Month: February 2023

Vanessa Bryant Settles $28.9 Million Lawsuit Over Kobe’s Crash Site Photos

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After seeking damages from Los Angeles County over photos released regarding the helicopter crash site, Vanessa Bryant has finally settled her remaining claims of nearly $30 million. Last summer, Bryant, who lost both her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna to the tragic 2020 crash, sued the county after its sheriff and fire departments shared photos corresponding to the aftermath of the accident. As reported by ESPN, her lawsuit read, “[Mrs. Bryant] lives in fear that she or her children will one day confront horrific images of their loved ones online.”

When the photos initially leaked, the businesswoman and model expressed her distress. “I felt like I wanted to run down the block and scream. I can’t escape my body,” she described in court. Bryant recounted having trust in the authorities and added “I don’t ever want to see my babies in that way. Nobody should ever have to see their family in that way.” Bryant fought alongside co-plaintiff Chris Chester, who also lost his wife and daughter to the crash. Chester settled his lawsuit last year, which resulted in millions of dollars. Also in 2022, both plaintiffs won $15 million in federal court, which Bryant pledged to donate to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Bryant Awarded Damages From Los Angeles County

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant in 2013. (Photo by Donato Sardella/Getty Images for EIF)

According to USA Today, both plaintiffs were able to fight in court as the federal case did not involve California state law claims. Bryant’s attorney Luis Li noted how he hoped the win would prevent similar mishappenings to occur in the future. In a statement, he further reflected on their victory: “Today marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant’s courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct. She fought for her husband, her daughter, and all those in the community whose deceased family were treated with similar disrespect. We hope her victory at trial and this settlement will put an end to this practice.”

Although the settlement is still awaiting the court’s approval, Bryant is finally done with pursuing lawsuits on the matter. The former NBA star’s legacy lives on, as he still continues to receive tributes from fans and previous teammates. For more news on hip-hop, sports, and pop culture, be sure to visit HNHH.

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“Ant-Man 3” Writer Reacts To Film’s Bad Reviews, Said They Left Him “Really Sad”

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Whether you’re a Marvel fan or not, you have to admit that the films draw in plenty of intrigue at the box office. Most recently, the third flick in the Ant-Man franchise, Quantumania, made its theatre debut, and so far, reactions have been mixed. The Paul Rudd-led project scored just 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it just ahead of Eternals as one of the MCU’s lowest-rated releases of all time.

The outlet spoke with screenwriter Jeff Loveness, who had the responsibility of crafting Ant-Man’s most ambitious storyline to date. Apparently, he wasn’t at all expecting to see a 69% drop at the box office during Quantumania‘s second weekend, or so many unfavourable reactions. “To be honest, those reviews took me by surprise,” he told The Daily Beast.

Ant-Man 3 Misses the Mark for Some

“I was in a pretty low spot… Those were not good reviews, and I was like, ‘What the..?’ Loveness confessed. “I’m really proud of what I wrote for Jonathan [Majors] and Michelle Pfeiffer [scientist Janet Pym]. I thought that was good stuff, you know? And so I was just despondent, and I was really sad about it.” While he was sad over the internet discourse, attending an in-person screening of Ant-Man 3 helped turn the writer’s mood around.

For him, hearing other audience members laughing at the jokes he crafted felt amazing. “I’m like, ‘Goddamn! No, [the reviews] are wrong! I’m right! MODOK is great!” he gushed earlier this month. “I’m pretty happy with it overall,” Loveness said of his Marvel debut. “I think I learned how to take a punch this week. And now that I learned that it’s not too bad, I can just get on with making things.”

What’s Next for the MCU?

Paul Rudd, Kathryn Newton and Jonathan Majors attend the “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” UK Gala Screening at BFI IMAX Waterloo on February 16, 2023, in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

Prior to Ant-Man 3, the MCU took us back to Wakanda in Black Panther 2. Next up, we’ll be getting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 this May, and The Marvels in November. 2024 is also set to be a big year, with Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, and Blade all arriving from the months of May to September to complete phase five. Which of Marvel’s upcoming movies are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more pop culture news updates.

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Judge Orders Kodak Black To Rehab After Testing Positive For Fentanyl

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Screen Shot 2023 02 28 at 9.26.18 PM

Last week, a warrant for Kodak Black’s arrest was issued by a Broward County Circuit Court Judge after the South Florida slang spitter failed a drug test earlier this month. Today(February 28), Black aka Bill Kapri, turned himself in with his lawyer Bradford Cohen, who disputed claims that Black failed the test, alleging that the test was mixed up with other urine samples.

In response, Broward Co. Judge Barbara Duffy ordered that the 25-year-old rapper report to drug rehab for 30 days, but his time in rehab will not begoin until after his performance at Rolling Stone California this upcoming weekend.

Black was originally placed on probation following his compassionate release by President Trump at the top of 2021 after being sentenced to almost four years in federal prison for illegal weapons possession in 2019.

The post Judge Orders Kodak Black To Rehab After Testing Positive For Fentanyl appeared first on The Source.

Omarion Goes on Dr. Phil to Tell Fan that they are Not Engaged

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Omarion Goes on Dr. Phil to Tell Fan that they are Not Engaged

There’s catfishing….and then there’s celebrity catfishing. A woman named Rachel apparently wrote to Dr. Phil, begging her to intervene in a situation with her friend Simone, who apparently believed that she was engaged to hip-hop artist Omarion.

Rachel first provided Dr. Phil with some background information about the situation. She said that Simone believed that she was talking to Omarion and that he had stated that he wanted to marry her and was planning to come visit her. However, after talking for two years, he had not come to see Simone, nor had he flown her to see him. Simone, had, however, given someone that she believed to be Omarion upwards of $3,500. She also stated that Simone had never video chatted with the “Post to Be” singer.

Dr. Phil then interviewed Simone, who said that she was in contact with Omarion’s “manager,” who had asked her for money. However, Dr. Phil brought out Omarion’s real manager, Michelle Le Fleur, who stated that Omarion did not know Simone, had certainly never asked her for money, and was definitively not in a relationship with her.

Omarion then shared a video from Omarion who addressed the issue, saying that “it’s crazy how far these people will go to manipulate my fans to think that they are actually speaking with me- from sending fake drivers licenses and passports, even Facetiming them, but claiming there was a bad connection.”

He then spoke directly to Simone, saying “I’m sorry Simone, I haven’t been speaking with you online and we are not in a relationship. You have not sent me any money. I want everyone to be aware that if someone is online claiming to be me and asking for money, that you are not speaking with me, I would not do that. All of my pages are marked with a blue check.”

He encouraged his fans to be careful and mindful about who they are speaking to online.

Dr. Phil pointed out that celebrities being impersonated is very common, with many unwitting victims believing that they are in a relationship with a celebrity, sharing stories of other fans who had believed they were in relationships with celebrities such as Post Malone, Tyler Perry, and Vin Diesel.

The post Omarion Goes on Dr. Phil to Tell Fan that they are Not Engaged appeared first on The Source.