Foodies unite, raise money for cystic fibrosis at Chef's Challenge
Local chefs will cook sweet and savory bites, vying for big honors all while raising money for a great cause at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Chef's Challenge.
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Gizmodo
24 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Robert Eggers Is Making a ‘Christmas Carol' Movie, and Willem Dafoe May Be Scrooge
Over the decades, few stories have been as malleable as Charles Dickens' A Christmas Story. It's been a Bill Murray comedy, it's been a Robert Zemeckis CGI fest, and it's even been a Muppet movie, just to name a few. Next up for the iconic tale, though, is what we can only assume is a much darker, scarier twist from none other than Robert Eggers. Deadline reports that the man behind The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman, and last year's surprise hit Nosferatu, is in talks to write and direct an adaptation of the story for Warner Bros. And, though no cast is attached yet, Eggers is reportedly eyeing frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe to play the lead character of Ebenezer Scrooge. If you're like us, your mind is currently trying to figure out what an Eggers version of this story looks like, and it's not a pretty picture, in the best possible way. Eggers has largely avoided adaptations, instead preferring deep, personal research to inform his own original stories, though that slightly changed with Nosferatu. Next up, he's co-written and will direct Werwulf, another period horror piece which will focus on—you guessed—werewolves. When you think about A Christmas Story, though, it's just so in Eggers' wheelhouse. There's the original, period setting, of course. The mix of pathos with fantasy and horror. Lots of opportunities for evocative and beautiful sets, creatures, and costumes. Plus, for Hollywood, it's a name brand. It's kind of the perfect bullseye in every single way. And that's before you even put Dafoe in the role of Scrooge. It's basically the role he was born to play. Eggers is also attached to a reboot of Labyrinth, so there's no word about which film would go after Werwulf, which is currently looking at a Christmas 2026 release. But, if Christmas Carol is next, there seems to be a very good chance that Christmas 2028 might just scare the Dickens out of us.
Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' ex testifies she resents the way he introduced her to ‘cuckold' sex marathons
NEW YORK (AP) — Under cross-examination, Sean 'Diddy' Combs ' ex-girlfriend testified Tuesday she took part in sex acts with male sex workers at the music mogul's request because it made her feel loved by him, but now regrets what she came to recognize as the 'cuckold' lifestyle. The woman testified at Combs' sex-trafficking trial under the pseudonym 'Jane' to protect her identity. A day earlier, she revealed their three-year relationship lasted until the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested in September at New York hotel, where she'd been planning to meet him. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that carry a potential penalty of 15 years to life in prison. He has been jailed without bail. Prosecutors allege Combs used violence, threats and a network of employees and associates to control and abuse women for two decades. His lawyers have told the jury in federal court in Manhattan that although there was domestic violence in his relationships, everything he did sexually was consensual. Earlier in the trial, R&B signer Casandra ' Cassie ' Ventura testified over four days that Combs physically abused her and that she participated in hundreds of 'freak-off' sexual performances during a nearly 11-year relationship that ended in 2018. The Associated Press doesn't name alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent unless they have shared their identities publicly, as Cassie has. Attorney Teny Geragos, representing Combs, cross-examined Jane on Tuesday by leading her into discussing the drug-fueled sexual marathons choreographed by Combs — which Jane said sometimes happened weekly — by reminding her that she mentioned regrets in earlier testimony. 'I resent him for leading me into the lifestyle he led me to,' Jane said. 'I resented the way he went about introducing me to this lifestyle.' She said she agreed to these 'hotel nights' while 'under a lot of emotional pressure' — and already hooked on love and a desire to stay in a relationship with Combs. Jane testified that she partook in the encounters, sometimes grudgingly, because they pleased Combs and she enjoyed spending time alone with him afterward. Jane testified she began therapy about three months ago. She previously met with lawyers on Combs' defense team but cut off those meetings in April, days before the trial began. She said she struggles to understand why she kept participating in 'hotel nights' even though she only wanted to have sex with Combs, however the reasons are 'becoming more and more clear' as she proceeds with therapy. Jane initially felt it was 'something very special' to have these secret sexual experiences with Combs. She said she didn't want to judge him and 'really wanted to just go along with these things because if I can be my partner's escapes than I would be.' Jane said she researched sexual variations in 2022 and came across the words 'cuck' and 'cuckold,' which seemed to fit the lifestyle she found herself in because she said a man known as a 'cuck' derives pleasure seeing 'his woman receive pleasure' from another man. 'He likes to use the words 'voyeurism' and 'escapism,'' Jane said. She added: 'I would use the word cuck for him more so.' Geragos reminded Jane that she had testified last week that she loves Combs currently. 'I do,' she responded. Geragos had Jane read aloud some of the many sexually explicit messages in which she expressed the types of activities she wanted to engage in during 'hotel nights' with Combs and male sex workers as she tried to portray Jane as a willing and eager participant in frequent sex events. In earlier testimony, Jane provided recent examples of Combs acting violently toward a woman while seeking to fulfill his sexual desires. Cassie sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit was settled within hours for $20 million, but it touched off the criminal investigation into Combs.
