Latest news with #MakingtheBand
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liam Payne's Family Approves His Inclusion in Netflix's ‘Building the Band'
When Netflix premieres its latest musical competition series 'Building the Band' next month, the late Liam Payne will be featured as a guest judge. Thankfully, his family 'has reviewed the series and is supportive of his inclusion,' the streamer shared on Wednesday. 'Building the Band' will essentially combine elements of 'Love Is Blind' and 'Making the Band' in order to give contestants the chance to craft their ideal musical group … all without seeing each other face-to-face. Payne will be a guest judge on the reality TV series opposite mentor and head judge Nicole Scherzinger, host AJ McLean and fellow guest judge Kelly Rowland. The One Direction singer filmed the show prior to his death in October 2024. He was 31. All four of the aforementioned names, of course, come with plenty of expertise to share about being in bands — Payne was famously part of 1D after being put together on 'The X Factor,' while Scherzinger was in The Pussycat Dolls, Rowland was in Destiny's Child and McLean was in The Backstreet Boys. ''Building the Band' brings together talented singers for a truly unique competition show where building the perfect band is all about chemistry. The singers are in complete control as they seek to form their very own bands in individual 'booths' without ever seeing each other. All they have to go on is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit,' per show's the logline. 'What will happen when the bands finally meet, and looks, choreography and style come into play? With incredible performances, compelling drama and one big goal — to find the next great music band — the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.' Executive producers include Cat Lawson, Alison Holloway, Katrina Morrison, Clara Elliot and Simon Crossley, while Remarkable Entertainment and Banijay UK produced. The first four episodes of 'Building the Band' drop July 9 on Netflix, followed by two more batches of episodes the following two Wednesdays. The post Liam Payne's Family Approves His Inclusion in Netflix's 'Building the Band' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Newsweek
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
List of Celebrities Mentioned in Diddy Trial and What Was Said
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The high-profile trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs has referenced over a dozen of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, as testimony continues in the fourth week of proceedings. Why It Matters Combs is facing federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. What To Know While the names of many celebrities have been mentioned during Combs' trial, none are accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the criminal case. Sean "Diddy" Combs attends the Fragrance Foundation FiFi Awards on May 27, 2009. Sean "Diddy" Combs attends the Fragrance Foundation FiFi Awards on May 27, 2009. zz/Raoul Gatchalian/STAR MAX/IPx Kid Cudi Rapper Scott Mescudi, who goes by the stage name Kid Cudi, has been mentioned several times during the Combs trial. He also testified during the second week of proceedings. Mescudi started dating Cassie Ventura in 2011. Ventura dated Combs from 2007 to 2018. Mescudi said that he did not realize that Ventura and Combs were still together when they started dating. Mescudi alleged that Combs broke into his house in 2011 after he discovered Ventura's relationship with Mescudi. Mescudi also testified about a 2012 incident where his car caught fire in the driveway of his home. He said he asked to meet with Combs after the incident because he "knew he had something to do with it." The defense objected to the statement, and it was stricken from the record. Dawn Richard Dawn Richard, a former member of the girl group Danity Kane, also testified in Combs' trial. The group was formed on the reality show Making the Band. Combs was an executive producer of the show. Richard said she saw Combs attack Ventura as she was making eggs at Combs' home in Los Angeles. "He came downstairs screaming, belligerent," Richard said. She said Combs grabbed the skillet and tried to hit Ventura with it. Combs then grabbed Ventura's hair and dragged her upstairs, Richard testified. Michael B. Jordan The defense questioned celebrity stylist Deonte Branch about Ventura's relationships with other men while she was dating Combs, including actor Michael B. Jordan Nash said Ventura and Jordan were "dating, talking, getting to know each other." Prince Combs' former assistant, who used the pseudonym "Mia" during her testimony, stated that she attended a party at singer Prince's