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The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from R. Kelly over his 2022 convictions on child pornography and enticement charges, leaving him with no further direct appeals from a verdict that saw him sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Kelly’s attorneys had urged the high court to take up the case, in which a federal jury in Chicago convicted him in September 2022, by arguing that the case should have been barred by the statute of limitations.
But in an order Monday, the justices declined to tackle the case. As is typical, the court did not explain its decision to reject Kelly’s case along with dozens of others. The Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions per year and only decides to hear a tiny fraction them.
Monday’s order dealt only one of Kelly’s two sets of sex abuse convictions. The other — a September 2021 guilty verdict on racketeering charges brought by prosecutors in New York that resulted in a 30-year prison sentence — is still pending on appeal before a lower appellate court.
In the current case, a different team of federal prosecutors from Chicago accused Kelly of violating child pornography laws, enticing minors for sex and obstructing justice by upending a 2008 criminal trial.
Though he was acquitted on certain counts, Kelly was convicted in September 2022 and later sentenced to 20 years in prison; the vast majority of that sentence will be served concurrently with the New York sentence. The conviction was affirmed by a lower appeals court earlier this year.
In asking the justices to consider overturning that ruling, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean cited the statute of limitations. She said that an updated federal law extending the time limit, passed in 2003, could not be applied retroactively to Kelly’s alleged crimes, which occurred in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“Retroactive application of the 2003 amendment not only fly in the face of congressional intent,” Bonjean writes. “It violates notions of fundamental fairness.”
Barring an unusual outcome at some point in the future, Monday’s decision effectively finalized Kelly’s convictions and sentencing in the Chicago case. The separate convictions in the New York case could still be overturned, however, either by the lower appeals court or by the Supreme Court.
Kelly’s attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
Riot Fest issued a statement over the weekend in response to the death of a 58-year-old fan who was injured at the Sept. 20-22 event in Chicago’s Douglass Park. “We are heartbroken to share that a festival attendee passed away yesterday. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly challenging time,” the statement read in reference to the recent passing of Stephen Shult from injuries sustained at the festival.
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“The health, safety, and well-being of our fans and community have always been our top priority. We are aware of the various speculations surrounding this tragedy, including claims that it may be linked to the Slayer crowd,” the statement continued, seemingly referencing online reports claiming that Shult was trampled during a set by the speed metal band.
“However, we want to clarify that this is not the case. The on-site medical team responded to this medical incident, near the Ferris Wheel area, prior to Slayer’s performance. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing further details,” it concluded.
Prior to his passing, Shult’s daughter, Jen Eaton, started a GoFundMe to help pay for the cost of her father’s treatment, saying that she and her dad attended the festival on Sept. 22 as a “typical father daughter, music festival activity. After separating for the last band, my Father never met up at any of our designated meet up spots and was reported missing. After posting on the Riot Fest FB page for any tips locating him, we were soon able to find him, thanks to that amazing community.”
She said her dad was then brought into the neurology ICU with “head trauma, under the wrong name. By the time we were able to locate him, he had undergone a craniotomy due to brain swelling and a brain bleed. He has since been in the Neuro ICU.” At the time, Eaton said doctors remained “hopeful” about her dad’s prognosis.
Then, on Sunday, she announced her father’s death. “Yesterday at 1:48pm we lost our Dad. His recovery initially was going wonderfully. Over the weekend he began to decline with minor issues but by Tuesday night changes were happening rapidly for the worst. When we arrived Wednesday they suspected he was in a natural coma and had little to no brain activity. We were put in the position to determine the next steps. After more testing and another day of waiting for those results it was confirmed he would not have any decent quality of life moving forward if he recovered and we collectively as a family, made the decision to let him be at peace. It was the hardest decision my family and I have ever had to make. Once made comfortable and removed from breathing machines he passed very quickly.”
This year’s Riot Fest lineup featured headliners Fall Out Boy, Beck, Pavement and Slayer, who closed out the event’s final night. Other acts who performed included: The Offspring, the Marley Brothers, Sum 41, Cypress Hill, New Found Glory, NOFX, St. Vincent, Spoon, Rob Zombie, Sublime, Tierra Whack and more.
See the statement from Riot Fest below.
Janice Combs, mother to Sean “Diddy” Combs, has released a statement on behalf of the Combs family amid ongoing sex crime allegations against the music mogul.
Combs was indicted by federal prosecutors in mid-September on racketeering and sex trafficking charges and denied bail.
In a statement released Sunday (Oct. 6) through attorney Natlie G. Figgers, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Combs’ mother said Diddy is not guilty of the allegations against him: “My son is not the monster they have painted him to be, and he deserves the chance to tell his side.”
