Russell Simmons Accused Of Sexual Allegations Along With Brett Ratner; Releases Statement
Music/film mogul Russell Simmons is being accused by a former model of forcing her to engage in sex as filmmaker Brett Ratner watched and did nothing, according to a report.
Keri Claussen Khalighi said she was 17 years old when the incident happened in 1991 at Simmons’s New York apartment. The story was first reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times.
Khalighi claimed she accompanied Simmons and Ratner to the apartment to ostensibly watch a music video they had co-produced. When they arrived, Simmons aggressively removed her clothes. She claims she asked Ratner for help, but he did not respond. “I’ll never forget the look on his face,” said Khalighi. “In that moment, the realization fell on me that they were in it together.”
She fought off the attempt at sexual intercourse, but Simmons coerced her into oral sex. “I guess I just acquiesced,” she said. When finished, she went to take a shower. Simmons joined her in the shower and briefly penetrated her before she managed to fend him off.
Simmons claimed in the Times story that all acts were consensual. (Read his entire statement below.)
“I know Keri Claussen Khalighi and remember the weekend in 1991 that she has referenced,” Simmons said in a statement. “Everything that happened between us 26 years ago was completely consensual and with Keri’s full participation. Let me be crystal clear and very direct. Abusing women in any way shape or form violates the very core of my being. I have always spoken out regarding my life experiences, women’s issues and the need to bring a faster and more decisive shift in the collective consciousness that will help bring about true women’s equality.”
The Times story quoted Ratner’s attorney, Marty Singer, as saying his client has “no recollection” of any requests for help by Khalighi. Ratner has previously been accused of sexual misconduct by several women, among them actresses Natasha Henstridge and Olivia Munn.
Ratner and Simmons were investigated in 2001 for an alleged sexual battery in 2001 by Beverly Hills, Calif. police, but no charges were brought.
Here is Simmons’ statement:
As a long-time social activist, I have applauded the strength of the brave men and women who have spoken out over the past month and made their voices heard regarding sexual assault and harassment. I am a supporter of the #MeToo campaign and the victims who were previously terrified to stand up and speak out against sexual misconduct. I completely and unequivocally deny the horrendous allegations of non-consensual sex against me with every fiber of my being.
I know Keri Claussen Khalighi and remember the weekend in 1991 that she has referenced. Everything that happened between us 26 years ago was completely consensual and with Keri’s full participation. We spent time in my apartment over a period of two days and one night, as well as at some public places including Nell’s Nightclub. Much of the time we were in the presence of other acquaintances. I’m deeply saddened and truly shocked to learn of Keri’s assertions as to what happened over the course of that weekend.
Let me be crystal clear and very direct. Abusing women in any way shape or form violates the very core of my being. I have always spoken out regarding my life experiences, women’s issues and the need to bring a faster and more decisive shift in the collective consciousness that will help bring about true women’s equality. More than anything, I want my daughters to live in a more equal world and a world where they will not become victims of sexual harassment.
The LA Times article also references an allegation by Ms. Tanya Reid. I mean no disrespect to her at all when I say I honestly do not recall my telephone conversation with a hotel front desk clerk from over a quarter-century ago.
Source: Deadline
Earle Hyman, Grandpa Huxtable On ‘The Cosby Show,’ Passes Away
A veteran of stages around the world, he received an Emmy nom for his work on the long-running NBC sitcom and was a voice on ‘Thundercats.’
Earle Hyman, the admired stage, television and film actor best known for playing Bill Cosby’s sage father, Russell Huxtable, on The Cosby Show, has died. He was 91.
Hyman died Friday at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, his nephew Rick Ferguson told The Hollywood Reporter.
Hyman played Othello hundreds of times, appeared often on Broadway and received a Tony nomination for featured actor in a play for his performance as Oscar in the original 1980 production of Edward Albee’s The Lady From Dubuque. He also appeared on stages throughout Europe during his career.
