Stage set for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trialEntertainment
Category: BUSINESS
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs jury selection
What we know about the case against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
The trial against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is kicking off. How strong is the case against him? Here’s what we know now.
The day of reckoning has arrived for Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose trial on a range of sexual assault charges could result in the one-time billionaire spending the rest of his once-gilded life behind thick steel bars.
As he entered the Manhattan courtroom on May 5, Combs hugged his lawyers as they, and the prosecution, began the laborious task of selecting the 12 people who could free or doom the rap mogul.
Combs, whose empire once extended to fashion, traded the jail garb he has donned since September for a navy blue sweater over a white collared shirt. Dark glasses shielded his eyes, while salt-and-pepper tufts flecked his goatee.
Jurors were questioned one at a time by the judge, the prosecution and defense, their stated mission to try and seat a jury of 12 in just three days. May 5’s slow pace could put that timeline in jeopardy, as finding jurors who remain unbiased in such a high-profile case could prove challenging.
Judge Arun Subramanian even joked that the process could feel as long as the famously lengthy “Lord of the Rings” movie series.
The rapper’s connections with celebrities from Jay-Z to Jennifer Lopez bring increased interest to the case. A huge array of big stars flocked to Combs’ fabled White Parties, which ran from 1998 to 2009, and there is some debate as to whether abuse took place at this high profile events in addition to more intimate gatherings known as freak-offs and While King Night parties, where accusers allege they were drugged and sexually assaulted.
One juror, identified only as No. 2, said that despite having a sister who was physically assaulted by her first husband decades ago, he could remain impartial in the case. He also said, despite being familiar with the actors Michael B. Jordan and Mike Myers, two celebrity names that apparently could be mentioned in the trial, he could remain objective.
In contrast, some prospective jurors were dismissed after saying they had seen “damning” images of the defendant, or had relatives who had suffered abuse.
Combs, 55, is facing federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts and recently turned down a plea deal that could have found him serving less than the life sentence that is possible if he is convicted on the major charges.
The case against Combs, who rose from concert promoter to rap impresario to fashion and spirits magnate, is one of the highest-profile trials for sexual misconduct since R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein, both of whom were found guilty of a range of sexual abuse charges.
Like those two men, Combs’ power and influence created an impenetrable cocoon of privilege that, prosecutors will argue, insulated him from repercussions while devastating the lives of men and women who stayed largely silent for fear of his reach.
Combs’ team, anchored by high-profile lawyer Brian Steel, will aim to convince jurors that whatever happened in the rapper’s private orbits was between consenting individuals and did not constitute the machinations of a criminal enterprise.
Contributing: Marina Pitofsky, Patrick Ryan
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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2025 inductees announcedMusic
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2025 inductees announcedMusic
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What to know about President Trump’s movie tariffs plan
Foreign films could see 100% tariff in Trump plan to save Hollywood
According to the research firm ProdPro, projects with budgets over $40 million went outside the US in 2023. Tax incentives have made the move overseas lucrative.
As summer movie season begins and the box office is finally getting some momentum, it’s the one word Hollywood probably wanted to hear least: tariffs.
In a social media post May 4, President Donald Trump announced he’s authorized his administration to slap a 100% tariff on movies produced outside of the U.S. because, as he put it, “the Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death.” He called the incentives used to bring filmmakers and studio productions to other countries “a National Security threat” and “propaganda,” and concluded his message by writing, “WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
The post took the movie industry by surprise – director BenDavid Grabinski quoted Trump’s post and added a “?????????” on X – but mainly it was met with confusion. Does the president actually want to bring film production back to the U.S. or is this a shot across the bow at Hollywood, a home for many Trump critics like George Clooney? Can he actually levy a tariff on a movie or will this random missive just die on the vine? (In context, the same night Trump also announced he was reopening Alcatraz as a prison and ripped into Republican strategist Karl Rove after a scathing appearance on Fox News.)
Let’s try to make some sense of these potential movie tariffs:
What movies could be affected by President Trump’s tariffs?
