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A memorial service for Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna is held at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. The date -- February 24 -- reflects the basketball jersey numbers worn by Gianna (No. 2) and Kobe (No. 24). Included will be the Houston Rockets' James Harden and Russell Westbrook and Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, who is scheduled to address the crowd.
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Vanessa Bryant has just sued the company that owned the doomed helicopter that crashed, killing Kobe, Gigi and 7 others ... claiming the aircraft should never have been placed in the peril it was in before the accident.
The lawsuit alleges Island Express was only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, and the conditions the day of the crash were not conducive for such flying. As we reported, the fog was extremely low and the pilot was in blinding conditions before the mishap.
The lawsuit also says the pilot was going 180 miles per hour in the heavy fog in a steep decline.
The lawsuit claims the pilot failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff, failed to obtain proper weather data prior to the flight, failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy condition, failed to maintain control of the helicopter and failed to avoid "natural obstacles" in the flight path.
The suit says Island Express engaged in unnecessary and needlessly risky means of transportation under the circumstances.
The suit also asks for damages for "pre-impact" terror -- damages for the emotional trauma Kobe and Gigi suffered as the pilot struggled to get out of the clouds before the crash.
The lawsuit also says the pilot, Ara George Zobayan, was disciplined in 2015 for violating the visual flight rule minimums by flying into an airspace of reduced visibility.
The lawsuit also claims the helicopter was not safe, although it doesn't say what was unsafe. It could be the basis for the claim is that the helicopter was not certified to fly in bad weather.
The lawsuit does not list an amount of damages sought, but Vanessa is asking for punitive damages, claiming the pilot and Island Express were reckless, and the damages could be untold millions.
Source: TMZ
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NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday at his sexual assault trial, sealing his dizzying fall from powerful Hollywood studio boss to archvillain of the #MeToo movement.
He was found guilty of criminal sex act for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013. The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could have resulted in a life sentence.
The verdict followed weeks of often harrowing and excruciatingly graphic testimony from a string of accusers who told of rapes, forced oral sex, groping, masturbation, lewd propositions and that’s-Hollywood excuses from Weinstein about how the casting couch works.
The conviction was seen as a long-overdue reckoning for Weinstein after years of whispers about his behavior turned into a torrent of accusations in 2017 that destroyed his career and gave rise to #MeToo, the global movement to encourage women to come forward and hold powerful men accountable for their sexual misconduct.
The jury of seven men and five women took five days to find him guilty.
The case against the once-feared producer was essentially built on three allegations: that he raped an aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013, that he forcibly performed oral sex on Haleyi and that he raped and forcibly performed oral sex on “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra in her apartment in the mid-1990s.
He's facing five to 25 years for the criminal sexual assault conviction and 18 months to four years for the third-degree rape conviction
Weinstein now faces charges in Los Angeles. In that case, announced just as the New York trial was getting under way on Jan. 6, authorities allege Weinstein raped one woman and sexually assaulted another on back-to-back nights during Oscars week in 2013. One of those women testified as a supporting witness at the New York trial.
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Actress Nia Long was the latest guest on The Breakfast Club.
She talked about the loss of her father, motherhood, producing, new movie "The Banker" and more.
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Video After The Jump
In the aftermath of Deontay Wilder's first career loss at the hands of Tyson Fury, a look ahead to whether a third match with Fury will be his next bout and what went wrong in the former champ's seventh-round TKO loss.
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In this episode of People's Party, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with actor, writer, dancer, rapper, comedian, music producer, and friend -- Affion Crockett. This extensive conversation covers a multitude of subjects, including his road to success -- growing up, and frequenting school talent shows, then moving to Hollywood and landing gigs as an extra on "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," dancing on Soul Train, then soon after his big break getting a stand-up spot on Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam.
They discuss his prominent work on MTV's "Wild 'N Out" and what he learned from watching Nick Cannon's drive and his prolific multi-tasking abilities. He also speaks on more lessons he took away from working with Jamie Foxx, Will Smith, and others. They touch on the common criticism of some that impressionism is not acting, Affion's effective use of social media platforms to get his comedy out to the masses, his upcoming stand-up special, and of course this interview wouldn't be complete without a run through of some of Affion's classic rapper impressions, including J-Cole, Jay-Z, Kanye West, 2 Chainz, and more.
Check out the audio podcasts here:
Apple - https://applepodcasts.com/peoplesparty
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/peoplesparty
Interview timing:
1:57 -- Talib dedicates this episode to his and Affion's close mutual friend Dave New York, who recently passed.
4:33 -- Affion details his inspiration to do impressions coming from watching comedian Kool Bubba Ice, who frequently imitated emcees on Def Comedy Jam. They also discuss the comedy/hip hop overlap, and MTV's Wild 'N Out.
