Entertainment

Bill Cosby Freed from Prison

Published

3 years ago

July 1, 2021

Eric

US comedian Bill Cosby was freed from prison on Wednesday, in a blow to the #MeToo movement, after a US court overturned his conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman 15 years ago.

The 83-year-old left SCI Phoenix, a state jail 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Cosby had been denied a fair trial.

Cosby, who shattered racial barriers with his Emmy-winning role on “I Spy” in the 1960s, was convicted in 2018 of assaulting Andrea Constand at his Philadelphia mansion in 2004.

But the judges wrote in a 79-page decision that a non-prosecution agreement between a former district attorney and Cosby over evidence he gave in a civil case meant the actor should not have been charged.

“Cosby’s convictions and judgment of sentence are vacated, and he is discharged,” they wrote.

Cosby, who also starred as a dad and doctor on the hit TV series “The Cosby Show,” in the 1980s, left prison just before 2:30 pm (1830 GMT), a spokesperson for Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections told AFP.

His conviction was the first guilty verdict for sexual assault against a celebrity since the advent of the worldwide reckoning against sexual violence and abuse of power dubbed the #MeToo movement.

Accusers of Cosby and supporters of the movement expressed anger at his release.

Lawyer Lisa Bloom said she and the three Cosby accusers that she represents were “disgusted that he is a free man today.”

Cosby served more than two years of a three-to-ten-year sentence for aggravated indecent assault and has always maintained his innocence.

He has not reacted to his release and Cosby’s publicist did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Although more than 60 women charged that they had been victims of sexual assault by Cosby, he was tried criminally only for Constand’s assault, since the statute of limitations had expired in the other cases.

Cosby has insisted that the encounter with Constand, who was then a Temple University employee, was consensual.

(AFP)

Entertainment

‘We Finally Lost Him’, AGN Confirms Junior Pope’s Death

Published

1 week ago

April 11, 2024

Eric

The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, has confirmed the death of Nollywood actor, John Paul Odonwodo, popularly known as Junior Pope.

The actor and three of his colleagues were coming back from a movie location in a boat when they fell into Anam River in Anambra on Wednesday.

Rollas took to his instagram page on Thursday to disclose the sad development as he wrote, “It is so so sad that our joy was shortlived.

“My first post was out of excitement when we noticed his tingling fingers. Two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him but to no avail.

“God knows the best. We finally lost him,” he said.

Junior Pope joined the Nollywood industry in 2006, and started attending movie auditions and acting as a minor character in movies.

He usually played the role of a bodyguard, palace attendant, and servant in movies.

In 2007, he rose to fame after acting in the Nollywood blockbuster movie “Secret Adventures”, a movie directed by Tchidi Chikere.

He acted in more than 150 Nollywood movies which include: “Secret Adventures”, “Mad sex”, “Bitter Generation”, “Vengeance of Bullet”, “The Cat”, “The Generals”, “Wrong Initiation” among others.

DailyPost

Entertainment

I’m No Longer Cut Out for Marriage, Having Kids – Iyabo Ojo

Published

1 week ago

April 11, 2024

Eric

Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo has said that she is no longer cut out for marriage or having kids, stressing that her now is only for enjoyment.

Iyabo Ojo, a divorcee, expressed her intention not to seek marriage with her current partner, music executive Paul Okoye, also known as Paulo, saying their realtionship is for companionship.

Taking to her Instagram page, the actress shared, “Marriage – done and dusted. Had kids – done and dusted. Raised my kids – done and dusted. Next stage: Enjoyment! Enjoyment! Enjoyment!”

She added that people should, however, do what makes them happy and works for them.

“This is me. Do you ….. do what makes you happy and what works for you,” she wrote.

Iyabo Ojo is a prominent Nigerian actress, filmmaker, and entrepreneur.

She has been active in the Nigerian film industry, often referred to as Nollywood, for many years.

Ojo has appeared in numerous movies and has gained recognition for her talent and versatility as an actress. Apart from her acting career, she has also ventured into film production.