house with Ventura around 2011 or 2012. Mia said she convinced Ventura to go to the party even though Combs told them to stay home. She said they danced, hung out with friends, and Prince performed on a table. Mia saw Combs, who previously used the stage name "Puff," walking into the party. She and Ventura "booked it" outside the house. "Puff caught up to Cass and had her on the ground," Mia testified. Prince's security intervened. Rihanna Ventura's makeup artist, Mylah Morales, testified that she also worked for Rihanna for 13 years. During cross-examination, the defense showed Morales photos where she had done Ventura's makeup. This included a photo of Ventura, Rihanna and Ryan Lewis attending an awards show. Usher Richard said she saw Combs punch Ventura in the stomach at a restaurant in 2010 while other celebrities were present, including Usher. "She immediately bent over, [Combs] told her to leave," Richard said. "No one intervened." Ne-Yo Richard testified that singer Ne-Yo was also present when Combs punched Ventura at a restaurant in 2010. Nicki Minaj Ventura testified that she was given access to contacts in the music industry during her relationship with Combs. She said she recorded a song with Nicki Minaj. Lil Wayne Ventura said she also recorded a song with Lil Wayne while she was in a relationship with Combs. R. Kelly In a January 2019 message shown in court, Mia told Combs she had a nightmare where he rescued her after she was trapped in an elevator with singer and convicted sex offender R. Kelly. Chris Brown The defense questioned Ventura about an alleged encounter with singer Chris Brown during her testimony. "Do you remember the incident where he suspected you of dancing with Chris Brown?" defense attorney Anna Estevao asked Ventura. Ventura said she did not remember the incident, but she "was not dancing" with Brown. Mike Myers Prior to working for Combs, Mia worked as a personal assistant for comedian Mike Myers. Madonna Mia testified that she worked for Madonna for eight months after her employment with Combs ended. "I was hired to lead her film industry. It morphed into multiple roles," Mia said. Mick Jagger The defense questioned Mia about her time spent with various famous individuals during her employment with Combs. In messages to Combs shown in court, Mia described some of these encounters. One instance she recalled was spending a night in Paris with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. Jennifer Lopez In messages shown in court, Mia mentioned how Jennifer Lopez would not stay out with her and Combs. Morales also worked as a makeup artist for Lopez. Leonardo DiCaprio Mia said she once witnessed Combs playing poker with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. In a message, Mia wrote that Combs said the actor "does not know" anything about the game. Combs told her that he won $650,000, while DiCaprio won $10,000. Chadwick Boseman Mia messaged Combs in 2020 following the death of Chadwick Boseman. "Thinking of you with Chadwick Boseman," she wrote. Mia said Combs had been auditioning for the role of James Brown in the Get On Up biopic, which Boseman ultimately landed. Britney Spears Ventura said Britney Spears was among the celebrities in attendance at her 21st birthday party. She said the high-profile guests were there because of Combs. "That was all him. I didn't know them," Ventura said. 50 Cent Capricorn Clark, Combs' former assistant, testified about an instance where she accompanied Combs to do press at MTV. She said 50 Cent was there that day and Combs "had an issue with 50 Cent." Suge Knight Ventura testified that she told Combs not to do "anything stupid" when he went to confront Marion Hugh "Suge" Knight Jr. She said Damion "D-Roc" Butler informed Combs that Knight was at a local diner. Combs "quickly packed up and drove down there," Ventura said. Ventura said Combs and a bodyguard put on black clothing and armed themselves. When he got back, she said Combs would not tell her what happened or if he met Knight at the diner. What People Are Saying Cassie Ventura, during her testimony about Sean Combs' planned confrontation of Suge Knight: "I was crying. I was screaming 'Please don't do anything stupid.' I was just really nervous for them, what it meant, what they were going to do." Scott Mescudi, during his testimony about why he broke up with Cassie Ventura: "The drama was just getting out of hand." What Happens Next The trial, currently in its fourth week, is expected to last eight to 10 weeks. Combs is facing life in prison if convicted. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy's Defenders
