ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Brody Jenner's Kardashian half-sisters were too busy to entertain the idea of attending his wedding. "Kendall and Kylie didn't even bother to RSVP" to Brody and blogger Kaitlynn Carter's Bali-based festivities, an insider told Page Six. Page Six previously reported that Brody's dad, Caitlyn, 68, was skipping the wedding trip due to scheduled work commitments. His mom, Linda Thompson, and brother Brandon Jenner are celebrating with him instead. It is unclear why Kendall, 22, or Kylie, 21, couldn't make it to Brody's special day, but Kylie and baby daddy Travis Scott were spotted courtside at the Houston Rockets game on Monday. Kendall spent a "low key" Memorial Day with Kourtney Kardashian and friends. The couple is set to tie the knot in Sumba Island at Nihi Sumba but "there is an LA reception that's going to be planned, so maybe that'll be different," the insider added. (Page Six)
Caitlyn Jenner will not attend her son Brody's wedding, and TMZ has learned it's the result of a profound family divide that goes back to the time Bruce married Kris ... and Brody is deeply hurt. Jenner family sources tell us Brody is extremely upset his dad has taken a pass for his wedding. We're told Caitlyn has told Brody she can't come because of a lucrative business opportunity ... something that did not sit well with Brody, Brandon, Burt and Cassandra. Our sources say there were heated discussions but, in the end, Caitlyn chose business over the wedding. We're told the relationship between Brody and Caitlyn has been strained for years. He felt abandoned by his dad when he married Kris. Brody and company lay the blame on both Kris for being "selfish" and Caitlyn for being "an enabler" ... they say allowing Kris to put a wall between a dad and his kids from other marriages. Brody has had the hardest time of the 4 kids in forgiving Caitlyn ... partly because the others have connected with their dad with car racing and other sports ... something that doesn't interest Brody. We're told Caitlyn has issues with some of Brody's "life choices" but the other kids say that should be irrelevant on Brody's wedding day. The kids feel like both Kris and Caitlyn have not acted like responsible adults when it came to them, and they have suffered deeply as a result. Brody has had the most difficulty letting go of his grudge. Nonetheless, he wanted his dad front and center at his wedding. As for Brody sending an invite to half-sisters Kylie and Kendall and not even getting an RSVP, we're told the 4 kids don't blame the 2 girls. They say Kylie and Kendall were young when the wall was put up between the families and they never really had a relationship. BTW ... we're told Caitlyn did go to the bridal shower and does not object to the wedding. Nevertheless, her being a no-show has deepened the wound with Brody. (TMZ)
Roseanne Reacts to Show Cancellation in a Tweet. Roseanne Barr has returned to Twitter following the cancellation of her show earlier Tuesday...following her own racist Twitter rant. A few hours after Roseanne sent and then deleted a series of racist tweets about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, ABC canceled the reboot of her show with one blunt statement from president Channing Dungey. "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," it read. After spending the evening retweeting other people upset with ABC's decision (and some who supported her racism) and thanking people wishing her well, Roseanne finally sent out a tweet of her own. "Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!" it said. "I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet. I will be on Joe Rogan's podcast Friday." In the now-deleted rant, Barr wrote on Tuesday, "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." When many Twitter users pointed out the tweet's racist nature, Barr responded with another now-deleted tweet: "Muslims r NOT a race." She then apologized for what she called a "bad joke about her politics and her looks" and declared she was leaving Twitter, before returning to hand out a few retweets. At the very least, it could be said that many people agree with the sentiment that we should not feel bad for Roseanne, but we should feel bad for the many people who lost their jobs when the show was canceled. Roseanne aired on ABC. (Eonline)
John Goodman's body language says it all -- he's beyond pissed after Roseanne Barr's racist comment led to the cancellation of their hit ABC sitcom. Goodman -- who costarred as Dan Conner on "Roseanne" until Barr's decision to post a racist tweet resulted in the show getting the axe Tuesday -- was spotted out in New Orleans glumly walking his dog shortly after the news broke. As we reported ... ABC made the call to pull the plug on "Roseanne" just hours after she tweeted a "joke" about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, saying, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby." Clearly, Dan's had better days ... but it could be worse. At least he still has his loving dog by his side. (TMZ)
