Ben Affleck Breaks Silence About Jennifer Lopez Divorce: ‘This Is Somebody I Have a Lot of Respect For’

Cardi B Loses It After Daughter Kulture Doodles on her $60,000 Hermés Purse

After their second go-round as a couple produced endless reams of tabloid press coverage, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have been relatively quiet about the dissolution of their marriage. The couple first began dating in 2002 and got engaged before calling it off in 2004 and famously reuniting in 2021 and getting married the following year.

But, after less than two years, Lopez filed for divorce just months after the February 2024 release of her film This Is Me Now: A Love Story, a movie co-written by the couple that was loosely based on their love story. A surprisingly candid behind-the-scenes doc, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, was also released at the time, featuring a scene in which it was revealed that Affleck kept Lopez’s love letters even while he was married to his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.

In a new GQ feature about Affleck’s plans to shake up Hollywood wit his artist-friendly Artists Equity company, the actor/director opens up for the first time about the couple’s split and makes it clear that despite the drama, he has a deep and abiding affection for his ex.

“You asked me about Jen and the documentary and I talked about that and my sort of personal life a little bit, which I don’t mind doing as long as my actual feelings and intentions and beliefs are communicated, which I hope I was clear that really this is somebody I have a lot of respect for,” he said. “And I get wanting to divine or explore the kind of differences in perspective that we have in terms of how a person feels comfortable approaching the line between public and private life. But I really hope that whatever you use doesn’t suggest that I have any negativity or judgment or anything regarding that.”

Affleck also makes it clear that he has “nothing but respect” for Lopez, lamenting the need by some to dissect break-ups in search of the “root causes” of a split. “But honestly, like I said, the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting,” he said.

“There’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue. The truth is, when you talk to somebody, ‘Hey, what happened?’ Well, there is no: ‘This is what happened,’” he added. “It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do. And as you get older, this is true for me, I assume it’s true for most people, there is no ‘So-and-so did this’ or ‘This was the big event.’ It’s really, it sounds more like a couple’s therapy session, which — you would tune out of someone else’s couple’s therapy after a while. For one thing, you start going, ‘Okay, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly they have these issues.’ And the reason I don’t want to share that is just sort of embarrassing. It feels vulnerable.”

The piece delves into the fact that despite appearances, Affleck has a well-thought-out, nonchalant attitude about being pictured in public picking up his copious Dunkin’ order, or wearing an outfit a star might not want to be shot by paparazzi wearing. He talks about his strategies, such as wearing the same look every day so the pap pictures of him are indistinguishable, or looking “like a slob” on purpose and how he just doesn’t really care, or sweat it that much.

“Then you become the sad Affleck meme spilling the coffee. Which I have to say I think is kind of funny,” he said. “So I think it’s just a function of the fact that I’ve spent time thinking about really trying to figure it out.”

Affleck was also asked about some moments in the widely panned Greatest Love Story Never Told doc, in which the now ex-couple repeatedly claimed they were private people, even as Lopez revealed some intimate moments and aspects of their relationship via the letters and footage of them at home. In those scenes, the writer suggests that Affleck seems to both be taking a deep “here we go again” breath, even as he’s clearly expressing his love and support for Lopez.

“Part of it was, ‘Okay, if I’m going to participate in this, I want to try to do it in an honest way and in a way that’s interesting,’” Affleck said. “Because I thought it was an interesting examination. Like I mentioned to you before, there are a lot of people who I think have handled celebrity more adeptly and more adroitly than I have, Jennifer among them. My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers. As happens in relationships, you don’t always have the same attitude towards these things. And so I thought, ‘Oh, this is interesting because how do you reconcile that?’ Because exactly what you said is true. I love and support this person. I believe in them. They’re great. I want people to see that.”

Affleck recalled that the doc used his line “You don’t marry a ship captain and then say, ‘Well, I don’t like going out in the water,’” saying that you have to “own what you knew going into any relationship.” And, for the record, Affleck assures readers that the movie wasn’t the cause of “some major fracture. It’s not like you can watch that documentary and go, ‘Oh, now I understand the issues that these two had.’”

Diddy Wins Dismissal of Lil Rod’s RICO, Breach of Contract Claims as Civil Lawsuit Moves Forward

Courtney Love is Making Her U.K. Move Permanent, Calls Trump 2.0 “Emperor-core”

Sean “Diddy” Combs won a small portion of his uphill legal battle on Monday when a federal judge dismissed the Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Act (RICO) portion and four other causes of action brought in the legal filing from Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, the producer whose accusations preceded a flood of legal complaints against the rap mogul and his company.

