Celebrity

R. Kelly To Learn If He Effectively Gets ‘Life’ Sentence until 2066

Published

1 year ago

2023-02-23

CHICAGO, Ill. — R. Kelly will find out whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison when a federal judge sentences him on child pornography and enticement of minors for sex on Thursday.

Prosecutors have asked the judge presiding over Kelly’s sentencing hearing in Chicago to order him to serve a 25-year sentence only after completing a 30-year sentence imposed in New York last year for racketeering and sex trafficking.

This would make the Grammy Awards winner, 56, eligible for release in 2066, a year before his 100th birthday. The defense seeks a sentence of around ten years to be served concurrently.

If Kelly is allowed to serve his new sentence and his New York sentence at the same time, he should be able to get out of prison around the age of 80. This gives him some hope that he will be able to go back to his life outside of prison.

Leinenweber stated at the start of the hearing that he did not believe Kelly used fear to entice underage girls for sex.

“The (government’s) entire grooming theory was sort of the inverse of fear of bodily harm,” the judge explained. “It was the fear of lost love, lost affection” (Kelly). … It just doesn’t seem to me to rise to the level of fear of bodily harm.”

Prosecutors argue that Kelly’s crimes against children and his lack of remorse justify the harsher sentence.

At the start of the hearing, a calm Kelly gave a brief statement when the judge asked if he had reviewed key presentencing documents for any inaccuracies.

“Your honor, I have discussed it with my attorney,” Kelly explained. “I’m going to rely on my attorney for that.”

Kelly’s accusers asked the judge to punish him severely.

In a statement read aloud in court, a woman who testified under the alias “Jane” said she had given up on her childhood dreams of becoming a singer and her hopes for fulfilling relationships.

“Robert Kelly has stolen my dreams,” the statement said. “I’ll never be able to make up for what I lost to Robert Kelly. “Robert has left a permanent scar on me.”

During Kelly’s trial, she was a key witness for prosecutors, and four of his convictions are linked to her.

Prosecutors seek an additional 25 years in prison for R Kelly.

Federal prosecutors asked a judge on Thursday to sentence singer R. Kelly to an additional 25 years in prison for his child pornography and enticement convictions in Chicago last year, which would be in addition to the 30 years he has already served in a New York case.
“When a pedophile takes your virginity at the age of 14… your life is never your own,” Jane wrote in her statement.

Another accuser, who went by the alias “Nia,” appeared in court and addressed Kelly directly. Nia stated, her voice quivering, that Kelly would repeatedly pick at her supposed flaws while abusing her.

“Now you’re here… because something is wrong with you,” she explained. “You will no longer be able to harm children.”

Kelly was convicted last year on six of thirteen counts by a Chicago jury: three counts of producing child porn and three counts of enticing minors for sex.

Kelly rose from obscurity in Chicago to become one of the world’s most famous R&B artists. Known for his smash hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and sex-infused songs like “Bump n’ Grind,” he sold millions of albums even after allegations of sexual abuse against him surfaced in the 1990s.

Prosecutors described Kelly as a “serial sexual predator” who used his celebrity and wealth to entice, sexually abuse, and discard star-struck fans.

US Assistant Attorney Jeannice Appenteng urged the judge on Thursday to sentence Kelly to prison “for the rest of his life.”

She claimed that Kelly’s child abuse was made worse because he “memorialized” it

She claimed that Kelly’s child abuse was made worse because he “memorialized” it by filming victims, including Jane. She testified in court that Kelly “used Jane as a sex prop, a thing” for making pornographic videos.

In papers filed before the hearing, Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly’s lawyer, said that prosecutors gave an “embellished story” to try to get the judge to join the government’s “bloodthirsty campaign” to make Kelly a symbol of the #MeToo movement.

Kelly has suffered enough, according to Bonjean, including financially. She claimed he was once worth $1 billion but is now “destitute.”

In court on Thursday, Bonjean stated that Kelly would be lucky to complete his 30-year sentence in New York on his own. Giving him a second consecutive 25-year sentence “is overkill; it is symbolic,” she said. “Why? It’s because it’s R. Kelly.”

Kelly’s silence, she added, should not be interpreted as a lack of remorse.

While she advised Kelly not to speak because he is still appealing his convictions and could face further legal action, she added, “He would like to, he would like to very much.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Photographer Alleges He Was Forced To Watch Megan Thee Stallion Have Sex And Was Unfairly Fired

Published

21 hours ago

2024-04-24

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

Los Angeles – In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, a photographer who Megan Thee Stallion employed alleges that he was compelled to witness her engaging in sexual activity, was unjustly terminated shortly after that, and experienced mistreatment as her employee.

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Photographer Alleges He Was Forced To Watch Megan Thee Stallion Have Sex And Was Unfairly Fired

Emilio Garcia, in his lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that on a night out in 2022 in Ibiza, Spain, he was present in an SUV with the hip-hop singer when she engaged in sexual activity with another lady near him. He was incapacitated from exiting the moving vehicle, and even if he could do so, he would have found himself stranded in an unfamiliar land. According to the lawsuit, Garcia experienced feelings of embarrassment, mortification, and offense during the entire incident.

Alex Spiro, Megan’s attorney, stated that she intends to contest the complaint through legal proceedings.

“This is a monetary employment claim, without any filed allegations of sexual harassment, but with scandalous accusations aimed at embarrassing her,” Spiro stated.

