Suge Knight's hip-hop beef with Diddy resurfaces in Cassie Ventura's trial testimony

Suge Knight's hip-hop beef with Diddy resurfaces in Cassie Ventura's trial testimony

Marion "Suge" Knight, the one-time music mogul and hip-hop executive who feuded withSean "Diddy" Combsin the '90s, is back in the spotlight amid Combs'federal sex-crimes trial. The Death Row Records co-founder, whose California-based label was at odds with Combs' Bad Boy Records during the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry, was brought up during testimony at Combs'criminal trial in Manhattan courton May 13. Combs is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution following his arrest in September 2024. Combs' ex-girlfriend,Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine, referenced the music moguls' longstanding feud as she took the witness stand and spoke about weapons allegedly stored in Combs' homes, among the rapper's other alleged abuses. Ventura Fine testified that Combs left his house amid one "freak off" in Los Angeles after being tipped off by a bodyguard that Knight was at a diner nearby. A "freak off" is a type of party featuring sexual performances that federal prosecutors have accused Combs of orchestrating as part of an alleged criminal enterprise. At the time of Combs' departure, Ventura Fine said she told Combs, "Please don't do anything stupid" as she screamed and cried in fear. Knight has also faced hisfair share of legal woesover the years, including multiple stints in prison and jail. The former record executive, who was arrested in 2015 on suspicion of murder in a hit-and-run incident that killed businessman Terry Carter, reportedly agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in the wrongful death case on April 29, according toRolling Stone. Knight has been serving a 28-year prison sentence after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter. As the heads of two of hip-hop's top record labels in the 1990s, Knight and Combs became embroiled in thegenre's infamous East Coast-West Coast feud, which was epitomized by the rivalry between rappersTupac "2Pac" ShakurandChristopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace. The New York-born Shakur represented the West Coast after he signed with the Los Angeles-based Death Row Records. He often traded verbal jabs with New York natives Wallace and Combs, who hailed from the East Coast and represented New York City-based Bad Boy Records. Knight appeared to call out Combs while attending the Source Awards in August 1995, making critical remarks about a music producer who makes frequent appearances in his artists' songs and music videos, which Combswas known to do. "Anyone out there who wanna be a recording artist and wanna stay a star and don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing, come to Death Row," Knight reportedly said at the time. Shakur and Wallace were both killed in drive-by shootings six months apart in September 1996 and March 1997, respectively. Knight drove the Black BMW that Shakur was traveling in at the time of the shooting. Knight was grazed by a bullet fragment or shrapnel from the car, while Shakur was shot four times, at least twice in the chest. Two years prior to Shakur's death, the rapper was wounded in a shooting during a robbery in the lobby of a midtown Manhattan hotel in November 1994. He was shot several times and lost $40,000. Shakur openly accused Wallace and Combs of having prior knowledge of the shooting, which both vehemently denied. Contributing: USA TODAY staff This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Suge Knight and Diddy beef: Music moguls' feud resurfaces during trial

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Suge Knight's hip-hop beef with Diddy resurfaces in Cassie Ventura's trial testimony

Suge Knight's hip-hop beef with Diddy resurfaces in Cassie Ventura's trial testimony Marion "Suge" Knight, the one-time mu...

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Michael Strahan Explains Why He 'Cannot Fathom' Ever Competing on “Dancing with the Stars”

Michael Strahan Explains Why He 'Cannot Fathom' Ever Competing on "Dancing with the Stars"

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Michael Strahanisn't ready to throw his hat in the ring for the mirrorball trophy. On the May 13 episode ofGood Morning America, Strahan, 53, shut down the possibility of competing onDancing with the Starswhile interviewing the show's co-hostAlfonso Ribeiro. The moment happened after Strahan's co-hostLara Spencerasked Ribeiro, 53, if there's anyone from "the sports world" who he would like to see on the upcoming season of the ABC competition series while pointing to the former NFL star. Strahan then interrupted, "Don't be pointing at me." "I think, listen, if there was a guy. I think if he played for the Giants at one point in his life. You know, he'd bring the whole New York audience, right?" Ribeiro teased before Strahan briefly showed his dance moves. "That's as much as you're getting," the former defensive end said, to which Ribeiro responded, "We need you, buddy. We'll get you a tall dancer to dance with you so it won't look so awkward." "You know what I love aboutDancing with the Stars?" Strahan asked. "When they come here, and I just get to interview them, and I don't have to dance. That's the best part." "My joints are too old and brittle," Strahan joked. However, Ribeiro noted taking part in the show could be a perfect fit with his schedule as he's already in Los Angeles for his job as an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday. Kevin Mazur/Getty; Noam Galai/Getty "Listen, you come out there anyway," he said. "You're there on the weekend. You just stay a few extra days." Strahan made it clear that he won't be putting on his dance shoes anytime soon, saying, "This is the thing; this is what scared me. Every professional football player and athlete who has been on the show said it was the hardest thing they've ever done. If it was harder than football was for me, I cannot fathom it at this point in my life." Ribeiro then suggested that "some of those athletes" might not have been "giving their all in football," adding, "I can't say for certain, but maybe they didn't step up." "There were Football Hall of Famers in that group," Strahan noted. He then suggested another member of theGood Morning Americafamily for the dance competition, saying, "George [Stephanopoulos] would do it, though. I have to say." The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Eric McCandless/Disney NFL stars to compete on the show include Emmitt Smith, Rashad Jennings, Antonio Brown, Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward and more. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. While Strahan has no interest in competing, he is no stranger to the ballroom. Back in October 2023, he joined judgesDerek Hough,Bruno TonioliandCarrie Ann Inabaasa guest judgefor the show's Motown night. Read the original article onPeople

