Latest news with #KillingThemSoftly
Graziadaily
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
Brad Pitt Did Not Testify In Diddy's Trial, But His Name Came Up In Court – Here's Why
Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. His trial is expected to last eight weeks. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denies all allegations. In a bizarre twist in the high-profile criminal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, one of the biggest sources of misinformation is coming from daily viral YouTube videos about fake testimonies. The latest involves Brad Pitt. One video, titled '1 MINUTE AGO: Brad Pitt Testifies In Court on Day 14 Of Diddy Trial' has received thousands of views in a single day – enough to send people down a rabbit hole looking for more information about Pitt's involvement in the trial. However, if you scroll to the bottom of the video's description it reads: 'The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to real events, individuals, or situations is purely coincidental and unintentional. These narratives are not intended to depict, reference, or represent any actual occurrences, persons or entities.' Here's everything we know about Pitt's involvement. No, as stated above, Pitt has not testified in Diddy's trial. Nor is he accused of any wrongdoing or implicated in the allegations in any way. The video claims Pitt told the court, 'He made me disappear without anyone noticing' and goes into an elaborate fan fiction story about the rapper and actor's relationship. While Pitt and Diddy were likely to have run in the same circles and attended the same parties over the years, little is known about whether the pair shared a close friendship. Aside from Diddy attending the Cannes premiere of Pitt's film Killing Them Softly in 2012, there is not much information online about their relationship. Despite not testifying, Pitt's name did come up when Diddy's former assistant who is testifying as 'Mia' took the stand. She told the court she once saw Diddy assault his ex-girlfriend of 10 years, Cassie Ventura, at the premiere of Killing them Softly at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. Mia said Cassie and Diddy were in the cinema talking when Diddy gritted his teeth and started 'digging his nails into her arms'. She added that while 'no one ever leaves in the middle of a premiere event', Diddy insisted that Cassie leave, which she did. Before Diddy's trial began, the judge joked that the list of names and places read like 'an appendix of Lord of the Rings'. While several names have falsely been brought into the trial, such as Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Mila Kunis, celebrities who have been testified or been mentioned in court include Cassie, Kid Cudi, Jay Z, Chris Brown and Lauren London. However, none of those people have been accused of any wrongdoing.
Time Out
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Bono: Stories of Surrender
However you feel about Bono before seeing this slick, souped-up 'audience with' doc will probably be reinforced by the time the credits roll. If you love him, the doc will brighten his messianic glow. If you loathe him, you'll easily find reasons to throw tomatoes. If you couldn't care less about the pint-sized Irish rocker and activist, it's hard to imagine why you'd be watching it in the first place. Whether it's Bono's enormous success or his attempts to make a difference in the world (or most likely a mix of the two), Bono inspires strong reactions, and you can feel him here trying to bring the whole enterprise of his life a little closer to Earth. He called on Andrew Dominik (Killing Them Softly) to film his one-man show at New York's Beacon Theater in 2023, perhaps attracted by the New Zealand filmmaker's work with Nick Cave. It's a performance that's self-consciously stripped back, with just a few chairs and a table on stage, with Bono recounting stories of his childhood, mother, father, wife and band mates and regularly breaking into song, with renditions here of hits including 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and 'Pride (In the Name of Love)'. Dominik layers on a silvery black-and-white glamour, delivering a multi-angle magic act that lends a constant sense of movement and energy to the film. This good-natured hagiography isn't anywhere near free of pomposity The most endearing and interesting stretches of the film feature Bono discussing his parents. His mother Iris died when he was a young teen after collapsing at her own father's funeral, and her name was barely spoken again by his father Brendan. Here, Bono regrets his own role in 'disappearing' her memory. He recalls his opera-loving father's envy of him as he became successful and also his quiet pride, but he regrets that he was only able to see him as a friend after his death from cancer in 2001. Bono treads lightly on his humanitarian work. He doesn't avoid it entirely and jokes that 'hypocrites get a bad rap', the message being that at least he's given it a shot. There might be mentions of Pavarotti and Princess Di but the name-dropping is kept to a minimum and if there were any mentions of popes or Nelson Mandela, I missed them. This good-natured hagiography isn't anywhere near free of pomposity, but even Bono seems to know when it's best just to keep quiet and move on.
