The aspiring filmmaker suing Russell Simmons for an alleged sexual assault has dropped her claims, according to a stipulation of dismissal filed Wednesday.
Jennifer Jarosik in January filed a $5 million lawsuit against the mogul, alleging he raped her in 2016 after inviting her to his home under the guise of discussing a documentary project.
In his answer filed April 4, Simmons argues their sexual relationship was consensual and she often sent him texts saying she missed him and would love to see him.
On Wednesday, the parties filed a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice. Jarosik’s attorney Perry Wander did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Simmons is still facing a $10 million suit from an anonymous woman who claims he raped her after threatening her young son. He says the allegations are “vile” and the lawsuit is nothing more than an extortion attempt. Simmons also argues that the alleged incident occurred in the late 1980s and Jane Doe’s suit is barred by the statute of limitations.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Tracy Morgan Joined By Comedians And Actors For Comedy Show To Raise Funds for Brain Condition
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan will headline “In Stitches, a Night of Laughs,” an evening of comedy and cocktails to raise awareness and funds to find a cure for hydrocephalus, a chronic brain condition that affects 1 million Americans. “In Stitches, a Night of Laughs” will take place Friday, April 27 at 7 pm at The NOVO by Microsoft in Los Angeles, CA. A number of actors, comedians, and major movie and television execs will participate in this exciting event.
WHAT:
The twice-Emmy nominated Tracy Morgan and several other comedians popular on the stand-up scene will bring their unique story-telling skills to Los Angeles for a fun night of laughs for a good cause. Media are invited to take pictures and conduct interviews during the Pre-ShowRed Carpet Hour.
WHO:
Comedians performing: Tracy Morgan, Ardie Fuqua, Tracey Ashley, Ruperto Vanderpool, Marc Theobald
Actors, directors and producers participating in Pre-Show Red Carpet Hour:
Laura Bell Bundy
Brooke Burke
Majandra Delfino
Barrett Foa
Jason George
Max Greenfield
Boris Kodjoe
Kris and Becky Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Tracy and Megan Morgan
Nicole Ari Parker
Bruno Tonioli
David Walton
Marissa Jaret Winokur
TV/Movie Execs from TBS, Hulu, Warner Bros., ABC Studios, Universal Television
WHEN:
Friday, April 27, 2018
7 PM Pre-Show Red Carpet Hour
8 PM Comedy show
(Media can arrive at 6:30 to set up)
WHERE:
The NOVO by Microsoft – 800 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
WHY:
One in every 1,000 babies is born with hydrocephalus and anyone at any time can develop hydrocephalus from a brain injury, tumor, infection, or for unknown reasons as part of the aging process. This event will help raise funds to support critical research and programs that improve the quality of life for people living with hydrocephalus and, ultimately, find a cure.
TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
Go to http://www.thenovodtla.com/events/detail/350366.
Bill Cosby Sexual Assault Retrial Sent To Jury
Deliberations are underway today in the Bill Cosby retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, PA, with Judge Steven O’Neill telling jurors they are “the sole judges of the facts” and instructing them to work until they reach a unanimous conclusion.
The jury of five women and seven men will decide the comedian’s fate on three charges of aggravated indecent assault against Andrea Constand. Constand, a former Temple University employee, said she lost consciousness after Cosby gave her three blue pills and a sip of wine and came to with him sexually assaulting her in January 2004 at his Philadelphia-area mansion.
If convicted, Cosby could face up to 10 years for each count, though prison sentences for similar crimes tend to run concurrently in Pennsylvania.
Cosby walked out of the courtroom today with a sullen look. He thanked one bystander who told him, “God bless, Mr. Cosby.”
The jury in this trial is the same as last year’s in terms of gender and race. There is one black man and one black woman on the panel, with the rest of the jurors white. A year ago the jury, bused in from Allegheny County in Western Pennsylvania, spent 52 hours over five days deliberating before O’Neill declared a mistrial.
The jurors from the last trial endured 12-hour days and complained of cramped conditions in the deliberations room. One juror told ABC News last year people routinely cried and no progress was made after 30 hours. That juror said two jurors wouldn’t budge on two of the assault charges, preventing them from returning a guilty verdict.
