Australian prosecutors drop case against actor Amber Heard over pet Yorkshire terriers
Australian prosecutors have dropped a potential criminal case against American actor Amber Heard over allegations that she lied to a court about how her Yorkshire terriers came to be smuggled into Australia eight years ago.
What to stream this weekend: 'Monkey King,' Stand Up to Cancer, 'No Hard Feelings,' Madden NFL 24
This weekโs new entertainment releases include albums from Irish singer-songwriter Hozier and Idina Menzel, the animated โThe Monkey Kingโ from Stephen Chow and Jennifer Lawrenceโs R-rated comedy โNo Hard Feelings.โ.
Cannes director defends festival after Adรจle Haenel slams French film industry's #MeToo response
After one of Franceโs top actors, Adรจle Haenel, announced she was quitting a French film industry that she denounced for โcomplacency toward sexual aggressors,โ Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Fremaux rejected her criticisms Monday.
Depp's agent calls Heard op-ed piece on abuse 'catastrophic'
Johnny Deppโs agent says that ex-wife Amber Heard's 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post describing herself as a victim of domestic abuse was โcatastrophicโ to Depp's career and coincided with the loss of a $23 million deal for a โPirates of the Caribbeanโ sequel.
UK court rejects Depp bid to appeal 'wife beater' ruling
Appeal judges said the Hollywood star cannot challenge the High Courts rejection of his libel lawsuit against publisher of The Sun newspaper for labeling him a wife beater in an article. High Court Justice Andrew Nicol ruled in November that allegations against Depp, made in a April 2018 article, were substantially true. AdLawyers for Depp argued at a court hearing last week that Depp hadn't received a fair hearing and that Heard was an unreliable witness. Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 comedy โThe Rum Diaryโ and married in Los Angeles in February 2015. AdThe High Court ruling came after a headline-grabbing three-week trial in July, in which Depp and Heard gave conflicting accounts of their brief, tempestuous marriage, with each accusing the other of being controlling, violent and deceitful.
Lawyers for Johnny Depp seek to appeal 'wife beater' ruling
The Hollywood star is seeking permission to appeal a High Court ruling in November, when he lost his libel lawsuit against The Sun newspaper for labeling him a โwife beaterโ in an article. AdOn Thursday, Deppโs lawyers argued for an appeal, saying Depp did not receive a fair trial. Caldecott also argued that Nicol, the High Court judge, unfairly rejected evidence unfavorable to Heard during last year's trial. Lawyers for The Sun's publisher rejected the arguments, saying Heard did not lie about the donations because she was pledging to pay the sums over time. Two judges at the Court of Appeal said they would not make a decision about the appeal Thursday, but would issue a ruling soon.
A multimedia impeachment trial: Video takes center stage
Trump's lawyers fully embraced a TikTok defense on Friday, using manipulated video to complain about manipulated video and relying on rapid-fire, repetitive imagery. โThe only question one might have is whether they repeated that effectiveness too much.โThey also left room for a line of attack for Trump's lawyers. Trump's team found video of participants in the impeachment trial calling past elections into question, even digging back to find a 2005 speech by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a trial without witnesses, the House managers relied heavily on media reports and interviews. Ultimately, it was a fully modern impeachment trial, with hours spent in video editing rooms likely rivaling the time spent with lawyers.
Fake US leg band gets pigeon a reprieve in Australia
A racing pigeon sits on a rooftop Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia, The racing pigeon, first spotted in late Dec. 2020, appears to have made an extraordinary 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to Australia. (Kevin Celli-Bird via AP)CANBERRA โ A pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk has received a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake. But Deone Roberts, sport development manager for the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union, said on Friday the band was fake. The band number belongs to a blue bar pigeon in the United States which is not the bird pictured in Australia, she said. Celli-Bird had contacted the American Racing Pigeon Union to find the birdโs owner based on the number on the leg band.
Johnny Depp exits 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise
FILE - In this Tuesday, July 14, 2020 file photo, American actor Johnny Depp gestures to the media as he arrives at the High Court in London. The UK High Court has ruled against Johnny Depp in his libel suit against the owner of the Sun newpaper over wife-beating allegation, it was reported on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Depp said his announcement came โin light of recent events.โโI wish to let you know that I have been asked to resign by Warner Bros. from my role as Grindelwald in โFantastic Beastsโ and I have respected and agreed to that request,โ said Depp. The third โFantastic Beastsโ film is currently in production. My life and career will not be defined by this moment in time.โโFantastic Beasts," a prequel franchise spun off from the โHarry Potterโ films, has grossed nearly $1.5 billion between 2016's โFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themโ and 2018's โFantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.โ Warner Bros. on Friday postponed the release of the third โFantastic Beastsโ film from November next year to summer 2022.
Johnny Depp loses UK libel case over 'wife-beater' claims
โThey must have been terrifying.โIn court, Depp accused Heard of making up her allegations, while acknowledging wide-ranging drug problems. The judge found that 12 of the 14 instances of domestic violence had occurred and said that was sufficient to rule against Depp. Depp and Heard met on the set of 2011 comedy โThe Rum Diaryโ and married in Los Angeles in 2015. โWhat woman has ever benefited from being a victim of domestic violence?โ she asked in court. โJohnny Depp is only going to be able to rehabilitate himself if he accepts this judgment," he added.
Ruling due in Depp's high-stakes libel suit against tabloid
A British judge is set to deliver his judgement in writing on Monday Nov. 2, 2020, deciding whether a tabloid newspaper defamed Depp by calling him a wife beater." (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, FILE)LONDON โ A British judge will decide Monday whether a tabloid newspaper defamed Johnny Depp by calling him a โwife beater,โ a ruling with huge implications for the careers of both Depp and former spouse Amber Heard. Both Depp and Heard spent several days in the witness box during the three-week trial in July, giving irreconcilable accounts of their volatile relationship. The alleged assaults took place in glamorous settings including the coupleโs luxury penthouse, Deppโs private island in the Bahamas and an executive jet. Depp acknowledged heavy drug use, saying he took marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and magic mushrooms, and became addicted to opioid painkillers.
UK judge to rule Nov 2 on Depp's libel suit against tabloid
Britains judicial office said Tuesday Oct. 27, 2020, that judge Andrew Nicol will deliver his verdict in writing on Nov. 2, ruling on whether Johnny Depp was libelled by a tabloid newspaper that branded him a wife-beater. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, FILE)LONDON โ A British judge will rule next week on whether Johnny Depp was libelled by a tabloid newspaper that branded him a wife-beater โ an accusation his lawyer called a โreputation-destroying, career-endingโ false allegation. Over several days in the witness box, Depp, 57, branded he allegations a โhoaxโ and claimed Heard was the aggressor during their volatile relationship. โHe has never hit a woman in his entire life โ period, full stop, nada,โ Deppโs lawyer David Sherborne said in closing arguments. Depp is also suing Heard for $50 million in Virginia over a Washington Post story about domestic violence.