Mel B claims the house she used to live in has become a modern-day "Animal House" ... so she's snatching back possession of it from Stephen Belafonte. Mel says she'd given her ex-husband access to their former family home in West L.A. so he could prepare it for sale. It's been listed for more than a month, but in docs ... Mel says she caught wind through social media that Stephen was throwing some killer parties there. The most recent one was on May 18, and Mel says she rolled over to the house to break up the rager. According to the docs, things got contentious between the exes, and Mel opted to call cops. She says Stephen refused to leave the home, and officers put him in handcuffs. Mel says Stephen's attorney showed up, and shortly thereafter cops released him. In the aftermath, Mel says she inspected the home and found broken locks, and several pricey items were missing ... including a $10,000 Baccarat chandelier, and a one-of-a-kind Marilyn Monroe painting. The judge has now given Mel sole use and possession of the home until a hearing next week. (TMZ)
Jermaine Jackson's estranged wife says $35k per month is a fair amount for spousal support ... because she claims he's raking in way more than that every month. Halima Rashid filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, asking for $35,643 per month in spousal support. She claims it's a decent amount since Jermaine's income fluctuates between $50k and $500k per month, depending on which concerts he books and other business deals. According to the docs, Halima makes just $600 per month, and had to sell her cars to pay her bills. She says her primary job during their marriage was being by Jermaine's side. She also says she's gotta pay for treatment on a neck injury she claims Jermaine caused during a 2015 domestic violence incident. Worth noting, Halima got arrested after that incident, not Jermaine. Halima also says, in the docs, Jermaine's banned her from the house they lived in together. We broke the story ... Halima filed for divorce back in June 2016. (TMZ)
Frances Bean's ex-husband is not done with her family, because he's now suing Courtney Love claiming she entered into a conspiracy with several people to break into his home, beat him up, kidnap him and try to murder him so they could gain possession of Kurt Cobain's legendary guitar. Isaiah Silva claims in a new lawsuit, in the early hours of June 3, 2016, Sam Lutfi -- the one involved in the Britney Spears drama years ago -- along with 2 other guys burglarized, robbed, assaulted, sexually battered, kidnapped and attempted to murder him at his West Hollywood Home. Silva says the goal was to get the guitar that was made famous on "MTV Unplugged" that he claims was gifted to him by Frances Bean. Silva claims the group also injured his mother. And the allegations go on. Silva claims Lutfi provided narcotics and illicit benzodiazepines to Frances and Courtney. Frances settled her divorce with Isaiah and agreed to give him the famous guitar just to get him out of her life, but clearly that didn't work. Silva is also suing John Nazarian, actor Ross Butler and musician Michael Schenk ... claiming they were all involved in the conspiracy. BTW, he alleges they made their way inside his house by pounding on the front door and yelling, 'Police, open up!!!" and "LAPD, open the f******* door!!!" And he claims, Lutfi grabbed Silva's genitals through his pants, moved to within inches of his face and whispered, "Listen fa***t, calm the f*** down or we'll drag you upstairs and take turns f****** you." He says he was hurt during the ordeal. Silva is asking for unspecified damages. We reached out to Courtney's manager ... so far no word back. (TMZ)
Meek Mill seems to have everyone on board for a new trial -- except possibly the judge -- because the prosecutor in the case just filed legal docs saying he deserves another go in court. The D.A. handling the case wrote in a doc obtained by TMZ, "In light of recent disclosures regarding this officer's misconduct, the Commonwealth is not able to stand behind the credibility of his trial testimony at this time. Accordingly, the Commonwealth concedes that a new trial is necessary." The cop in question was seemingly corrupt, according to a "do not call" list created by the D.A.'s office and was central to Meek's conviction for weapons and drugs. The D.A. actually made that point during a previous court hearing, but Judge Genece Brinkley said the issue wasn't before her so she told Meek to sit in jail without bail for 60 days until the scheduled hearing. There's a hearing today during which Meek's lawyer will ask that Judge Brinkley be removed from the case based on bias. (TMZ)
