(SAVANNAH, Ga.) — Bones found in a Georgia landfill are confirmed to belong to missing Savannah, Georgia, toddler Quinton Simon, the FBI announced Monday.
The search for 20-month-old Quinton began on Oct. 5 when his mother, 22-year-old Leilani Simon, reported him missing. One week later, Chatham County police said they believed Quinton was dead and authorities named the boy’s mother as the primary suspect.
On Oct. 18, police said they believed Quinton had been left in a dumpster, and authorities said a search was underway for his body in the local landfill.
Searchers spent 30 days scouring 1.2 million pounds of trash, police said.
On Nov. 21, police said remains had been recovered in the landfill and testing was underway to determine whether they belonged to Quinton.
Police also announced last week that Simon had been charged with malice murder, concealing the death of another person, false reporting and making false statements.
(SPOILERS) Wrapped in the all the holiday cheer that was The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was a big detail about the team and the family of Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
Early on in the special, which is now streaming on Disney+, Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis and Dave Bautista‘s Drax mention she’s been holding onto a big secret since the team first met her in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: She and Peter share the same father: Ego (Kurt Russell).
The alien empath Mantis finally reveals that to Quill at the special’s end, with the hero declaring the news he had a sister “the greatest Christmas gift I could ever get”; that includes being serenaded by his big-screen hero, an abducted Kevin Bacon.
It’s particularly moving for Quill because he was taken from Earth just after the death of his mom, and he had to kill his maniacal god-like dad at the end of Vol 2.
However, Pom tells ABC Audio she was also holding onto that same secret — in real life — for years, thanks to writer-director James Gunn.
“Actually, for the big reveal, it’s something that I was told when I was cast for…Guardians of the Galaxy, the second one,” she said. “So he told me that, so I knew it was like the bond that we had, and the connection we had…So I had to keep the secret for a long time!”
Klementieff joked she’s getting used to keeping secrets, seeing as she’s appearing in the next Mission: Impossible film, too.
Since it was spotlighted, it’s likely that the Quill/Mantis connection will play a part in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, hitting theaters on May 5, 2023.
(SPOILERS) Wrapped in the all the holiday cheer that was The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special was a big detail about the team and the family of Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
Early on in the special, which is now streaming on Disney+, Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis and Dave Bautista‘s Drax mention she’s been holding onto a big secret since the team first met her in 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: She and Peter share the same father: Ego (Kurt Russell).
The alien empath Mantis finally reveals that to Quill at the special’s end, with the hero declaring the news he had a sister “the greatest Christmas gift I could ever get”; that includes being serenaded by his big-screen hero, an abducted Kevin Bacon.
It’s particularly moving for Quill because he was taken from Earth just after the death of his mom, and he had to kill his maniacal god-like dad at the end of Vol 2.
However, Pom tells ABC Audio she was also holding onto that same secret — in real life — for years, thanks to writer-director James Gunn.
“Actually, for the big reveal, it’s something that I was told when I was cast for…Guardians of the Galaxy, the second one,” she said. “So he told me that, so I knew it was like the bond that we had, and the connection we had…So I had to keep the secret for a long time!”
Klementieff joked she’s getting used to keeping secrets, seeing as she’s appearing in the next Mission: Impossible film, too.
Since it was spotlighted, it’s likely that the Quill/Mantis connection will play a part in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, hitting theaters on May 5, 2023.
Blake Shelton takes lead vocals on a new, all-star cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” as part of an initiative celebrating the launch of philanthropic-driven music station GoodNoise.io.
The Eagles’ Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit join the country superstar on guitar and bass, while Guns N’ Roses’ Matt Sorum contributes drums to the performance. Also featured on the track are the musicians of Miraculous Love Kids, a nonprofit school that supports young women from Afghanistan who have faced violence and discrimination.
Proceeds from this single support Miraculous Love Kids’ continuing mission. GoodNoise.io adopts a “pay what you want” business model, so listeners can choose their donation amount — or donate nothing at all — when they listen to the song.
Miraculous Love Kids will continue to work with GoodNoise.io in soon-to-come endeavors, including an NFT project.
Mick Jagger has dabbled in acting over the years, and apparently, he had his sights set on a pretty iconic role. At the Torino Film Festival, actor Malcolm McDowell was the guest of honor at an evening about music, where he revealed that the Rolling Stones frontman really wanted to play his role in A Clockwork Orange.
“We used to be friends. We were hanging around in New York. At the time, we were the ‘In Crowd’ with Andy Warhol and all,” Malcolm shared, according to Variety. “One evening, we were hanging out at somebody’s apartment on the east side of Central Park. We were sitting in a window seat and talking because Jagger wanted to play Alex in ‘A Clockwork Orange.’” He added, “Before (director Stanley) Kubrick got hold of the property, Mick Jagger and the Stones wanted to do it! Well, I’d like to see that!”