On Monday, Judge J. Paul Oetken of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York weighed in on Combs’ defense team’s motion to dismiss Jones v. Combs et al., in a 31-page opinion, granting the motion in part but denying other portions related to sexual assault and trafficking. The slimmed-down civil case will still move forward, but with the racketeering accusation struck from the case, along with the breach of contract claim and three causes of action related to infliction of emotional distress. Judge Oetken also dismissed a claim in the suit related to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

In the dismissal of the RICO element of the lawsuit, the judge decided that Jones’ case fails to prove any injury to his business or property caused by a RICO enterprise overseen by Diddy and therefore, he can’t sue under the claim that his complaints relate to any alleged illicit enterprise. The judge said Jones’ nonpayment claim also lacked a “causal connection” with any purported racketeering activity.

“[Combs’] alleged refusal to honor the contract with Jones is not itself a RICO predicate act, even if the contract breach resulted from Jones’s refusal to participate in Combs’s alleged racketeering scheme,” the judge wrote. “In sum, whether or not Jones has adequately alleged the existence of a RICO enterprise, he has not tied the activities of that enterprise to defendants’ breach of contract, or any other ‘business or property’ harm incurred by Jones.”

The breach of contract element was dismissed because nothing relating to a payment agreement was in writing, and a year has passed since any alleged agreement was made between Jones and Combs or his company. The claims of emotional distress were also found to be legally deficient.

Judge Oetken’s decision was lopsided, however, and Combs, along with his Chief of Staff Kristina Khorram, will still have to answer for claims of sex trafficking; additional claims against Combs related to sexual assault and premises liability will also proceed, the judge decided, but the trafficking claim against Combs Global was dismissed.

In 2022, Jones was hired by Combs to work on what would become The Love Album: Off the Grid, Combs’ first studio record since 2006. He spent over a year in Combs’ inner circle, living and traveling with Combs and he also became his videographer in the day-to-day. When he exited the mogul’s orbit, he claims he was groomed, abused, exploited, and stiffed on $50,000 in payment, publishing shares and royalties for his work on the Grammy-nominated album.

Jones’ case was filed on Feb. 26 in New York federal court seeking $30 million in restitution. In the lengthy filing, which was later amended to add more damning allegations, Jones levels harsh accusations against Combs include alleging that he was sexually assaulted, allegedly forced by Combs to engage in sex acts, made to solicit sex workers, drugged, humiliated and says he was repeatedly groped on his anus and genitals while in Combs’ orbit.

While portions of the case will proceed after Monday’s decision, the judge was curt as it admonished Jones and his attorney, using some strong language to cast off the plaintiff’s attempted legal maneuver and his counsel’s conduct. Judge Oetken states that Jones’ effort to convert a “garden variety…. breach of contract case” into a RICO suit” falls flat.

“Jones fails to address any [racketeering] arguments in his opposition brief, and while the Court prefers to decide issues on the merits, it should not be necessary to root around a 402-paragraph complaint to contrive novel arguments on Jones’s behalf,” he wrote in his memo.

A special “warning to counsel” section was also included in the decision, directed to Blackburn, stating that his filings are “replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel.”

“For example, in urging the Court to consider a grand jury indictment of Combs on related criminal charges, Blackburn writes ‘as evidenced by U.S. Attorney Williams’s press conference and the Grand Jury indictment… Defendant Sean Combs and the Combs RICO Enterprise are presumed guilty of being a RICO criminal organization,’” the judge quoted before writing, “That any licensed member of the bar would espouse such an absurd understanding of the law is not just disturbing, but shocking.”

The judge wrote that the operative complaint and Blackburn’s opposition brief are full of similar irrelevant insults, misstatements, and exaggerations. He added that the court “will not hold Blackburn’s antics against Jones at this point,” but warned the attorney of looming sanctions or referral for discipline should such conduct continue.

Blackburn told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday that he respects Judge Oetkens’s order and opinion and is pleased with the decision, as he can now proceed with legal discovery related to the case, naming both Combs and Khorram.

“We view this as a win. [The] defendants wanted a total dismissal, and they failed to get it,” Blackburn said. “I know where all of the bodies are buried, and I have a huge shovel. Time to start digging!”

Khorram broke her silence last week, months after being named in at least three civil lawsuits alongside her former boss, claiming that she is innocent and that she has “never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone.”

Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he awaits trial in May, following his September arrest on federal RICO and sex trafficking charges. The beleaguered rap mogul is also facing dozens of lawsuits claiming he was involved in sex trafficking, sexual assault and misconduct over his decades in the music and fashion industry. He has denied all legal claims against him.

