Entertainment
Late goals from Salah and Chiesa help Liverpool beat Bournemouth 4-2
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool fans were treated to a roller-coaster start to the season as late goals from Mo Salah and Federico Chiesa sealed a 4-2 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday.
On a bittersweet evening charged with emotion after the July death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, newcomer Hugo Ekitike bagged a goal on his league debut to put the hosts ahead after 37 minutes and Cody Gakpo doubled the lead in the 49th.
But Antoine Semenyo, who was the target of racist abuse in the first half that led to a pause in the game, pulled one back for the visitors in the 64th minute and completed a double 12 minutes later to rock Liverpool and shock the home fans.
However, substitute Chiesa sent the Liverpool faithful away happy with an 88th-minute strike after goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic swatted away a ball into the box by Salah, who scored himself deep into added time to wrap up the three points.
Salah chased the ball past the defence before cutting inside and firing into the bottom corner with a goal that put the Egypt international joint-fourth with Andy Cole on the all-time Premier League scorers’ list with 187.
An emotional Salah pointed to the heavens and flapped two hands to mimic Jota’s shark goal celebration.
He headed for The Kop stand after the final whistle, and wiped away tears while applauding the fans who were singing Jota’s song to the tune of “Bad Moon Rising”.
The night started with an emotional minute’s silence for Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash. Fans fought back tears as they sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
Ekitike, who has joined from Eintracht Frankfurt, was the most impressive of manager Arne Slot’s close-season signings in a spending spree topping 300 million pounds ($406.53 million).
“Obviously I think it was a good performance, I could do better,” said Ekitike — who held up two fingers in one hand, and made a zero with the other in a tribute to Liverpool’s Jota, who wore number 20 — after his goal.
“But the most important thing was winning, the mentality we showed. Obviously we wanted to win tonight for the people who came and for Diogo,” added the 23-year-old forward.
The game was halted for several minutes after Bournemouth’s Ghana international Semenyo reported the racist abuse.
“It’s totally unacceptable,” Bournemouth captain Adam Smith said. “Kind of in shock to be honest that it happened. In this day and age it shouldn’t be happening.
“I don’t know how Ant’s played on to be honest and come up with those goals … Something has to be done. We’ll support him in there and hopefully he’ll be ok.”
Entertainment
Brandy Norwood reveals truth about Wanya Morris relationship in new memoir
Brandy Norwood broke silence on one of the most haunting chapters of her life.
In her new memoir Phases, the singer recounted a late ’90s relationship with Boyz II Men’s Wanya Morris that began when she was just 16.
It is the time she says left scars that lasted decades.
In a week where Brandy received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the “Vocal Bible” also opened up about her past.
Her memoir Phases revisits her 2006 car accident, her feud with Monica, and, most strikingly, her teenage romance with Wanya Morris.
Brandy recalled sneaking around with Morris while touring with Boyz II Men, hiding the relationship from her parents and the public.
“I was in over my head,” she wrote.
She explained that the pair pretended to wait until her eighteenth birthday to avoid scandal.
She admitted she lost her virginity to Morris and endured comparisons to other singers including Mariah Carey before the relationship ended when Morris confessed to cheating.
“I believe he took advantage,” Brandy stated in the memoir.
Reflecting on the experience, she added, “The shame ends here. The silence ends here… I was a child. And he was an adult. And it’s time the world understood the difference.”
Morris previously claimed during a 2020 Instagram Live that he did not date Brandy until she was of age, even referencing her famous prom night with Kobe Bryant.
But Brandy’s account in Phases paints a far different picture, one she says was marked by “neon warning signs” she ignored at the time.
Entertainment
Who was Jessie Jones? ‘Most-produced female American playwright’ dies at 75
Jessie Jones, a television actress who reinvented herself as one of America’s most-produced female playwrights, has died at 75.
Her longtime friend and writing partner Jamie Wooten confirmed she passed away March 20 in Washington, D.C. after a long illness.
