Latest news with #65thGRAMMYAwards
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Smokey Robinson Speaks Out After He's Accused of Sexual Assault by Four Women in $50 Million Lawsuit
Smokey Robinson was accused of sexual assault by four former employees on Tuesday, May 6 He briefly addressed the allegations, saying he is "appalled" by the lawsuit, but "can't speak about this right now" The plaintiffs are seeking $50 million Smokey Robinson is speaking out after he was accused in a civil lawsuit of sexual assault by four former employees. In a phone call with the Daily Mail on Wednesday, May 7, the Motown star, 85, briefly addressed the allegations put forth against him in a complaint filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 6. "I am appalled," Robinson said, adding, "I can't speak about this right now." An attorney for the star did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The former Miracles frontman was accused of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, gender violence and creating a hostile work environment by four Jane Does who worked for the star and his wife Frances over a period of nearly 20 years. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Smokey Robinson and Frances Glandney attend the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Smokey Robinson and Frances Glandney attend the 65th GRAMMY Awards on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Related: Smokey Robinson Accused of Alleged Rape, Sexual Assault in New Lawsuit Filed by Four Women The complaint claimed Robinson 'repeatedly forced his fingers and penis into their vaginas, causing severe and excruciating pain' without consent, and also alleged that he would use 'physical barriers, force, threats of force' and more, such as locking his bedroom door, to prevent the women from leaving during the alleged assaults. Frances, whom Robinson married in 2002, is also named in the lawsuit, as the plaintiffs allege that she had 'full knowledge of his prior acts of sexual misconduct' and 'failed to take the appropriate corrective action' to prevent his 'deviant misconduct,' even after settling cases with other women who experienced similar alleged assaults by Robinson. The plaintiffs — who all worked as housekeepers — also accuse the couple of failing to pay minimum wage and overtime. Jane Doe 1 began working for Robinson in January 2023, and claims she was assaulted by the star at least seven times before she resigned in February 2024, according to the complaint. She and the three other plaintiffs say they did not report his alleged assaults to authorities for fear of losing their "livelihood, familial reprisal, public embarrassment, shame and humiliation," as well as "being threatened and intimidated" by Robinson's celebrity status. Emma McIntyre/Getty In this image released on June 3 Smokey Robinson visits the SiriusXM studios on March 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. In this image released on June 3 Smokey Robinson visits the SiriusXM studios on March 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Related: Who Is Smokey Robinson's Wife? All About Frances Robinson Jane Doe 2 worked for Robinson from May 2014 to February 2020, and claims she was assaulted by the star at least 23 times. Per the complaint, Robinson allegedly "raped" her and also forced her to 'perform oral sex on his erect penis.' Jane Doe 3 says in the complaint that Robinson "raped" her "at least 20 times" during her tenure as a housekeeper, from February 2012 to April 2024. Per the complaint, Jane Doe 4, meanwhile, worked for Robinson from October 2006 to April 2024, when she resigned due to the alleged sexual assaults and sexual harassment. Jane Doe 4, who also worked as Frances's personal assistant, cook and hairdresser, says in the complaint that Robinson first 'forced her into his bedroom and raped her' in 2007, and that such assaults "continued" before she quit. The plaintiffs are seeking damages of at least $50 million. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to Read the original article on People
Forbes
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jazz At Lincoln Center Concerts To Feature Contemporary Masterpieces
This weekend Jazz at Lincoln Center will present a concert of contemporary jazz masterpieces. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: Steven Feifke poses with the award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for "Generation" in the press room during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) Featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, with co-music direction by Marsalis and Steven Feifke, the concert, JALC said, will take 'listeners on a thrilling ride through works composed and orchestrated by composers and big band leaders of today, including Miho Hazama, Darcy James Argue, Helen Sung and Jihye Lee. This concert will also feature newly commissioned works by George DeLancey, Leo Steinriede and Feifke, works that reflect the depth and breadth of the big band tradition.' The April 25 concert will also be available at Discussing his new composition, 'The Same River,' with Feifke—who in 2023 won a Grammy for best large jazz ensemble album, becoming the youngest-ever bandleader to win in this category—said 'the title for my piece, and the music behind it, is inspired by a quote from Heraclitus that roughly translates to, 'a man can never step in the same river twice. For he is not the same man, and the river is not the same river.' There's a certain cyclical nature to life, I think, and it can be difficult at times to know where one is in that circle, or even to recognize that the circle is a circle. Everything changes, and it, really? I wanted to write a piece of music that captures that sense of lost and found––and lost then found again––feeling.' Describing his own experience with traditional big band music, Feifke noted that his first big band album was 'The Atomic Mr. Basie by The Count Basie Orchestra, featuring music by Neal Hefti. I was in middle school when my piano teacher at the time got it for me, and I've been hooked on the sound of the big band ever since. Ironically enough, the next large ensemble album I got into was Wide Angles by Michael Brecker, featuring arrangements and orchestrations by Gil Goldstein. Gil actually became a very close mentor to me several years later, which would have blown middle school Steven's mind had he known that might happen several years later... 'Some of my other favorite big band performers/composers are Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Frank Foster, Quincy Jones, but that doesn't even really scratch the surface. There was a two-year period from 2016-18 or so when all I listened to was Duke Ellington. I didn't set out to do that, I just heard one album, got hungry for the next, then the next, and so on and so forth. One of my favorite Duke albums is Ellington Uptown. I'm also a huge fan of the arrangers and orchestrators who wrote for Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitgerald, Nancy Wilson and so many more of the great vocalists. Artists like Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Benny Carter, Oliver Nelson, Billy May and Marty Paiche (also) come to mind.' At 6;30 p.m. ET before each concert, JALC will offer a pre-concert discussion, led by one its distinguished scholars, who will offer deeper insight into the performance to come. Seating is based on a first-come, first-served basis, in the Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Studio at Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Forbes
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Adele's First Hit Reaches A New All-Time Peak
Adele's debut single 'Hometown Glory' returns to the U.K. top 40 nearly two decades after its ... More release, thanks to renewed streaming and fan interest. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: Adele attends the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo byfor The Recording Academy) Adele isn't in any rush to release new music. The singer has made it clear that she's focusing on other aspects of her life, and fans likely won't hear a brand new album from her anytime soon. Still, her followers haven't stopped listening. In fact, they're digging into her earliest work, and one song from the very beginning of her career is suddenly taking off once more. Nearly two decades after its initial release, 'Hometown Glory' is a hit again in Adele's home country. The cut, which introduced her to the world and kicked off what would become one of the most impressive careers in modern music, is growing across multiple rankings in the United Kingdom this week. The biggest moment for Adele and her debut single this week comes on the Official Singles chart, which ranks the most-consumed songs in the U.K. using a formula that blends sales and streaming data. 'Hometown Glory' reappears on the 100-spot list at No. 31, surging back into the top 40 after years away. While the track is performing best on the Official Singles chart, it's also doing especially well on another important list. 'Hometown Glory' climbs on the Official Streaming chart, which only looks at the most-played tracks on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music throughout the U.K. Last week, the title was already present at No. 97. This frame, it rockets to No. 52. That new placement now ranks as the track's highest position ever on the streaming-only roster. 'Hometown Glory' originally peaked at No. 19 on the Official Singles chart, back when Adele was still introducing herself to the British public. It spent 30 weeks on that tally, while the composition has only managed three weeks on the streaming chart so far, but its latest rise could extend that stay considerably. 'Hometown Glory' was released in October 2007, meaning it's not far away from celebrating its twentieth anniversary. At the time, Adele was a teenager, and the song served as the first official taste of what would become her debut album, 19 — a set that would go on to change everything for her.