Meanwhile, animation fans know him as the baritone voice of the aggressive Panthro, a member of the ThunderCats. He worked on 125 episodes of that cartoon series in the 1980s.
From 1984-92, across 40 episodes of NBC’s ratings smash, Hyman was always memorable on The Cosby Show as obstetrician Cliff Huxtable’s dad and a wise grandfather to Theo (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam) and Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf).
Russell was at one time a prominent jazz trombonist who went by the nickname “Slide” Huxtable. (In real life, he was just 11 years older than Cosby.) His wife, Anna, was played by the late actress Clarice Taylor.
In 1986, Hyman received an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest performer in a comedy series for his work on the episode “Happy Anniversary.”
That season-two installment centered on the Huxtable clan planning the 49th wedding anniversary for Russell and Anna. It included a memorable scene of the family lip-syncing to Ray Charles’ “(Night Time Is) the Right Time.”
“That’s the one episode that was the most loved, most seen. People just loved it. It just shot off the charts,” Hyman recalled in 2009 on the podcast Just My Show. “We just had a ball, and the atmosphere just went over into a kind of reality. We were no longer Clarice and Earle, we were really Anna and Russell Huxtable.”
In 1997, TV Guide voted it the 54th greatest TV episode of all time.
Hyman made his Broadway debut in 1944 in Anna Lucasta and appeared over the years on the Great White Way in The Merchant of Venice; in the original production of No Time for Sergeants; as the title character in the Nigeria-set Mister Johnson; twice in Saint Joan, more than a decade apart; in Waiting for Godot in an acclaimed all-black production in 1957; in Les Blancs; and in Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder, opposite Lynn Redgrave.
Born on Oct. 11, 1926, in Rocky Mount, N.C., Hyman was the son of schoolteachers with Native-American and African-American roots. He was raised in Brooklyn and began his film career with an uncredited appearance in the best picture Oscar winner The Lost Weekend (1945).
Hyman also guest-starred on many TV shows in the 1950s and ’60s, including Camera Three, East Side/West Side and The Defenders, and he appeared on the big screen in the war film The Bamboo Prison (1954) and in the crime drama Fighting Back (1982).
An admirer of Ibsen, Hyman took a vacation to Oslo in 1957, eventually became fluent in Norwegian and owned property in that country.
“The only place I’m a star in the true sense of the word is Norway,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. “There they come to see me and hope the play is all right. I’m the only foreign actor and only black actor who performs in both Norwegian languages.”
In addition to Ferguson, his survivors include his nieces Cassandra, Yvette and Monica and nephew Derryl.
Hyman’s death was first reported by the website Broadway Black.
Source: Broadway Black, The Hollywood Reporter
Netflix Announces Title And Premiere Date of Dave Chappelle’s New Comedy Special
Netflix announced the premiere date and title for stand up legend Dave Chappelle’s latest original comedy special via a hilarious, “Stranger Things”-inspired social post. “Dave Chappelle: Equanimity” will premiere New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2017.
Equanimity is Chappelle’s third comedy special coming exclusively to Netflix in 2017. “The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits” debuted earlier this year.
A post shared by Netflix Is A Joke (@netflixisajoke) on
Source: Shadow & Act
Diddy, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor, Charlie Walk To Judge Fox’s ‘The Four’
New Fox singing competition show “The Four: Battle for Stardom” has locked in its judges’ panel. The network announced today that Sean “Diddy” Combs, DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor and music executive Charlie Walk will make up the “Four,” which premieres on Jan. 4.
Never one to humblebrag, Diddy, who also served in a similar capacity on cable series “Making the Band 2,” declared in a statement: “This show is going to disrupt the world of competition television and will revolutionize the format. … We plan on being the best talent show out there, taking it to that next level and making history again. This series is about pure competition, fighting for your survival. Do you want to win? Do you want to be great? We’re giving fans a genuine look at what it takes to make it to the top and stay there – surrounding these up-and-coming artists with the best, turning them into the next generation of stars.”
