Olympic Swimmer Ryan Lochte Gets Robbed At Gunpoint In Rio It’s rough in Rio…not just for spectators, but for the athletes themselves. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte became the target of an armed robbery after leaving a nightclub in Rio last night…and is reportedly pretty shaken up about it. Via MailOnline : Gold medalist Ryan Lochte has reportedly been robbed at gunpoint in the back of a taxi after a night out partying in Rio. Lochte and three of his American teammates had been invited out by Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira when the terrifying incident took place. Pereira’s spokesman, Flávio Perez, said Lochte was unharmed in the incident that took place after a birthday party at the nightclub, Club France. ‘Thiago Pereira and his wife Gabriela Pauletti were in Club France, the French house in Brazil, and they were celebrating the birthday of a friend,’ Perez told the Washington Post. ‘Lochte was also in the same place, commemorating the same birthday. Ryan and Thiago are friends. ‘Thiago and his wife left earlier, they left alone, the two of them. Thiago and his wife went back to their hotel. Then Thiago, on finding out what happened, called Ryan. Ryan is well, and Thiago said that the robbery, according to Ryan, was in the taxi. The taxi was robbed.’ SMH! Yall be safe out there in Rio! Splash
Amber Heard would like to make something abundantly clear: She is NOT behind the leak of a damning Johnny Depp video that went public late last week. The actress, who is in the middle of a legal dispute with her estranged husband over his alleged abuse of her during their 15-month marriage, has released a statement just one day after ugly footage of Depp went viral. It may very well change your opinion of the veteran star forever. In the video (below), Depp is clearly agitated. He’s upset. He’s angry. He’s pouring himself a large glass of red wine and he’s screaming at Heard. The footage was filmed several months ago and it features Heard trying to understand what has Depp in such a state. They aren’t in the middle of a fight, Heard tells him, asking her husband how much he’s had to drink and wondering what has him going off this way. “Did something happen to you this morning?” Depp responds, while violently shutting cabinet doors and breaking glasses. He seems to be implying that he has every right to be in this mood because something bad happened to him and she just doesn’t understand. This obviously isn’t proof of the abuse alleged by Heard , but it doesn’t paint Depp in a very positive light, either: Johnny Depp Goes OFF on Amber Heard, Breaks Wine Bottle & Glass in Shocking Video There’s no doubt that Heard filmed the encounter. Depp even comes across her cell phone in “Record” mode toward the end of the footage. And this just makes Depp even angrier and more suspicious of his wife. But Heard has now told E! News that she isn’t the only who released this video online. “I am not responsible for the release of the video. It was not what I wanted and I am doing what I can to force the media to take it off the internet,” Heard says . “I underestimated the toll that this difficult few months have taken on me, emotionally and physically, and the efforts made by the media to intimidate and discredit me.” She continued: “It is for that reason, and my desire to make the healthiest choice for myself, and hopefully for Johnny, that I am attempting to resolve this matter in the most private way possible.” Insiders close to Depp have told TMZ that the video in question is “heavily edited,” claiming there are portions where Amber is smiling and “egging [Depp] on.” Earlier this month, Heard said she had proof that Depp hit her, a startling allegation she first made to the world on May 21 of this year. A judge recently postponed a scheduled divorce/domestic violence hearing between the stars until Wednesday in order to allow both sides more time to finish their depositions. If the case does end up going to trial, E! News reports that Heard’s witness list includes seven people, including close pals Raquel Pennington and iO Tillet Wright. Meanwhile, Depp’s list consists of 23 people, including his long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis, who is also the mother of his two kids. Heard and Depp met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011. They got married in February of 2015. While sparks flew immediately between the actress and the actor, a source told People Magazine that there was always something “toxic” about their relationship. On May 27, Heard entered a Los Angeles courthouse with a black eye and filed for a temporary restraining order against the actor. She claimed at the time that he had been both “verbally and physically abusive” to her throughout the “entirety” of their relationship. View Slideshow: Johnny Depp Domestic Abuse Allegations: Stars React The same source mentioned above explained to People that Heard’s independent side and Depp’s insecurities led to jealousy and serious dysfunction during their marriage. “Johnny tends to get moody and difficult and go into himself when things aren’t right in a relationship,” this insider said. “When he gets like that, he can act nasty. It doesn’t made for a good marriage.” That seems to be clear. But did it make for a violent marriage? That’s a different question. And it’s question that may soon be answered once and for all in a court of law. What an ugly situation all around.