9:11 -- Affion talks about his early years performing at school talent shows, and his parents reactions to his early interest of a career in entertainment.
11:43 -- Talib asks Affion about his appearance on Def Comedy Jam in 1996, fresh out of high school.
13:46 -- Affion tells about his experience working with Jim Carrey as an extra in "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls", one of his first gigs in Hollywood.
18:32 -- Talib asks Affion about another one of his first jobs in LA working on the iconic music-dance show "Soul Train". He also speaks on how music and dancing taught him to listen, and how he applies that to all aspects of his career.
22:17 -- Affion does a run though of some of his classic rapper impersonations.
26:17 -- Talib asks Affion how he landed his job on Wild 'N Out, and lessons learned about drive and ambition working with Nick Cannon. Affion also speaks on Jamie Foxx's storytelling abilities, and Will Smith as a visionary.
33:51 -- The trio discusses some people's dismissiveness of impressions, trying to separate that from what they perceive as true acting. Using Jamie Foxx's performance in "Ray" as one example.
36:34 -- Affion talks about his successful use of social media, in the advancement of his career via his rap parodies.
39:32 -- Affion speaks on his satisfaction of making Martin Lawrence break character during the shoot of "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins", as well as lessons learned from Jamie Foxx, watching him pitch ideas to Hollywood executives.
43:12 -- Talib asks Affion to walk him through the making of his classic furniture scene in the comedy "A Haunted House". Jasmin also asks Affion to do the the "single Jay-Z" impression.
46:39 -- Affion talks about some of his voice-over acting, and the trio also discuss the late, great John Witherspoon.
50:14 -- Affion on working with Lebron James and Dr. Dre on a commercial, and being humbled when Dre told him he was a huge fan of his work, and recounts Common's response to Affion's impression of him.
51:31 -- Affion tells about what we can expect next from him, including a new stand-up special due out soon.
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Video After The Jump
Complex's Joe La Puma goes Sneaker Shopping with the host of the Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, at Flight Club in New York City to talk about his history in sneakers, getting dissed by Barneys' employees back in the day, and Hasan Minhaj hooking him up with Air Jordan 1s.
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Video After The Jump
Queens, New York has a deep history of birthing elite emcees. Focus the Truth has emerged as the next artist capable of being added to the list.
Peep his new music video for "Pay to Play" featuring Elle Simone and Vo and you'll see what we mean.
This is off of Focus' "Immortal" album, available now!
https://focusthetruth.com/immortal
https://focusthetruth.com/store
You can purchase the single "Pay to Play" here:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/pay-to-play-feat-vo-elle-simone/1497769720?i=1497770230
Video directed by Altrac Productions @altracproductions
Website: http://www.altracproductions.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altracproductions/
Produced by Smoking Indoors @smokingindoors
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smokingindoors/
Follow Follow the Truth @focusthetruth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/focusthetruth/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/focusthetruth
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/focusthetruth
Official website: https://focusthetruth.com/
Follow Elle Simone @scrubdaddii
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scrubdaddii/
Follow Vo @wu_vo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wu_vo/
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Rochester, New York emcee and New Crack Era boss, Eto, is in the lab with partner Jai Black cooking up a collaborative project titled "Thou Shall Kill." As a warm the pair drop off this fire "Bad Publicity" freestyle.
Produced by Nottz @nottzdaruler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nottzdaruler/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NottzRaw
Follow Eto @EtoMusicRoc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/etomusicroc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EtoMusicROC
Follow Jai Black @jaiblackkk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaiblackkk/
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NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna will be memorialized in a televised event that celebrates the life and legacy of the athlete on the morning of Monday, Feb. 24 beginning at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. Held at Los Angeles' Staples Center, aka the "house that Kobe built, "A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant,"will recognize the contributions Bryant made to the sport and and culture at large as fans continue to grieve over his and seven others' tragic death in a helicopter crash in January.
There are multiple ways to watch the service. The Bryants' memorial service will air live on several networks, including BET, CNN, and E! News, and audiences can also stream through ETLive.com and CBS All Access, as well as the ET Live app on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV. ABC News, Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, Yahoo Sports, and Facebook Watch will also live-stream the event.
Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant were two of the nine people who died in the Calabasas, California, helicopter crash in January. The incident inspired an outpouring of tributes from across the world. John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and the aircraft's pilot Ara Zobayan also died in the incident.
The date of the service has particular significance to the Bryant family, as Vanessa Bryant revealed on Instagram; 2/24/20 represents Gianna's jersey number 2, Kobe's jersey number 24, and the 20 years that Kobe Bryant was a Laker.
Source: TV Guide
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ST CHARLES, Mo. (WTHR) — A mother was charged after her 11-year-old daughter gave birth in a bathtub last week.
