Month: June 2022

On Tuesday, a Los Angeles jury found Bill Cosby guilty of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1975. The jury of eight women and four men found the 84-year-old Cosby liable for damages and awarded the plaintiff, Judy Huth, $500,000. Huth filed the civil lawsuit in 2014, but it was put on hold as prosecutors pursued a criminal case against Cosby in Pennsylvania that resulted in his 2018 conviction on charges he drugged and sexually assaulted Andrea Constand.

Jury deliberations restarted on Monday after they left the question of whether Cosby acted with “malice, oppression or fraud” unanswered by day’s end on Friday. Jurors had reached a verdict on the eight other questions on the second day of deliberations, including whether Cosby sexually molested Huth, whether she was under 18, and whether Cosby had reason to know her age.

Huth told a reporter after the verdict was delivered, “I feel vindicated.”  Cosby was released from prison last year after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overruled his 2018 criminal conviction, ruling that there was a due process violation because Cosby had an agreement with a previous prosecutor that he wouldn’t be charged in the case. Cosby has denied all allegations of sexual assault.

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Netflix dropped the official trailer for Volume 2, Season 4 of “Stranger Things”, which will debut on the streaming service next month. Stranger Things is a sci-fi horror series that follows a young group of friends as they experience supernatural events. Season 4, Volume 1 premiered in May, with Volume 2 to follow July 1.

Volume 1 ended on a major cliffhanger, and the new trailer shows Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends prepare to fight Vecna, a malevolent and powerful being that has been terrorizing their home of Hawkins, Ind.

“Stranger Things” also stars Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Sadie Sink as Max, Joe Keery as Steve, Natalie Dyer as Nancy, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan and Maya Hawke as Robin. Season 4 also features Priah Ferguson, Eduardo Franco, Joseph Quinn, Mason Dye, Robert Englund, Tom Wlaschiha, Sherman Augustus, Nikola Djuricko, Joel Stoffer, Amybeth McNulty, Myles Truitt, Regina Ting Chen and Grace Van Dien.

Season 4 of the series is executive produced by the Duffer brothers, Shawn Levy and Curtis Gwinn. Part 2 will consist of two episodes, including a supersized episode with a runtime of almost two and a half hours.

Watch the trailer – here.

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Beyoncé dropped “Break My Soul,” the first single from her forthcoming seventh solo studio album “Renaissance,” at midnight ET, via Tidal and a lyric video on YouTube. The singer had announced news of the song drop on social media Monday morning, posting on each platform with the caption “6. BREAK MY SOUL. out now.”  ‘Break My Soul’ features two samples: one from Robin S.’ classic house hit “Show Me Love”  and a vocal taken from Big Freedia’s “Explode,” off the 2014 LP Just Be Free. 

Beyoncé had announced news about her new Renaissance LP last week; the eagerly-anticipated album (which is noted as “act i”) will be arriving on July 29. Sources say the album will feature both dance and country-leaning tracks, with contributions from hit songwriter Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote her 2008 hit “Halo” as well as hits for Adele, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Bros. and his own group, OneRepublic. Also said to be involved is Raphael Saadiq, who has crafted hits for Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Andra Day as well as his own excellent solo albums, and executive-produced “A Seat at the Table,” Beyoncé’s sister Solange’s 2016 album.

Check out Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” at the official lyric video – here.

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Zac Efron will star in “The Iron Claw” for A24, with Sean Durkin writing and directing. Based on a true story, “The Iron Claw” follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day. The title of the film comes from a trademark wrestling hold that the family, headed by patriarch Fritz Von Erich, would apply to opponents in the ring.

It hasn’t been revealed who Efron will be playing in the film, though it seems likely he’d be playing one of the pro wrestlers of the Von Erich family. The Iron Claw follows the “rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.”

Efron is set to appear in the upcoming war drama The Greatest Beer Run Ever which also stars Russell Crowe and Bill Murray. Netflix also just announced that Efron would be featured as part of the ensemble cast for an upcoming untitled Netflix rom-com also starring Nicole Kidman and Jeff King. ​​​​​​​

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The Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2023 has been revealed, and the list of inductees includes Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Mindy Kaling, Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz and many more. A total of 24 entertainers will be recognized throughout the upcoming year.

The news was revealed in a statement (here) announcing the 2023 honorees. The selectees were chosen from among hundreds of nominations, and are then ratified by the Chamber’s Walk of Fame selection panel. Chairwoman and Walk of Fame star recipient Ellen K said in a statement: “The Selection Panel, made up of fellow Walk of Famers, hand-picks a group of honorees each year that represent various genres of the entertainment world. The panel thoughtfully selected these talented individuals, and we can’t wait to celebrate them as they become part of Hollywood’s history with the unveiling of their star on the world’s most famous walkway!”

The Motion Picture category will include Uma Thurman, Vince Vaughn, Ludacris, Bill Pullman, and director John Waters. Paul Walker will also be honored posthumously.

The Recording (Music) category includes the Jonas Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Marc Anthony, and Blake Shelton.

Then in the Television category, the honorees include director Jon Favreau, Mindy Kaling, Martin Lawrence, Ralph Macchio, and Ellen Pompeo.

As of press time, ceremony dates for the 2023 recipients have not been announced.  Star ceremonies are announced by the Walk of Fame committee 10 days before they occur.

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