Toronto Sun
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers plan to press Cassie about infidelity during cross
Published May 15, 2025 • 3 minute read Singer Casandra Ventura also known as Cassie arrives for the screening of 'Killing Them Softly' at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. Photo by Joel Ryan, File / AP Photo Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Lawyers for Sean 'Diddy' Combs say they'll question R&B singer Cassie on Thursday about how infidelity fueled the combustible, nearly 11-year relationship between the two, as cross-examination of the prosecution's star witness begins in Combs' sex trafficking trial. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It will be the third day on the stand for the 38-year-old Cassie after two days of questioning by prosecutors in a Manhattan courtroom. She testified on Wednesday that Combs raped her when she broke up with him in 2018, after he locked her into a life of physical abuse by threatening to release degrading sexual videos of her. Prosecutors accuse Combs of exploiting his status as a powerful music executive and entrepreneur to violently force Cassie and other women to take part in sexual encounters. He is charged with crimes including racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion. Several other accusers are set to testify. Combs denies all of the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys acknowledge he could be violent, but say the sex he and others engaged in was consensual and that nothing he did amounted to a criminal enterprise. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Defense attorney Teny Geragos suggested on Wednesday during a discussion between lawyers and the judge that the game plan for Thursday was changing on the fly out of necessity. She didn't get into particulars, but she told Judge Arun Subramanian that the questioning of Cassie by prosecutors 'has gone much differently than I expected.' Later, Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo told the judge that questioning Cassie about infidelities was important. RECOMMENDED VIDEO 'Everybody knows that we are going to bring up infidelities, that we're going to want to bring up text messages of infidelities, and these text messages are often in colorful language,' he said. Early Thursday, Judge Arun Subramanian denied a request by defense lawyers to introduce text communications between Combs and Cassie that would include references to specific sexual acts. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Defense lawyers have indicated that the cross examination of Cassie that will begin Thursday morning will likely be finished by the end of Friday's court session. Cassie has held up well over two days of direct questioning by prosecutors. She cried several times but for the most part has remained composed and matter-of-fact as she talked about some of the most sensitive subjects imaginable, in a courtroom packed with family and friends of Combs, journalists and one row of spectator seats occupied by Cassie's supporters. Cassie is in the third trimester of pregnancy with her third child. Cassie said Wednesday that Combs forced his way into her Los Angeles apartment and raped her on the living room floor after she said she was ending their relationship. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cassie also said she didn't feel she could refuse Combs' demands for her to have 'hundreds' of encounters with male sex workers — which he watched and controlled for hours and even days _ because he would make her 'look like a slut' if he made the videos public. 'I feared for my career. I feared for my family. It's just embarrassing. It's horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone,' said Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has. She sued Combs in 2023, accusing him of years of physical and sexual abuse. Within hours, the suit was settled for $20 million _ a figure Cassie disclosed for the first time Wednesday — but dozens of similar legal claims followed from other women. Combs, 55, has been jailed since September. He faces at least 15 years in prison if convicted. The trial is expected to last about two months. Toronto Maple Leafs Relationships World Ontario Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
What to know about Cassie, the singer testifying against Sean 'Diddy' Combs
Published May 13, 2025 • 3 minute read Singer Casandra Ventura also known as Cassie arrives for the screening of 'Killing Them Softly' at the 65th international film festival, in Cannes, southern France, Tuesday, May 22, 2012. Photo by Joel Ryan, File / AP Photo Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Casandra Ventura, the R&B singer and actor known simply as Cassie, began testifying Tuesday in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The music mogul is charged with leveraging his status to coerce women — including Cassie — into abusive sexual encounters and using violence if they refused. He has pleaded not guilty. Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of rape and abuse. The suit was settled within hours, but was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation. Here's what you need to know about the 38-year-old star witness: A talented performer A singer, actor, dancer and model, Cassie's professional ambitions began in adolescence, when she signed to the top-tier talent and modeling agency Wilhelmina. Her music career launched shortly thereafter, when she left her home state of Connecticut for New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and first met Combs. Cassie is perhaps best known for the 2006 hit single 'Me & U,' which secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The Ryan Leslie-produced song was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She left the label in 2019. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As an actor, she appeared in several television and film projects including Fox's 'Empire,' 'The Perfect Match' and 'Spenser Confidential.' She made her acting debut in 2008 in 'Step Up 2: The Streets' and contributed the song 'Is It You' to its soundtrack. She appeared in a number of music videos as well, including Wiz Khalifa's 'Roll Up' and Mario's 'Just A Friend 2002.' Although she never released her long-teased sophomore album, at once point tentatively titled 'Electro Love,' she did drop a few tracks: the R&B-pop 'Official Girl' with Lil Wayne, 'Must Be Love' with Combs, and 'Let's Get Crazy' with Akon. And in 2012, Nicki Minaj tapped her for a feature on 'The Boys' from Minaj's 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded — The Re-Up.