America is riveted by the Diddy trial for many reasons: celebrity, kink, drugs, violence, guns, baby oil. You can almost hear Ryan Murphy calling FX now to pitch American Crime Story: Diddy Do It? Influencers are staking out the courthouse, live-updating X with witnesses' testimony, and providing TikTok updates that one creator calls 'Diddy-lations.' And people are eating it up. Diddy—whose legal name is Sean Combs—has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Many Americans have taken to the comment sections to offer their full-throated belief in his innocence. Despite the video evidence of domestic violence, the photos of Combs's guns with serial numbers removed, and the multiple witnesses testifying that Combs threatened to kill them, this group insists that Diddy's biggest sin is nothing more than being a hypermasculine celebrity with 'libertine' sexual tastes. The trial is estimated to take eight to 10 weeks; we've made it through just two. No one can predict the outcome. But why do so many men—and a surprising number of women—feel the need to defend this man? The jury has already watched the now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs dragging Cassie Ventura, the prosecution's star witness, by the collar of her sweatshirt through a hotel—and that's not even one of the things he's on trial for. I can't look away from the Diddy trial, because it feels like the trial not of one man, but of something much larger. The jury—made up of eight men and four women—will decide whether to convict Combs, but the broader culture, in its response to this trial, is deciding whether #MeToo was a movement or a moment. [Sophie Gilbert: The movement of #MeToo] At the center of the trial is the question of coercion. Did Ventura participate in hundreds of drug-fueled sexual encounters with strangers for Combs, who liked to watch, because she enjoyed them? Or did Combs use his power over her to force her? When they met, she was 19, an eager and ambitious singer. He was 17 years older, and arguably the most powerful man in the music industry. His label, Bad Boy, signed her to a highly unusual, long-term 10-album deal. He was her boss and, soon, her boyfriend. The evidence presented by both sides serves as a Rorschach test. How you see it says a lot about how the #MeToo movement did—or did not—alter your vision. The facts seem clear. Ventura was a legal adult, but barely, when her career was effectively handed over to Combs in 2006. Today, musical artists such as Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter invent their own persona. But in the mid-2000s, many artists were strictly controlled by their labels. Particularly when the artists were women. The people paying the bills didn't just dictate what these women sounded like—they dictated their hair color, their weight. You have to watch only one episode of Combs's MTV show Making the Band to get a taste of the climate he created. He made artists compete in singing battles to earn a bed to sleep in and ordered them to walk miles from Manhattan to Brooklyn to get him a specific slice of cheesecake. Behind the scenes, things were worse. One singer said Diddy controlled every aspect of her appearance 'down to my toenails.' Sure, maybe Ventura loved him. But sometimes hostages fall in love with their captors. Even the ones who beat them. Sure, women have an array of sexual tastes, just like men. But it's hard to imagine a woman enjoying having intercourse while, as Ventura said in her testimony, suffering from a painful urinary tract infection. It's hard to imagine feeling aroused after your partner threw a glass bottle at you, as a male sex worker said he witnessed Combs do to Ventura. And when people are having a consensual good time, they don't usually try to sneak out of the room, barefoot—as Ventura was seen doing in the hotel surveillance footage—only for their partner to catch them, grab them by the back of the neck, throw them to the ground, and kick them. Repeatedly. Ventura said that the sex acts made her feel 'worthless.' But, as the video showed, attempting to extract herself came with a price. It's been almost eight years since the Harvey Weinstein story broke and the #MeToo movement forced a reassessment of abuse and power. In the future, I remember thinking, we will not just speak out against bad actors; we will refuse to participate in the systems that protected them. Going forward, everyone would understand that, in a world of power imbalances, the difference between what a woman chooses and what happens to her can be very big indeed. [Danielle Bernstein: #MeToo has changed the world—except in court] Instead, something else happened over the subsequent years. American women have seen our rights eroded and our access to lifesaving health care curbed. An accused sexual abuser is president of the United States, and his administration is hard at work on schemes to persuade more women to stay home and have kids. Many men have fought hard to undermine the progress of the #MeToo movement. Like Combs running after Ventura in that video, they have tried to drag women back into the past, where they could do as they liked. And lately, they have been having a lot of success. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Diddy's Defenders
