Category: Entertainment Daypop

Cassie Ventura is speaking out for the first time following the release of a 2016 video that showed her being physically abused by ex-boyfriend, Sean “Diddy” Combs.

On Thursday, May 23, Ventura thanked her supporters in a statement released on Instagram, expressing her thanks “for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to Meer” after footage of her being physically assaulted by Combs, 54, went public last week. Ventura, 37, continued: “The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.  Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”

Cassie also voiced her support for others experiencing abuse and asked people to do the same: “Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in. I offer my hand to hose that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don’t cut them off. No one should carry this weight alone .. The healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you.”

CNN published a surveillance video May 17 that shows Combs appearing to grab, shove, drag and kick Ventura in a hallway of the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in March 2016. Combs apologized in a video posted to social media, but did not mention Ventura by name, saying in part:  “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Diddy and Cassie dated on and off from 2007 to 2018. Combs previously denied Ventura’s allegations of assault after she filed a lawsuit Nov. 16, 2023 that accused him of rape and years of abuse; the suit was settled one day later, but in the months that followed, multiple alleged victims have spoken out against Diddy, in which. he denied all the allegations. Ventura said at the time of the settlement: “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”

Editorial credit: Sky Cinema / Shutterstock.com

Lady Gaga‘s long-awaited Chromatica Ball concert special will finally air this month following a two-year wait. An HBO concert special based on Gaga’s 2022 “Chromatica Ball” tour will premiere on the network on Saturday, May 25at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream on Max.

Gaga shared a trailer for the film on her social pages, writing: “This film chronicles a time of immense creativity…the fashion, the dance, the music. Revisiting the tour leaves me speechless the way we had each other — you all showed up for music and art in a big way, and with a level of excitement and freedom that I will never forget. Stadium after stadium. Sold-out crowds. The deafening sing-alongs. Chromatica was colorful revenge. The chaos of it all became pure energy and life. With a texture best experienced live.” Gaga continued: “see yourself in every vocal, every fabric choice, the choreography, every image. Here’s the truth — no matter where life or my career has taken me, my time with you always is a path back to a very powerful part of myself. In a stadium filled with YOU it came to life. Thank you for that feeling. I hope you will feel seen when you watch this film. And know that I edited it carefully to honor you.”

The concert film, originally announced in 2022, was filmed before a sold-out crowd of 52,000 people at Los Angeles’s Dodger Stadium in September of 2022, and features the artist performing such hits as “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” “Shallow,” “Rain On Me,” “Stupid Love” and more.

Nina Rosenstein, HBO executive VP of programming, late night & specials, says: “Lady Gaga is a complete powerhouse. She’s a once-in-a-lifetime artist who never holds back, and ‘Gaga Chromatica Ball’ puts her endless list of talents on full display. We’re thrilled to partner with her once again for this breathtaking concert special.”

Editorial credit: Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com

Drew Barrymore will serve as the famed ‘center square’ on an updated, reimagined version of  the classic game show “Hollywood Squares,” set to air on CBS in January. Past “center square” celebrities have included Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers, Martin Mull and Paul Lynde, with the show dating back to 1965.

CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and CBS president/CEO George Cheeks revealed the news at a news conference, with a press release stating: ‘Hollywood Squares’ involves two contestants who play tic-tac-toe to win money and prizes, with the ‘board’ for the game is a vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The celebrities are asked questions and the contestants judge the legitimacy of their answers to win the game. Award-winning actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore will take her place as the famed ‘center square’ answering questions for the contestants.”

CBS president/CEO George Cheeks shared: “Drew’s already a part of our CBS family. She’s adorable, she’s engaging, she’s going to bring her friends under the squares. We think this is going to be a great 10 o’clock show for us. We now have a really solid Wednesday night of game shows to bridge the ‘Survivor’ seasons .. We’re reimagining ‘Hollywood Squares.’ We’re going to be true to to the the old school elements, but like having an anchor of somebody with that personality, those relationships, and just someone who actually is so such a diehard fan of that franchise. We’re super excited about her in the center square.”

