People News Roundup: Duffy resurfaces with tale of being held captive; NBA's Bryant mourned at emotional LA tribute and more
Following is a summary of current people news briefs.
British singer Duffy resurfaces with tale of being held captive
British singer Duffy on Tuesday explained a long absence from the music scene by saying she had been "raped and drugged and held captive," but gave no details about where or when the incident took place. Duffy, 35, who had big hits with single "Mercy" in 2008 and her debut album "Rockferry," wrote in an Instagram post that she was "ok and safe now" but said it had taken her time to recover from the ordeal.
'He was my everything': NBA's Kobe Bryant mourned at emotional Los Angeles tribute
A gallery of basketball legends joined thousands of Kobe Bryant fans in Los Angeles on Monday to pay tribute to the transcendent NBA star, his daughter and seven others who died in a helicopter crash last month that shocked the world of sports and beyond. The "Celebration of Life" memorial at the Staples Center, Bryant's home arena during most of his storied 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers, featured an emotional address by Bryant's widow Vanessa, who started dating Kobe when she was 17.
Weinstein's acquittal on some charges may hamper appeal of sex crimes conviction
Harvey Weinstein will seek to overturn his sex crimes conviction by arguing that the jury was prejudiced by testimony from women unconnected to prosecutors' underlying case, his lawyers have said. But, according to experts, he faces a legal hurdle: his acquittal on some of the most serious charges. Weinstein, 67, faces up to 29 years in prison for sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actress, in 2013.
Weinstein upbeat at Manhattan hospital after sex crimes conviction, lawyer says
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was in good spirits on Tuesday, as he accepted visitors while under police guard at a Manhattan hospital, his lawyer said, despite having been convicted a day earlier of sexual assault and rape. Weinstein had been expected to move to New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail complex following the verdict but was admitted late Monday night to Bellevue Hospital a few miles away.
'You messed with the wrong women,' say Weinstein accusers, turning sights to LA
Some of the more than 80 women who have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct said on Tuesday they are looking to the disgraced producer's trial in Los Angeles to build on what they called a seismic shift in attitudes signaled by his conviction in New York. A day after a New York jury found Weinstein, 67, guilty of rape and sexual assault - in a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement - a dozen women held an emotional news conference in Los Angeles.
Actor Smollett pleads not guilty to new Chicago hoax charges; seeks stay, dismissal
Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court on Monday to renewed felony charges that he made false reports to police about being attacked in a hate crime that he is accused of staging in a bid to advance his career. The new charges emerged after a five-month investigation by a court-appointed special prosecutor who overruled a decision by the state's attorney's office last year to dismiss the original case.
'Freddie Mercury Close': London street named after Queen singer
A street in the London suburb where Freddie Mercury lived as a teenager was renamed Freddie Mercury Close on Monday at a ceremony attended by the late Queen frontman's sister. Their family moved to Feltham in west London after fleeing the revolution in Zanzibar in 1964.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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