Entertainment
Inside The Night That Tupac Shakur Was Shot, And What Led Up To The Fatal Gunfire
LAS VEGAS — Duane “Keffe D” Davis, one of the last surviving witnesses to the Las Vegas drive-by shooting of the hip-hop superstar Tupac Shakur in 1996, was indicted for murder on Friday, marking the first arrest in Shakur’s death. Here’s a glimpse at the hours that led up to the fatal gunfire.
Shakur and Suge Knight, the head of his record label, Death Row Records, arrived in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, with an entourage that included Shakur’s fiancee, Kidada Jones, as well as his cousins and friends, to watch a heavyweight title fight between Mike Tyson and Bruce Seldon.
Shakur and Knight took their seats in the front row at the MGM Grand Garden Arena around 8:30 p.m.
Shortly after that, the brawl broke out. Less than two minutes later, Tyson knocked out Seldon in the first round to claim the WBA Heavyweight championship.
AFTERMATH OF THE BATTLE AND ANOTHER BATTLE
Shakur and Tyson, who were friends, embraced in joy just off the arena floor at approximately 8:40 p.m., shortly after the fight concluded.
Shakur, Knight, and their entourage engaged in a brawl at 8:50 p.m. in the hotel and casino area just outside the arena with a group that included Davis and his nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, with whom Shakur had previously clashed. Las Vegas police stated that Davis and Anderson were members of the Southern California-based gang South Side Compton Crips, rivals of the Knight’s Blood-affiliated Mob Piru.
Police say surveillance footage shows Shakur and Knight striking and kicking Anderson near a lift bank.
Anderson, who was slain in a 1998 gang shooting unrelated to Tupac’s death, was long suspected of being responsible for his death.
Shakur, Knight, and their entourage departed the MGM Grand shortly before 9 p.m.
From approximately 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., the precise timeline of Shakur’s night is still being determined, but he was eventually obligated, along with Tyson and Knight, to make a late appearance at Club 662, which Knight owned. Before proceeding to Knight’s Las Vegas home, the Death Row entourage left the MGM Grand and stopped at the adjacent Luxor Hotel and Casino, where Jones was staying.
Police alleged at a news conference on Friday that Davis would spend this time acquiring a weapon to use in retaliation for the casino brawl.
A BLACK BMW, A WHITE CADILLAC, AND FIREARMS
Shakur was a passenger in Knight’s black BMW when it was stopped by police near the Las Vegas Strip at approximately 11 p.m. for playing music too loudly and not properly displaying license plates. Shakur and Knight joked with the officers the license plates were discovered in the trunk and were not cited.
The BMW stopped at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, a block from the Strip, at 11:15 p.m.
“We were on our way to Club 662,” Malcolm Greenidge, a lifelong friend of Tupac Shakur who traveled to Las Vegas with him and was traveling in a car behind the BMW, testified to the grand jury that indicted Davis. “Several women approached from the passenger side. Mr. Shakur started conversing with the women. We were unable to hear what he was saying. We believed he was most likely summoning them to the club.”
A white Cadillac approached stealthily. Davis has stated in interviews and his 2019 autobiography that he was one of the males in the automobile. According to a press conference held by police on Friday, he was sitting in the passenger seat and passed the gun he had obtained to one of the men in the rear.
Greenidge told the grand jury, “After the women left, another car pulled up alongside Mr. Shakur and Mr. Knight, and an arm emerged from the back window and began firing.”
The gunman discharged over a dozen rounds. Two of the four bullets struck Shakur in the torso. A bullet fragment grazed Knight in the temple, but he sustained only minor injuries. Knight is currently serving a 28-year manslaughter sentence in an unrelated California case.
Shakur was transported to University Medical Centre at 11:20 p.m. after police and paramedics arrived.
Shakur would have a lung removed and remain on a respirator in intensive care in the following days. Six days later, on September 13, he perished. He was 25 years old.
SOURCE – (AP)
Entertainment
Tim Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ a Box Office Success Gets 4.5 Stars
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice preview reportedly made $13 million for Warner Bros. Fans gave it 4.5 stars on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak, while both parents and children under the age of 12 gave it 5 stars.
The sequel has a current budget of $90 million, with room to grow.
The sequel starring Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega, and Winona Ryder had 59% female attendees, with 73% of those attendees being 25 and older. In terms of gender, 62% of the children were girls and 38% were boys. Last night, the Latino and Hispanic community had an impressive showing at 36% of the total audience.
According to Yahoo Entertainment, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice social media reach With 508.6 million followers across TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram combined, Beetlejuice is 41% ahead of the norm for the action comedy sci-fi genre.
“Jenna Ortega has stunned her 38.2 million Instagram followers with 103.1 million views, while Michael Keaton has 1.58 million and Willem Dafoe has 155 thousand,” the social media analytics company adds.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice a Remarkable Sequel
Additionally, they mention, “Convo for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice A remarkable feat for a sequel, Beetlejuice has received mostly good reviews from audiences who have praised the film for its originality and sense of purpose. ‘At first, I thought this was another Scream movie, then I thought it was the Wednesday Season 2!’ A number of fans, including new viewers, are ecstatic to see Jenna Ortega in a horror film.
According to fans of the 1988 original, “My inner child from the 80’s is screaming!” when asked about the style of Jenna Ortega’s flicks. I’m more pumped up for this movie than any other! “I admire the practical effects and the attempts to make it look like the old movie!!” is one commenter’s praise for the show’s expert production values and impressive use of special effects.
You can count on seeing a plethora of costumed fans at the movies this weekend.