America is riveted by the Diddy trial for many reasons: celebrity, kink, drugs, violence, guns, baby oil. You can almost hear Ryan Murphy calling FX now to pitch American Crime Story: Diddy Do It? Influencers are staking out the courthouse, live-updating X with witnesses' testimony, and providing TikTok updates that one creator calls 'Diddy-lations.' And people are eating it up. Diddy—whose legal name is Sean Combs—has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Many Americans have taken to the comment sections to offer their full-throated belief in his innocence. Despite the video evidence of domestic violence, the photos of Combs's guns with serial numbers removed, and the multiple witnesses testifying that Combs threatened to kill them, this group insists that Diddy's biggest sin is nothing more than being a hypermasculine celebrity with 'libertine' sexual tastes. The trial is estimated to take eight to 10 weeks; we've made it through just two. No one can predict the outcome. But why do so many men—and a surprising number of women—feel the need to defend this man? The jury has already watched the now-infamous surveillance footage of Combs dragging Cassie Ventura, the prosecution's star witness, by the collar of her sweatshirt through a hotel—and that's not even one of the things he's on trial for. I can't look away from the Diddy trial, because it feels like the trial not of one man, but of something much larger. The jury—made up of eight men and four women—will decide whether to convict Combs, but the broader culture, in its response to this trial, is deciding whether #MeToo was a movement or a moment. Sophie Gilbert: The movement of #MeToo At the center of the trial is the question of coercion. Did Ventura participate in hundreds of drug-fueled sexual encounters with strangers for Combs, who liked to watch, because she enjoyed them? Or did Combs use his power over her to force her? When they met, she was 19, an eager and ambitious singer. He was 17 years older, and arguably the most powerful man in the music industry. His label, Bad Boy, signed her to a highly unusual, long-term 10-album deal. He was her boss and, soon, her boyfriend. The evidence presented by both sides serves as a Rorschach test. How you see it says a lot about how the #MeToo movement did—or did not—alter your vision. The facts seem clear. Ventura was a legal adult, but barely, when her career was effectively handed over to Combs in 2006. Today, musical artists such as Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter invent their own persona. But in the mid-2000s, many artists were strictly controlled by their labels. Particularly when the artists were women. The people paying the bills didn't just dictate what these women sounded like—they dictated their hair color, their weight. You have to watch only one episode of Combs's MTV show Making the Band to get a taste of the climate he created. He made artists compete in singing battles to earn a bed to sleep in and ordered them to walk miles from Manhattan to Brooklyn to get him a specific slice of cheesecake. Behind the scenes, things were worse. One singer said Diddy controlled every aspect of her appearance ' down to my toenails.' Sure, maybe Ventura loved him. But sometimes hostages fall in love with their captors. Even the ones who beat them. Sure, women have an array of sexual tastes, just like men. But it's hard to imagine a woman enjoying having intercourse while, as Ventura said in her testimony, suffering from a painful urinary tract infection. It's hard to imagine feeling aroused after your partner threw a glass bottle at you, as a male sex worker said he witnessed Combs do to Ventura. And when people are having a consensual good time, they don't usually try to sneak out of the room, barefoot—as Ventura was seen doing in the hotel surveillance footage —only for their partner to catch them, grab them by the back of the neck, throw them to the ground, and kick them. Repeatedly. Ventura said that the sex acts made her feel ' worthless.' But, as the video showed, attempting to extract herself came with a price. It's been almost eight years since the Harvey Weinstein story broke and the #MeToo movement forced a reassessment of abuse and power. In the future, I remember thinking, we will not just speak out against bad actors; we will refuse to participate in the systems that protected them. Going forward, everyone would