The mother of basketball player Zeke Upshaw is suing the Detroit Pistons and the NBA -- claiming the league and the team could have saved her son's life after he collapsed on the court earlier this year. Upshaw was playing for the Pistons' G-League team -- the Grand Rapids Drive -- when he collapsed on the court during the final minutes of a March 24th, 2018 game. Upshaw never regained consciousness and died 2 days later from Sudden Cardiac Death. But Zeke's mom says he could have been saved if medical staff would have rushed in and treated him immediately. Instead, Jewel Upshaw says ... it took 4 crucial minutes before a doctor tended to Zeke -- no CPR, no chest compressions, no life saving measures of any kind. In fact, she claims the team doctor had "stepped out before the end of the basketball game and was not present nor available when Zeke collapsed." Jewel claims when doctors finally tended to Zeke, the treatment was so poor -- she later learned Zeke's body "went without oxygen for another forty minutes ... leaving his brain completely oxygen deprived." "At this point, there was no healthy brain left to save." Jewel claims the NBA has had so much experience with players suffering Sudden Cardiac Death over the years -- from Reggie Lewis to Conrad McRae -- there should be a proper protocol to handle these types of situations. Jewel says she is suing in the hopes of changing NBA policies, so no other mother will have to experience what she went through. (TMZ)
Illusionist David Copperfield was found negligent but not financially responsible for a British tourist's injuries during a signature vanishing act that used participants from the audience of a Las Vegas Strip show in 2013, a jury said Tuesday. Gavin Cox and his wife, Minh-Hahn Cox, alleged negligence by the multimillionaire magician, the MGM Grand hotel, two Copperfield business entities and a construction firm that was renovating the hotel. In a complex verdict reached after several weeks of testimony but only about two hours of deliberation, the state civil court jury found negligence by Copperfield, the hotel and Copperfield's company, Backstage Disappearing Inc. But jurors found no liability for each of those named in the lawsuit, and instead found Cox 100 percent responsible for his own injuries. The verdict means the Coxes cannot seek monetary damages, court spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said. Gavin Cox testified that he suffered brain and other injuries in a fall while stagehands urged him and others to run during an illusion that appeared to make as many as 13 audience volunteers disappear onstage and reappear moments later, waving flashlights in the back of the theater. His lawyer, Benedict Morelli, told jurors during closing arguments that the trick was inherently dangerous, and that Copperfield should be held partially liable for Cox's injuries. Four years ago, attorneys estimated that Cox had that racked up more than $400,000 in medical costs. Copperfield's lawyers lost a bid to close the courtroom to the public to prevent disclosure of secrets about the illusion. At least 55,000 audience volunteers had taken part in the trick over 17 years, according to Copperfield and show executive producer Chris Kenner. Jurors learned that in about 60 to 90 seconds, stagehands with flashlights ushered the randomly chosen participants past dark curtains, down passageways, around corners, outdoors, indoors and through an MGM Grand resort kitchen to re-enter the theater for the show's finale, according to testimony. "I was having a good time up until the time I was injured," Cox testified. He recalled stagehands shouting "Run! Run! Run!" through an outdoor alleyway that his lawyers say was coated with construction dust. Cox, 57, a former chef from Kent, England, said he fell hard on his right side and didn't remember getting up to finish the illusion in November 2013. Afterward, Cox said he received medical treatment from paramedics and at a hospital for shoulder and other injuries. Two day later, he and his wife and a lawyer returned to the theater at the MGM Grand and filed an accident report. Copperfield testified that until Cox sued in August 2014, he never knew of anyone getting hurt during nearly 20 years performing the illusion on tour and in Las Vegas. He said he stopped performing it in 2015. The magician said he didn't see construction dust on the ground when he passed through the same outdoor alley alone as part of another illusion about 10 minutes earlier. Cox's lawyers brought in three women who testified that they also were injured during the illusion over the years, including a Michigan schoolteacher who said she fell but finished with a bloody knee during a Copperfield performance about five months before Cox's fall. (Page Six)