Khaled echoes the sentiment: “I’m proud to announce that I will be participating in one of the most important, if not the most important events on television and pop culture. … I immediately jumped at the opportunity when I realized Fox shared the same vision as me, and that’s to be the best!”
Trainor, who cut her teeth as a songwriter before breaking out as a solo star, said, “I know firsthand what it’s like to be thrown into the music industry head first, as an artist and a songwriter. I also know what it takes to hang on for the ride. I’m so humbled to help discover new talent with this amazing panel of experts.”
Walk, the president of Republic Records Group, is a music industry veteran who has worked on more than 50 No. 1 songs, including “Daughters” by John Mayer and Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.” At Republic, he signed hitmaker Julia Michaels and Oscar-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld to record deals and successful launch campaigns. He also was in the running to join the show “Boy Band,” as Variety previously reported, which aired on ABC over the summer.
“What lies at the heart of the music business is ‘talent,’” said Walk. “Discovering and developing talent remains the most important, consistent driver of my home, Republic Records, and now Fox’s ‘The Four.’ I’m thrilled to be joining this incredible panel of my longtime friends, Sean, Khaled and Meghan, to help make the difference on a platform that’s truly committed to identifying and breaking the next generation of superstars. We will guide them, advise them, and be with them every step of the way on their journey, starting on the most transparent stage in television.”
In addition, Republic Records, through Universal Music Group, will release music from the show’s participants and winner.
Source: Variety
‘Lopez,’ Canceled At TV Land!
TV Land’s function in the wake of Viacom’s deck-shuffling is becoming clear.
The niche cabler, which is losing three of its originals to the forthcoming Paramount Network, is parting ways with two of its remaining four original shows.
The Viacom-owned cable net has opted to cancel George Lopez vehicle Lopez and podcast-turned-comedy Throwing Shade. That leaves the Keith Cox-led TV Land with two scripted shows: the network-defining entry Younger and Teachers.
Lopez,picked up straight to series as part of TV Land’s push for single-camera fare, ran for two seasons. June’s season two finale will now serve as the series finale. The comedy created by John Altschuler, Dave Krinsky and Jeff Stilson starred Lopez as a version of himself — a stand-up comedian trying to stay true to his roots in the Latino community.
Throwing Shade,meanwhile, was a late-night comedy based on the podcast of the same name hosted by Erin Gibson and Bryan Safi that featured the duo as they took on topics that included women’s rights and LGBTQ rights, politics and pop culture. The show wrapped its run in February.
The decision to cut back scripted on TV Land comes as Viacom has shuffled its portfolio of originals while it focuses on six core brands — Paramount Network, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. — and CEO Bob Bakish looks to reinvigorate the media conglomerate.
Cancelling Throwing Shade and Lopez follows the decision to move Melissa McCarthy- and Ben Falcone-produced comedy Nobodies from TV Land to Paramount Network, the latter of which is rebranding from Spike in January. Nobodies will join Heathers and American Woman at Paramount Network. The latter pair were developed by Cox — who also oversees originals for Paramount Network — and were originally earmarked to air on TV Land.
As for the future of scripted originals at TV Land, sources tell THR that the plan is for the niche cabler to focus on just Younger and Teachers in the immediate future. Darren Star’s Younger, starring Sutton Foster, will return for a 12-episode fifth season, and Teachers will air its 20-episode third season in 2018. The larger plan is to focus development on the Paramount Network, though if a Cox-developed show feels more in line for TV Land, a decision could be made about adding it to the schedule.
Younger is fresh off its highest-rated and most watched season in history among viewers 18-49. Teachersrecently hit new highs in the second half of its sophomore run, up 21 percent year-over-year among adults 25-54.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Steve Harvey To Host FOX’s New Year’s Eve Special!
Fox is changing up its New Years plans.
