More Sex Misconduct Allegations Against Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba Gooding Jr. faces a new accuser and new charges in his New York City sexual misconduct case, his lawyer said.

The actor is due in court Thursday for an arraignment on an updated misdemeanor indictment, lawyer Mark Heller said.

The charges relate to a third accuser in a case that has grown quickly in recent weeks from alone allegation to a reexamination of Gooding’s behavior with the woman throughout his career.

The 51-year-old, who won an Oscar for his role in “Jerry Maguire,” was arrested in June after a 29-year-old woman said he squeezed her breast without consent at Manhattan nightspot.

An indictment unsealed Oct. 15 included charges Gooding alleging also pinched a woman’s buttocks at a Manhattan nightclub in October 2018.

Gooding pleaded not guilty and has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

He is free on his own recognizance.

In addition, prosecutors have said they intend to have up to a dozen other women not associated with the criminal charges testify that Gooding behaved like that with them in similar settings — bars, hotels, and restaurants — as far back as 2001.

The judge, Curtis Farber, said he’ll rule in December on whether any of those women can take the witness stand.

Heller has argued the case against Gooding is an example of the #MeToo movement run amok and that overzealous prosecutors are looking to turn “commonplace gestures” into crimes.

source: usa.inquirer.net

US actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in New York

NEW YORK - Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his New York apartment of an apparent drug overdose on Sunday. He was 46.

The enigmatic star, who was hailed as the finest character actor of his generation, won an Oscar in 2006 as best actor for "Capote" and was nominated for three further Academy Awards.

A substance thought to be heroin was found at the scene when police arrived at the actor's home in Manhattan's West Village after receiving a call from one of his friends.

"It appears to be an alleged overdose," a police official told AFP. The actor was found on the bathroom floor with a syringe in his arm, wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

"Two glassine envelopes contained alleged heroin," another officer said. There were no pills and no sign that the actor had been drinking.


An autopsy was due to be conducted on Hoffman's body Monday, US media reported.

Hoffman, whose two-decade career made him one of the most liked and respected actors in Hollywood, leaves behind his partner, costume designer Mimi O'Donnell, and three children.

In a brief statement, his family asked for privacy as relatives grieved their "tragic and sudden loss."

Police investigate

New York detectives and police officers secured the street outside the actor's home, and entered and exited the red brick, six-floor apartment building.

A crowd of journalists and neighbors gathered, and a red rose and a bouquet of white roses were laid at the entrance.

One neighbor, who gave her name as Janine, said she was accustomed to seeing the actor and his family out and about.

"They were always in the 'hood," she said. "My husband saw him last week... They were a part of the community here."

Tributes quickly poured in from fellow celebrities and actors, with many taking to Twitter to express their sorrow.

"I feel so fortunate to have known and worked with the extraordinary Philip Seymour Hoffman, and am deeply saddened by his passing," said Julianne Moore, who co-starred with Hoffman in "Boogie Nights," "Magnolia" and "The Big Lebowski."

George Clooney, who appeared alongside Hoffman in "The Ides of March," said: "There are no words... It's just terrible."

"This is a horrible day for those who worked with Philip. He was a giant talent," Tom Hanks said. Hanks starred with Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War."

The three co-stars spoke through their agents to US media.

British actor-director Gary Oldman told Sky News there was an "audible gasp" when the news of Hoffman's death was announced at the London Critics' Circle Film Awards.

Talented but battling addiction

Born Philip Hoffman in July 1967 in New York state, he was the third of four children of a Xerox executive and a feminist housewife who divorced when he was nine.

He earned a drama degree from New York University in 1989, though he fell into alcohol and drug abuse for a while.

In 1997, he made waves as a closeted gay crew member in Paul Thomas Anderson's porn industry tale "Boogie Nights," followed by a quirky turn in the Coen brothers' "The Big Lebowski" (1998).

In Anthony Minghella's crime thriller "The Talented Mr Ripley," he stole the show from co-stars Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow with his supporting role as slippery and duplicitous preppie Freddie Miles.

The late Minghella once said that Hoffman was an extraordinary actor "cursed, sometimes, by his own gnawing intelligence, his own discomfort with acting."

"There are few actors more demanding in front of camera, less demanding away from it," Minghella added.

In one of his most recent roles, Hoffman played game master Plutarch Heavensbee in the second installment of the blockbuster "Hunger Games" franchise.

He had been cast in the final two installments of the series, and industry publication Variety said the films would be released in November 2014 and 2015 as planned.

For all his success, Hoffman was a reluctant occupant of the limelight.

After his Oscar-winning turn in "Capote", Hoffman had three more Oscar nominations as a supporting actor in "Charlie Wilson's War" in 2008, "Doubt" in 2009 and "The Master" in 2013. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Oscar-winning 'Dog Day Afternoon' writer Frank Pierson dies

LOS ANGELES - Frank Pierson, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for the 1975 film "Dog Day Afternoon," died on Monday at age 87, representatives for the writer said.

Pierson passed away of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said the Writers Guild of America, West, a group for which Pierson once served as president.

Pierson most recently co-wrote an episode of the critically acclaimed television show "Mad Men" that aired earlier this year, and he had roughly 20 writing credits in television and film.

But he is best known for "Dog Day Afternoon," which starred Al Pacino as a man who tries to rob a bank to pay for his male lover's sex change operation and becomes a hero to a crowd of bystanders during a standoff with police.

Pierson also directed the 1976 Barbra Streisand film "A Star Is Born" and several made-for-television movies. Aside from his Oscar win for "Dog Day Afternoon," Pierson also was nominated for Oscars for his writing on the 1965 Western "Cat Ballou" and 1967 prison drama "Cool Hand Luke."

"From great, great movies like 'Cat Ballou' 'Cool Hand Luke' and 'Dog Day Afternoon' to his joining the writing staffs of 'The Good Wife' and 'Mad Men' well past his 80th birthday, he's always shown us ... how to do it with class, grace, humor, strength, brilliance, generosity and joyful tenacity," said Phil Robinson, a member of the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Pierson, who was born in Chappaqua, New York, worked in advertising before he sold a story and changed careers to become a screenwriter.

He is survived by his wife, Helene, children Michael and Eve, and five grandchildren. — Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com