Hollywood Squares will run on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET starting in January, paired with “The Price is Right at Night” (hosted by Drew Carey) at 8 p.m. and a new season of “Raid the Cage,” hosted by Damon Wayans, Jr. and co-host Jeannie Mai, at 9 p.m.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac are set to star in the vampire thriller Flesh of the Gods, directed by Panos Cosmatos, the filmmaker best known for his 2018 horror film, Mandy. Flesh of the Gods is written by Andrew Kevin Walker, best known as the screenwriter behind 1990s classic Se7en, and is based on a story by Cosmatos and Walker.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Flesh of the Gods is set in Los Angeles during the glittering 1980s. The story follows a married couple, Raoul (Isaac) and Alex (Stewart), who descend each evening from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into an electric nighttime realm of 80’s LA. When they cross paths with the mysterious and enigmatic woman and her hard-partying cabal, Raoul and Alex are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills, and violence. Cosmatos in a statement: “Like Los Angeles itself Flesh of the Gods inhabits the liminal realm between fantasy and nightmare. Both propulsive and hypnotic, Flesh will take you on a hot rod joy ride deep into the glittering heart of hell.”

Flesh of the Gods will begin filming later this year, and will be presented at the Cannes film market.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, is fighting the court-approved sale of Graceland, the late singer’s compound in Memphis, Tennessee.

Keough, identified in the court filing as Danielle Riley Keough, filed a claim in Tennessee civil court that alleges the creditor behind the foreclosure claim used forged signatures. According to an apparent foreclosure notice, Graceland had been set to be auctioned off at the Shelby County courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee, on Thursday this week, however court documents show that a Memphis judge blocked the sale after Keough sought a temporary restraining order and filed a lawsuit.

The foreclosure allegedly occurred after Elvis’ daughter, the late Lisa Marie Presley, used Graceland as collateral to secure a $3.8 million loan from a company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending in 2018, but she failed to pay it off before she died last year.  Keough was granted virtual control of Graceland Mansion and much of Elvis’ estate after her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, died.  She alleges in the suit that the creditor’s paperwork on a $3.8 million loan to Graceland trustees, with a deed of trust on the compound pledged as collateral, is fraudulent. Keough claims in the lawsuit that Naussany Investments “appears to be a false entity created for the purpose” of defrauding her family. The lawsuit also says Keough’s mother “never borrowed money” from the company, or gave them a deed of trust to Graceland, and further alleges that documents claiming otherwise “are forgeries.” The suit alleges the foreclosure sale would thus be “non-judicial” and based on lien paperwork that violates Tennessee law.

In a statement, Elvis Presley Enterprises, the entity that runs Graceland and the assets of the Elvis Presley Trust, suggested the sale is a scheme: “Elvis Presley Enterprises can confirm that these claims are fraudulent. There is no foreclosure sale. Simply put, the counter lawsuit has been filed is to stop the fraud.”  According to CBS affiliate in Memphis WREG, an attorney for Keough says a temporary restraining order was granted Monday. A judge will consider Keough’s court filing in a hearing on Wednesday.

Built in 1939, Graceland Mansion was purchased by Elvis in 1957, where he lived until his death in 1977.  Five years later it was opened to the public as a music history theme park, where it currently attracts roughly 600,000 visitors a year, according to the venue.  Graceland was named to the American National Register of Historic Places in 1991; it is also the final resting place for Elvis and his daughter, Lisa Marie.

Editorial credit: Connor D. Ryan / Shutterstock.com

Jennifer Lopez and Simu Liu star in the latest trailer for Netflix‘s upcoming sci-fi movie Atlas.

The trailer for Atlas, written by Leo Sardarian and Aron Eli Coleite and directed by Brad Peyton (San Andreas), sees Liu introduced as the AI character Harlan, whom counter-terrorism analyst Atlas Shepherd (Lopez) has long hunted. Harlan is shown to have nearly ended humanity after first being engineered to advance it.

