Entertainment

Harvey Weinstein Is Appealing 2020 Rape Conviction. New York’s Top Court To Hear Arguments

Published

9 months ago

2024-02-14

NEW YORK — Nearly four years after Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sentenced to prison, New York’s top court will hear arguments Wednesday in his bid to reverse the landmark #MeToo verdict.

Weinstein’s lawyers are requesting that the state’s Court of Appeals in Albany overturn the disgraced movie mogul’s 2020 conviction, alleging that the judge violated his right to a fair trial by “succumbing to the pressure” of America’s reckoning with sexual misbehaviour perpetrated by powerful persons.

The judge, James Burke, accepted testimony from three women whose allegations were not part of the prosecution and ordered that prosecutors might question Weinstein about other unconnected misbehaviour if he testified, which he refused to do.

Harvey Weinstein Is Appealing 2020 Rape Conviction. New York’s Top Court To Hear Arguments

“What we’re arguing is that there should not be a different set of rules for an individual in society who becomes vilified,” Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, explained. There is no such thing as “the Weinstein rule that just applies to that little sliver of society that everyone decides to really hate,” that’s what he stated.

Weinstein, 71, was convicted on February 24, 2020, of a criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006, as well as third-degree rape for an attack on an aspiring actress in 2013. He was sentenced to 23 years in jail and is currently housed at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, a state prison about 100 miles (161 kilometres) northwest of Albany.

At the same Manhattan trial, Weinstein was found not guilty of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault stemming from actor Annabella Sciorra’s allegations of rape in the mid-1990s. The Associated Press does not usually identify persons who allege sexual assault unless they agree to be named; Sciorra has spoken publicly about her allegations.

Last year, Weinstein was convicted in Los Angeles of raping and sexually abusing an Italian actor and model who claimed he showed up unannounced at her hotel room door at a film festival in 2013. In that case, he was sentenced to an extra 16 years in prison, so even if the Court of Appeals ruled in his favour, he would remain incarcerated.

Harvey Weinstein Is Appealing 2020 Rape Conviction. New York’s Top Court To Hear Arguments

Weinstein maintains his innocence. He claims all sexual interaction was consensual. He is not anticipated to attend Wednesday’s hearings, just for the New York case, but he may watch the court’s webcast from prison. The court is unlikely to rule immediately.

The New York Court of Appeals agreed last year to hear Weinstein’s case after an intermediate appellate court upheld his conviction. Weinstein’s attorneys seek a second trial, but just for the criminal sexual act charge. They contend that the rape accusation cannot be retried since the alleged activity occurred outside of the statute of limitations.

Allegations against Weinstein, the once-powerful and feared studio leader behind Oscar triumphs like “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” sparked the #MeToo movement. His trial in New York received widespread attention, with protesters yelling “rapist” outside the courthouse.

Weinstein’s attorneys stated in their appeal that Burke impacted the trial’s outcome by repeatedly ruling in favour of prosecutors, including decisions that “overwhelmed” the trial with “excessive, random, and highly dubious prior bad act evidence.” Burke’s term ended at the end of 2022. He was not reappointed and hence no longer serves as a judge.

If Weinstein had testified, Burke decided that prosecutors might have questioned him on more than two dozen alleged incidents of boorish behaviour over 30 years, including whether he had stranded a colleague in a foreign country or yelled at restaurant staff while demanding a late-night lunch.

Weinstein’s lawyers claimed Burke’s findings went beyond what is generally permitted — identifying motive, opportunity, intent, or a common strategy or plan — and effectively put the former studio boss on trial for crimes he was not charged with and had no opportunity to defend himself against. That evidence would have “only served to make the jury hate Weinstein,” his lawyers claimed.

The rules for calling witnesses to testify and permitting prosecutors to introduce evidence about “prior bad acts” and the actual accusations differ by state. New York’s rules are among the strictest.

Harvey Weinstein Is Appealing 2020 Rape Conviction. New York’s Top Court To Hear Arguments

They also questioned Burke’s refusal to remove a jury who had written a novel about predatory older men, as well as his choice to allow prosecutors to speak on victim behaviour and rape myths while rejecting defence expert testimony on the same topics.

In 2022, a five-judge panel in New York’s intermediate appellate court concluded unanimously that Burke had “providently exercised” his discretion despite the fact that some of the justices had previously expressed concerns about his actions. During oral arguments, Judge Sallie Manzanet-Daniels stated that Burke had allowed prosecutors to pile on “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from other witnesses.

Aidala has asked the Court of Appeals to remind the state’s trial courts “that a defendant cannot be tried based on his character — but must be tried based on the conduct for which he has been accused.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

3 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

1 week ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.