The woman alleging Harvey Weinstein repeatedly raped her in 2013 had a consensual sexual relationship with him for 10 years ... according to Weinstein's attorney. Ben Brafman met with prosecutors and the judge Tuesday, and afterward said he was baffled by the charges because the unnamed accuser carried on her relationship with Weinstein before and after the alleged rape in a hotel room. He also expressed concern about the indictment against Weinstein ... claiming prosecutors had bowed to immense public pressure. Brafman added that all the publicity about the case could sway potential jurors. Weinstein surrendered to NYPD last week and was booked for rape, criminal sex acts, sexual abuse and sexual misconduct. As we reported, the charges stem not only from the alleged 2013 rapes, but also Lucia Evans' claim Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in 2004. (TMZ)
Harvey Weinstein Arrested, Charged With Rape and Sex Abuse. UPDATE: After a closed-door hearing, a lawyer for Harvey Weinstein spoke out in regards to the unnamed woman accusing the Hollywood producer of rape. "This is an extraordinary case in my judgment, where the only rape victim that Mr. Weinstein is accused of raping is someone who he has had a 10-year consensual sexual relationship with," attorney Benjamin Brafman shared with reporters via the New York Times. "There is a confluence of concerns that make me concerned that it's going to be difficult for people who are judging this case to keep an open mind and be fair...I think at the end of the day Mr. Weinstein will be exonerated of these charges." Prosecutors have not identified either victim in court papers. The first alleged victim Lucia Evans, however, has spoken to The New Yorker. The second woman has yet to be publicly identified.
An employee on Steve Harvey's radio morning show died this weekend after being found unresponsive in his hotel room by one of Steve's famous co-hosts ... TMZ has learned. According to an incident report, obtained by TMZ, cops were called to the W Hotel in Atlanta early Sunday afternoon, where the body of Kier "Junior" Spates' assistant, Bryan Cooke, had been discovered in his room ... with blood and vomit coming from his nose and mouth. Spates asked hotel staff to check on Cooke after he didn't respond to him -- the two 'Steve Harvey' employees were supposed to catch a flight to L.A. later that day. When no one answered, staff went in to find Cooke lying face down on his bed, and cold to the touch. Cops say Spates told them he and Cooke had hit the town the night before, but that Cooke appeared fine upon returning to the hotel. They even smoked cigars together before going to their separate rooms, and Spates said they did not partake in any drugs. Police note prescription pills were found in Cooke's room -- but do not disclose the medication. It's unclear if any pills had been taken or played any role in his death. They also say housekeeping came by to clean Cooke's room, but thought he was sleeping. He was 39. Spates is a well-known radio personality on Harvey's show. He referred to Cooke as his "best friend" to authorities. (TMZ)
Caitlyn Jenner will not attend her son Brody's wedding, and TMZ has learned it's the result of a profound family divide that goes back to the time Bruce married Kris ... and Brody is deeply hurt. Jenner family sources tell us Brody is extremely upset his dad has taken a pass for his wedding. We're told Caitlyn has told Brody she can't come because of a lucrative business opportunity ... something that did not sit well with Brody, Brandon, Burt and Cassandra. Our sources say there were heated discussions but, in the end, Caitlyn chose business over the wedding. We're told the relationship between Brody and Caitlyn has been strained for years. He felt abandoned by his dad when he married Kris. Brody and company lay the blame on both Kris for being "selfish" and Caitlyn for being "an enabler" ... they say allowing Kris to put a wall between a dad and his kids from other marriages. Brody has had the hardest time of the 4 kids in forgiving Caitlyn ... partly because the others have connected with their dad with car racing and other sports ... something that doesn't interest Brody. We're told Caitlyn has issues with some of Brody's "life choices" but the other kids say that should be irrelevant on Brody's wedding day. The kids feel like both Kris and Caitlyn have not acted like responsible adults when it came to them, and they have suffered deeply as a result. Brody has had the most difficulty letting go of his grudge. Nonetheless, he wanted his dad front and center at his wedding. As for Brody sending an invite to half-sisters Kylie and Kendall and not even getting an RSVP, we're told the 4 kids don't blame the 2 girls. They say Kylie and Kendall were young when the wall was put up between the families and they never really had a relationship. BTW ... we're told Caitlyn did go to the bridal shower and does not object to the wedding. Nevertheless, her being a no-show has deepened the wound with Brody. (TMZ)