Weekend Box Office: Snow White Opens with $43 Million

As much as we wanted to believe that the upcoming live-action adaptation by Disney was going to provide a spark to the theatrical box office, that was pretty much quashed this weekend. Sure, it had the second best opening of the year, but then you realize Den of Thieves 2 is currently the fifth best of 2025 and you go ho-hum instead of hi-ho. Yes it could be the second film (or maybe even the third) to gross $100 million, but these films have been good for at least twice that or even more. Here we are looking towards the end of March with 10 of the 11 weekends at the box office earning less than $100 million, with hopes that Minecraft will be the blockbuster theaters need.

It should be noted that 2024 did not hit a $100 million three-day weekend in its first two months, but then hit three in March thanks to Dune: Part Two, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The discussion looms about audiences embracing original entertainment outside the comfort of their own homes, but until then, we have Disney’s Snow White opening to $43 million, well below the hopeful $50+ million that tracking was suggesting. It is also well below the recent spate of live-action remakes of Disney animated films, including The Jungle Book ($103.2 million), Beauty and the Beast ($174.7 million), Aladdin ($91.5 million), and The Little Mermaid ($95.5 million). This is more along the lines of Dumbo territory, and even that was higher with $45.9 million.

Dumbo finished out its run with $114.7 million domestic and cleared over $238 million overseas. So it was a bomb, but a quaint bomb with a $170 million budget compared to what Snow White could be with a budget reportedly as high as $270 million. That would put it among the 15 most expensive motion pictures ever, up there with other Disney misfires like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Marvels, which, by the way, also opened higher with $46.1 million but carried the same $270 million price tag. Snow White should still be better than that (starting with $44.3 million overseas), but to even be in the same conversation should be a red flag. Marc Webb’s film has been beset with bad ink ever since its inception, from Peter Dinklage’s comments about its portrayal of dwarfism to reactions to Gal Gadot’s thoughts on Gaza. Reviews have not been great, and the only live-action film since 2000 to open in March with less than $50 million and gross over $150 million was Wild Hogs. That won’t do for Snow White. That won’t do.

Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag was expected to open in the $6 million range at the top of last weekend. It slightly exceeded that with $7.5 million, providing hope that word-of-mouth was starting to do the job on one of the very best reviewed films of the year (and Soderbergh’s career). This week it is down to $4.4 million, which amounts to just $14.8 million total to date. Some films deserve better, and this is one that should get discovered over the course of the year and maybe even into awards season. Though its $50 million budget is no positive number for Focus Features, they are hoping it could be just their fifth film since the start of 2024 to gross over $20 million. Nosferatu and Conclave last year were the studio’s highest grossers since the Downton Abbey sequel in 2022. Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders got over that hump last year and Last Breath got there this weekend as well. Those last two were also budget-tiered flops. If there is any hope for low-to-mid-budget adult fare, films like Black Bag and Focus’ next limited release, The Ballad of Wallis Island (also one of the year’s best-reviewed films), need to find their audiences.

Hanging on for its sixth week in the top five, Captain America: Brave New World moved back up to third place with $4.1 million as it tries to keep alive hopes of hitting $200 million domestic. Right now it is about $17 million off the pace of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, losing ground during the week but picking a little back up over the weekend. Ant 3 had just a $2.4 million sixth weekend. The numbers still suggest a finish between $195-200 million but we shall see. It did, however, just cross the $400 million mark worldwide.

Last week’s under-$10 million box office winner, Novocaine, fell all the way back to fifth this week with under $5 million. A 57% drop down to $3.7 million in weekend two brings the film to $15.7 million. That’s a little better than the other Jack-Quaid-with-girlfriend-problems film this year, Companion, which made $15.4 million in its first 10 days. Novocaine is now looking at around $20-22 million domestic with just an additional $3 million so far internationally. Perhaps it will find new life when it becomes available on PVOD shortly.

The best news for Warner Bros. about Mickey 17 is that Snow White may now be considered the biggest bomb of the year for the time being. Not that the bottom line gets any better, because $3.9 million in its third weekend brings the film to just $40.2 million after 17 days. The $118 million production just crossed $110 million globally. Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite cleared $200 million overseas alone. The studio’s woes don’t end there though.