A large number of collectible concessions are also available. Beetlejuice jack-in-the-box popcorn buckets are available at Cinemark, competing with Sandworm and Wolverine
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Entertainment
Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ finds distributor and will open before the election
NEW YORK — Trump Film | After failing to generate interest following its Cannes Film Festival screening, “The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan as a teenage Donald Trump, has found a distributor who intends to release the film right before the election in November.
Director Ali Abbasi, a Danish-Iranian filmmaker, had prioritized releasing “The Apprentice” in theatres before electors voted. After major studios and film distributors declined to bid on the project, Abbasi complained on X in early June that “for some reason certain power people in your country don’t want you to see it!!!”
Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ finds distributor and will open before the election
In a statement issued Friday, Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director, described the film’s release as “election interference by Hollywood elites right before November.”
“This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should never see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a skip fire,” Cheung tweeted.
The prospect of legal action was one factor that decreased interest in “The Apprentice”. After the film’s Cannes premiere in May, Cheung labeled it “pure fiction” and stated that the Trump team would pursue a lawsuit “to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers.”
“The Apprentice” follows Trump’s rise to dominance in New York real estate, guided by defense attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). Late in the film, Trump is seen raping his wife, Ivana Trump (portrayed by Maria Bakalova). In her 1990 divorce deposition, Ivana Trump alleged Donald Trump raped her. Trump rejected the claim, and Ivana Trump later clarified that she did not mean it literally but rather that she felt violated.
Abbasi has stated that Trump might not despise the film.
Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ finds distributor and will open before the election
“I would offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie, have a screening and have a chat afterwards, if that’s interesting to anyone at the Trump campaign,” Abbasi stated during the May election.
Briarcliff Entertainment has published several films, including the 2022 documentary “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” and the Liam Neeson thriller “Memory.” The indie distributor is led by Tom Ortenberg, who helped Lionsgate distribute Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” and, as CEO of Open Road, supported the best picture Oscar winner “Spotlight.”
SOURCE | AP
Entertainment
Hanumankind: The Indian Rapper Who Overtook Kendrick Lamar on Global Music Charts
In a remarkably short span, Indian rapper Hanumankind has made a significant mark on the country’s emerging hip-hop scene.
His track “Big Dawgs” has not only topped global charts but also briefly overshadowed Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” The BBC delves into the extraordinary ascent of Hanumankind, whose real name is Sooraj Cherukat.
At 31, Cherukat, also known as Hanumankind, radiates an electrifying presence in the “Big Dawgs” music video.
Filmed in a maut ka kuan—a dramatic performance space where drivers execute gravity-defying stunts inside a colossal wooden barrel—Cherukat commands the scene with an intense energy, surrounded by daring drivers zipping past him.
The track, a collaboration with producer Kalmi Reddy and director Bijoy Shetty, has amassed over 132 million streams on Spotify and 83 million views on YouTube since its release in July, propelling Cherukat to international fame.
On the surface, Cherukat’s music follows the hip-hop tradition of portraying gritty street narratives through raw, explicit lyrics. However, a deeper look reveals a rapper navigating his multifaceted identity through his art.
The Roots of Hanumankind’s Sound
Born in Kerala, Cherukat’s childhood was a global journey due to his father’s work with a major oil company, leading him to live in France, Nigeria, Egypt, and Dubai. His formative years in Houston, Texas, were crucial in shaping his musical career.
Houston’s hip-hop scene is unique, known for its distinctive “screwed-up” remix style influenced by the local use of cough syrup. Cherukat has often cited Texas hip-hop legends like DJ Screw, UGK, Big Bunny, and Project Pat as major influences.
Although his style reflects this heritage, it has evolved since his return to India in 2021 after dropping out of college.
Having earned a business degree and worked with firms like Goldman Sachs, Cherukat left the corporate world to pursue rap full-time, a passion he had previously juggled alongside other commitments.
Cherukat’s music reflects his attempt to reconcile his cosmopolitan experiences with his Indian roots. His tracks often highlight the struggles of southern Indian street life, combining intense vocal delivery with engaging rhythms.
His song “Genghis,” filmed in Bengaluru, critiques national issues through a gritty lens.
Challenging Rap Norms and Navigating Criticism: Hanumankind’s Unique Path
In “Big Dawgs,” Cherukat diverges from the typical rap glorification of wealth, focusing instead on small-town stunt performers from impoverished backgrounds. “These are the people that are the real risk-takers…Those are the big dogs, for real,” he told Complex.
Despite his innovative approach, Cherukat faces criticism. Some argue that his English lyrics may limit his appeal to non-English-speaking Indian audiences and that his style too closely mirrors Western artists.
Abid Haque, a PhD student, believes that while Cherukat’s inclusion of South Asians in the Western rap scene is notable, his music sometimes feels disconnected from Indian reality.
Cherukat himself navigates this duality. He views his return to India as a way to explore his sense of belonging. “I think it really moulded me as someone who never really had a place to call home… and that kind of shaped the way I perceive music, people, and culture,” he explained.
Yet, he also embraces a broader perspective: “I’m not an Indian rapper, but I’m a rapper from India,” indicating his position outside the traditional Indian hip-hop scene.
Hanumankind’s unique style has attracted both admiration and criticism, often encountering resistance from listeners who struggle to categorize him. His distinct approach and refusal to conform to expectations have, however, resonated with many fans.
“He isn’t trying to cater to an Indian audience, which shows in his music, and he is unapologetic about it,” said Arnab Ghosh, a Delhi-based psychiatrist.
Cherukat’s journey, marked by his adaptability and dedication to authenticity, represents both a triumph and a challenge. As he continues to break boundaries and redefine expectations, Hanumankind remains a compelling figure in the global hip-hop landscape.
“You keep certain things as your roots, but it’s up to you to adapt to the environment and go with the flow, as long as you don’t compromise on integrity,” he once said, capturing the essence of his remarkable career.
Source: BBC
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