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Michael Strahan Explains Why He 'Cannot Fathom' Ever Competing on “Dancing with the Stars”

Michael Strahan Explains Why He 'Cannot Fathom' Ever Competing on "Dancing with the Stars" Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Michael ...

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Tears, trauma and a million-dollar necklace as defiant Kim Kardashian faces Paris robbery suspects

Tears, trauma and a million-dollar necklace as defiant Kim Kardashian faces Paris robbery suspects

PARIS (AP) — Defiant in diamonds, Kim Kardashian appeared in a Paris courtroom Tuesday to testify in the trial over the 2016 armed robbery that upended her life. The reality star and business mogul gave emotional, at times harrowing, testimony about the night masked men tied her up at gunpoint and stole more than $6 million in jewelry. Here's what she revealed — and what's still to come. A night that changed everything Kardashian said she was starting to doze off in bed in the early hours when she heard stomping on the stairs. She assumed it was her sister Kourtney returning from a night out. "Hello? Hello? Who is it?" she called. Moments later, two masked men burst in. They dragged the concierge in handcuffs. They were dressed as police. "I thought it was some sort of terrorist attack," she said. She grabbed her phone but froze — "I didn't know what 911 was (in France)." She tried to call her sister and her bodyguard, but one man grabbed her hand to stop her. They threw her on the bed, bound her hands and held a gun to her back. "I have babies," she recalled telling the robbers. "I have to make it home. They can take everything. I just have to make it home." Her robe fell open — she said she was naked underneath — as one man pulled her toward him. "I was certain that was the moment that he was going to rape me," Kardashian said. One attacker leaned in and told her, in English, she'd be OK if she stayed quiet. He taped her mouth shut, and took her to the bathroom. Kardashian later managed to free her hands by rubbing the tape against the bathroom sink. She hopped downstairs, ankles still bound, and found her friend and stylist, Simone Harouche. Fearing the men might return, the women climbed onto the balcony and hid in bushes. While lying there, Kardashian called her mother. The men took a diamond ring she'd worn that night to a Givenchy show and rifled through her jewelry box. They took items including a watch her late father had given her when she graduated high school. "It wasn't just jewelry. It was so many memories," she said. A changed life and constant fear Investigators believe the attackers followed Kardashian's digital breadcrumbs — images, timestamps, geotags — and exploited them with old-school criminal methods. The robbery reshaped Kardashian's sense of safety and freedom. "This experience really changed everything for us," she said. "I started to get this phobia of going out." She often rents adjoining hotel rooms for protection and no longer stores jewelry at home, and now has up to six security guards at home. "I can't even sleep at night" otherwise, she said. She also said she no longer makes social media posts in real time unless at a public event. Her Los Angeles home was robbed shortly after the Paris heist in what she believes was a copycat attack. A letter and an unexpected moment of grace In a powerful courtroom moment, the chief judge read aloud a letter from one of the accused, who is too ill to testify. The letter said he had seen Kardashian's tears on television and expressed regret. Kardashian was visibly moved. "I'm obviously emotional," she said in response. "I do appreciate the letter, for sure," she added. "I forgive you for what had taken place. But it doesn't change the emotion, the trauma, and the way my life is forever changed." Kardashian, who is studying to become a lawyer, added that she regularly visits prisons. "I've always believed in second chances," she said. Diamonds, defiance and public image Kardashian made a fashion statement in court, wearing a $1.5 million necklace by Samer Halimeh New York. The jeweler's press release for the necklace came out even as she was on the witness stand, a reminder that visibility remains currency, even if the rules have grown more complicated. The choice reflected defiance and the reclaiming of the image and luxury once used against her. Kardashian said Paris had once been a sanctuary, a place where she would walk at 3 or 4 a.m., window shopping, sometimes stopping for hot chocolate. It "always felt really safe," she said. "It was always a magical place." What's next Twelve suspects were originally charged. One has died. One was excused due to illness. The French press dubbed the group les papys braqueurs — "the grandpa robbers" — but prosecutors say they were no harmless retirees. The defendants face charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and gang association. If convicted, they could face life in prison. Kardashian said she was grateful for the opportunity to "tell my truth" in the packed Paris courtroom. "This is my closure," she said. "This is me putting this, hopefully, to rest." The trial is expected to conclude May 23.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Tears, trauma and a million-dollar necklace as defiant Kim Kardashian faces Paris robbery suspects