You may be forgiven if you didn’t want to rush out to see Barry Levinson’s The Alto Knights. The long gestating passion project of Robert DeNiro (in a dual role) opened to just $3.1 million. For those counting their mob payouts, that’s only $1.4 million higher than Gotti, the John “Wild Hogs” Travolta passion project that maintains its 0% rating on the Tomatometer (The Alto Knights, at least, has earned a few more positive reviews than that). The $45 million production is looking at a domestic gross of less than $10 million. That makes two big losers in a row for Warner Bros. and five of their last six, including Joker: Folie a Deux, Juror #2 (entirely their fault for burying a solid Clint Eastwood film), and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Amazingly their biggest success since Beetlejuice Beetlejuice last September has been this year’s low-budget Companion. But now WB is probably hoping for the success of Minecraft even more than theaters.

Ketchup Entertainment rescued The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie from the WB dumping ground. They are now in talks to do the same for Coyote vs. Acme. Hopefully audiences will reward that investment in the future, because they certainly are not for the one currently in theaters. In its second week, Daffy and Porky made just $1.8 million for a 10-day total of just $6.4 million. Reportedly they are offering $50 million for the next one. We can have nice things, but we have to go to the movies.

Family audiences instead rewarded Dog Man, which will be the third-highest grossing film of the year, assuming Snow White surpasses it. But give it up for the animated crossbreed which now has a total over $95 million domestic. That’s more than double what Paddington in Peru has mustered. In its sixth weekend, the bear in the raincoat fell out of the top 10 with $1.3 million to get to just $43.6 million. The last two Paddington films combined grossed less than Dog Man domestically. Tenth place went to The Last Supper with $1.34 million, bringing its total up to $4.4 million. What you will discover shortly is that it is hardly the last Last Supper. Just ahead of them was Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey making $1.5 million; it’s domestic total now stands at $37.8 million.

Locked from distributor The Avenue with Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins opened to $964,000 in 971 theaters. Compare that to Flying Lotus’ sci-fi film, Ash, with Eiza Gonzalez and Aaron Paul, which opened in 1,136 theaters and made just $716,000 for IFC Films. Not much better was the release of the long-delayed Magazine Dreams with Jonathan Majors, which was picked up and subsequently dumped by Searchlight Pictures after the actor’s personal conduct issues were unearthed and made $700,000 in 815 theaters. Last week’s opener, Opus, fell 72% down to $282,000 and has grossed just $1.8 million.

Roadside’s release of Tracie Laymon’s Bob Trevino Likes It with Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizamo opened to $58,138 in just 5 theaters, the second-best per-theater average this week below only the documentary Secret Mall Apartment, which grossed $40,500 in just a single theater. Sideshow/Janus Films’ release of Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia opened to $25,000 in 3 theaters on the coasts. Meanwhile, the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin brought its total over $10 million this weekend and the Oscar-winning Anora passed $20 million on Monday.

Snow White will go for the repeat next weekend (it will be something if it doesn’t), but which of the new releases will rise to second? After the success of The Beekeeper, the reteaming of Jason Statham and David Ayer may have the edge with A Working Man. Don’t rule out the popularity of the episodic The Chosen getting its latest theatrical run with Last Supper, not to be confused with the recent release of The Last Supper. A24 hopes that the pairing of Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd in the high-concept comic horror film Death of a Unicorn will be a hit with audiences after its debut at SXSW. Blumhouse’s The Woman in the Yard from director Jaume Collet-Serra is being hidden from the press. Also look out for the aforementioned Focus release, the charming music comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island, which has been a hit with critics.

Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast. [box office figures via Box Office Mojo]

Thumbnail image by Marcos Cruz/©Paramount Pictures

Former star leaving ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ for reasons she won’t reveal

Garcelle Beauvais announced her departure from “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” after five seasons on Tuesday. She broke the news via an Instagram video.

“Hey guys,” she said.

“So I have some news. I’ve decided to leave ‘Beverly Hills.’ It’s been a wild ride. I mean, some amazing things have happened, and some hard things have also happened, but it’s been a ride nevertheless.

“One of the reasons why I’m leaving is my family, my boys, their last year of high school is next year and I want to be a part of that. And Jade is starting a new career and I want to be a part of that too. And secondly, I have the most exciting projects that I am developing, producing and acting in. I can’t tell you anything right now, but you’ll know soon.

“I just want to say thank you to Andy Cohen, to Bravo, NBCUniversal, Evolution, 32 Flavors, the producers, the crew, and of course, the ladies,” she continued.

“Andy Cohen says I can come back anytime. The door will always be open, so you never know, I might pop back in sometime. To the fans: I want to say thank you so much. You guys have cheered me on, supported me, and sometimes even fought for me or on my behalf. It means a lot and I hope you guys will continue on this journey with me. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later — so see you later.”