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cassie is also a wife and a mother. She married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born that same year and they welcomed their second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021. She is currently pregnant with their third child, a son. The Combs' connection Cassie met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating. In her 2023 civil lawsuit, Cassie alleges Combs trapped her in a 'cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking' for more than a decade, including raping her and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day. In May 2024, CNN aired video that showed Combs attacking Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016. The video closely mirrored an assault described in her lawsuit, which said Combs had already punched her that night, and she was trying to leave the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles when he woke and came after her. In the footage, a man who appears to be Diddy, wearing only a towel, punches Cassie, kicks her, and throws her on to the floor. The lawsuit alleges Combs paid $50,000 to bury the video at the time. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Later, Combs apologized for the assault on Cassie in his first real acknowledgment of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began. Among other things, Cassie alleges Combs raped her when she tried to leave him and often punched, kicked and beat her, causing injuries including bruises, burst lips, black eyes and bleeding. She also alleges that Combs was involved in blowing up rival rapper Kid Cudi's car when he learned that Cudi was romantically interested in her, and she alleges that Combs ran out of his home with guns when he learned that Suge Knight, a rival producer, was eating nearby. On the first day of Combs' sex trafficking trial, a witness, Daniel Phillip, said he was a professional stripper who was paid $700 to $6,000 to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched and gave instructions, with the first encounter in 2012. Phillip told jurors that he stopped meeting with the couple after he saw Combs throw a bottle at her and then drag her by her hair into a bedroom as she screamed. — AP writer Mike Sisak contributed to this report. Toronto Maple Leafs Editorials NHL World Canada
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie to testify as star witness in sex trafficking trial
FILE PHOTO: Singer Casandra Elizabeth Ventura arrives on the red carpet ahead of the screening of the film \"Killing Them Softly\", in competition at the 65th Cannes Film Festival, May 22, 2012. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as "Cassie," is expected to testify on Tuesday as the prosecution's star witness in the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking case, a day after jurors saw a video of Combs hitting and kicking her in a hotel in 2016. Prosecutors say Combs lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fueled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters. Combs 'viciously attacked' women when they resisted taking part in the parties, known as "Freak Offs" or otherwise upset him, prosecutor Emily Johnson said during her opening statement on Monday in Manhattan federal court. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted on all counts, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and could face life in prison. Combs is known for turning rap and rhythm and blues artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige into stars, and in the process elevating the mainstream appeal of hip-hop in American culture in the 1990s and early 2000s. His lawyers say prosecutors want to criminalize the rapper's "swingers" lifestyle in which he and his girlfriends invited other men to join them for sex. Defense lawyer Teny Geragos conceded to jurors on Monday that Combs had a bad temper and jealousy problems but said this had nothing to do with sex trafficking or racketeering. "Domestic violence is not sex trafficking," Geragos said. "He is not charged with being a flawed individual." Prosecutors introduced the video of Combs and Ventura on Monday, the first day of evidence in the high-profile trial. In the video, Combs throws Ventura to the ground and kicks her in the hallway of a Los Angeles area hotel as she tries to enter an elevator. Combs, wearing only a towel, is then seen grabbing Ventura's belongings and dragging her into the hallway. Combs apologized after the video first aired on CNN last year. Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead lawyer, has said the 2016 hotel incident depicted the aftermath of a dispute over infidelity. In a court hearing on Friday, Agnifilo said Ventura had a history of domestic violence, signaling he plans to use that to undermine Ventura's credibility with jurors. Over the course of a two-month trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from Ventura and two or possibly three of Combs' other female accusers, as well as his former employees who prosecutors say helped arrange and cover up his actions. Johnson told jurors they would hear testimony from victims who said Combs routinely beat them and exploded with rage at the smallest slights. "They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant's sexual fantasies," Johnson said. A male stripper testified on Monday that he had sex for money multiple times in 2012 and 2013 while Combs watched and masturbated. Stripper Daniel Phillip recounted an episode in a New York City hotel where Combs threw a liquor bottle in Ventura's direction, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her screaming into another room. Defense lawyer Teny Geragos said on Monday that prosecutors were trying to twist Combs' romantic relationships into a racketeering and sex trafficking case. "Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about voluntary choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships," Geragos said in her opening statement. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