Roseanne Reacts to Show Cancellation in a Tweet. Roseanne Barr has returned to Twitter following the cancellation of her show earlier Tuesday...following her own racist Twitter rant. A few hours after Roseanne sent and then deleted a series of racist tweets about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, ABC canceled the reboot of her show with one blunt statement from president Channing Dungey. "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," it read. After spending the evening retweeting other people upset with ABC's decision (and some who supported her racism) and thanking people wishing her well, Roseanne finally sent out a tweet of her own. "Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!" it said. "I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet. I will be on Joe Rogan's podcast Friday." In the now-deleted rant, Barr wrote on Tuesday, "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." When many Twitter users pointed out the tweet's racist nature, Barr responded with another now-deleted tweet: "Muslims r NOT a race." She then apologized for what she called a "bad joke about her politics and her looks" and declared she was leaving Twitter, before returning to hand out a few retweets. At the very least, it could be said that many people agree with the sentiment that we should not feel bad for Roseanne, but we should feel bad for the many people who lost their jobs when the show was canceled. Roseanne aired on ABC. (Eonline)
John Goodman's body language says it all -- he's beyond pissed after Roseanne Barr's racist comment led to the cancellation of their hit ABC sitcom. Goodman -- who costarred as Dan Conner on "Roseanne" until Barr's decision to post a racist tweet resulted in the show getting the axe Tuesday -- was spotted out in New Orleans glumly walking his dog shortly after the news broke. As we reported ... ABC made the call to pull the plug on "Roseanne" just hours after she tweeted a "joke" about former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, saying, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby." Clearly, Dan's had better days ... but it could be worse. At least he still has his loving dog by his side. (TMZ)
Mel B claims the house she used to live in has become a modern-day "Animal House" ... so she's snatching back possession of it from Stephen Belafonte. Mel says she'd given her ex-husband access to their former family home in West L.A. so he could prepare it for sale. It's been listed for more than a month, but in docs ... Mel says she caught wind through social media that Stephen was throwing some killer parties there. The most recent one was on May 18, and Mel says she rolled over to the house to break up the rager. According to the docs, things got contentious between the exes, and Mel opted to call cops. She says Stephen refused to leave the home, and officers put him in handcuffs. Mel says Stephen's attorney showed up, and shortly thereafter cops released him. In the aftermath, Mel says she inspected the home and found broken locks, and several pricey items were missing ... including a $10,000 Baccarat chandelier, and a one-of-a-kind Marilyn Monroe painting. The judge has now given Mel sole use and possession of the home until a hearing next week. (TMZ)
Jermaine Jackson's estranged wife says $35k per month is a fair amount for spousal support ... because she claims he's raking in way more than that every month. Halima Rashid filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, asking for $35,643 per month in spousal support. She claims it's a decent amount since Jermaine's income fluctuates between $50k and $500k per month, depending on which concerts he books and other business deals. According to the docs, Halima makes just $600 per month, and had to sell her cars to pay her bills. She says her primary job during their marriage was being by Jermaine's side. She also says she's gotta pay for treatment on a neck injury she claims Jermaine caused during a 2015 domestic violence incident. Worth noting, Halima got arrested after that incident, not Jermaine. Halima also says, in the docs, Jermaine's banned her from the house they lived in together. We broke the story ... Halima filed for divorce back in June 2016. (TMZ)
Frances Bean's ex-husband is not done with her family, because he's now suing Courtney Love claiming she entered into a conspiracy with several people to break into his home, beat him up, kidnap him and try to murder him so they could gain possession of Kurt Cobain's legendary guitar. Isaiah Silva claims in a new lawsuit, in the early hours of June 3, 2016, Sam Lutfi -- the one involved in the Britney Spears drama years ago -- along with 2 other guys burglarized, robbed, assaulted, sexually battered, kidnapped and attempted to murder him at his West Hollywood Home. Silva says the goal was to get the guitar that was made famous on "MTV Unplugged" that he claims was gifted to him by Frances Bean. Silva claims the group also injured his mother. And the