Jones is survived by her sisters, a brother-in-law, a niece and nephews, and by her close collaborator Wooten.
Jessie Jones’ popular sitcoms:
Jones built a career in front of the camera throughout the 1980s and ’90s, appearing in popular sitcoms such as Night Court, Newhart, Designing Women, Murphy Brown (where she played Betty Hooley), Who’s the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Grace Under Fire and Melrose Place.
Jessie Jones’ TV movies:
She also starred in TV movies including The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, Everybody’s Baby: The Rescue of Baby Jessica alongside Patty Duke and Beau Bridges, and the frequently aired Wife, Mother, Murderer.
Jessie Jones as playwright:
As her acting career wound down, Jones turned to writing.
She co-created the Off-Broadway Southern funeral comedy Dearly Departed, which became a staple for theater companies nationwide.
She later co-wrote the screenplay for Fox Searchlight’s Kingdom Come starring Whoopi Goldberg and LL Cool J.
Her most enduring legacy came through the Jones Hope Wooten partnership with Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten.
Together, they penned more than two dozen Southern-flavored comedies including The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, The Red Velvet Cake War, Christmas Belles and The Savannah Sipping Society.
Published by Concord Theatricals, their plays have been widely produced and translated into multiple languages.
Wooten described Jones as “the most-produced female American playwright.”
Entertainment
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ prison time gets cut down again
Sean “Diddy” Combs has seen his prison release date cut down once again, with federal records now confirming he is set to leave custody earlier than previously expected.
According to the latest Federal Bureau of Prisons records, the 56-year-old rap mogul is now scheduled for release on 15 April 2028.
This new date shaves a further 10 days off his sentence, marking the second time this month his timeline has been adjusted.
Just a few weeks ago, his release date had already been brought forward from June to late April, but this latest update means the Bad Boy Records founder is now looking at a slightly shorter stay at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey.
Combs has been serving his time at the low-security facility since late October, following a high-profile case that saw him convicted on two prostitution-related charges.
When he was originally sentenced to over four years in prison, the judge took a middle-ground approach. While prosecutors had pushed for a much longer stint of 135 months, the judge felt that was more than necessary, though he also rejected the defence’s plea for a mere 14-month sentence, arguing that wouldn’t be sufficient.
Along with his time behind bars, which includes credit for time already served, Combs faces five years of supervised release and a substantial fine of £395,000.
Before he was sent away, a visibly humbled Combs expressed deep remorse in the courtroom for what he described as “disgusting, shameful and sick” actions.
He admitted to being out of control and struggling with drug use at the time, telling the court that he had been stripped down to nothing and truly hated the person he had become.
This raw admission of being broken to his core was a far cry from the untouchable persona he held for decades as a titan of the music industry.
Despite the gravity of his crimes, some of his peers are still finding it difficult to separate his legal downfalls from his professional achievements.
Usher recently weighed in on the situation, suggesting that Combs’ legacy as a businessman and cultural trailblazer is being overshadowed by his public prosecution.
Speaking about his own positive experiences with the producer, the R&B star argued that it was hard not to recognise the “valuable contributions” Combs made for Black entrepreneurs and the way he transitioned big ideas into tangible success.
While the world’s view of the rapper has shifted drastically, his projected release in the spring of 2028 remains the firm focus for his legal team and the authorities.
-
Politics1 week agoAfghanistan announces release of detained US citizen
-
Tech1 week agoCan a Home Appliance Fix the Problem of Soft-Plastic Waste?
-
Sports1 week agoBroadcast industry CEO says consolidation is ‘essential’ to compete for NFL soaring media rights prices
-
Business1 week agoProperty Play: Home flippers see smallest profits since the Great Recession, real estate data firm says
-
Entertainment1 week agoUN warns migratory freshwater fish numbers are spiralling
-
Business1 week agoGold prices soar in Pakistan – SUCH TV
-
Fashion1 week agoICE cotton slips on weaker crude, profit booking
-
Business1 week agoMore women are entering wealth management, but few are in advisory roles, study finds