Ryan Lochte has confirmed that he and three other members of the United States Swim Team were robbed this morning in Rio de Janeiro. The four swimmers – a group that also included Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen – were in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village when the incident occurred, according the the U.S. Olympic Committee. Patrick Sandusky, a spokesman for the organization, explained what happened via the following statement: “According to four members of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team, they left France House early Sunday morning in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village. “Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes’ money and other personal belongings.” Concluded Sandusky: “All four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities.” Lochte’s mother, Ileana Lochte, also spoke to USA Today of the incident. “I think they’re all shaken up. There were a few of them,” she told the newspaper. “No, they were just, they just took their wallets and basically that was it.” A 12-time Olympic medalist, Lochte won one gold medal during the Rio Games. He wrapped up his 2016 Olympic experience on Thursday night. Lochte himself, meanwhile, described the robbery to NBC on Sunday afternoon. “We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground – they got down on the ground. “I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so – I’m not getting down on the ground. “And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down,’ and I put my hands up, I was like ‘whatever.’ “He took our money, he took my wallet – he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.” Damn. Scary stuff. Police officials have told NBC News they weren’t contacted about the incident, but they are available to help the athletes if necessary. When news of the robbery first hit, an IOC spokesperson denied that it took place. This spokesperson has since acknowledged that it took place, claiming he didn’t have pertinent information upon first making the denial. View Slideshow: 19 Scandalous Sports Stories In a recent interview with E! News, the 32-year-old said he needed a break from swimming. He said he was unsure if he would complete four years from now in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. “Going in day in and day out just beating up your body, it takes a toll. Being at the age I am now, it’s definitely time that I need a break, but I can’t say it’s over,” he said. Taking advantage of his fame after the 2012 Olympics Games in London, Lochte signed on for What Would Ryan Lochte Do? . This E! reality series, which chronicled life for Ryan Lochte as the single and somewhat goofy Ryan Lochte, lasted just one season. We wish Lochte well.
If you've heard anything about Erin Andrews in the past month, you'd know that she's likely to be a little sensitive about randos trying to film her. But that didn't stop this taxi driver at LAX, who whipped out his camera phone to get some footage of the Dancing With the Stars host rolling her luggage. Andrews made headlines earlier this month after she won a $55 million lawsuit against Marriott and stalker Michael David Barrett, who surreptitiously filmed her through a peephole in her hotel room. In this video from TMZ , Andrews maintains her composure as she's followed by paparazzi and the cab driver, blowing off questions about Von Miller farting too much on DWTS . “What's the taxi guy doing?” Andrews asks the pap. “Are you guys paying him?” She appears to be in good spirits, but when cab captain offers her a car, she makes her discomfort clear. “I don't wanna go with him, though,” she says, pointing at the driver who was filming her. OH SNAP. Andrews then gets in a taxi with a non-filming cabbie, and the first driver seems nonplussed. “She don't like me,” he tells the paparazzo. “She doesn't like the taxi drivers filming her,” explains the pap. Sorry, dude, your invasion of privacy just cost you a fare. Watch below:
Those Thai cabbies do NOT f*** around! American Executive Hacked To Death With Machete After Argument With Cabbie Over $2 Fare Via NYDailyNews A Thai taxi driver was charged with murder after police say he stabbed and slashed an American passenger to death over a fare worth less than $2. The Saturday night scuffle in Bangkok was partially caught on camera and shows a man — later identified as 32-year-old driver Chidchai Utmacha — wielding a long blade at his victim, authorities said Monday. Utmacha confessed to pulling a 12-inch machete from his trunk and hacking at Troy Lee Pilkington, but told police he acted in self-defense after the American charged at him. Pilkington got out of the taxi and refused to pay a 51 baht fare, or the equivalent of $1.60, which led to the deadly dispute, said police Lt. Col. Teerayut Maiplaeng. The surveillance footage shows the cabbie driver gripping a machete as the other man flails his arms and tries to grab the driver along a busy street. The two men then move out of the camera’s view. Seconds later, the sword-swinging driver reappears in the frame as he bolts from the scene. California-born Pilkington, 51, was living in Thailand for at least three years as a senior official at the American machinery company Caterpillar Inc. He spoke fluent Thai, Teerayut said. Utmacha told investigators that he picked up Pilkington from a department store and was driving him home. But his passenger claimed the meter was rigged, and then stormed out of the cab while they sat in traffic. Utmacha said the American then threw a cup of coffee at him when he demanded the fare. That’s when he pulled the blade from his trunk to threaten him, but the driver said Pilkington ran at him. The victim had a cut to his head, a stab wound to his chest and cuts to his left wrist, according to The Nation newspaper. Police identified the driver from the video footage and arrested him at his house on Sunday. The machete was found in a nearby canal, the Bankgkok Post reported. How broke WAS this cabbie if he has to murder a guy over 2 fawking dollars?! SMH R.I.P. Troy Lee Pilkington Image via YouTube