Instead of airing “Pitbull’s New Years Revolution” as they have for the past few years, the network is instead going to run “Fox’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey: Live from Times Square.” The new special will air Sunday, Dec. 31 from 8-10 p.m. ET and 11 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on Fox. Harvey will be joined by surprise celebrity guests and some of the year’s top music artists to wrap up 2017 and kick off the New Year. Performers and co-hosts will be announced. The special will be executive produced by IMG.
Fox first began airing “Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution” in 2014, with the rapper hosting the special from his native Miami. The 2016 edition of the special was co-hosted by celebrity guests Snoop Dogg and Queen Latifah. Past participants include Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, cast members from Fox’s “Empire,” Salt-n-Pepa, and Timabland. Last year’s edition of Pitbull’s special did not feature a primetime portion like years past, with Fox airing reruns in the timeslot instead.
Harvey is an actor, comedian, and talk show host who currently hosts six TV shows: daytime talk show “Steve”; “Little Big Shots” and “Little Big Shots: Forever Young”; “Family Feud;” “Celebrity Family Feud”; and “Steve Harvey’s Funderdome.” He also hosts the nationally syndicated radio program “The Steve Harvey Morning Show,” which premiered in 2000. Additionally, he has hosted the Miss Universe contests, which have aired on Fox since 2015, and he will host the return of “Showtime at the Apollo,” scheduled to premiere on Fox in 2018.
David Alan Grier Cast In NEW FOX Pilot Titled ‘Cool Kids’
The Fox retirement home comedy pilot “Cool Kids” has added four cast members, Variety has confirmed.
David Alan Grier will play Hank, a mischievous schemer and one of the “Cool Kids” living in Shady Meadows retirement community with his three best friends from his childhood in Brooklyn.
Leslie Jordan will play Sid, a cautious hypochondriac with a weird streak about him who grew up in Brooklyn along with Hank and Charlie, and he’s spending his Golden Years alongside them as well. Martin Mull will play Charlie, the gruff third “Cool Kid” who is not a leader like Hank nor a follower like Sid, but who tends to go along with the consensus of the group. Finally, Vicki Lawrence has been cast as Margaret, the brash, hotheaded new arrival to the retirement community who thinks that the “Cool Kids” are a trio of cheesepuffs that she can easily herd, corral, and buffalo.
The multi-camera series would follow the three men in a retirement community where they are the top dogs until they’re blown out of the water by the newest member of the community, Vicki, a female rebel whose ready to challenge their standings.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” stars Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, and Glenn Howerton will executive produce along with “It’s Always Sunny” and “The Mick” executive producer Nick Frenkel. Day and Paul Fruchbom, who co-created the series, will write the pilot, with Fruchbom also serving as co-executive producer. Kevin Abbott–whose past credits include producing and writing for “Last Man Standing,” “Reba,” and “Roseanne”– will executive produce and serve as showrunner. Don Scardino recently signed on to direct and executive produce the pilot. 20th Century Fox Television will produce in association with FX Productions.
Source: Variety
On This Day In Comedy… In 1970 Comedic Actor Mike Epps Was Born!
On this day in comedy on November 18, 1970, Comedic Actor Michael Elliot “Mike” Epps was born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Epps got started in stand-up comedy as a teenager. By the time he was old enough to legally be in the clubs he was performing he was seasoned. He moved to Atlanta, got a job working at the Comedy Act Theater there and got more seasoned. Then he moved to Brooklyn, got on Def Comedy Jam and the Def Jam tour. Epps was moving up quick.
His next move was film. He got his cherry busted in 1997 under the direction of Vin Diesel in the film Strays. In 2000 he got his breakthrough role as Day-Day playing opposite Ice Cube in Next Friday, the sequel to the surprise blockbuster, Friday. After that he cranked them out: 3 Strikes, Bait, Dr, Dolittle 2 (voice only), How High, All About the Benjamins, Friday After Next, Malibu’s Most Wanted, Guess Who, The Honeymooners, Lottery Ticket, Soul Men, Janky Promoters, The Hangover trilogy, the Resident Evil films, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins and a slew of others. He did cartoon voice-overs (The Boondocks, Open Season 2), comedy specials (Under Rated & Never Faded) and plenty of TV (Wild ‘n Out, Survivor’s Remorse, Being Mary Jane, Uncle Buck).
