment. Smith is repped by Verve and 3Arts.
Source: Deadline
NEW YORK PRNewswire/ — SiriusXM today announced the premiere of “It’s Showtime at the Apollo!” Comedy, a new channel dedicated to the legendary variety show that launched the careers of many of today’s biggest comedians. The special programming is available now through March 22 on SiriusXM channel 104.
Filmed at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, It’s Showtime at the Apollo was a hit program that ran from the 1980s-2000s. Among its many accomplishments, the show quickly won recognition for its stellar roster of up-and-coming comedians. Now SiriusXM is showcasing the very best stand-up from the program’s run, which airs all day long on the limited run channel. Some of these highlights include early performances from Bill Burr, Steve Harvey, Gabriel Iglesias, Robert Klein, Martin Lawrence, Mo’nique, Paul Mooney, Dennis Miller, Tracy Morgan, Chris Tucker, and many others.
“It’s Showtime at the Apollo played such a vital role in shaping modern comedy,” said Jack Vaughn, SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President of Comedy Programming. “There was an inimitable energy to the show and the performances, and it has been so much fun to relive this era in comedy. We’ve chosen the very best stand-up from hundreds of episodes, so whether SiriusXM subscribers are rediscovering the show or hearing it for the first time, they’re going to have an amazing experience.”
In addition to airing on SiriusXM channel 104, listeners can also hear stand-up from “It’s Showtime at the Apollo!” Comedy on their phones or connected devices at home via the SXM App. Streaming access is included for most subscribers. Go to https://www.siriusxm.com/ways-to-listen to learn more.
Kevin Hart is continuing to grow his production businesses.
The comedian’s HartBeat Productions is expanding its reach into unscripted and alternative scripted content with the launch of HartBeat Independent, a new in-house division run by former Big Breakfast chiefs Luke Kelly-Clyne and Kevin Healey.
The new unit will create both scripted and unscripted film and television projects to be wholly developed, financed, and distributed by HartBeat and will focus on feature films, hidden-camera shows, docu-series, social experiments, game shows, competition series, sketch series, and hybrid comedies.
The production arm will also be responsible for creative oversight, production, and delivery on HartBeat Studios’ deficit-financed projects.
Kelly-Clyne and Healey will serve as Co-Heads, having joined from Propagate, where they previously oversaw the company’s comedy studio, Big Breakfast. They will report to Hartbeat Productions President Bryan Smiley.
The pair have overseen series including Netflix’s Prank Encounters with Gaten Matarazzo, truTV’s Fameless with David Spade and Adam Ruins Everything and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers for NBC. They also worked with Hart on MotorTrend’s Muscle Car Crew.
It comes as HartBeat Productions produced Netflix’s True Story, which starred Hart alongside Wesley Snipes, and feature film Fatherhood. The company also has hip hop animated comedy Storytown at HBO Max, Me Time at Netflix with Mark Wahlberg and Regina Hall, and the F. Gary Gray action film Heist Lift at Netflix.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Kevin and Luke join the Hartbeat team,” said Hartbeat Productions President Bryan Smiley. “We’re building the best-in class entertainment brand, and Kevin & Luke’s established track record of creating incredible cross-genre content within both the scripted and non-scripted space makes them the perfect complement to our growing team.”
“When Kevin Hart calls you and says: I think you can help us build something special, you listen,” said Luke Kelly-Clyne. “We’re so excited to join Bryan and the rest of the stellar team at HartBeat Productions to build this unique production arm, and find new ways to bring unexpected and broadly accessible content to the ever-changing marketplace.”
“They say never meet your heroes. Luckily they never said anything about working for them,” said Healey. “With a slate that is already brimming with revolutionary and inventive takes on sketch, documentary, indie feature, game, hidden camera, and the single camera comedy, we’re thrilled to be expanding upon the HartBeat mission of creating culturally relevant global content.”
Source: Deadline
The second episode of Netflix’s Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy was highlighted by archive footage of Kanye West and Jamie Foxx recording their 2003 hit single, “Slow Jamz,” which appeared on both Ye’s 2004 debut The College Dropout and Twista’s Kamikaze album.
The session, which took place at Foxx’s home studio because Roc-A-Fella wouldn’t give Kanye a budget for recording, features West talking Jamie through his guest appearance on “Slow Jamz.”
Just a few days after the second episode premiered on Netflix, Kanye and Foxx ran into one another, which resulted in an impromptu Instagram Live session.
“I told you, back at that time, man, that [Kanye] was young and hungry,” Foxx said in the short clip. “Now look at us. There’s a reason we ran into each other. Can’t wait for y’all to see the next step.”
Source: Complex
CBS has announced a crossover episode for its two top-rated comedies, Bob Hearts Abishola, and The Neighborhood. The multi-cam sitcoms are among the top-rated comedies on TV, and they have been drawing appreciable Monday night ratings since their premiere. The Neighborhood began airing in 2018, chronicling the story of the white Midwestern Johnson family as they move next door to the Butlers in a predominantly Black Pasadena neighborhood. The series stars Cedric the Entertainer, Max Greenfield, Tichina Arnold, and Beth Behrs. Bob Hearsts Abishola, on the other hand, is created by Chuck Lorre, and it focuses on the romance between the Detroit-based socks businessman Bob (Billy Gardell) and Abishola (Folake Olowofoyeku), a hardworking no-nonsense Nigerian immigrant nurse. In January, fans of both the shows were left elated after CBS picked up both the sitcoms for seasons 4 and 5, respectively, and now there is another reason to rejoice.
As per a report by TV Line, The Neighborhood will crossover with Bob Hearts Abishola on March 14, with Cedric and Arnold appearing in character on the latter during its 8:30/7:30c slot. Plot details for the crossover episode are slim, although there is a confirmation that there will also be a second crossover of sorts with Gina Yashere from Bob Hearts Abishola appearing on The Neighborhood. Yashere, however, will not reprise her role as Kemi in the fellow Monday night comedy, rather she will play a new character, Chika, who is tasked with planning a party. An airdate for the same episode remains TBA.
Inarguably, over the seasons, both Bob Hearts Abishola and The Neighborhood have become the absolute embodiment of comfort TV. It’s always a delight to watch the shows back-t0-back and as viewers laugh out loud through every scene, it helps beat the weekday blues. Now, the worlds of the two CBS sitcoms are intersecting, so it will definitely be interesting to see how the dynamic plays out between the characters from the two different worlds. To see what entails when the Butlers meet the Wheelers, viewers must stay tuned for the episode on March 14th.