So, Trump actually is talking about two different things in his post: foreign films that are bought by studios and distributed here, and domestic films that go overseas or to, for example, Canada as part of production. Or he might be wanting to levy tariffs on both.
It could make international movies pricier, for sure, especially for those wanting to purchase a buzzy film from Cannes or another film festival. In theory, someone wanting to buy, say, the next “Parasite” out of South Korea could be levied that 100% tariff. Another important question here: Would this tariff just extend to movies or would it also affect TV? Netflix, which imports global series like “Squid Game” and “The Crown” and makes them binge-worthy hits, might pull back on that extensive part of their business model.
More worrisome for Hollywood is the fact that many of its biggest blockbusters are filmed partly outside of the U.S.: In 2023, about half of the spending by U.S. producers on movie and TV projects with budgets of more than $40 million went outside the U.S., according to research firm ProdPro.
The hit “A Minecraft Movie” filmed in New Zealand, and that’s where James Cameron is working on the latest “Avatar” movie. Christopher Nolan is making “The Odyssey” in various places including Morocco. Marvel studios just started production on “Avengers: Doomsday” in London. Not to mention all the movies and TV shows that regularly use Canadian cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
Another aspect to be clarified: Would tariffs hit movies now in production or the ones already completed? That “Minecraft” movie is a huge hit – might it now owe Uncle Sam a hefty chunk of change? And Tom Cruise probably doesn’t want to hear about tariffs with “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” – which filmed in Norway, Malta, South Africa and assorted other locales – a few weeks from releasing in theaters.
How might average movie lovers be affected by Trump’s movie tariffs?
Many Americans are feeling tariffs in general, from the stock market to the increasing prices of everyday items. Tariffs on movies could conceivably hit Americans’ pocketbooks in a whole new way, or change up their beloved entertainment escapism.
A lot probably depends on how and where tariffs get levied. It’s not hard to imagine that if studios owe extra money on movies – which often cost hundreds of millions to produce and distribute – ticket costs could rise. Or streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ might raise subscription prices. Tim Richards, Vue Entertainment CEO and founder, told BBC Radio 4 that “a big part of this is what constitutes U.S. film: Is it where the money comes from, the script, the director, the talent, where it was shot?”
The number of movies that comes out could be affected. If it becomes inordinately expensive for studios to finance movies – and movies are already rather expensive – fewer films will get made. Maybe Disney goes all in on Marvel and “Star Wars” outings but doesn’t pull the trigger on some mid-tier projects. And with so many movies currently underway (or getting ready to be), it would be difficult to shift productions back to America, not to mention figuring out where they would shift to.
Tariffs likely mean more chaos, not to mention how it might affect the global movie business. Studios depend on international box office for their films’ success. Amid these tariff wars, China has already said that it will “moderately reduce” the number of U.S. films it imports. More reciprocal tariffs on Trump’s new movie plan would add extra pain to an industry that still isn’t back to its pre-pandemic heights.
But can President Trump actually levy a tariff on a movie?
The morning after Trump’s movie tariffs announcement, stocks opened lower. That might not be shocking given the effects other tariffs have had, but what is startling is the lack of any detail about the president’s plan for Hollywood. It’s unclear who or what would have tariffs levied on them, and when they would take hold, or how they would be enacted.
But here’s another of many questions: Can a movie even be taxed in such a way? It’s not like “Sinners” or “Thunderbolts*” was a good imported on a ship from China. The World Trade Organization extended a moratorium on digital trade tariffs until 2026 – if film is considered a digital good, that could make the tariff hard to enact without some legal wrangling. Or would movies coming soon to a theater be subject in a different way than streaming content?
Then again, like with other announced tariffs, perhaps Trump rolls back his movie plan or just moves on to something else that garners his attention. From filmmakers and studios to movie fans everywhere, we’ll all have to wait and see.