understand that, in a world of power imbalances, the difference between what a woman chooses and what happens to her can be very big indeed. Danielle Bernstein: #MeToo has changed the world—except in court Instead, something else happened over the subsequent years. American women have seen our rights eroded and our access to lifesaving health care curbed. An accused sexual abuser is president of the United States, and his administration is hard at work on schemes to persuade more women to stay home and have kids. Many men have fought hard to undermine the progress of the #MeToo movement. Like Combs running after Ventura in that video, they have tried to drag women back into the past, where they could do as they liked.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy's Former Assistant Testifies The Rapper Kidnapped Her At Gunpoint In 2011 In A Plot To Kill Kid Cudi
As the third week of testimony continues in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal trial, in which he faces up to life in prison for charges including sex trafficking and racketeering, one of his former assistants has shared a shocking new claim. On the stand, Capricorn Clark, who worked for Diddy from 2004 to 2011, testified that the "Making the Band" creator showed up at her home with a gun, allegedly part of a plot to kill rapper Kid Cudi. On Tuesday, May 27, Clark, who began working for Diddy as his personal assistant, testified that the rapper allegedly threatened to kill her, Kid Cudi, and his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, whom he dated on-and-off from 2008 to 2018. According to USA Today, Clark alleged that after Diddy learned Cassie was dating Cudi during one of Diddy and Cassie's relationship breaks, the rapper showed up at her home "visibly upset" with a gun. Following that, Clark told the court that Diddy made her get dressed and said, "We're gonna go kill this n—a," allegedly speaking about Cudi. Clark testified that Diddy's behavior had her on edge, adding that she'd "never seen anything like this" before saying the "way he was acting, I just felt like anything could happen." Clark later testified that she rode with Diddy and one of his security guards to Cudi's home, where she called Cassie to inform her about what was happening. Later, Clark told the court that Diddy said he wouldn't let her go unless Cassie came to get her from him. She also said that the rapper allegedly told her to convince Cassie and Cudi not to call the police because if they did, he would "kill all y'all motherf-ckers." Last week, Cudi shared similar details about Diddy allegedly breaking into his home while he was dating Cassie. After receiving the call from an assistant "on the verge of tears" that the father of seven was allegedly inside his home, Cudi claimed that he said to Diddy: "Motherf-cker, you in my house?" to which the rapper reportedly replied, "I just want to talk to you." Cudi testified that when he arrived at his residence, Diddy and his assistant weren't there. However, he told the court that he noticed someone had opened Christmas presents meant for his loved ones and locked his dog in the bathroom, claiming the dog was "very on edge all the time" after the incident. On the stand, Cudi also testified about his Porsche 911 convertible, which had been destroyed by fire. Cudi told the court that he received a call from his dog sitter, who informed him that his $100,000 luxury vehicle was on fire. "What the f-ck?" he remembered thinking. "I immediately went to my house," Cudi testified before revealing he learned a Molotov cocktail, or an "incendiary device," started the fire. 'The top of my Porsche was cut open and that's where they inserted the Molotov cocktail,' he said. Following that, Cudi testified that he met with Diddy at Soho House in Los Angeles, where he found the "Diddy" performer waiting for him with his hands behind his back "like a Marvel supervillain." When Cudi was asked in court why he arranged a meeting with Diddy after learning his car was set on fire, Cudi testified, "Because I knew he had something to do with it." Cassie shared a similar story when she testified on the stand the week of May 12, adding that she had to stop seeing Cudi to keep them out of harm's way. 'Too much danger, too much uncertainty of what could happen if we continued to see each other,' the "Me & U" singer stated. Days after Cudi's testimony, Diddy's lawyers have asked the court to strike the "Day N Nite" rapper's statements from the record, stating a "witness generally cannot testify that in his opinion, a declarant was lying when making a statement." Diddy's defense team added that Cudi's testimony was "mere speculation," according to PEOPLE, and that it poses "significant dangers of unfair prejudice" against him.