‘I would still have to be someone who could wisecrack,’ Clark Gregg tells MTV News about his future at Marvel. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Kara Warner Clark Gregg Photo: MTV News Alas, poor Coulson — we knew him well. “Avengers” director Joss Whedon is known for killing off fan-favorite characters to heighten the stakes of his stories — we’re still pouring one out for Serenity flyboy Wash all these years later. In the Marvel superhero flick, it wasn’t one of Earth’s mightiest heroes who bit the bullet, but the much beloved S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson who lost his life at the hands of Asgardian bad boy Loki. Of course, this is a comic book property we’re talking about, and in comics, no one stays dead for long. That idea has kept Coulson fans feeling optimistic about the possible return of actor Clark Gregg to the Marvel movie universe at some point down the line, with his resurrection as popular character Vision the current leading theory. Speaking with MTV News in the lead-up to the 2012 MTV Movie Awards on Sunday (June 3), Gregg opened up about returning to the Marvel universe as the Avengers’ resident android . “Vision is cool,” he said. “But I would hate to be any AI life form. If I got to come back, I would need to still be somebody who could wisecrack, because my favorite part of the job was that if anybody was going to tease anybody about their diva superhero outfit or whatever, it would be me.” Indeed, while Gregg has “seen a lot of theories” about Coulson’s return — “I love what people are doing with that,” he said — he’s just as happy to let his character rest in peace. “I really love what Joss did with Agent Coulson in ‘The Avengers,’ ” he said. “It seems like an idea that was in the cards, not only from Joss but from Marvel, in that you needed to ground the movie in some real emotion and stakes. I loved playing that guy, and I’ll miss playing him, but I was glad to have that job.” Coulson’s fate will remain a hotly debated topic for many weeks to come, we’re sure. But even if the hard-nosed S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is gone for good, that doesn’t mean Gregg can’t visit the set of “Avengers 2,” right? “That might be hard. I might be sad,” he said. Then again … “I guess I would [visit the set] if I was dressed up as a sentient android,” he teased. Head over to MovieAwards.MTV.com to vote for your favorite flicks now! The 21st annual MTV Movie Awards air live Sunday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Related Videos Behind The Scenes At The 2012 MTV Movie Awards Related Photos ‘Avengers’
‘Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan,’ Minaj tweets Thursday of Nicola Furlong’s death. By Nadeska Alexis Nicki Minaj Photo: UMG Nicki Minaj ‘s Pink Friday Tour touched down in Tokyo, Japan, last week, and following one of the rapper’s colorful stage shows, things took a devastating turn: One of Minaj’s fans was murdered after attending the May 25 concert. On Thursday (May 31), Minaj took to Twitter to send condolences and deny allegations that her dancer was involved in the incident. “Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love & prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong,” Nicki wrote . Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love & prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong. — Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) May 31, 2012 The 21-year-old fan, a foreign exchange student from Dublin City University in Ireland, was found dead in a Tokyo hotel room after attending Minaj’s show at Zepp Tokyo a few hours earlier. An early report on PerezHilton.com stated that Furlong and her friend Sarah Maher linked up with Minaj’s backup dancer James Blackston and another musician, Larry Perry, after the show, heading to the men’s hotel rooms. Furlong was later found strangled to death in the room, while Maher reported that she was sexually assaulted by both men in a taxi. After sending her condolences to the slain fan’s family, Minaj addressed rumors that her dancer was involved, tweeting directly at the celebrity gossip blogger. “My dancers had nothing to do w/this tragedy. No one in my entourage was questioned or arrested. They all flew home from Japan,” she wrote. “That person on your [site] is NOT my dancer. We do NOT know the men in custody. Too much misleading information.” According to IrishCentral , Tokyo police have released a statement confirming that they arrested two American men in connection with the crime. James Blackston, 26, and an unidentified 19-year-old have been taken into custody. “These two men allegedly took advantage of a female unable to resist due to the fact she was in a comatose state from a highly alcoholic beverage,” the report states, adding, “As that is an indecent act, they have been charged with quasi forcible indecency.” The police also confirm Maher’s story of being harassed in the taxi, noting, “On a taxi ride between Shibuya and Shinjuku, they took advantage of a woman by touching her body.” Furlong’s body is expected to arrive in her hometown of Curracloe, Ireland, on Thursday, where she will be laid to rest. The 21-year-old was studying at the Takasaki City University of Economics in Takasaki, Japan. Related Artists Nicki Minaj