A source close to production confirms the departure was Beauvais’ idea, in one of the rare “Real Housewives” instances of a cast member actually quitting, and not being fired.

Beauvais joined “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” in 2020 and became its first Black cast member.

This past December, Variety selected Beauvais for its annual list of powerful women on reality television, noting that she had leveraged her time on the show to make a deal with Lifetime Television for movies she’s both starred in and produced.

“If being on the ‘Housewives’ can cause cast members to occasionally lose their dignity, Beauvais defies that axiom,” the entry read. “Now in her fifth season on the show, Beauvais manages to both stir the pot and rise above it — a rare skill.”

Beauvais was subjected to racism during her time on “Real Housewives,” though.

In 2022, one of her twin sons, Jax, then 14, was attacked by racist bots online. He opted not to appear at all during the current 14th season of the show as a result, a decision Beauvais endorsed.

The Season 14 finale of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” airs this week.

Before “Real Housewives,” Beauvais starred in series such as “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “NYPD Blue,” and has had roles in films like “Coming to America,” “White House Down” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

© 2025 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

Oscar-winning Palestinian director released after attack in West Bank

Israeli authorities released an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was detained by the army after being attacked by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, who his wife said beat him in front of his home while filming the assault.

Hamdan Ballal and the other directors of “No Other Land,” which looks at the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when it won the award for best documentary film.

Ballal and two other Palestinians detained with him were released Tuesday afternoon from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Ballal had bruises on his face and blood on his clothes, and the three were driven to a hospital in the neighboring Palestinian city of Hebron, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.

Their attorney, Lea Tsemel, said they spent the night on the floor of a military base while receiving only minimal care for their injuries from the attack.

She had earlier said they were accused of throwing stones at a young settler, allegations they deny.

Palestinian residents say around two dozen settlers — some masked, some carrying guns and some in military uniforms — attacked the West Bank village of Susiya on Monday evening as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones, they said.

The Israeli military said Monday it had detained three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at forces and one Israeli civilian involved in a what it described as a violent confrontation. On Tuesday, it referred further queries to police, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lamia Ballal, the director’s wife, said she heard her husband being beaten outside their home as she huddled inside with their three children. She heard him screaming, “I’m dying!” and calling for an ambulance. When she looked out the window, she saw three men in uniform beating Ballal with the butts of their rifles and another person in civilian clothes who appeared to be filming the violence.

“Of course, after the Oscar, they have come to attack us more,” Lamia said. “I felt afraid.”

West Bank settlers are often armed and sometimes wear military-style clothing that makes it difficult to distinguish them from soldiers.

On Tuesday, a small bloodstain could be seen outside their home, and the car’s windshield and windows were shattered. Neighbors pointed to a nearby water tank with a hole in the side that they said had been punched by the settlers.

“No Other Land,” which won the Oscar this year for best documentary, chronicles the struggle by residents of the Masafer Yatta area to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their villages.

The joint Israeli-Palestinian production has won a string of international awards, starting at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024. It has also drawn ire in Israel and abroad, as when Miami Beach proposed ending the lease of a movie theater that screened it.

Basel Adra, another of the film’s co-directors who is a prominent Palestinian activist in the area, said there’s been a massive upswing in attacks by settlers and Israeli forces since the Oscar win.

“Nobody can do anything to stop the pogroms, and soldiers are only there to facilitate and help the attacks,” he said. “We’re living in dark days here, in Gaza, and all of the West Bank … Nobody’s stopping this.”

Masked settlers with sticks also attacked Jewish activists in the area on Monday, smashing their car windows and slashing tires, according to Josh Kimelman, an activist with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. Video provided by the group showed a masked settler shoving and swinging his fists at two activists in a dusty field at night.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for their future state and view settlement growth as a major obstacle to a two-state solution. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal.

Israel has built well over 100 settlements, home to over 500,000 settlers who have Israeli citizenship. The 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers.

The Israeli military designated Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank as a live-fire training zone in the 1980s and ordered residents, mostly Arab Bedouin, to be expelled. Around 1,000 residents have largely remained in place, but soldiers regularly move in to demolish homes, tents, water tanks and olive orchards — and Palestinians fear outright expulsion could come at any time.

The Palestinians also face threats from settlers at nearby outposts. Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli forces usually turn a blind eye to settler attacks or intervene on behalf of the settlers.

