Month: February 2024

Stand-up comedian Richard Lewis, known for his role in Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, has died at the age of 76. Lewis’ publicist, Jeff Abraham, said in a statement that Lewis died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack. “His wife, Joyce Lapinsky, thanks everyone for all the love, friendship and support and asks for privacy at this time,” Abraham said in a statement.

Lewis announced in a video posted on X last April he was retiring from stand-up and revealed he had Parkinson’s disease, which he had been diagnosed with two years prior. The comedian said that when he was in the middle of a comedy tour three and a half years ago, he thought to himself, “You know, I’m at the top of my game. After 50 years almost, I’m just gonna call it quits.”

Lewis was a late-night TV staple for decades. His other acting roles included co-starring opposite Jamie Lee Curtis in the ABC series “Anything But Love”, as well as his role as Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He most recently appeared in Season 12 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” currently airing on HBO, and shared that longtime friend and show creator Larry David made accommodations for his illness while filming the final season. Lewis told Vanity Fair earlier this month: “I’ve got to tell you how he took care of me this year. The cast and a crew — just as I’m diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease—made sure that everything was right for me on the set. They assigned a third AD to me [to clear the path]. ‘Richard is coming!’ Everybody was so lovely on the set. It was all really heartwarming.”

Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he was included in GQ magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.”  Lewis is survived by his wife Joyce Lapinsky, whom he married in 2005.

Editorial credit: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Adele is being forced to pause her Las Vegas residency show due to health concerns.  The 35-year-old postponed dates of her Weekends with Adele residency show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March, posting on X saying: “I love you, I’ll miss you like mad and I’m sorry for the inconvenience x”

A statement read: “Sadly I have to take a beat and pause my Vegas residency. I was sick at the end of the last leg and all the way through my break. I hadn’t quite gotten the chance to get back to full health before shows resumed and now I’m sick again, and unfortunately it’s all taken a toll on my voice. And so on Doctors orders I have no choice but to rest thoroughly. The remaining 5 weekends of this leg are being postponed to a later date. We are already working out the details and you will be sent the information asap.”  The shows affected were to take place March 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30.

Adele first launched her Weekends with Adele residency show in 2022, announcing new dates in March 2023 and a final run of dates for 2024 in October. She said at the time: “This residency, these shows have changed my life. I desperately needed to fall back in love with performing live again, and I have. I needed to reconnect with my songs and remember what they mean to me, and I have! Being on stage over the last year so up close and personal with an audience again after all these years has been a truly extraordinary restorative experience that I’ll never forget.”

Editorial credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com

In a new lawsuit, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been accused of sexual assault by a former employee. Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a former producer and videographer for Diddy, filed the lawsuit in New York federal court alleging that Combs sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him for more than a year. Jones produced nine songs on Combs’ recent ‘Love’ album from September 2022 to November 2023; he is seeking $30 million in damages.

According to the 73-page lawsuit, Combs’ adult son, Justin; his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Sir Lucian Grainge; and former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam are also named as defendants. Jones said that while working on the ‘Love’ project, he lived with the Diddy, 54, in various U.S. cities and also also vacationed with him outside of the country. Jones claims that during this time, he “witnessed, experienced, and endured many things that went far beyond his role as a producer on the Love album.”

Jones alleges that due to his role as a videographer, he was “required to constantly record” Diddy, and “as a result, Mr. Jones has secured HUNDREDS of hours of footage and audio recordings of Mr. Combs, his staff, and his guests engaging in serious illegal activity .. throughout his time living with Mr. Combs, Mr. Jones was the victim of constant unsolicited and unauthorized groping and touching” by Mr. Combs. Jones also alleges that on Thanksgiving Day in 2022, the female cousin of Yung Miami (Combs’ girlfriend at the time), sexually assaulted him as well “in the presence of Mr. Combs and his staff.”

Shawn Holley, Combs’ lawyer, responded in a statement: “Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 million lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday. His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines. We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. Our attempts to share this proof with Mr. Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn refuses to return our calls. We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them.”

A rep for Justin Combs told TMZ, “Justin Combs categorically denies these absurd allegations. They are all lies! This is a a clear example of a desperate person taking desperate measures in hopes of a pay day. There will be legal consequences for ALL defamatory statements made about the Combs family.”

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Two men have been found guilty on all counts in the Oct. 30, 2002, murder of Jam Master Jay, a member of the pioneering hip-hop group Run-DMC, which was founded in 1983 along with Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Darryl McDaniels. Mizell was gunned down in his studio in front of witnesses on Oct. 30, 2002.

The defendants — Karl Jordan Jr., 40, and Ronald Washington, 59, were each charged with one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking, as well as one count of firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay (real name was Jason Mizell). Jordan was also charged in August 2020 with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of cocaine distribution.  According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, each defendant is facing a minimum of 20 years to life in prison or the death penalty; both defendants had pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors claimed during the trial hat Mizell was murdered by Jordan and Washington (Mizell’s childhood friend) because Mizell was allegedly going to cut them out of a cocaine distribution deal due to the drug dealer, later identified as Ralph Mullgrav, declining to work with Washington. Mullgrav claimed that Mizell “wasn’t a drug dealer,” but had dabbled in drug sales “to make ends meet” — a claim that the DJ’s family disputes.

Attorneys for Jordan and Washington argued during closing arguments that there was no physical evidence linking their clients to the fatal shooting, and drew attention to a third man who was charged in the fatal shooting, who is expected to face trial in 2025.

Editorial credit: Everett Collection / Shutterstock.com

A spokesperson for Taylor Swift is addressing reports that Swift’s father, Scott Swift, was involved in an altercation with an Australian photographer early Tuesday morning. Swift’s rep shared with PEOPLE in a statement: “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”

On Tuesday morning, Feb. 27 (local time), Australian outlet Sky News reported that Scott Swift, 71, allegedly assaulted a photographer on Sydney’s North Shore hours after her last Eras Tour concert in Sydney, Australia. In a statement to PEOPLE, police said they were investigating an “alleged assault after a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf” approximately 2:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday, but could not confirm the identities of those involved. The statement continued: “The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command. The man did not require medical treatment.”

Scott Swift has traveled across the globe to support his daughter since Taylor first embarked on her Eras Tour in March 2023. He’s been a familiar face at Taylor’s record-breaking ERAS TOUR and is often spotted recording Taylor on his phone, singing/dancing to her music and trading friendship bracelets with fans – he even recently handed out sandwiches and fruit to concert-goers.

Swift, 34, wrapped up her fourth and final Eras Tour show at Sydney’s Accor Stadium Monday night. She is taking her Eras Tour to Singapore for a six-show stint starting on March 2. After a month-long break, she will head to Paris for four more concert dates.

Editorial credit: Graham Drew Photography / Shutterstock.com

Paramount Pictures has shared a trailer for the post-apocalyptic horror film A Quiet Place: Day One, featuring Lupita Nyong’o. The film is a prequel to the ‘Quiet Place’ movies directed by John Krasinski, and starring Krasinski and Emily Blunt.

A Quiet Place: Day One takes place in New York hundreds of days before the events of 2018’s ‘A Quiet Place’ on “day one” of the alien invasion that first introduced the blind but hearing-sensitive creatures featured in the Quiet Place films.

The trailer shows Nyong’o’s character fleeing alongside a character played by Joseph Quinn as aliens rain down from the skies and terrorize humans in the streets of New York City. Nyong’o is later seen waking up while covered in dust as she and the Man on Island (Djimon Hounsou), a character first introduced in A Quiet Place Part II, are surrounded by aliens.

A Quiet Place: Day One opens in theaters June 28; take a look at the trailer – here.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com