Sterling K. Brown, Gregory James Cohan, Abraham Popoola, Lana Parrilla and Mark Strong also star in the film.

Atlas premieres May 24; take a look at the trailer – here.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Steve Carell, 61, has joined the cast of the Netflix comedy The Four Seasons, starring alongside Tina Fey in the upcoming series.

The Four Seasons, co-created and written by Fey with ’30 Rock’ collaborators Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher, is based on the 1981 film of the same name which was written, directed by and starred Alan Alda. The original The Four Seasons followed three New York couples as they vacation together during each of the four seasons.

The series will mark Fey’s first starring TV role since 30 Rock, which concluded in 2013 after seven seasons on NBC. Carell’s recent TV credits include the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show and the FX limited series The Patient; he has voice roles in the upcoming films IF, and Despicable Me 4.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Netflix is teasing the new thriller series Eric, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The streaming service shared a trailer for the show featuring Cumberbatch, who ‘plays a desperate father whose world becomes unraveled.’

Eric, written and created by Abi Morgan (‘The Iron Lady’, ‘Shame’) and directed Lucy Forbes (‘This is Going to Hurt’), stars Cumberbatch as New York puppeteer Vincent, the creator of the hit children’s show Good Day Sunshine, whose life unravels when his nine-year-old son, Edgar, goes missing on the way to school. The trailer shows Vincent create Eric, a blue monster puppet inspired by his son’s drawings, and become convinced that the puppet is the key to bringing Edgar home.

Showrunner Morgan told Netflix’s Tudum that “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York — and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent.” Gaby Hoffmann, McKinley Belcher III and Ivan Howe also star.

Eric premieres May 30; take a look at the trailer: here.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

On Sunday, Sean “Diddy” Combs issued an apology after the release of a 2016 video that shows him shoving and kicking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

CNN obtained and released the security footage in question on Friday, May 17, in which Diddy could be seen pushing over and kicking Cassie in front of an elevator at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. As Cassie walks toward the elevator wearing a hoodie and carrying a bag, Diddy is shown running out of a hotel room after her, wearing a towel around his waist. They meet at the elevator, where Diddy yanks her to the ground before kicking her, picking up her bags and attempting to drag her back to the room. Cassie proceeds to get up and make a call on a hotel phone located near the elevator, and Diddy later returns to the elevator, shoves Cassie into a corner and throws an object in her direction.

The 54-year-old Combs responded via a video on Instagram, captioned: “I’m truly sorry.” He proceeds to state: “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life Sometimes you gotta do that. I was f—– up. I mean I hit rock bottom but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable … I take full responsibility for my actions in that video .. Disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help, going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry, but I’m committed to be a better man. Each and every day.”  He concludes the video by stating that he is “not asking for forgiveness,” and is “truly sorry.”

Prior to the video showing Combs assault on Ventura, the rapper vehemently denied he allegations of abuse and rape, calling them “offensive and outrageous.” Just days after Ventura’s November 2023 lawsuit against Combs, the pair settled for an undisclosed amount, which the rapper claimed was in “no way an admission of wrongdoing” at the time.

In response to Combs’ video apology, Cassie‘s legal team issued a statement. Meredith Firetog, a partner at Wigdor LLP, shared the following with Us Weekly: “Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt. When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday. That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”

Editorial credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com

Vertical Films has released the trailer for The Exorcism, shortly after announced the release date of June 7 in theaters after acquiring the rights to the Miramax film. Joshua John Miller, son of The Exorcist star Jason Miller, directed and co-wrote the film alongside M.A. Fortin.

The Exorcism stars Russell Crowe stars as troubled actor Anthony Miller, who begins to unravel while making a supernatural horror movie. Ryan Simpkins stars as Crowe’s estranged daughter, with David Hyde Pierce portraying a real priest brought onto the set of the movie to help. Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey and Adam Goldberg also star.

You can check out the trailer for The Exorcism – here.

Editorial credit: Massimo Todaro / Shutterstock.com