The war in Gaza has sparked a surge of violence in the West Bank, with the Israeli military carrying out widescale military operations that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands. There has been a rise in settler violence as well as Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Wife of Oscar-winning Palestinian director says he was savagely beaten outside his home

SUSIYA, West Bank (AP) — The lawyer for an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was attacked by Jewish settlers and detained by Israeli forces says he will be released. Lea Tsemel, the attorney for Hamdan Ballal, said Tuesday that he and two other Palestinians spent the night on the floor of a military base while suffering from serious injuries sustained in the attack.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

The wife of an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was attacked by Jewish settlers before being detained by the Israeli army said Tuesday that he was beaten in front of his home by three men in military fatigues while another filmed it.

Hamdan Ballal and the other directors of “No Other Land,” which looks at the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when it won the award for best documentary film.

On Tuesday, he and two other Palestinians were being held at a police station in the occupied West Bank, according to their attorney, Lea Tsemel, who was only allowed to speak to them by phone several hours after they were detained late the night before.

She said all three had been wounded in the attack and were accused of throwing stones at a young settler, allegations they deny.

Palestinian residents say around two dozen settlers — some masked, some carrying guns and some in military uniforms — attacked the West Bank village of Susiya on Monday evening as residents were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Soldiers who arrived pointed their guns at the Palestinians, while settlers continued throwing stones, they said.

The Israeli military said Monday it had detained three Palestinians suspected of hurling rocks at forces and one Israeli civilian involved in a what it described as a violent confrontation. On Tuesday, it referred further queries to police, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lamia Ballal, the director’s wife, said she heard her husband being beaten outside their home as she huddled inside with their three children. She heard him screaming, “I’m dying!” and calling for an ambulance. When she looked out the window, she saw three men in uniform beating Ballal with the butts of their rifles and another person in civilian clothes who appeared to be filming the violence.

“Of course, after the Oscar, they have come to attack us more,” Lamia said. “I felt afraid.”

West Bank settlers are often armed and sometimes wear military-style clothing that makes it difficult to distinguish them from soldiers.

On Tuesday, a small bloodstain could be seen outside their home, and the car’s windshield and windows were shattered. Neighbors pointed to a nearby water tank with a hole in the side that they said had been punched by the settlers.

“No Other Land,” which won the Oscar this year for best documentary, chronicles the struggle by residents of the Masafer Yatta area to stop the Israeli military from demolishing their villages.

The joint Israeli-Palestinian production has won a string of international awards, starting at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024. It has also drawn ire in Israel and abroad, as when Miami Beach proposed ending the lease of a movie theater that screened it.

Basel Adra, another of the film’s co-directors who is a prominent Palestinian activist in the area, said there’s been a massive upswing in attacks by settlers and Israeli forces since the Oscar win.

“Nobody can do anything to stop the pogroms, and soldiers are only there to facilitate and help the attacks,” he said. “We’re living in dark days here, in Gaza, and all of the West Bank … Nobody’s stopping this.”

Masked settlers with sticks also attacked Jewish activists in the area on Monday, smashing their car windows and slashing tires, according to Josh Kimelman, an activist with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence. Video provided by the group showed a masked settler shoving and swinging his fists at two activists in a dusty field at night.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for their future state and view settlement growth as a major obstacle to a two-state solution. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal.

Israel has built well over 100 settlements, home to over 500,000 settlers who have Israeli citizenship. The 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed Palestinian Authority administering population centers.

The Israeli military designated Masafer Yatta in the southern West Bank as a live-fire training zone in the 1980s and ordered residents, mostly Arab Bedouin, to be expelled. Around 1,000 residents have largely remained in place, but soldiers regularly move in to demolish homes, tents, water tanks and olive orchards — and Palestinians fear outright expulsion could come at any time.

The Palestinians also face threats from settlers at nearby outposts. Palestinians and rights groups say Israeli forces usually turn a blind eye to settler attacks or intervene on behalf of the settlers.

The war in Gaza has sparked a surge of violence in the West Bank, with the Israeli military carrying out widescale military operations that have killed hundreds of Palestinians and displaced tens of thousands. There has been a rise in settler violence as well as Palestinian attacks on Israelis.

Judge Dismisses Five Charges Against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ in $30 Million Sexual Assault Lawsuit

Mariah Carey Scores Victory in ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Copyright Lawsuit as Judge Dismisses Case 4 days ago

A judge has granted and denied charges brought against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a $30 million lawsuit from former producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones alleging sexual assault.

Jones initially filed his suit against Combs in New York in Feb. 2024, stating that Combs made unwanted sexual advances and forced him to hire sex workers and engage in relations with them. Jones named Combs as well as a “RICO enterprise” consisting of his son Justin; his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram; Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge; former Motown Records CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam; and numerous record labels and Jane and John Does. He then refiled several amended complaints in the months that followed.