“It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies,” reads her statement, which comes five days after it was reported Diddy will face lawsuits from 120 additional accusers for alleged incidents dating as far back as 1991. “To bear witness [to] what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words. Like every human being, my son deserves to have his day in court, to finally share his side, and to prove his innocence.”
Indictment documents unsealed on Sept. 17 said, “For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct. To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”
Combs was denied bail. If convicted of the charges, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life behind bars.
On Sunday, his mother said, “I am not here to portray my son as perfect because he is not. He has made mistakes in his past, as we all have.”
She referenced the lawsuit Combs settled last year from singer and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who accused him of rape and abuse. Combs had denied her allegations, but when video surfaced of him physically assaulting her in a hotel, issued an apology.
“My son may not have been entirely truthful about certain things, such as denying he has ever gotten violent with an ex-girlfriend when the hotel’s surveillance showed otherwise,” Janice Combs said in her statement. “Sometimes, the truth and a lie become so closely intertwined that it becomes terrifying to admit one part of the story, especially when that truth is outside the norm or is too complicated to be believed. This is why I believe my son’s civil legal team opted to settle the ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit instead of contesting it until the end, resulting in a ricochet effect as the federal government used this decision against my son by interpreting it as an admission of guilt.”
She said this does not make him guilty of the multiple “repulsive allegations and the grave charges leveled against him.”
“Many individuals who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated had their freedom taken from them not because they were guilty of the crimes they were accused of, but because they didn’t fit the image of what this society considers to be a ‘good person.’ History has showed us how individuals can be wrongfully convicted due to their past actions or mistakes,” she said.
“It is truly agonizing to watch the world turn against my son so quickly and easily over lies and misconceptions, without ever hearing his side or affording him the opportunity to present his side,” she added.
“These lies thrown at him are motivated by those seeking a financial gain, and not justice,” reads the statement. “These individuals saw how quickly my son’s civil legal team settled his ex-girlfriend’s lawsuit, so they believe they can receive a quick payday by falsely accusing my son. False allegations of sexual assault thwart true victims of sexual violence from getting the justice they deserve. To make matters worse, the federal government is now using these lies to prosecute my son. This injustice has been unbearable for our family. The worst part of this ordeal is watching my beloved son be stripped of his dignity, not for what he did, but for what people choose to believe about him.”
Madonna‘s younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, has died at the age of 63.
Christopher passed away after a battle with cancer on Friday (Oct. 4) in Michigan, his representative confirmed to TMZ.
The Queen of Pop has faced many deaths in her family as of late. Christopher’s passing arrives less than two weeks after the death of Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, who also had cancer. The pop superstar’s oldest brother, Anthony Ciccone, also passed away in February 2023 of respiratory failure and throat cancer. He was 66.
Madonna hadn’t publicly commented on Christopher’s passing at press time. Billboard has reached out to her reps for comment.
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Christopher — one of Madonna’s seven siblings — began his entertainment career as one of his sister’s backup dancers before moving on to direct music videos for such stars as Dolly Parton and Tony Bennett. He also served as the art director for Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour and was the tour director for her 1993 The Girlie Show.
Madonna and Christopher, who was also an artist and interior designer, had a falling out that was documented in his 2008 book, Life With My Sister Madonna, which reached No. 2 on the New York Times best-seller list. He claimed that the singer outed him in a 1991 interview with The Advocate, saying, “My brother Christopher’s gay, and he and I have always been the closest members of my family.”
Christopher later addressed his relationship with Madonna in a 2012 interview with The Evening Standard. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re good. We are in contact with each other, although I haven’t seen her for a long time. We’re back to being a brother and sister. I don’t work for her, and it’s better this way,” he said at the time.
“I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is a force to be reckoned with. Does she have Barbra Streisand’s voice? No,” Christopher added about his sister. “Can she dance like Martha Graham? Probably not. But the combination of her abilities has made her great, and left a huge legacy for her, and through her, for me. So yeah, God bless her.”
Christopher married British hairdresser Ray Thacker in 2016.
Mimis Plessas, a beloved Greek composer whose music featured in scores of films, television shows and theatrical productions and who provided the soundtrack to millions of Greeks’ lives, has died just a week shy of his 100th birthday.
His death was confirmed Saturday (Oct. 5) by his wife, Loukila Carrer. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid tribute to Plessas, writing, “A leading composer, a great scholar and a kind man has left us.
Born in Athens on Oct. 12, 1924, Plessas began his musical journey at a young age. He became a piano soloist at state radio before entering international piano competitions while still in his 20s. His gift for composition would cement his legacy.
