Megan Thee Stallion tells court fellow rapper Tory Lanez told her to ‘dance’ as he shot at her feet
Grammy-winner Megan Thee Stallion has told a jury that fellow rapper Tory Lanez told her to “dance” before shooting at her feet five times following a party at Kylie Jenner’s house in the Hollywood Hills.
The hip hop star gave evidence in court during the second day of an assault trial in Los Angeles, saying she was wounded in the incident.
“I’m in shock. I’m scared,” the 27-year-old told jurors, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I hear the gun going off, and I can’t believe he’s shooting at me.”
Tory Lanez pictured outside court during the second day of his trial. Pic: AP/Damian Dovarganes
Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, said she saw blood on her feet after the alleged incident, which happened following a party at The Kardashians star Jenner‘s home in July 2020, Sky News’ US affiliate NBC reports from California’s City News Service.
She reportedly told the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Centre courthouse that after she was shot, Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, offered her $1m (about £808,000) to keep quiet.
Canadian rapper Lanez, 30, has pleaded not guilty to discharging a firearm with gross negligence, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.
Megan wore a purple suit to give evidence in court.
“I just don’t feel good,” she said, at the beginning of questioning from deputy district attorney Kathy Ta. “I can’t believe I have to come in here and do this.”
Telling the court her memories of the night, she said she left Jenner’s party in a vehicle with Lanez, his bodyguard and her friend.
She and Lanez had become close, jurors heard, and had an occasionally sexual relationship.
Megan Thee Stallion performing at Glastonbury earlier in 2022
Megan’s friend, who had a “crush” on Lanez, tried to stir up trouble in the car, the court was told.
The rapper said the argument spiralled out of control and that she and Lanez started making digs about each other’s music and careers.
“I feel like that really rubbed him the wrong way,” she said. “He kept yelling and cursing.”
Megan said she was wearing a bikini, but got out of the vehicle and tried to walk away.
This is when Lanez leaned out and opened fire, she said, according to the reports, leaving the back of her feet wounded.
At one point, he yelled, “Dance, b*tch!”, she testified. “I looked down at my feet, and I see all the blood,” she said.
“Now everybody’s screaming. He looked shocked.”
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During the opening statements in the trial, Lanez’s attorney George Mgdesyan said Megan’s injury showed she could not have had a clear look at whoever shot the gun, and that he would present more evidence that countered her story during the trial.
If convicted on all counts, Lanez could be sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. He could also be deported to his native Canada.
Lanez’s career began in 2009, and he has had a successful run of mixtapes and major-label records since then, with his last two albums reaching the top 10 on the US Billboard charts.
Megan Thee Stallion was an up-and-coming star at the time of the alleged incident. In 2021, she won a Grammy for best new artist, and had number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with her own song Savage featuring Beyonce, and as a guest on Cardi B‘s WAP, which featured Jenner in the video.
The trial continues.
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John David Washington says he felt like he had to conceal his desire to act because of the external expectations of him being the child of Denzel and Pauletta Washington.
He tells Sky News it took some time for him to pursue an acting career, choosing football instead to assert his “independence” and create his own “identity” separate from his famous family.
“I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life… but I was hiding it,” he said.
“I had to conceal that passion based on my relationship to the world and more specifically, my folks being in the industry, so I chose ball.
“I loved ball, but I was sort of hiding my love for the arts under a helmet – literally an American football helmet – and so when I wanted to become an actor, when I decided to pursue it, that was a big shock to some people.”
The 40-year-old actor says when he decided to pursue an acting career, he kept the decision quiet.
“Some people didn’t know I was even pursuing it professionally until I got a job,” he said.
John David with fellow actor Danielle Deadwyler. Pic: David Lee/ Netflix
Since switching to acting, John David has starred in a number of notable roles including the protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, Ron Stallworth in BlacKkKlansman and Joshua in The Creator.
He also led the stage revival of the 2022 Tony-nominated play The Piano Lesson on Broadway alongside Samuel L Jackson.
“He [Jackson] originated the role [I play] in 1987 at Yale with Lloyd Richards and August Wilson,” John David said.
“So it was of great importance for us to learn from both he and Michael Potts about August Wilson. It was a great blessing for me, I think, for all of us to have him present on set.”
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The Piano Lesson is the third August Wilson play to be adapted for the screen by Denzel Washington’s production company Mundy Lane Entertainment.
It is part of a pledge made by the Gladiator II actor to make all 10 of the playwright’s works into films.
The Netflix project is directed by another Washington family member, Malcolm, and stars most of the cast from the Broadway revival.
The Piano Lesson is Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut. Pic: Katia Washington/ Netflix
Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the film centres on a family heirloom, a piano, that is etched with the carvings of their family history made by their enslaved ancestor.
Malcolm says he started reading the play for the first time during the pandemic and immediately wanted to be involved in the film adaptation.
“I think with this movie, reclamation of story and identity is so central to the theme and it’s something that’s central to my life where I both acknowledge the fertile ground that I was raised on and who I am today.
“That’s what Wining Boy [played by Michael Potts] really is trying to do, he’s trying to build on that legacy, so that’s a story that really resonated with me.”
The filmmaker added: “I take all the gifts that my ancestors laid in front of me, and I’m trying to build something for the next generation to pass down – all of their gifts, plus mine to the next generation and let them build on it.”
Malcolm has dedicated his directorial debut to his mother, Pauletta Washington. Pic: David Lee/Netflix
Malcolm says his goal was to put family at the forefront of the production. By dedicating his feature debut to “Mama”, he is acknowledging the dedication and sacrifices that mothers make for the growth of their families.
“There’s so much pointing to my mother in particular, who inspired this adaptation so much. I see so much of her life in Berniece’s character [played by Danielle Deadwyler] – and that became a guiding light for me in this adaptation,” he said.
“As we made this thing and started reconnecting with our ancestors, my mum became like a kind of representative of them.
“She’s the matriarch of our family. She tells me about my grandparents and great-grandparents and the line that I come from, and I see them in her.
“And when the movie ends, I want people to kind of have that moment of reflection for their own lives. So in dedicating it to her, I was trying to dedicate it to all mums everywhere.”
The Piano Lesson is now available on Netflix.
Blockbuster Wicked has landed the largest opening weekend of 2024 at Vue International.
The film, starring Oscar-nominated actress Cynthia Erivo and Grammy-winning pop star Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, surpassed both Gladiator II and Paddington In Peru.
It has also had the largest opening weekend for a stage musical adaptation in the cinema chain’s history.
A boss for Vue International said it had seen a “sea of pink and green” over the weekend.
Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film. Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Released on Friday, Wicked is up 60% on Les Miserables’ opening weekend in 2012 and three times larger than the 2022 film adaptation of Matilda.
Founder and chief executive of Vue International Tim Richards said: “Vue has seen a sea of pink and green over the opening weekend of Wicked, which has shown continued high demand for the big screen experience.
“We saw record-breaking pre-sales for Wicked, followed by a chart-topping opening weekend – the biggest for 2024.”
The film is the first of two parts, with the second expected in November next year.
Wicked and Gladiator II – known together as Glicked – have reportedly failed to beat out Barbenheimer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, in its own opening weekend last summer.
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Glicked brought in £215m in worldwide ticket sales – with Wicked making the majority of that.
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