allegations go on. Silva claims Lutfi provided narcotics and illicit benzodiazepines to Frances and Courtney. Frances settled her divorce with Isaiah and agreed to give him the famous guitar just to get him out of her life, but clearly that didn't work. Silva is also suing John Nazarian, actor Ross Butler and musician Michael Schenk ... claiming they were all involved in the conspiracy. BTW, he alleges they made their way inside his house by pounding on the front door and yelling, 'Police, open up!!!" and "LAPD, open the f******* door!!!" And he claims, Lutfi grabbed Silva's genitals through his pants, moved to within inches of his face and whispered, "Listen fa***t, calm the f*** down or we'll drag you upstairs and take turns f****** you." He says he was hurt during the ordeal. Silva is asking for unspecified damages. We reached out to Courtney's manager ... so far no word back. (TMZ)
Meek Mill seems to have everyone on board for a new trial -- except possibly the judge -- because the prosecutor in the case just filed legal docs saying he deserves another go in court. The D.A. handling the case wrote in a doc obtained by TMZ, "In light of recent disclosures regarding this officer's misconduct, the Commonwealth is not able to stand behind the credibility of his trial testimony at this time. Accordingly, the Commonwealth concedes that a new trial is necessary." The cop in question was seemingly corrupt, according to a "do not call" list created by the D.A.'s office and was central to Meek's conviction for weapons and drugs. The D.A. actually made that point during a previous court hearing, but Judge Genece Brinkley said the issue wasn't before her so she told Meek to sit in jail without bail for 60 days until the scheduled hearing. There's a hearing today during which Meek's lawyer will ask that Judge Brinkley be removed from the case based on bias. (TMZ)
The mother of basketball player Zeke Upshaw is suing the Detroit Pistons and the NBA -- claiming the league and the team could have saved her son's life after he collapsed on the court earlier this year. Upshaw was playing for the Pistons' G-League team -- the Grand Rapids Drive -- when he collapsed on the court during the final minutes of a March 24th, 2018 game. Upshaw never regained consciousness and died 2 days later from Sudden Cardiac Death. But Zeke's mom says he could have been saved if medical staff would have rushed in and treated him immediately. Instead, Jewel Upshaw says ... it took 4 crucial minutes before a doctor tended to Zeke -- no CPR, no chest compressions, no life saving measures of any kind. In fact, she claims the team doctor had "stepped out before the end of the basketball game and was not present nor available when Zeke collapsed." Jewel claims when doctors finally tended to Zeke, the treatment was so poor -- she later learned Zeke's body "went without oxygen for another forty minutes ... leaving his brain completely oxygen deprived." "At this point, there was no healthy brain left to save." Jewel claims the NBA has had so much experience with players suffering Sudden Cardiac Death over the years -- from Reggie Lewis to Conrad McRae -- there should be a proper protocol to handle these types of situations. Jewel says she is suing in the hopes of changing NBA policies, so no other mother will have to experience what she went through. (TMZ)
Illusionist David Copperfield was found negligent but not financially responsible for a British tourist's injuries during a signature vanishing act that used participants from the audience of a Las Vegas Strip show in 2013, a jury said Tuesday. Gavin Cox and his wife, Minh-Hahn Cox, alleged negligence by the multimillionaire magician, the MGM Grand hotel, two Copperfield business entities and a construction firm that was renovating the hotel. In a complex verdict reached after several weeks of testimony but only about two hours of deliberation, the state civil court jury found negligence by Copperfield, the hotel and Copperfield's company, Backstage Disappearing Inc. But jurors found no liability for each of those named in the lawsuit, and instead found Cox 100 percent responsible for his own injuries. The verdict means the Coxes cannot seek monetary damages, court spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said. Gavin Cox testified that he suffered brain and other injuries in a fall while stagehands urged him and others to run during an illusion that appeared to make as many as 13 audience volunteers disappear onstage and reappear moments later, waving flashlights in the back of the theater. His lawyer, Benedict Morelli, told jurors during closing arguments that the trick was inherently dangerous, and that Copperfield should be held partially liable for Cox's injuries. Four years ago, attorneys estimated that Cox had that racked up more than $400,000 in medical costs. Copperfield's lawyers lost a bid to close the courtroom to the public