Epps also showed he had a dramatic side. In the remake of Sparkle, Epps played a demented drug lord and received favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike. He co-starred alongside Queen Latifah in HBO’s, Bessie, the biopic of blues singer Bessie Smith. Once again Epps was impressive as Bessie’s personal bootlegger/boyfriend. It was work like that which convinced director, Lee Daniels to cast him in the coveted role of Richard Pryor in Is It Something I Said, the biopic of the famed and controversial comedian.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1989 ‘Harlem Knights’ Was Released By Paramount Pictures!
On this day in comedy on November 17, 1989, Harlem Nights was released by Paramount Pictures
Written, executive produced, and directed by Eddie Murphy, Harlem Nights features practically every working veteran comedian of the era. Richard Pryor plays Murphy’s surrogate father who raised him and taught him how to get over in the world of crime after young Murphy shoots a man to save Pryor. They end up running a nightclub in Depression Era Harlem where criminal activity and corruption are always lurking in plain sight. And speaking of sight, Redd Foxx plays a damn near blind partner of the duo. Robin Harris and Charlie Murphy are henchmen. Arsenio Hall is a rival gangster and Della Reese runs the hoes at their brothel. Also featured are Tommy Mikal Ford, Jasmine Guy, Berlinda Tolbert, Michael Lerner, Danny Aiello, Stan Shaw, Uncle Charlie Murphy and Reynaldo Rey.
The plot revolves around Pryor being muscled in on by gangsters. He decides to retire before he has unwanted partners, but wants to make sure all his people are taken care of. So he plans a scheme for an upcoming fight and uses a call girl named Sunshine to help him carry out his plot. Sunshine was considered so sexy and fine for that time period that an Italian bagman called his surely equally Italian wife to tell her he wouldn’t be coming back and to take care of the kids. That along with a series of twists and turns leave Pryor and Murphy triumphant. They get the scam money, avoid death and arrest and leave Harlem for good after screwing its underworld system.
Critics panned Harlem Nights. They didn’t like the direction. They didn’t like the screenplay. They didn’t like the sets or the cinematography. They just plain didn’t like it. Regardless, Harlem Nights opened at number one at the box office its first weekend. On a budget of $30 million it grossed a total of $60,864,870 domestically and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
On This Day In Comedy… In 1967 Comedic Actress Lisa Bonet Was Born!
On this day on November 16, 1967, comedic actress, Lisa Michelle Bonet was born in San Francisco, CA
Bonet majored in acting at Celluloid Actor’s Studio in North Hollywood. She was in beauty pageants and guest-starred on TV series and then she became Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show. She was on NBC’s top-rated sitcom and they were dying to have a spin-off. Bonet was selected for the show, A Different World. It would focus on her time at college.
A Different World starred Bonet for one season. The show was a major hit, but Bonet’s career decisions were not with NBC brass. There were a series of missteps starting with nude scenes in the Alan Parker directed film, Angel Heart. This was followed up by a breast bearing centerfold in Interview magazine and then she announced that she was pregnant. This was all too much for the girl-next-door, unless you lived next door to a brothel. Bonet was allowed to return to The Cosby Show, but that didn’t last long and soon she was fired.
Once Lisa Bonet came from under the cloud of television wholesomeness she concentrated on films. She just wanted to work. Bonet did some straight-to-video flicks as well as major motion pictures. She co-starred with Will Smith in Enemy of the State in 1998. In 2000 she was in High Fidelity and Biker Boyz in 2003. She also appeared on British television.
Bonet has multiple acting award nominations including a win from the Young Artist Award for Angel Heart in 1988.