According to the lawsuit, Megan admonished Garcia the following day, instructing him not to disclose what he witnessed while also criticizing and body-shaming him. The complaint alleges that Garcia, who was experiencing excessive workload, low pay, and a hostile work environment due to Megan’s possessive and abusive behavior, was wrongly categorized as an independent contractor while being treated as an exclusive employee.

According to the lawsuit, Garcia discussed those concerns with Megan during their conversation and was terminated the next day after working for her for four years. Subsequently, he lodged a job discrimination lawsuit with the California Civil Rights Department.

Rolling Stone – VOR News Image

Photographer Alleges He Was Forced To Watch Megan Thee Stallion Have Sex And Was Unfairly Fired

The lawsuit, initially disclosed by NBC News, names Megan, legally known as Megan Pete, her enterprises Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring and her record label, Roc Nation, as the defendants. No defense answer has been submitted yet. A representative of Roc Nation should have responded more promptly to an email requesting comment.

Garcia is pursuing monetary compensation, which will be assessed during the trial. He claims to have had significant emotional and bodily harm as a result of his treatment at work, his termination, and seeing the incident in the SUV.

Megan, a 29-year-old woman, was previously embroiled in a significant legal controversy. She endured a deluge of online harassment after being shot by rapper Tory Lanez. A jury determined that Lanez had fired at her feet while they were on a street in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. She provided testimony throughout the trial, which led to the conviction of Lanez on three felony charges. Subsequently, a court imposed a 10-year prison sentence on him.

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Photographer Alleges He Was Forced To Watch Megan Thee Stallion Have Sex And Was Unfairly Fired

Megan was already a prominent emerging artist at the time of the shooting and has achieved immense success as one of the most prominent figures in hip-hop. In 2021, she won a Grammy for the best new artist category. Additionally, she attained the top position on the music charts with her tracks “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a featured artist on Cardi B’s “WAP.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Published

3 days ago

2024-04-22

Kiara Grace

Billboard - VOR News Image

NEW YORK — MacDowell, one of the country’s finest artist residence programs, has honored Yoko Ono with a lifetime achievement award. The trailblazing artist, filmmaker, and musician will receive the Edward MacDowell Medal this year, following in the footsteps of Stephen Sondheim and Toni Morrison, among others.

“There has never been anyone like her; there has never been work like hers,” MacDowell board chairman Nell Painter said in a statement Sunday.

WKNC – VOR News Image

Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

“Over seven decades, she has pleased eyes, aroused mind, encouraged feminism, and supported refugees with imaginative works. Enduringly new and contemporary, her unusually powerful output resonates to our current times, which are in desperate need of her leitmotif: peace.”

In a statement, Ono’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, described the award as “an incredible honor.”

“The history and list of prior awardees are extremely impressive. It makes me very glad to see her work valued and celebrated in this manner,” he remarked.

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Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Ono, 91, has made few public appearances in recent years and is unlikely to attend the July honors event at the MacDowell campus in Peterborough, New Hampshire. David Newgarden, Ono’s music manager, will receive the award on her behalf.

Ono first rose to prominence as a member of the avant-garde Fluxus movement of the 1960s, before becoming internationally famous after meeting John Lennon, with whom she married from 1969 until his death in 1980. Their many collaborations included the songs “Give Peace a Chance,” “Imagine,” and “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” which served as the foundation for “War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,” this year’s Oscar-winning animated short film.

El Pais – VOR News Image

Yoko Ono To Receive Edward MacDowell Medal For Lifetime Achievement

Over the last 40 years, Ono has had a busy career as a visual and recording artist, with albums like “Season of Glass,” “Starpeace,” and “Take Me to the Land of Hell.” She was recently featured in a career retrospective at London’s Tate Modern.

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

Published

4 days ago

2024-04-21

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

Los Angeles — Dick Van Dyke, 98, is contending for a historic Daytime Emmy.

The actor was nominated Friday as a guest star in a daytime drama series for his role as amnesiac Timothy Robicheaux on Peacock’s “Days of Our Lives.”

Van Dyke is the oldest daytime Emmy nominee. When producer Norman Lear won his final Primetime Emmy nomination in 2022, he was 100 years old. He died the following year.

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

Van Dyke is up against Guy Pearce, an Australian actor from Amazon Prime Video’s “Neighbours.”

Van Dyke earned four Primetime Emmys, including three in the 1960s, for his legendary comedy series “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”

Selena Gomez, an actor and singer, is nominated in the culinary series category for her Food Network special “Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays.” The Food Network’s “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” hosted by actor Valerie Bertinelli and which concluded last year, is also nominated in that category.

People – VOR News Image

Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

CBS will cancel “The Talk” after its 15th season later this year. Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, and Sheryl Underwood were nominated for daytime talk show hosting.

The main actress nominations are Tamara Braun of “Days of Our Lives,” Finola Hughes and Cynthia Watros of “General Hospital,” Katherine Kelly Lang and Annika Noelle of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Michelle Stafford of “The Young and the Restless.”

The lead actor nominees include Eric Braeden of “The Young and the Restless,” Scott Clifton, Thorsten Kaye, and John McCook of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and Eric Martsolf of “Days of Our Lives.”

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Dick Van Dyke Earns Historic Daytime Emmy Nomination At Age 98

The Daytime Emmys will be broadcast live on CBS on June 7 in Los Angeles. The show is back to its regular schedule after being postponed until December due to strikes by Hollywood performers and writers. The hosts and Lifetime Achievement award recipients will be announced later.

SOURCE – AP