Last year’s trial lasted six days. This one went for 12, with Cosby’s defense team changing strategy from characterizing the Cosby-Constand relationship as romantic to portraying Constand as a gold-digger. Its lead witness, Marguerite Jackson, said Constand once told her she could fabricate a sexual assault claim against a famous person to “get that money” while they were rooming on a Temple basketball road trip. In the defense’s closing argument Tuesday, lead Cosby attorney Tom Mesereau said Constand was a “pathological liar” and highlighted 12 instances he said Constand either lied to investigators or on the witness stand.
The prosecution has focused much of its case on corroborating Constand’s story through the words of Cosby. The comedian spoke about his relationship with her during a deposition for a 2006 civil suit that was settled for $3.4 million. In the deposition, Cosby talked of being romantically interested in Constand from the time he met her — wanting to pursue “romance that will lead to the seeking of some kind of permission or non-permission” — and using quaaludes with other women for sex. He admitted in the deposition and in interviews with police to giving Constand three Benadryl pills and digitally penetrating her but said it was consensual.
More than 50 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, and last year the prosecution was able to call one other accuser. For the retrial, five of those women were allowed to testify. All of them testified to either taking pills or wine from Cosby, and the prosecution told jurors it was the same routine he used against Constand.
“That was the execution of his signature plan,” said assistant district attorney Kristen Feden in her closing argument. “That previously practiced plan that had worked so perfectly on women in the past.”
The first count of aggravated indecent assault entails digital penetration without consent, the second count that Constand was unconscious and unable to consent and the third count that Cosby used drugs to make Constand unconscious.
As we all know by now, King Bach is notoriously famous for his Vine videos and exploding on social media. With that being said, we debut his best of 2017…
Stand Up Spotlight- Featuring Comedian Tony Woods!
In our stand up spotlight, we feature comedian Tony Woods! Once an HBO’sBad BoyOf Comedy and Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam comedian, Woods has been in the comedy game for over 20 years and is definitely a comedian who has paid his dues. Recently Woods has battled some health issues, but word is he has recovered nicely and back on his grind.
Check out a featured comedy set below:
WATCH: New Shark Horror Film Trailer Titled ‘The Meg’ Starring Jason Statham
Shark movies — these days, they tend to appeal to a certain niche viewer, one who watched “Shark Week” and thought, “I want that, but in a movie theater.” “The Meg,” starring Jason Statham, however, may be able to move beyond that viewer base with its hint at a slightly more meta take on the shark film.
Featuring the just-go-with-it premise that the prehistoric megalodon did not, in fact, go extinct around 2 million years ago, and has instead been discovered off the coast of China, “The Meg” is based on Steve Alten’s 1997 book, “The Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror.”
The trailer, cut to a tone-setting “Beyond the Sea” and with the tagline “Chomp on this,” begins with the occupants of an underwater marine research vessel encountering the meg, and proceeds to preview the inevitable movement of the giant shark towards human-infested beaches, with Statham filling the role of researcher-turned-lead-shark-fighter. Rainn Wilson, as a fellow researcher, delivers plenty of quips, suggesting that rather than kill the fish, the team “just put a tracker on it.”
“Haven’t you ever seen Shark Week?” he asks.
Unsurprisingly, it seems like a tracker won’t cut it.
Ruby Rose, Li Bingbing, Cliff Curtis, Winston Chao, Robert Taylor, and Jessica McNamee also star. John Turteltaub directed the Warner Bros. film from a script by Dean Georgaris.
“The Meg” hits theaters in August 2018.
Watch the full trailer above.
WATCH: John Witherspoon Talks About Ad-Libbing His Lines In Movies, Directors Getting Mad
John Witherspoon opened up recently to VladTV about getting in the entertainment industry, revealing that he found an acting coach in the yellow pages who later encouraged him to do comedy. After living in NYC and getting the late night sets that weren’t ideal, John spoke about driving out West and making his way to Las Vegas. He revealed that he lost all of his money in the first week and when he had only a dollar to his name, Witherspoon reveals that he won $7,000 at a machine and headed out to L.A. that night.
To hear more about John’s family life in Detroit and how he got his start in the L.A. comedy circuit, hit the above clip.
Source: Vlad TV
Kevin Hart Takes On His Own Cheating Scandals In New J. Cole Video
For Kevin Hart, art is imitating life.
The comedian stars in his friend J. Cole’s new video for “Kevin’s Heart,” a song about fighting off the urge to cheat. In the song, the rapper references Hart’s infidelities.