Associated Press
28 minutes ago
- Associated Press
What to know about Harvey Weinstein's conviction on a top sex crimes charge at his #MeToo retrial
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein has been found guilty again, convicted Wednesday of a top sex crimes charge at his #MeToo retrial in New York City. The mixed and partial verdict came more than five years after his first conviction, which an appeals court overturned last year. The jury returned a verdict on two of three charges against Weinstein, acquitting him of one. Jurors indicated that they had yet to achieve unanimity on the final count. That could mean more deliberations on Thursday. The verdict capped an extraordinary fifth day of deliberations. The jury foreperson complained that he was being bullied by other jurors. Weinstein's lawyer then asked for a mistrial, and Weinstein himself addressed the judge without jurors in the courtroom, imploring him to end the case without a verdict. Minutes later, the jury of seven women and five men declared the ailing 73-year-old guilty of one count of criminal sex act, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Weinstein denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone. Once he's sentenced, he can appeal. Here's what you need to know about the verdict: What was Weinstein convicted of? Jurors convicted Weinstein of one count of criminal sex act, finding that he forcibly performed oral sex on a TV and movie producer and production assistant, Miriam Haley, nearly two decades ago. Haley, who had a short stint working on the Weinstein-produced 'Project Runway,' testified that he assaulted her in July 2006 after inviting her to stop by his SoHo apartment before a flight his company booked her on the next day to Los Angeles to attend a movie premiere. Haley testified that Weinstein backed her into a bedroom, pushed her onto a bed and forced oral sex on her, undeterred by her kicks and pleas of, 'No, no — it's not going to happen.' Weinstein was convicted of the same charge at his first trial. Haley, who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi, told jurors that she was never interested in any sexual or romantic relationship with Weinstein but still wanted his help professionally. She acknowledged she kept in touch and exchanged warm messages with him and accepted an invitation to his hotel room two weeks after the alleged assault, when she said he pulled her into bed for sex. What was Weinstein acquitted of? Weinstein acquitted of a charge of criminal sex act relating to a previously uncharged allegation that he forced oral sex on Kaja (KEYE'-ah) Sokola, a psychologist and former Polish model and actor, at a Manhattan hotel in 2006 just before her 20th birthday. Sokola, who wasn't a part of Weinstein's first trial, testified that Weinstein assaulted her after luring her to his hotel room by telling her had a script to show her. As he pushed her onto a bed, stripped off her boots, her stockings and her underwear, 'my soul was removed from me,' she said. Now 39, Sokola said he held her down while ignoring her pleas of 'please don't, please stop, I don't want this.' She said she tried to push him away but was no match against the much larger Weinstein. Sokola also testified that Weinstein sexually assaulted her when she was 16 years old, but that allegation was beyond legal time limits for a potential criminal charge. Sokola said she stayed in touch with Weinstein because she had dreams of an acting career. She went to authorities in January 2020, a few days into Weinstein's first trial. Prosecutors halted their investigation after Weinstein was convicted, but revived it when the verdict was thrown out last year. What charge hasn't been decided yet? The jury hasn't reached a verdict on a third-degree rape charge involving Jessica Mann's allegation that Weinstein assaulted her in March 2013. Mann, a cosmetologist and hairstylist, said she met Weinstein at a party in late 2012 or early 2013, when she was 27 and trying to launch an acting career. She alleges Weinstein trapped her in a Manhattan hotel room, demanded that she undress as he loomed over her, grabbed her arms and raped her after, she believes, he injected himself with an erection-promoting drug that she later found in the bathroom trash. Mann said she had a consensual, on-and-off relationship with the then-married Weinstein, but that he was volatile and violated her if she refused him. She said she kept in touch with Weinstein after the alleged rape, telling jurors she 'compartmentalized the part of Harvey that was hurting me,' and that flattery and friendliness 'kept the peace.' The Associated Press generally does not name sexual assault accusers without their permission, which Haley, Mann and Sokola have given. Why was there a new trial? New York's highest court, the Court of Appeals, threw out Weinstein's conviction in April 2024. In a 4-3 decision, the court said the judge in the first trial, James Burke, denied Weinstein a fair trial by letting three women testify about allegations that didn't result in charges and by deciding that prosecutors could confront Weinstein, if he testified, about stories of him behaving brutishly. The court labeled the allegations against Weinstein 'appalling, shameful, repulsive conduct' but warned that 'destroying a defendant's character under the guise of prosecutorial need' did not justify some trial evidence and testimony. Burke's term expired at the end of 2022, and he is no longer a judge. Prosecutors were not allowed to retry Weinstein on charges that he was acquitted of during his first trial, including predatory sexual assault and one count of first-degree rape. What about Weinstein's other criminal case? Weinstein is appealing his conviction in Los Angeles in a similar case in 2022. Jurors there found him guilty of three of seven charges, including rape, and he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Weinstein's lawyers argued he did not get a fair trial. They contend that the judge in the California case wrongly allowed jurors to know about Weinstein's 2020 New York conviction, and that the jury was unfairly prejudiced by testimony from women about alleged assaults Weinstein was not charged with. __ Associated Press journalists Ruth Brown and Philip Marcelo contributed to this report.