Contributing: Zac Anderson, USA TODAY, and Reuters
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‘The Wire’ and ‘The Sopranos’ actor was 84
Charley Scalies Jr., a 1990s and 2000s actor best known for his role on “The Wire” and appearances on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 84.
Scalies died “peacefully” after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease on May 1, according to an obituary. His family said the actor was “best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend” and “whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion and a true joy for life.”
USA TODAY has reached out for more information.
Scalies starred in stage plays and later the Al Pacino film “Two Bits” in 1995. He played Thomas “Horseface” Pakusa, an incarcerated former cargo checker from labor union IBS Local 1514, on Season 2 of the hit HBO crime drama “The Wire.” He played Tony Soprano’s high school football coach, Coach Molinaro, on HBO’s other hit crime drama “The Sopranos” a year later in 2004.
Other credits include an appearance on the series “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and the films “12 Monkeys” (1995), “Liberty Heights” (1999) and “Jersey Girl” (2004).
He made two separate appearances on “SVU”: as Bert Ferrara in 2006 and Dock Foreman in 2008. The latter was among his last acting credits, in addition to an appearance on “Cold Case” as Rusty Jenkins.
But the actor’s “favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table,” his family wrote.
The former business executive and consulting firm founder is survived by his wife, Angeline Scalies, and five children: Charles Scalies III, Angeline Kogut, Anthony Scalies, Christa Ann Scalies and Anne Marie Scalies. The actor had four grandchildren.
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Sydney Sweeney’s relationship timeline
Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney chose to ‘lean into’ dating rumors
Glen Powell has admitted to playing-up his rumoured romance with Sydney Sweeney.
Bang Showbiz
Sydney Sweeney is living it up in Las Vegas.
The actress was seen out with Machine Gun Kelly and fellow “White Lotus” alum Patrick Schwarzenegger in a photo she posted on her Instagram stories at the grand opening of the Palm Tree Beach Club in Las Vegas on May 3, according to People and TMZ. The outing comes days after the star partied with friends and took pictures with Paris Hilton, Lance Bass and Luke Combs while attending Stagecoach in Indio, California, on April 29.
The appearances come months after the “Euphoria” actress and fiancé Jonathan Davino are facing breakup rumors after around seven years of dating. Neither has publicly commented on the possible split.
USA TODAY has reached out to Sweeney’s reps for comment.
Here’s a look at their relationship timeline.
2018: Sydney Sweeney first linked to Jonathan Davino
Sweeney and Davino, a Chicago-born businessman and movie producer, were first linked together in 2018 after the pair was spotted at multiple events together. The following year, the actress made her “Euphoria” debut, a breakout role for the star who also had credits on “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the dramedy “Everything Sucks!”
2022: Sydney Sweeney spotted with ring on that finger
As Sweeney’s star rose, her relationship with Davino appeared to culminate in an engagement, as the actress was spotted with a diamond on her left ring finger. Sweeney has rarely spoken publicly about her relationship, but multiple outlets reported at the time that the couple was excited about moving to the next step as a couple.
2024: Sydney Sweeney, Jonathan Davino co-produce ‘Immaculate’ together
“Immaculate,” a 2024 supernatural horror film starring Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco, Benedetta Porcaroli, Dora Romano and Giorgio Colangeli premieres at South by Southwest on March 22, 2024. Sweeney and Davino both helped produce the film.
2023-2024: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell ‘lean into’ dating rumors amid her engagement
During the promotion of their romantic comedy “Anyone But You,” Sweeney and actor Glen Powell played up rumors they were having an affair.
In the film, loosely adapted from William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” Powell and Sweeney play ex-flames who begrudgingly reconnect at a wedding in Australia. When it debuted in the U.S. in December 2023, “Anyone But You” was far from a box office hit with a reported $6 million in ticket sales over opening weekend.