But in an order filed earlier today and reviewed by Variety, Judge J. Paul Oetken granted and denied parts of Combs’ Aug. 2024 motion to dismiss the case. The order also reprimanded Jones’ attorney Tyrone Blackburn and described his conduct regarding the motion as “unsettling.”

The judge dismissed the RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charge against Combs and Khorram in the case, failing to find a viable argument in Jones’ opposition brief and that “it should not be necessary to root around a 402-paragraph complaint to contrive novel arguments on Jones’s behalf.” He also dismissed negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims; breach of contract claims; and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) claim against Combs Global. The TVPA claims against Combs and Khorram were granted, and the judge declined to dismiss sexual assault and liability claims.

The motion also issued a stern warning to Blackburn, stating that his filings “are replete with inaccurate statements of law, conclusory accusations, and inappropriate ad hominem attacks on opposing counsel.” The judge referenced Blackburn’s opposition brief and the complaint as full of “irrelevant insults, misstatements, and exaggerations,” stating that any further misconduct may lead to sanctions or referral for discipline.

In a statement provided to Variety, Blackburn commented: “A win is a win. Play time is over. Now, it is time for discovery.”

Jones filed the suit in Feb. 2024 after producing six songs on Combs’ Grammy-nominated “The Love Album: Off the Grid” that released in Sept. 2023. He claims that Combs acquired, used and distributed ecstasy, cocaine and other illicit drugs; displayed illegal firearms; and laced alcoholic beverages provided to minors and sex workers at his various homes, among other allegations.

After Jones filed two amended complaints, Combs filed his own motion to dismiss in Aug. 2024. “Jones’ Second Amended Complaint is his third attempt to dress up a run of the mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy,” read the motion. “Running to nearly 100 pages, it includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images. Yet, despite all its hyperbole and lurid theatrics, the SAC fails to state a single viable claim against any of the Combs Defendants.”

‘Snow White’ Bombs With One Of Disney’s Lowest Opening Weekends For A Remake

While the live-action remake of the 1937 animated classic was number one at last weekend’s box office, the numbers it put up did little to make up for the movie’s massive $270 million production budget. Early projections had “Snow White” bringing in between $45 and $55 million, which would have been bad enough.

Instead, the movie starring Rachel Zegler in the titular role and Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen only earned $43 million, making it one of Disney’s lowest-earning opening weekends for a remake ever. Prior to now, Disney’s live-action remake of “Dumbo” (2019) held that title, earning just $46 million during its debut.

For comparison, Disney’s live-action update of “The Little Mermaid” (2023) made $95 million during its first weekend. Scandal-free “Cinderella” grossed $91.8 million during its opening weekend in 2015 against a $138.3 million budget, per CNN. The Lion King (2019) was the highest earner, with $191 million, while the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” (2017) brought in $174 million.

These results feel inevitable after months of controversy for multiple reasons. First, Zegler went on record saying she didn’t care for the original film and argued that Prince Charming was a “stalker.” The actress made it clear the live-action story would have nothing in common with the “weird” original 1937 love story.

There was also backlash over Disney using live actors to portray the seven dwarves, leading the studio to replace them with CGI. But then, when the trailer was released, viewers described the computer-generated dwarves as “nightmare fuel.” Earlier this month, actors with dwarfism said they would be protesting Disney for replacing them with CGI.

It’s also not helping matters that “Snow White” was mostly trashed by critics and currently has a 44% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

“Gloss prevails over heart in nearly every scene, and plot beats feel contrived,” a reviewer from The Wall Street Journal wrote.

The New York Times said of the film: “Neither good enough to admire nor bad enough to joyfully skewer; its mediocrity is among its biggest bummers.”

“Presumably one of the reasons to bring actors into remakes of animated classics would be to add a warm-blooded pulse to these characters. Zegler manages that, but everyone else in ‘Snow White’ — mortal or CGI — is as stiff as could be,” said a critic from The Associated Press.

Nashville Royalty Assembles: ACM Awards Reveals Glittering Performance Roster

Hold onto your rhinestone-studded boots, darlings — the Academy of Country Music Awards is about to turn Texas into a glitter-bombed spectacle of pure Nashville magic. As the landmark 60th celebration approaches, the first wave of performers has just dropped, and it’s serving exactly the kind of star power you’d expect from country music’s most dazzling night.