Holding Justin’s hand, being at the Today show, and an appearance on TMZ… No I’m not a celebrity, I’m just another Belieber with a dream. My Bieber Experience consisted of 42 whole hours of various amazing Bieber adventures. I wish I had more pictures but I was just living in the moment with Bieber, Bieber and more Bieber. I can’t believe I am sitting here writing my SECOND Bieber experience I truly believe in never say never after these to experiences! Here is the link to my first experience with Justin , it just goes to show if you are determined, it WILL happen, Never give up! This last experience all started when I found out that Justin was going to be on the Today show in NYC and I knew immediately I had to be there. The day finally came, I took the train from Jersey and I found myself in NYC and the waiting game began. I printed out my picture of Justin and I in LA because I wanted to see if he would sign it and maybe, just maybe he would remember me. I was about 15 th in line and was so excited. We set up camp and were ready to wait in the cold for the opportunity to meet Justin. The Mistletoe van arrived and we all knew it was getting close to show time. At around 6:00AM we started to get ready. We filled in the barricades outside the Today Show. I was across from the doors where Justin would come out! Finally I saw Scooter, Alfredo and Kenny inside and I knew this was it. Then I saw Justin , looking incredible as always. I was standing across from the doors but when we came out he went to the right, in the opposite direction of me! Little did I know that waiting for him to come to my side would all pay off in the end. He went back inside and the anticipation just kept growing. My hands were numb from the cold but once I saw him coming back out I grabbed my picture and phone and I was ready. I held my picture out, said hi to Kenny and Alfredo and then there was Justin. Pretty much the whole time, he was walking with his head down going fast signing things. When he came to my picture, I asked, “Justin! Do you remember me from Compton!?” As he was signing, I saw him pause then look close at my picture, then looked he looked up, his eyes met mine and he gave me a smile like he was so proud he had remembered. Then he said “HEYYYY nice to see you again”. I about died!!! Just the way he looked at me, like hey I know you! I knew then he remembered me!!! His smile was so precious. I still can’t get it out of my mind. I was so excited and wanted to give him a HUGE hug, it was freezing and I would have no problem with Justin warming me up. Here is a video I found of some clips from the Today Show. After Justin’s interview we waited for him to leave. When his car pulled out, my adrenaline kicked in! I just started booking it ha-ha. His car stopped, he rolled down his window, and there I was again for the second time that day inches from Justin’s face. He was smiling and talking to the group of us until a paparazzi guy, later I found out he was a TMZ guy. ( You can see me on the video here ). He brought up the baby mama drama. The look on Justin’s face just went from total happiness because he was with his fans to disappointment. We all started yelling at him and I screamed, “Are you Kidding Me???” Justin said, “Sorry guys”, rolled up the window and drove away. A couple hours later it was time to go to the Michael Buble’s Christmas Special where Justin was going to perform. My friend had won tickets through BieberFever.com!! At this point I had not slept or left the city for over 20hrs. I found a bathroom and tried to make myself look half way decent (hence why my picture with Alfredo I look half asleep). We had to get to Brooklyn by 1:15PM so we decided to take the subways. This turned out to be a disaster. Some of the trains weren’t running! We thought we weren’t going to make it, the panic set in. We made the last minute decision to get a taxi. When we got in the driver explained he had no idea where he was going and had no GPS. Well, just our luck we thought. So I start to look up directions on my phone… IT DIES!! How wonderful. We got out of the taxi and looked like 2 little lost children on the side of the road. We had about given up all hope at this point and figured that we would be late and they wouldn’t let us in. Then out of nowhere I spot a Starbucks!! What a lifesaver! We ran in, plugged in my phone and to our amazement we found out we were only about 8 minutes away. So with the little battery I had, we found another taxi cab driver who was AMAZING! We told him our whole ordeal and he said he “Would get us to Justin no matter what”. Just in time, we found the studio where they were taping. It was such a relief to see everyone still standing outside. We got our wristbands and then found our seats. Our seats were on the side were the performers entered and exited. Micheal Buble came out joked around and sang some songs with various artists. Then there was a little intermission for Justin to set up. As we were leaving to go outside during the intermission, I saw Dan Kanter and said “Hey Dan”, he turned back and looked surprised that someone said Hi, but how could you not say Hi to Dan? We stood out in the FREEZING cold again for like 45mins which sucked but again the waiting was worth it. We came back in, went to our seats and it wasn’t long until Kenny and Alfredo came walking up right next to