Two months later, the Will Gluck-directed feature crossed the $200 million milestone in global ticket sales and became the highest-grossing R-rated romantic comedy since “Bridget Jones’s Baby,” released in 2016, according to Variety. The film’s success can be attributed, in part, to the leading couple stoking rumors and making headlines with steamy photos and flirty comments, which sparked speculation about a romance on set. Both actors repeatedly denied the rumors.
Powell later admitted the plan, orchestrated by Sweeney, “worked wonderfully.”
2025: Rumors on status of Sydney Sweeney, Jonathan Davino engagement swirl
In March, People, TMZ and US Weekly reported rumors surrounding Sweeney and Davino’s engagement. Neither Sweeney nor Davino have commented publicly on the reports.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson
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Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper make relationship Instagram officialEntertainment
Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper make relationship Instagram officialEntertainment
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‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star talks sexual abuse
Need a show to binge? These are the must watch shows this spring.
USA TODAY’s TV critic Kelly Lawler breaks down the best TV shows you don’t to want to miss this spring.
Mikayla Matthews never grew up talking about her trauma. But that’s all changing now.
The 24-year-old, a star of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” discloses she was sexually abused as a child on Season 2 of the breakout reality series (streaming May 15 on Hulu). She peels back the layers of her abuse over the course of several devastating scenes in the season’s third episode: The abuse occurred over four or five years; she told her mother about the abuse in 2015 and wasn’t believed; this in turn caused her to be hesitant of telling anyone anything or expressing any emotion – a cycle she wants to stop.
“I don’t want my kids to grow up with the same trauma that I was shown growing up,” she says over a recent phone call. “I want them to have the skills to express their emotions and to be emotionally mature.”
‘It’s been absolute hell’
“Mormon Wives” features a group of Utah influencers known as “#MomTok,” whose friendship and relationship ups and downs made for binge-watching gold when it premiered in 2024. Part of what made it work? The jumps from light to heavy topics – something for everyone, and a reflection of reality.
“We might be having a serious conversation, and we just can’t help but be silly, because it’s what helps us feel comfortable,” Matthews says. “We really trauma bond on the show.”
This season, viewers watch Matthews open up about her trauma in a conversation with her sisters as well as a therapist. They’re powerful scenes that showcase just how vulnerable she’s willing to be. Her on-camera chat with her sisters was the first time they’d ever discussed the abuse.
She’s publicly talked about her health before, but hasn’t connected the dots much until now. Matthews – a mother of three children, and expecting a fourth with husband Jace Terry – was a bit of a background player in Season 1 while dealing with a chronic, mysterious skin issues.
“It’s been absolute hell,” she says. “It’s been like a roller coaster and a wild goose chase.” A litany of tests later – blood tests, stool tests, gut tests, you name it – failed to produce any answers to her illness.
“I got to a point where I just wanted to give up, because I was going to so many dermatologists, she adds. “I was going to my dermatologist office just crying, just begging them to give me any answers to help me, and I wasn’t getting that. So it was really frustrating.”
Once she started addressing her mental health and dealing with her past trauma, though, she’s experienced the most progress – “taking it into my own hands and trusting my own intuitions and in my body.” Research has shown a connection between stress and skin disease.
She credits “Mormon Wives” with encouraging her to share her feelings. Doing so has both inflamed and quelled her skin problems.
“When I am overly stressed, or when I go to therapy, and I’m talking about things that are really traumatic and hard, I will flare,” she says, noticing her “skin gets worse when I’m talking about these things, and then it’ll get better after, almost like a release.”
‘I just think about my kids’
Healing from her trauma has allowed her to process her emotions more effectively and not just shut down. While she can talk to her husband, siblings and the rest of #MomTok about it, “I think it’s OK for me to be that safe place for myself and feel comfortable just feeling those emotions.”
The hardest part for her occurs during therapy, when she tries digging into her childhood self while she was being abused, now that she has children of her own. “I just think about my kids and what if it was happening to them,” she says.
This has led to better communication with her husband, though. He steps in when she’s feeling overstimulated or she’s having trouble regulating her emotions in front of their kids.