The video alludes to what the famous 38-year-old’s everyday life looked like after one of his cheating scandals broke — from people staring at him in the supermarket and fending off women’s advances, to strangers offering him unsolicited advice in public bathrooms.
While the content of the five-minute video stems from a pretty serious place, Hart manages to inject a good amount of humor into his performance. At the end of the video, the comedian notices something in the sky, laughs and then continues walking. As he exits the frame, it is revealed that the phrase “Choose Wisely” is written in the sky — a nod to Hart’s past bad decisions.
In December, Hart confessed to cheating on his wife, Eniko Parrish, while she was pregnant. Last August, Hart’s ex-wife, Torrei Hart, said that he cheated on her with Parrish, who seemed to confirm this allegation in an Instagram post in August 2017. She said that the two had been together for eight years and married for one.
Source: The Huffington Post
Leslie Jones, Rachel Bloom, Sterling K. Brown Join Voice Cast Of ‘Angry Birds 2’
Sony Pictures and Rovio Entertainment are adding a new flock of comedic talent to its Angry Birds franchise.
Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters) will voice the film’s villain character, while Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Sterling K. Brown (This is Us, The People vs. O.J. Simpson), Mexico’s breakout Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included, Overboard), Zach Woods (Silicon Valley, The Post), Awkwafina (Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out), Dove Cameron (The Descendants, Agents of SHIELD), Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live, Brigsby Bear) and Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project) have all signed on for roles in The Angry Birds Movie 2.
They will join returning stars Jason Sudeikis as the temperamental Red, Josh Gad as speedy Chuck, Bill Hader as kin of the pigs Leonard, Danny McBride as the volatile Bomb and Peter Dinklage as the legendary Mighty Eagle. The animated film is scheduled to hit theaters on Sept. 20, 2019.
“I’m thrilled about our incredibly talented filmmaking team and the hilarious people we’ve brought together for the sequel,” said the film’s producer John Cohen. “We’re so happy that Jason, Josh, Bill, Danny, and Peter are back for a second adventure joined by Leslie, Rachel, Sterling, Eugenio and this awesome ensemble of new talent.”
The sequel follows on the success of 2016’s The Angry Birds Movie, which opened at No. 1 in 50 countries worldwide including the U.S., and earned $352 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time.
The film will be directed by Thurop Van Orman (The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time) and co-directed by John Rice (King of the Hill) from a screenplay written by Peter Ackerman (The Americans, Ice Age). David Maisel and Catherine Winder are executive producing.
Mary Ellen Bauder Andrews is co-producing, while Sean Charmatz (Trolls) is the head of story. Pete Oswald is the production designer, and Linda Lamontagne is the casting director. Sony Pictures Imageworks is handling the animation.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
Demetrius Shipp Jr., Essence Atkins, Terrence Jenkins, And Edwina Findley To Star In Indie Drama Titled ‘Same Difference’
Demetrius Shipp Jr. (All Eyez On Me), Essence Atkins(NBC’s “Marlon”), Terrence Jenkins (MTV’s “SafeWord”) and Edwina Findley (The CW’s “Black Lightning”) have all signed on to star in the indie mysterious drama titled Same Difference.
Already in production in Los Angeles, the film, produced by Datari Turner for Datari Turner
Productions, was written and directed by Derege Harding. Additional co-stars include: Kandi Burruss, Affion Crockett, Kris D. Lofton, Gabby Douglas, Lew Temple, and Page Kennedy.
Same Difference follows a young woman (Atkins) who is told that her death is imminent by a mysterious group of people who all start dying one by one. The woman becomes compelled to let go of the past and reconcile with her estranged twin sister, also played by Atkins, who is suffering from alcohol addiction.
Making his feature film directorial debut, Harding is a Film Independent Project Involve Alum. His short film “First Date, Last Date” won numerous festival awards and was bought and distributed by HBO. He was the Winner of last year’s 2017 Turner (TNT) / ABFF Pilot Screenwriting Competition.
Terrence Jenkins (repped by WME) serves as an Executive Producer on the film along with
Essence Atkins (repped by Don Buchwald and Associates). Tim Weatherspoon, Louis Steyn, TJ Steyn, Phil Thornton, Jash’d Kambui Belcher, Jamal Chilton, Damone Smith, JP Ramzy, and Shaun Livingston also are Executive Producers. Demetrius Shipp Jr. is repped by CAA.