Lesbia Cante pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge of endangering the welfare of a child. In court Wednesday, her cash-only bail was increased to $100,000 from $10,000.
According to court documents, Cante and her husband, Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Lopez, took a newborn to St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles last week. The baby still had the umbilical cord and placenta attached and had a body temperature of 90 degrees.
Gonzalez-Lopez initially told police someone left the infant on his front porch. In an interview with detectives two days later, he told police the father of the child was his son, 17-year-old Norvin Leonidas Lopez-Cante, and the mother was the teen’s 11-year-old relative.
Gonzalez-Lopez said he did not know the girl was pregnant or that Lopez-Cante was raping her until she gave birth to the child in their bathtub.
After police read Lopez-Cante his Miranda rights, he told police he had sex with the girl about 100 times but did not know she was pregnant. He said he did not know when he first had sex with her but said it happened about twice a week.
Lopez-Cante was charged with first-degree statutory rape, statutory sodomy and incest. His bond was set at $25,000, cash-only.
Gonzalez-Lopez was charged with endangering the welfare of a child for his role in the incident. His bail was set at $10,000, cash only. Charging documents said he entered the country illegally and was previously deported.
According to Child Center Inc., the Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri, Inc., 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18.
They say 90% of the time, it’s by someone the child knows or has a relationship with. They call it the three L’s: it’s either by someone you like, love or live with.
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EASTHAM, Mass. (AP) — One of the jurors who convicted notorious crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger says she regrets her decision after learning that he was an unwitting participant in a covert CIA experiment with LSD.
Bulger terrorized Boston from the 1970s into the 1990s with a campaign of murder, extortion, and drug trafficking, then spent 16 years on the lam after he was tipped to his pending arrest.
In 2013, Janet Uhlar was one of 12 jurors who found Bulger guilty in a massive racketeering case, including involvement in 11 murders, even after hearing evidence that the mobster was helped by corrupt agents in the Boston office of the FBI.
But now Uhlar says she regrets voting to convict Bulger on any of the murder charges.
Her regret stems from a cache of more than 70 letters Bulger wrote to her from prison. In some, he describes his unwitting participation in a secret CIA experiment with LSD. In a desperate search for a mind control drug in the late 1950s, the agency dosed Bulger with the powerful hallucinogen more than 50 times when he was serving his first stretch in prison — something his lawyers never brought up in his federal trial.
“Had I known, I would have absolutely held off on the murder charges,” Uhlar told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “He didn’t murder prior to the LSD. His brain may have been altered, so how could you say he was really guilty?” At the same time, Uhlar says she would have voted to convict Bulger on the long list of other criminal counts, meaning he still would likely have died in prison.
Uhlar has spoken publicly about her regret before but says her belief that the gangster was wrongly convicted on the murder charges was reinforced after reading a new book by Brown University professor Stephen Kinzer: “Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control.” The book digs into the dark tale of the CIA’s former chief chemist and his attempts to develop mind control techniques by giving LSD and other drugs to unsuspecting individuals, including colleagues, and observing the effects.
“It was encouraging to know I wasn’t losing my mind, thinking this was important,” Uhlar said. “It told me, this is huge. I mean, how many lives were affected by this? We have no idea.”
Gottlieb’s secret program, known as MK-ULTRA, enlisted doctors and other subcontractors to administer LSD in large doses to prisoners, addicts and others unlikely to complain. In Bulger’s case, the mobster and fellow inmates were offered reduced time for their participation and told they would be taking part in medical research into a cure for schizophrenia.
After Bulger was found guilty by Uhlar and the other jurors, a federal judge sentenced him to two life terms plus five years. But his life behind bars ended a little more than a year ago, at age 89, when he was beaten to death by fellow inmates shortly after arriving in his wheelchair at the Hazelton federal prison in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. No criminal charges have been filed.
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Video After The Jump
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tyson Fury reinvented himself once again, and once again he’s a heavyweight champion.
The Gypsy King dropped Deontay Wilder twice Saturday night in their heavyweight title rematch, turning from boxer to puncher to win the title when Wilder’s corner threw in the towel as he was taking a beating in the seventh round.
It was a stunning turnaround for a fighter who came back from drug and alcohol abuse to win the title for a second time, made even more surprising because Wilder was the devastating puncher in their first fight 14 months ago.
``The king has returned to his throne,” proclaimed Fury, who fought to a draw with Wilder in their first fight.
Fury dropped Wilder in the third round with a right hand that seemed to take the legs out of the champion. He put him down again in the fifth round, this time with a left hand to the body.
He also bloodied Wilder’s ear, and seemed to lick the blood off his shoulder in a bizarre scene in the sixth round. If that wasn’t enough fun for the night, he tried to lead the crowd in a singalong of “American Pie” after the fight. Fury knew all the words.