to prevent disclosure of secrets about the illusion. At least 55,000 audience volunteers had taken part in the trick over 17 years, according to Copperfield and show executive producer Chris Kenner. Jurors learned that in about 60 to 90 seconds, stagehands with flashlights ushered the randomly chosen participants past dark curtains, down passageways, around corners, outdoors, indoors and through an MGM Grand resort kitchen to re-enter the theater for the show's finale, according to testimony. "I was having a good time up until the time I was injured," Cox testified. He recalled stagehands shouting "Run! Run! Run!" through an outdoor alleyway that his lawyers say was coated with construction dust. Cox, 57, a former chef from Kent, England, said he fell hard on his right side and didn't remember getting up to finish the illusion in November 2013. Afterward, Cox said he received medical treatment from paramedics and at a hospital for shoulder and other injuries. Two day later, he and his wife and a lawyer returned to the theater at the MGM Grand and filed an accident report. Copperfield testified that until Cox sued in August 2014, he never knew of anyone getting hurt during nearly 20 years performing the illusion on tour and in Las Vegas. He said he stopped performing it in 2015. The magician said he didn't see construction dust on the ground when he passed through the same outdoor alley alone as part of another illusion about 10 minutes earlier. Cox's lawyers brought in three women who testified that they also were injured during the illusion over the years, including a Michigan schoolteacher who said she fell but finished with a bloody knee during a Copperfield performance about five months before Cox's fall. (Page Six)
The woman alleging Harvey Weinstein repeatedly raped her in 2013 had a consensual sexual relationship with him for 10 years ... according to Weinstein's attorney. Ben Brafman met with prosecutors and the judge Tuesday, and afterward said he was baffled by the charges because the unnamed accuser carried on her relationship with Weinstein before and after the alleged rape in a hotel room. He also expressed concern about the indictment against Weinstein ... claiming prosecutors had bowed to immense public pressure. Brafman added that all the publicity about the case could sway potential jurors. Weinstein surrendered to NYPD last week and was booked for rape, criminal sex acts, sexual abuse and sexual misconduct. As we reported, the charges stem not only from the alleged 2013 rapes, but also Lucia Evans' claim Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in 2004. (TMZ)
Harvey Weinstein Arrested, Charged With Rape and Sex Abuse. UPDATE: After a closed-door hearing, a lawyer for Harvey Weinstein spoke out in regards to the unnamed woman accusing the Hollywood producer of rape. "This is an extraordinary case in my judgment, where the only rape victim that Mr. Weinstein is accused of raping is someone who he has had a 10-year consensual sexual relationship with," attorney Benjamin Brafman shared with reporters via the New York Times. "There is a confluence of concerns that make me concerned that it's going to be difficult for people who are judging this case to keep an open mind and be fair...I think at the end of the day Mr. Weinstein will be exonerated of these charges." Prosecutors have not identified either victim in court papers. The first alleged victim Lucia Evans, however, has spoken to The New Yorker. The second woman has yet to be publicly identified.
An employee on Steve Harvey's radio morning show died this weekend after being found unresponsive in his hotel room by one of Steve's famous co-hosts ... TMZ has learned. According to an incident report, obtained by TMZ, cops were called to the W Hotel in Atlanta early Sunday afternoon, where the body of Kier "Junior" Spates' assistant, Bryan Cooke, had been discovered in his room ... with blood and vomit coming from his nose and mouth. Spates asked hotel staff to check on Cooke after he didn't respond to him -- the two 'Steve Harvey' employees were supposed to catch a flight to L.A. later that day. When no one answered, staff went in to find Cooke lying face down on his bed, and cold to the touch. Cops say Spates told them he and Cooke had hit the town the night before, but that Cooke appeared fine upon returning to the hotel. They even smoked cigars together before going to their separate rooms, and Spates said they did not partake in any drugs. Police note prescription pills were found in Cooke's room -- but do not disclose the medication. It's unclear if any pills had been taken or played any role in his death. They also say housekeeping came by to clean Cooke's room, but thought he was sleeping. He was 39. Spates is a well-known radio personality on Harvey's show. He referred to Cooke as his "best friend" to authorities. (TMZ)
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