Malcolm added that the same evening, Mick told him he didn’t see himself performing all that long. “Mick Jagger said to me, you know Malcolm, I can’t see myself doing this at 50!” he said. “50? And so what are they now? 80? Fantastic!”
Tyler Perry has inked a multi-movie deal with Amazon Studios, Variety reports.
According to the new deal, Perry will write, direct and produce four new movies to be released on Prime Video. A bunch of his titles are already available on the service, including Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas, Daddy’s Little Girls, For Colored Girls and more.
“I’m excited and grateful to start working with Amazon Studios to bring movies to Prime Video,” Perry says in a statement to Variety. “[Head of Amazon Studios] Jennifer Salke and the entire team have welcomed me with open arms. I’m looking forward to continuing telling unique stories and bringing my next projects to the global audiences that they reach.”
Perry’s previous three films were released on Netflix: A Jazzman’s Blues, A Madea Homecoming and A Fall from Grace.
Amid Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain‘s public battle over a company credit card, Schon seems to be hinting that a change of lineup may be needed, and he’s already got someone in mind.
In a post on Twitter, Neal shared a photo with co-founding Journey keyboardist Gregg Rolie, suggesting that maybe he should go on tour with them next year.
“2 original founding members. I think my brother Gregg Rolie should join us for 2023 tour. What do you think friends?” he tweeted next to a photo of the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2017. “He will spice it up and we will have a great variety of songs to choose from. What would you like to hear for the 50th anniversary tour?”
Schon didn’t add anything else about Rolie possibly joining the upcoming 50th anniversary Freedom tour, which kicks off February 4 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He did, however, post a cryptic meme, possibly about Cain, that read, “some people are holding grudges against you for things they did to you.” He tagged it as “psychology 101.”
Experience Hendrix L.L.C./Sony Music Entertainment
The late Jimi Hendrix would have turned 80 this past Sunday, and the milestone was just celebrated by an unlikely pop star.
One Direction’s Zayn Malik shared a cover of the guitar great’s track “Angel,” from his posthumous 1971 album, The Cry of Love. “Being asked to collaborate to celebrate @jimihendrix 80th birthday was such an unexpected and huge honor,” Zayn shared on Twitter. “I have so much respect and admiration for Jimi, his music and fans. ‘Angel’ is out now – hope you love the track as much as I do. Happy 80th Jimi.”
According to Billboard, Experience Hendrix L.L.C., which runs Hendrix’s estate, invited Zayn to create a new version of “Angel” using the music from the original track.
In a statement, Experience Hendrix told Billboard,“We are pleased that Zayn has been inspired to use original music from Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Angel’ in his recording of the song,” adding, “We’re hopeful that this version of a Hendrix classic will enlighten a new generation of listeners about Jimi’s genius and further propel his continuing legacy.”
(NEW YORK) — Kim Kardashian has broken her silence on Balenciaga’s recent ad scandal.
“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened,” she wrote on social media Sunday, Nov. 27.
Kardashian has worn Balenciaga to high-profile events like the Met Gala in the past, and walked in the luxury brand’s couture show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this summer.
Kardashian’s post comes a week after Balenciaga was criticized for its advertisements featuring children posing with the company’s plush bear bags, which wear BDSM-inspired harnesses.
One photo featured a child standing on a bed with one of the plush bear bags, surrounded by other purses and accessories, which included what appeared to be a chain leash as well as a Balenciaga branded dog collar choker.
The reality star, businesswoman and mom to North, 9, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 3, continued, “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard, and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.”
“I appreciate Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology. In speaking with them, I believe they understand the seriousness of the issue and will take the necessary measures for this to never happen again,” she concluded.
The SKIMS founder added that she is “currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand.” Kardashian said she would base her future relationship with the brand on its willingness to accept accountability, as well as its actions to protect children.
The Spanish luxury brand previously issued an apology for the ads on its Instagram on Nov. 22, writing, “We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”
In a follow-up statement on Monday, Balenciaga added, “We strongly condemn child abuse; it was never our intent to include it in our narrative. The two separate ad campaigns in question reflect a series of grievous errors for which Balenciaga takes responsibility.”
“The first campaign, the Gift collection campaign, featured children with plush bear bags dressed in what some have labelled BDSM-inspired outfits. Our plush bear bags and the Gift collection should not have been featured with children. This was a wrong choice by Balenciaga, combined with our failure in assessing and validating images. The responsibility for this lies with Balenciaga alone,” the brand continued.
“The second, separate campaign for Spring 2023, which was meant to replicate a business office environment, included a photo with a page in the background from a Supreme Court ruling ‘United States v. Williams’ 2008 which confirms as illegal and not protected by freedom of speech the promotion of child pornography. All the items included in this shooting were provided by third parties that confirmed in writing that these props were fake office documents. They turned out to be real legal papers most likely coming from the filming of a television drama,” Balenciaga said.
The company added, “The inclusion of these unapproved documents was the result of reckless negligence for which Balenciaga has filed a complaint. We take full accountability for our lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background and we could have done things differently.”