The end came at 1:39 of the seventh round when referee Kenny Bayless stopped the fight after Wilder’s corner threw in the towel as he was getting pummeled in a neutral corner. Blood was pouring out of Wilder’s ear for several rounds before Fury went in for the shoulder lick.
It was the first loss for Wilder in 44 fights, and it came in the 11th defense of the title he won in 2015.
``Even the greatest have lost and come back,″ Wilder said. ``I make no excuses. This is what big-time boxing is all about.″
The two fighters are under contract for a third fight, though Wilder could opt out of it as the loser. If the fight happens, Fury would get the better part of a 60-40 purse bid.
Fury stalked Wilder almost from the opening bell, using his jab to control the early rounds. He won every round on the scorecard of the Associated Press and was in total command of the fight when it ended.
Ringside punch stats demonstrated Fury’s dominance, showing him out landing Wilder 82-34 in total punches. Fury landed 58 power punches in less than seven rounds of the rematch after landing just 38 in the first fight Wilder landed just 34 punches all fight and just 18 power shots.
Wilder briefly protested the stoppage, as a pro-Fury crowd of 15,816 at the MGM Grand hotel roared in delight. The highly anticipated fight drew a heavyweight record $16.9 million gate and promoters believe it sold well on pay-per-view, too.
``I wish my corner would have let me go out on my shield,” Wilder said. ``He did what he did. There’s no excuses.’’
Wilder, who at 6-foot-7 and 231 pounds was the smaller man in the ring to the 6-foot-9 British giant, was backpedaling the entire fight, trying to catch Fury coming in with a right hand. But he was never able to throw it effectively, and unable to deal with Fury’s jab either.
Two judges had Fury winning every round, while the third gave Wilder one round. Fury had a point deducted for grabbing and pushing in the fifth round.
``He manned up and he really did show the heart of a champion,″ Fury said. ``He’s a warrior, he will be back, he will be a champion again. But the king has returned.”
Fury had bulked up to 273 pounds for the rematch, vowing to change tactics and become the big puncher. He was true to his word, dominating early with a jab that stopped Wilder in his tracks and then landing combinations to the head and body.
Fury (30-0-1, 21 KO) came into the ring carried aloft on a throne with a crown on his head. Then he showed he was really the Gypsy King as he made it an easy night against a fighter who had gone 12 years without losing as a pro.
For Wilder it was a stunning end to an unbeaten mark that had seen him knock out 41 of his previous 43 opponents. But his devastating right hand was never a factor, and Fury seemed to walk through it. That was unlike the first fight 14 months ago when Wilder knocked Fury down twice on his way to a draw.
Both fighters were guaranteed $5 million in the rematch but could make $40 million apiece.
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(Click Cover To Listen and Download)
Check out Lyrical Vapor Ent's hot new mixtape "These Vapors Aint For The Weakhearted"
#TVAFTWH HOSTED BY #POODIEVILLE
Rising Hip Hop Artist ‘Billionaire Beezo’ was born in Columbia, South Carolina who currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Beezo started making music in January of 2019 as a coping mechanism while she going through challenging times in her life. She released her first single entitled “Whats Mine is Mine” in June of 2019. Her message is promoting independence, and being unapologetically you. Fast forwarding to 2020 she released her newest EP “Never Been Broke” February 16 which is available on all platforms.
Take Money Inc. boss Yung JB and Cory Gunz always represent the Bronx well when they collaborate. The duo are back like they never left with a heater titled "Fuck You Mean."
This is off of JB's just released "Drug Dealers 3" album, which is available now on all major streaming platforms:
https://tidal.com/browse/album/132119306
Produced by BeatSmith @beatsmithmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beatsmithmusic/
Follow Yung JB @TakeMoneyInc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takemoneyinc/
Follow Take Money KO @takemoneyko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takemoneyko/
Follow Cory Gunz @corygunz174
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corygunz174/
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Yung JB is in his bag right now. Just weeks after releasing "Drug Dealers Pt. 2," the South Bronx, New York native is back with "Drug Dealers 3."
"Drug Dealers 3" available now on Tidal
https://tidal.com/browse/album/132119306
Check out this Nobody Famous-produced banger off of it titled "Heavy Weight."
Follow Yung JB @TakeMoneyInc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takemoneyinc/
Follow Take Money KO @takemoneyko
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/takemoneyko/
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Video After The Jump
In this clip from People's Party, Talib Kweli, Jasmin Leigh, and guest Affion Crockett talk about the drive and brilliance behind entertainers Affion has worked with over the years. They especially dive into Nick Cannon's ability to do multiple things while making "Wild N' Out," Jamie Foxx as a storyteller, and Will Smith's vision. Full episode arrives on Monday 2/24 at 9AMet/6AMpt.
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}