Plessas became a constant presence on Greek television, his mild manner and singalong melodies endearing him to generations. Often seated at the piano, accompanying renowned Greek stars, he was a fixture of musical moments and celebrations for decades, his music becoming intertwined with the nation’s cultural fabric. His 1969 composition, “O Dromos” (The Street), remains one of the highest-selling albums in Greek history.
He collaborated with a constellation of Greek music icons, including Nana Mouskouri, Vicky Leandros, Giannis Poulopoulos, Marinella, and lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos, shaping the landscape of Greek music. His work defied genre, blending traditional Greek music forms with elements of jazz and classical, creating an easy-on-the-ear signature sound — softer than the hard jangle of many of his contemporaries.
“His ‘Road’ was rich, full of melodies that start from jazz and permeate Greek song, as well as Greek cinema,” Mitsotakis said. “Mimis Plessas was unique, just like the moments he will forever give us with his music.”
Plessas’ contributions extended beyond composing. He produced a popular radio quiz show, In 30 Seconds, and he served as a judge on numerous Greek and international music competition panels. He was also a member of prestigious artistic societies, including the Greek Society of Theatrical Authors and the Society of Greek Composers and Lyricists.
Plessas is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. Funeral arrangements were not immediately known.
The family of the late Tupac Shakur has hired New York attorney Alex Spiro to investigate an alleged link between the rapper’s death and Sean “Diddy” Combs, Billboard can confirm. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Shakur was 25 years old when he was shot and killed while […]
In a year when famously battling brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher defied the odds and announced they were burying the hatchet and reuniting after a decade-and-a-half of incessant public sniping, Pink Floyd‘s David Gilmour made it crystal clear that he is never, ever getting back together with the band’s former bassist/singer Roger Waters.
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Asked by a fan in a Guardian reader interview if he’d ever perform again on stage with Waters, Gilmour said “absolutely not.” Then, in a pointed attack seemingly aimed at some of Waters’ more controversial comments in recent years about the war in Ukraine and his seeming support of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and authoritarian Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, Gilmour took fire at the Floyd co-founder.
“I tend to steer clear of people who actively support genocidal and autocratic dictators like Putin and Maduro [president of Venezuela],” Gilmour said. “Nothing would make me share a stage with someone who thinks such treatment of women and the LGBT community is OK.”
Waters has frequently stirred controversy with his political views about Israel and the war in Ukraine. His comments about the government of Israel led to his record company, BMG, dropping the Floyd co-founder and solo performer earlier this year after Berlin police opened an investigation into the imagery in a May 2023 Waters show in that city. Officials said the probe was launched over “suspicion of incitement to public hatred” related to costumes that appeared to replicate Nazi uniforms and claims that Waters’ show desecrated the memory of Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
Water denied the claims, writing on X, “My recent performance in Berlin has attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles. The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms. Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated.”
During the show, Waters wore a costume resembling the Nazi SS soldier uniform — a long black coat with a red armband — while pointing a fake rifle at the crowd, with the singer saying later that the “depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue” has been featured in his past live performances since the release of the 1980 Pink Floyd film The Wall. In May 2023, a number of Jewish groups and politicians rallied against Waters’ concert in Frankfurt, Germany, accusing the singer of antisemitism after unsuccessfully pushing to have the show cancelled. It took place in the city’s Festhalle, where more than 3,000 Jews were rounded up, beaten and abused by Nazis before being sent to concentration camps in 1938.
Waters, who has frequently drawn the ire of the pro-Israel community for his vehement support of the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts and sanctions against the state of Israel, again rejected the claims of antisemitism.
A month later, the Biden administration’s State Department weighed in on what it called Waters’ “long track record of using antisemitic tropes” and the German show it said “contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust.”
Gilmour and Waters have been at odds since the bassist split with the group in 1984, trading barbs in the press as Waters continues to tour and perform Floyd music alongside his solo material, while the Gilmour-led Floyd ceased touring in 1994.
Pink Floyd’s musical assets — not including their publishing — were recently bought by Sony for around $400 million.
Rebel Wilson is countersuing The Deb producers Amanda Ghost, Cameron Gregor and Vince Holden, accusing them of a “troubling pattern” of “theft, bullying and sexual misconduct.”
The cross-complaint comes months after Ghost, Gregor and Holden sued Wilson for defamation in July after she initially accused them of sexual harassment and embezzlement in an Instagram video. The producing trio alleged in their lawsuit that Wilson lied in an attempt to release her movie The Deb — which Wilson directors, produced and starred in — at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as secure a writing credit on the film.