Balenciaga’s holiday campaign photographer, Gabriele Galimberti, also issued a statement on Nov. 23.
“I am not in a position to comment Balenciaga’s choices, but I must stress that I was not entitled in whatsoever manner to neither chose the products, nor the models, nor the combination of the same,” Galimberti wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. “As a photographer, I was only and solely requested to lit the given scene, and take the shots according to my signature style. As usual for a commercial shooting, the direction of the campaign and the choice of the objects displayed are not in the hands of the photographer.”
Galimberti also claimed he had “no connection with the photo where a Supreme Court document appears,” referring to a separate earlier ad for a purse, in which a Supreme Court ruling on child pornography laws could be seen.
“That one was taken in another set by other people and and was falsely associated with my photos,” he said.
Balenciaga has since filed a lawsuit against the North Six production company, as well as set designer Nicholas Des Jardins, over the Spring 2023 ad campaign.
According to court documents filed with the New York State Supreme Court for the County of New York on Friday, Balenciaga is seeking “redress for extensive damages defendants caused in connection with an advertising campaign Balenciaga hired them to produce” and accuses North Six and Des Jardins of “malevolent or, at the very least, extraordinarily reckless” conduct.
“As a result of Defendants’ misconduct, members of the public, including the news media, have falsely and horrifically associated Balenciaga with the repulsive and deeply disturbing subject of the court decision. Defendants are liable to Balenciaga for all harm resulting from this false association,” the fashion house said in its court filing.
Balenciaga is seeking $25 million in damages from North Six and Des Jardins.
North Six has not yet commented publicly on the lawsuit. A source close to North Six told ABC News’ Good Morning America that the production company handled logistics for that shoot, including catering, shoot permitting, location booking and crew and equipment management, but did not have creative control or input in the ad campaign and was not on set during final set arrangements.
A representative for Des Jardins told the Washington Post on Monday that the Supreme Court documents seen in the earlier ad campaign “were obtained from a prop house that were rental pieces used on film [and] photo shoots.”
“Everyone from Balenciaga was on the shoot and was present on every shot and worked on the edit of every image in post production,” said Gabriela Moussaieff, Des Jardins’ agent, who claimed Des Jardins was “being used as a scapegoat,” according to the Post.
Moussaieff added that the set designer is currently hiring legal representation.
Good Morning America has reached out to North Six and Moussaieff for comment on the lawsuit.
In the wake of a legal victory against actor Anthony Rapp, who accused him of sexual battery but is still facing multiple sexual assault charges in the U.K., Kevin Spacey has booked a movie gig.
Variety reports Spacey has been cast in a voiceover role in a thriller called Control, which will be shot in and around London early next year. The plot centers on an English politician who is kidnapped by a hijacked self-driving car and “taken on a rampage” throughout the city.
Spacey is reportedly playing the role of the voice of the person behind the plot, who speaks with his victim throughout her ordeal.
The trade asked director Gene Fallaize if he had any reservations about casting the disgraced, Oscar-winning actor, and he replied in the negative. The filmmaker said he “grew up” watching the American Beauty and Se7en star, calling Spacey, “one of the greatest actors of our generation.”
Fallaize adds, “His personal life aside — it’s something I can’t comment on and have no knowledge of — it’s an opportunity to work with one of the acting greats.”
Rapp sued Spacey for $40 million over the alleged 1986 encounter in which he claimed the actor picked him up, grabbed his buttocks and laid down on top of him at Spacey’s Manhattan home.
Variety points out that in addition to the English charges against Spacey, he and his companies are on the hook for $31 million in damages an arbitrator awarded producers of House of Cards, stemming from the loss of him as the lead.
Annie Lennox is set to perform at the second annual awards ceremony for The Earthshot Prize, the global environmental prize founded by Prince William. The event, which Prince William and wife Kate Middleton will attend, is happening Friday at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston.
“The urgent need to protect and restore our Earth’s damaged environmental systems is essential for future survival,” Lennox shares. “The objective of The Earthshot Prize is powerful in terms of building a ‘Waste-Free World’ and ‘Reviving Our Oceans.’ I’m therefore honured to lend my voice in support of this ambitious mission.”
In addition to Lennox, Billie Eilish and brother Finneas are also set to perform, along with Chloe x Halle and Ellie Goulding. Actor Daniel Dae Kim and presenter Clara Amfo will co-host the ceremony, which will feature appearances by Rami Malek, Catherine O’Hara, and Shailene Woodley, along with Sir Richard Attenborough. Prince William is also expected to speak at the end of the ceremony.
Winners will be announced at the ceremony, with Earthshot honoring those who find solutions to help reach the organization’s five goals: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world and fix our climate.
The public will get a chance to see the event when it streams December 5 on PBS.org at 2 p.m. ET, and on the PBS app at 8 p.m ET. It will also air on PBS December 14 at 8 p.m. ET.