“Just having the conversations before and after and during, just while everything’s happening, has been the most helpful thing for us,” she says. “It’s hard. It’s hard to look at yourself and realize you’re doing things that are not great and things you don’t want to do, and it’s hard to take a look in the mirror and fix them. But I think just giving each other grace and having those conversations as it’s happening has been the most important, helpful thing.”
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial begins: See photosCelebrities
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial begins: See photosCelebrities
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Tina Fey shares story behind Alan Alda cameo
Colman Domingo On Returning To Comedy In ‘The Four Seasons’ On Netflix
‘The Four Seasons’ is a breath of fresh air for two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo.
Decider.com
Spoiler alert! This story contains minor details about the plot of Netflix’s “The Four Seasons” (now streaming).
Decades before it became a streaming series, “The Four Seasons” was a 1981 movie written, directed by and starring Alan Alda.
Tina Fey, who adapted the film for Netflix with Tracey Wigfield and Lang Fisher, wanted to find a way to pay homage to Alda through the show. So she recruited the “M*A*S*H” veteran for a brief cameo in the second episode, playing the widowed father of Anne (Kerri Kenney-Silver), who has planned a surprise vow-renewal party for her husband, Nick (Steve Carell).
Alda’s beloved patriarch pops in to offer words of wisdom for Anne’s friends, Kate (Fey) and Danny (Colman Domingo), both of whom are facing marital obstacles.
“Communication. Try not to fuss about the small stuff,” he says. “But my wife did have this one thing. … Every once in a while, we’d wake up and she’d say, ‘Congratulations. Take off your pants, it’s a sex day.’ You might try that with your spouse. They’d be so grateful and surprised.”
For a while, Fey grappled with whom exactly Alda should play. She briefly considered having him return as an older version of his film character, Jack, who is portrayed by Will Forte in the new Netflix series. She notes how she played math teacher Ms. Norbury in both the 2004 and 2024 movie versions of “Mean Girls.”
“To me, that was like, ‘Teachers see it all over and over again,’ which was how I justified it to myself,” Fey jokes. “But he can’t be the same guy – that would break the brain. So we made him Anne’s dad, and it was a thrill to spend a day on set with him. I was lucky enough years ago to work with him a little bit on ’30 Rock.’ He’s really gifted, has great timing and just came in ready to go.”
Alda, 89, is an Emmy Award winner and Oscar nominee, with notable film roles including “The Aviator,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Manhattan Murder Mystery” and the apropos “Marriage Story.”
“He’s just such a lovely person,” Fisher says. “We liked the idea of him, at some point, shedding some real wisdom onto our characters and talking about marriage, even a few decades ahead of where they are. It felt very fitting to see him early on, so you could take those pearls with you through the rest of the season.”
Ahead of the series’ debut on Netflix, Alda reunited with Fey at New York’s Paris Theater for a screening of the “Four Seasons” movie. The actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, initially had no plans to speak before or after the film.
“He loves you,” says actress Erika Henningsen, in a recent joint interview with Fey. “He got up, came down, and bestowed love and joy and gratitude on Tina, Tracey and Lang. He’s just an aspirational human being in every way.”
Alda is one of a handful of “30 Rock” alums to work on “The Four Seasons,” including writers Fisher and Wigfield and actor Forte. The Emmy-winning NBC comedy, which signed off in 2013, was known for its biting satire and pop-culture commentary, with outrageous scenarios that feel somehow tame compared to what’s happening now in real life.
“The world is now 40% ’30 Rock’ and 60% Mike Judge’s ‘Idiocracy,’” Fey says with a shrug, pointing to rowdy “Minecraft” audiences and Blue Origin’s all-women space flight. Although her latest project is a dramatic relationship comedy, she still gets the occasional itch to write for her “30 Rock” characters, particularly the dementedly self-absorbed actress Jenna (Jane Krakowski).
“There are definitely times when I’m like, ‘Wow, that would’ve been a great Jenna storyline,” Fey says, smiling. “It’s almost always Jenna.”