us. We were the only Bieber fans in our section of 30 people and the guy next to me was like “How do you know his whole team?” He was so shocked how loyal Justin’s fans are. As we were yelling I had a lot of awkward eye contact with Kenny and Alfredo, they kept looking back at us laughing because we were having such a good time. When Justin came out he it was just another surreal moment. He was so close! Justin and Michael did little monologue with each other. We caught Alfredo tweeting and yelled at him saying, “Hey we see you tweeting over there Fredo!” Then Kenny looked back up to us again, and I said “Hey Kenny where’s our Pizza?? Do you remember us??” (long story short, Kenny bought us pizza one night when we were waiting for Justin) He points, smiles and goes “YEAH!! HEY!” I freaked, not only did Justin remember me but Kenny too. Is this real life?? There was this lady there that was sort of running the show, telling jokes in between performers and she goes, “Who is excited Justin touched their hand??” Well without even thinking I yell, “I wanna be touched by Justin”… Alfredo sure found that amusing. So then after Justin did a little dialogue with Michael, he sang Mistletoe. If I thought it sounded phenomenal before, it sounds even better live. I am so proud to be a fan of an artist that is so talented and caring towards his fans. The first time he sang, only the Bieber fans stood up and were dancing and singing. When the song ended Justin goes, “Ok guys it’s the Christmas season you are supposed to be excited. I want to see everyone standing and dancing enjoying themselves this time. Let’s do it again.” Kenny came over to our sections and was yeah listen to him. I said “Yeah get up!! Have fun!! It’s Justin Bieber” , Kenny and Alfredo both looked at me like Good Job!! We got everyone in our sections to stand and dance along with Justin. Alfredo and Kenny were getting down too and kept turning around. I love them! After the second performance it was time for Justin to go because he was catching a flight to the EMA’s. I knew he was going to walk right by me to exit the building! As he walked past, I held my hand out and said “Justin!!” He walked past my hand and I thought to myself oh well I tried. To my amazement I saw he turned around, he reached up looked at me, held my hand tight and said “HEY” like he remembered me again!! Are you kidding me?? Is this really happening again?? I smiled and he walked off. We thought we could catch him as he was leaving in his car so we rushed outside and luckily saw that all the cars were still there. Then we spotted Alfredo! I had always wanted a picture with him and he was talking to fans, taking pictures so I knew I had a chance, but then security started yelling at us saying we had to leave and go across the street. Alfredo goes, “Okay guys lets go over there and make these pictures happen!!” He is so sweet. He is so down to earth and just seems like such a fun person to hang out with. I got my picture and thanked him. He walked to the cars and we waited for Justin. They started pulling out and we spotted Justin in the car, again I ran for the car looking like a nut. He stopped, rolled down the window and took some pictures with fans. Since I had seen him so many times that day, I stood towards the back to let others have a chance but I was still very close to him. He seemed in a rush so it was short but he was all smiles, laughing and then he said he had to go and they drove off. Overall I couldn’t be more thankful for everything that happened. With all the rumors and crap going around it’s nice to see Justin and his team in person and it puts it in perspective of why I love them so much. He didn’t have to stop so many times but he did. I am so grateful for both my Bieber experiences and believe that everyone deserves and WILL have a shot at meeting him. Never give up and hard work will pay off! Thanks for reading!! –Briana @ItsJustMe_Brie See original here: Holding Justin’s hand, being at the Today show, and an…
Posted onDecember 20, 2010by|Comments Off on Sally Hawkins Discusses Made in Dagenham and Her Oscar Snub
You might think Sally Hawkins got nominated for an Oscar after winning the Golden Globe for Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky in 2009, but you would be wrong. Despite a winning lead performance and the backing of both critics and the Hollywood Foreign Press, Hawkins was a bridesmaid in the Best Actress race that winter. Of course, being snubbed once by Oscar doesn’t mean Hawkins is ready to pack it up; she’s back on the awards circuit this fall for her performance as a striking (and striking) autoworker in Made in Dagenham .
Posted onDecember 20, 2010by|Comments Off on Do You Have Any Questions for Marilu Henner’s Extraordinary Autobiographical Memory?
Last night on 60 Minutes , Leslie Stahl interviewed the only six people known to have hyperthymesia, or “superior autobiographical memory.” These folks can recall nearly every day of their lives and remember tons of minutia from any calendar date (like the weather, expressions on people’s faces, and their own feelings), all with impossible speed. Mysteriously, one of these half-dozen savants is former Taxi / Evening Shade actress Marilu Henner. The 58-year-old has an unbelievable historical memory, and she can name the exact dates on which she bought every pair of shoes in her giant closet. On that note, what a perfect occasion to ask the affable-seeming Henner some super-specific movie-and-TV-related questions (especially since she has a book coming out about the subject in spring). Contribute your own!