Tears, trauma and a million-dollar necklace as defiant Kim Kardashian faces Paris robbery suspects PARIS (AP) — Defiant in diamonds, Kim Kar...

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Robert Benton, Director of Best Picture Winner ‘Kramer vs. Kramer,’ Dies at 92

Robert Benton, Director of Best Picture Winner 'Kramer vs. Kramer,' Dies at 92

Three-time Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Robert Benton, who helmed the 1979 best picture Oscar winner "Kramer vs. Kramer" as well as such films as "The Late Show," "Places in the Heart" and "Nobody's Fool" and collaborated on the screenplay for "Bonnie and Clyde," died Sunday in Manhattan. He was 92. His death was confirmed to theNew York Timesby his assistant and manager Marisa Forzano. More from Variety Stanley R. Jaffe, 'Kramer vs. Kramer' Producer, Dies at 84 Noah Baumbach's 'Marriage Story' Hits Home Whose Side Is 'Marriage Story' On? Benton, who started out as an art director at Esquire magazine, was partnered early on with fellow Esquire alumnus David Newman. They penned the innovative, award-winning 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde," which launched both their careers. They gradually diverged as Benton expanded into directing starting with "Bad Company," starring Jeff Bridges. After "Kramer," he continued to turn out dramatic films, which he often wrote as well as directed. He brought Oscar fortune to actors including Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Sally Field, John Malkovich, Jane Alexander and Paul Newman, with the first three of these winning Oscars for their work in Benton films. He himself won an Oscar as best director for "Kramer vs. Kramer" and for that film's screenplay as well as for the script for "Places in the Heart." Benton began his collaboration with Newman at Esquire. Their first film script, "Bonnie and Clyde," was rejected repeatedly until Arthur Penn stepped in as director and Warren Beatty as producer and star. The controversial and violent epic became a rage in 1967, bringing the duo an Oscar nomination. They continued their collaborative efforts with Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "There Was a Crooked Man" in 1970 and Peter Bogdanovich's "What's Up, Doc?," were among the writers on 1978 blockbuster "Superman" and made contributions to the film version of "Oh Calcutta!" When Newman decided he wanted to direct, Benton got the itch, too. His first film, 1972's "Bad Company," which he also co-wrote, was warmly received but died a quick commercial death. It set back his directing career for a few years. Then, through his agent Sam Cohn, Benton submitted his tongue-in-cheek detective yarn "The Late Show" to Robert Altman, who agreed to produce, with Art Carney and Lily Tomlin starring, in 1977. Benton's second directing effort was a modest hit. In 1979, working with Hoffman and newcomer Streep, Benton directed "Kramer vs. Kramer" after Francois Truffaut dropped out of the project. It won him two Oscars and grossed more than $100 million. His 1982 Hitchock-style thriller "Still of the Night," with Streep and Roy Scheider, had a muted reception. Two years later, however, "Places in the Heart," set in his Texas home town, proved a modest commercial success and won Oscars for Field and for Benton's detailed script. "Places" was Benton's last hit movie for a decade. "Nadine" and "Billy Bathgate" were disappointments Benton rebounded with 1994's "Nobody's Fool," starring Paul Newman, bringing in several Oscar nominations, including one for Benton's script, and performing well at the box office. Next he drew stellar performances from Newman, Gene Hackman and Susan Sarandon in the autumnal noir "Twilight." Benton also directed Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman to inspired performances in 2003's "The Human Stain," an adaptation of a Philip Roth novel. But many questioned the casting of Hopkins in the role of a light-skinned black man who has pretended to be white. Benton's next effort was 2005 comedy "The Ice Harvest," which he scripted with Richard Russo and exec produced; Harold Ramis directed. Some fans were ardent, but the picture was not a box office success. The director appeared in a number of documentaries about filmmaking, including 2006's "Wanderlust" and TCM's "Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood" in 2010. Benton was honored by the Writers Guild of America with its Ian McLellan Hunter Award for lifetime achievement in writing in 1995 and in 2007 with its Laurel Award for screenwriting achievement. Robert Douglas Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, and received a BFA at the U. of Texas. He pursued his Master's at Columbia U., with ambitions to be a painter, and tried to support himself as a cartoonist. He landed a job as an assistant to the art director at Esquire. He was drafted in 1954 and painted dioramas at Fort Bliss during his stint in the Army. Afterwards, he landed back at Esquire, working as the magazine's art director from 1958-64. His first larger collaboration with Newman was "Extremism: A Non Book." Then they wrote the Hal Prince musical "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman," which flopped in 1966, before the duo penned "Bonnie and Clyde." He is survived by a son, John. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Sign up forVariety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Robert Benton, Director of Best Picture Winner ‘Kramer vs. Kramer,’ Dies at 92