The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco (which has become the awards’ sparkling home-away-from-home these past three years) will welcome none other than Blake Shelton to its stage. Perfect timing, really — the country charmer’s latest single “Texas” has been climbing the charts faster than a tumbleweed in a tornado. And wouldn’t you know it? He’s dropping his cheekily titled new album “For Recreational Use Only” right after the show. Talk about strategic planning.

But let’s talk about the real jewel in this bedazzled crown: Lainey Wilson.

Fresh from her absolutely legendary 2024 run (snagging Entertainer of the Year among her three-trophy haul), Wilson’s return to the ACM stage feels like watching a fairy tale unfold in real time. The 32-year-old powerhouse has been writing her own version of country music history, dominating both the 2023 and 2024 ceremonies with the kind of unstoppable momentum usually reserved for runaway trains.

Seven-time ACM Award winner Eric Church is set to inject some much-needed edge into the proceedings. His new album “Evangeline Vs. The Machine” drops May 2 — just enough time for fans to learn every word before his performance on May 8. Because heaven knows country fans take their lyrics seriously.

Speaking of May 8, this marks another milestone in the ACMs’ groundbreaking partnership with Prime Video. Remember 2022? When they boldly went where no major awards show had gone before, becoming the first to exclusively livestream? That gamble paid off better than a royal flush at a Vegas poker table.

The incomparable Reba McEntire returns to host — because honestly, who else could handle this rhinestone rodeo with such perfectly calibrated charm? With Dick Clark Productions running the show and Raj Kapoor serving as executive producer and showrunner, viewers can expect the kind of polished spectacle that makes country music’s biggest nights feel like family reunions (minus the awkward conversations about politics over potato salad).

For those dreaming of witnessing the magic in person, SeatGeek’s got your golden ticket — though you might want to move faster than a fiddle player’s fingers during a bluegrass breakdown. The nomination announcement comes March 27, and if last year’s ceremony taught us anything (looking at you, Chris Stapleton, matching Wilson’s three-trophy triumph), we’re in for another evening of well-deserved victories and jaw-dropping surprises.

This first performer announcement? Consider it merely the appetizer, darlings. In true Nashville fashion, there’s enough star power waiting in the wings to light up the Lone Star state twice over. Stay tuned — this party’s just getting started.

‘Friday the 13th’ Prequel Series ‘Crystal Lake’ Casts Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees

‘Friday the 13th’ Prequel Series ‘Crystal Lake’ Casts Linda Cardellini as Pamela Voorhees

Joe Otterson

March 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM

Linda Cardellini is set for the lead role in the “Friday the 13th” prequel series at Peacock, Variety has learned.

Cardellini will star as Pamela Voorhees in the expanded prequel series, which is titled “Crystal Lake.” The show was originally picked up straight to series at Peacock in 2022.

More from Variety

Inside NBCUniversal’s ‘Wicked’ Marketing Plan to Launch the Hit Film on Peacock – and Tout Its Streaming Movie Library

‘Wicked’ Is Now Streaming on Peacock

The Opulent Clothing of ‘Opus’: Costume Designer Shirley Kurata on Ayo Edebiri’s ‘Black Ivy’ Style, Studying Cults and the Pop Stars on Her Moretti Mood Board

Fans of the “Friday the 13th” franchise will recall that Pamela Voorhees was the mother of Jason Voorhees, the hockey mask-wearing slasher featured throughout most of the films in the horror franchise. But in the original film, Jason is a child who drowns at Camp Crystal Lake. His death leads his mother, Pamela, to seek revenge against the counselors she blamed for her son’s death.

Cardellini was recently cast in a lead role in the upcoming HBO series “DTF St. Louis” alongside David Harbour and Jason Bateman. She is a three-time Emmy nominee — one for “Mad Men” and two for “Dead to Me.” Her other TV roles include “Freaks and Geeks,” “ER,” and “Bloodline.” In film, Cardellini is known for her role in the “Scooby-Doo” live-action franchise as well as features like “Brokeback Mountain,” “The Founder,” and for playing Laura Barton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

She is repped by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Brad Caleb Kane took over as creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer on “Crystal Lake” in August 2024. A24 is also executive producing. Victor Miller, who penned the original film in the franchise, remains onboard as an executive produce along with Marc Toberoff, Robert M. Barsamian, Robert P. Barsamian, and Stuart Manashil. A24 is the studio.

The original “Friday the 13th” was released in 1980. It grossed nearly $60 million against a reported budget of $550,000. Since then, there have been eleven further films in the franchise, including “Jason X,” “Freddy vs. Jason,” and the 2009 reboot. Jason became the main antagonist beginning with the second film.

Best of Variety

The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins

New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week

Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, ‘Wicked: For Good’ and More

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.