Wilson’s new suit alleges that Ghost was sexually harassing the film’s lead actress, Charlotte MacInnes, and “forced MacInnes to live in her Bondi Beach penthouse apartment with her,” where “Ghost took a shower and a bath with MacInnes.” It also claimed that “Ghost was overheard making overtly sexual remarks to MacInnes on set.”
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, MacInnes said, “There is no truth to the allegations made involving me. I made a statement to the film team when this was first said in September 2023, and I am saying this again now to draw a line under it. Making false accusations undermines real victims, and I won’t be the subject of a fabricated narrative.”
In Wilson’s suit, Ghost, Gregor and Holden are also accused of scheming to inflate the film’s budget and pocket the excess funds, according to the complaint. The suit said they “embezzled AU $900,000 from the film’s budget to be split between them.”
When Wilson reported the allegations to executive producer Danny Cohen, which he allegedly ignored, according to the suit, that’s when the producing trio “orchestrated a malicious and unyielding retaliatory campaign directed at her.”
Wilson claimed that the ongoing threats and intimidation tactics led her to hire “personal security on the set of The Deb,” so she could finish filming. The complaint also alleged that Gregor threatened to “terminate” the project and “fire its approximately 300 cast and crew members,” unless she signed a document “stating she withdrew her complaint about Ghost’s sexual misconduct” allegations.
Wilson’s attorney Bryan Freedman wrote in a statement, “Amanda Ghost, Cameron Gregor, and Vince Holden attempted to manipulate the narrative by recklessly filing an outlandish lawsuit. Their real problem? Only a fraction of their outrageous conduct has been revealed thus far. In their desperation to shift the story, they neglected to consider that this strategy would only lead to RW’s filing of a cross-complaint which exhibits a plethora of their shocking misconduct which there are many witnesses to. Many brave people have come forward who have had similar dealings with Amanda Ghost. While unfortunate, this was not a surprise. Stay tuned, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to come.”
THR has reached out to reps for Cohen, Ghost, Gregor, and Holden for comment.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Could there be anything more on-brand than Tim Walz losing it over Bruce Springsteen‘s endorsement of Kamala Harris for President? The Minnesota Governor who is running as current Democratic V.P. Harris’ running mate had a typically enthusiastic, joyful response to the full-throated stamp of approval from The Boss in a three-minute video the rock icon posted on Thursday (Oct. 3).
“Wow. As a lifelong fan of The Boss, I couldn’t be more honored to have his support,” Walz wrote on X Thursday night along with a repost of the plainspoken video from the “Born in the U.S.A.” singer who referred to Harris’ Republican opponent Donald Trump as the “most dangerous candidate for President in my lifetime.”
Springsteen, who was a vocal supporter of President Joe Biden in his 2020 election run — he narrated a “Hometown” ad for the Biden campaign — took on a somber tone for the clip filmed in an empty diner in which he speaks directly to camera to deliver a plainspoken explanation of why he’s backing the Democratic ticket.
“We are shortly coming up on one of the most consequential elections in our nation’s history,” he says. “Perhaps not since the Civil War has this great country felt as politically, emotionally and spiritually divided as it does at this moment. It doesn’t have to be this way. The common values, the shared stories that make this a great and united nation are waiting to be rediscovered and retold once again. That will take time, hard work, intelligence, faith and women and men with the national good guiding their hearts.”
Springsteen goes on to praise the bedrock values he says Harris believes in, including “freedom, social justice, equal opportunity, the right to be in love with who you want,” while ticking off a list of what he says are the disqualifying attributes of twice impeached convicted felon Trump. “His disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law, and the sanctity for the peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from the office of president ever again. He doesn’t understand the meaning of this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American,” the singer says.
Springsteen is among a long list of A-list stars who’ve lined up to support the Harris/Walz campaign, joining Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Wonder, Lil Nas X, Maren Morris, Barbra Streisand, Ariana Grande, Stevie Nicks, Cardi B, Katy Perry and many more. Trump also picked up an endorsement this week from Shazam star Zachary Levi, after the actor’s preferred candidate, vaccine conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abandoned his bid. In addition to the Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget actor, Trump has been endorsed by Kanye West, Elon Musk, Kid Rock, Hulk Hogan, Randy Quaid, Amber Rose, Russell Brand, Rosanne Barr and Rob Schneider.
See Walz’s reaction below.
The Boss has spoken. Bruce Springsteen took to social media on Thursday (Oct. 3) to officially announce that in the upcoming presidential election, he will be voting for the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ticket. “We are shortly coming up on one of the most consequential elections in our nation’s history,” he explains in the […]