Robert Benton, Director of Best Picture Winner 'Kramer vs. Kramer,' Dies at 92 Three-time Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Ro...

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Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal

Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal

NEW YORK (AP) — A former fashion model testifying inHarvey Weinstein's retrial on sexual assault charges was confronted on the stand Tuesday with a private journal in which she wrote about people who sexually abused her, but notably left out the disgraced former Hollywood mogul. Michael Cibella, a lawyer for Weinstein, noted that the journal byKaja Sokolanames at least two people who had sexually assaulted her. Neither one of them, she acknowledged to the jury in Manhattan, was Weinstein. Instead, the "Pulp Fiction" producer is mentioned in the writings for altogether different reasons. Under an entry for "Harvey W" Sokola wrote that he was "promising me help," but "nothing came out of it." "The trauma that Harvey Weinstein inflicted on you was that he made promises that he didn't keep, even as you accused two other men of sexually assaulting you," Cibella said. The Polish model, now a 39-year-old psychotherapist, pushed back at the characterization. "That's your interpretation and I'll leave that with you," Sokola responded from the witness stand. "Harvey made promises he didn't keep -- and he sexually assaulted me." Earlier in the day, Sokola had argued that the journal, which she wrote in Polish in 2015, shouldn't be discussed in open court at all. She said the writing has been part of her treatment for substance abuse. One of the steps of the program, she explained, was to list all the people and things with which she held resentment. "This is very inappropriate," Sokola pleaded as one of Weinstein's attorneys began to cite portions of the text to the jury. "Please don't read that. This is my personal things. I'm not on trial here." Judge Curtis Farber assured Sokola that he would only permit limited questioning around the document. He also said he had concerns about the journal's completeness and authenticity and wondering how defense lawyers had obtained what appeared to be private medical records. "This might backfire tremendously" for the defense, Farber said at one point, as prosecutors also strongly opposed inclusion of the journal as evidence in the trial. "That's the risk they're willing to take." Weinstein's lawyers, in their cross-examination of Sokolathat began Friday, have sought to cast Sokola as a wannabe actor who tried to leverage her consensual relations with the former studio boss. Cibella, to that end, quizzed Sokola on Tuesday about what she told prosecutors during a 2020 interview. He contended that a prosecutor's handwritten notes from the meeting don't include any mention of Weinstein using force or tearing off her clothes, as she's described the incident to jurors in her testimony. "Is it a fact that you never made an allegation in 2020 that Mr. Weinstein used force?" Cibella asked. "That is a lie," Sokola fired back. Cibella also questioned Sokola about her communications with Weinstein in the years after she claimed he had sexually assaulted her in 2006. Among them were phone messages, text messages and emails in which she tried to meet up in person with the co-founder of the production company Miramax or asked him for help on various movie industry opportunities. Sokola, who is expected to return to the stand on Wednesday,testified last weekthat Weinstein exploited her dreams of an acting career to subject her to unwanted sexual advances, starting days after they met in 2002, while she was a 16-year-old on a modeling trip to New York. Some of those allegations are beyond the legal time limit for criminal charges, but Weinstein faces a criminal sex act charge over Sokola's claim that he forced oral sex on her in 2006. Prosecutorsadded the chargeto the landmark #MeToo case last year, after an appeals courtoverturned Weinstein's 2020 conviction. The guilty verdict pertained to allegations from two other women, who also have testified or are expected to testify at the retrial. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies ever sexually assaulting anyone. The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted, but Sokola has given her permission to be identified. ___ Associated Press reporter Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this story. ___ Follow Philip Marcelo attwitter.com/philmarcelo.

byRicky Wilson

in

May 13, 2025

Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal

Ex-model testifying that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her questioned about private journal NEW YORK (AP) — A former fashion model tes...

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