Entertainment

Diddy’s World

Life in prison is not glamorous, even when you’re a public figure like Sean Diddy Combs whose net worth is nearly a billion dollars. The Brooklyn MDC where Combs is housed and awaiting trial has been described by many as Hell on Earth.

Imagine being locked up in an 8×10 foot room with just a bed made of steel, a toilet and sink. CNN reported that Comb’s bed has a 1/2-inch mattress and no pillow. And, with the allegations against him, it’s likely that, unless he is meeting with his legal team, he is not let out of his cell more than an hour a day.

Inmates have a commissary account (like a bank account) where they can use the funds to buy a variety of items, including food, like Velveeta cheese and precooked rice (definitely not gourmet), shampoo and soap and paper and pencil.

Since it’s not actually a bank, there is no limit to how much can be in the commissary account. Anyone can add money to an inmate’s account. However, it’s unclear how much money is currently in Comb’s account.

For Combs, who has been accused of sex and drug trafficking, racketeering, sexual assault and rape, as well as other crimes, he is no doubt under an immense amount of stress and mental duress. Along with the listed allegations, the number of lawsuits being filed against him continues to climb.

Comb’s rise to fame is a rags to riches story, where he reached a level of success and power of which many dream. Known for donating to a variety of philanthropic organizations, he was even awarded the key to New York City.

Today, the man who was once considered a genius, a hero, and as someone to look up to, has fallen far, and shocked and disappointed those who saw him as a role model.

Because of these alleged crimes, Combs is now living in a manner that we all can agree on, is most everyone’s worst nightmare.

If he is found guilty, he will likely spend the rest of his life in a Federal correctional facility.

Although many with money and a high-priced legal team have been found not guilty and escaped prison, others have not. Even Martha Stewart did time for insider trading.

Diddy’s story is a warning to us all. Don’t think you’re so smart and powerful (even when you know all the right people) that you outsmart yourself.

The cameras and videos that show Comb’s violent behavior are proof for the prosecution. There is likely other evidence and footage the public has not yet seen.

And…If the prosecution proves its case and the jury convicts him, it shows that even a billionaire can’t buy his way out of a life behind bars.

As many in the limelight know, you’re living under the public’s constant gaze, and there is always some troll waiting to point out even the smallest indiscretion.

For Diddy, if he is found guilty at the trial and the evidence proves him to be the Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde that so many claim and the allegations are true, then sadly, for a man, who started small and became so large and obviously is brilliant, he will go down in history as a villain, a giant horror, a beast, instead of the icon he could have been.

Jennifer Anniston And Adam Sandler – There’s A Murder And A Mystery But No One Is Laughing

The recently released Netflix film Murder Mystery, which stars Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, has all the makings of a summer blockbuster with its stylized settings, beautiful production value, a cast of outstanding actors and an okay script. However, the mediocre dialogue mixed with some misplaced juvenile camp and gratuitous scenes, as well as an absence of plot twists will disappoint viewers who have awaited a reuniting between the two stars.

Murder Mystery is the story of a blue-collar couple, Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) Spitz, a beat cop, and a hair stylist, who are on their long overdue honeymoon. After a chance encounter on their flight to Europe, they are invited by a lord/viscount (Luke Evans) to join him and his family on a yacht cruise. Once there, they encounter a multi-billionaire uncle (Terrence Stamp), a maharaji (Adeel Akhtar) a movie star (Gemma Arterton), a Formula One driver (Luis Gerardo Méndez), a Colonel (John Kani) and a few others.

The scene is set, and what starts out to be the common snide jeering and derisive comments often found at family gatherings, turns into a “murder mystery” when the lights go out and the old uncle, who was about to sign his fortune over to his young bride (Shioli Kutsuna), is murdered.

The Spitzes, the only Americans and the ones without motive, become the suspects. The couple goes on the lam, until they can figure out who actually killed the old uncle. There are domino bookcases, a walk on a ledge and a street and car chase, all which lack edge-of-your-seat tension.

Creators, James Vanderbilt and Kyle Newacheck might have taken a cue from the film Date Night, which was also about a married couple, who find themselves in the middle of criminal intrigue. The film would have bombed were it not for Tina Fey’s and Steve Carrell’s quirky chemistry, physical comedy, dry humor and of course Mark Wahlberg’s shirtless portrayal of Holbrooke.

While the actors of Murder Mystery do their best to deliver the lackluster scenes, and even though Sandler sports a moustache a la William Powell and Dashiell Hammett, Vanderbilt’s and Newacheck’s creation just doesn’t have the originality, pizazz, not even a McGuffin like some of the memorable comedic mystery classics that came before it: Foul Play (Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase), Charade (Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn), and any Dashiell Hammett movie with the Nick and Nora Charles characters (William Powell and Myrna Loy).

Brendan Fraser As Gunther On The Affair Is Breakout Role

While there are all kinds of rumors flying around about Brendan Fraser being cast in Showtime’s, The Affair, the truth is the character he plays, prison guard, John Gunther is a break out role; and it confirms that he is a versatile and skillful actor.  Gunther, as he’s known on the show, is nothing like the iconic heroes that Fraser has always portrayed. He is a creepy, unlikeable bully.

The low, guttural, uneducated sounding voice that Fraser uses for the character is disturbing, and an unexpected departure from the lilting charm and deliberate humor of characters like George of the Jungle and Dudley Do-Right.

Fraser may be uncomfortable playing such a monster, but it’s actually refreshing to see him take on such a despicable character. This is not a low point in his career. This is Brendan Fraser maturing as an actor. He has played those loveable goofballs so well for so long.

However, by the interview that he did on AOL, it would seem that he’s having trouble adjusting to the changes in his life and in the entertainment world. While pain and adversity in any form can be debilitating, it’s actually a chance for growth. Fraser should embrace the journey he is on, as it has made him a better actor. Whether he’s heartbroken over his divorce or because he’s not the blockbuster sensation he once was, he should remember that making good art isn’t primarily about being the leading man. And, it doesn’t always have to be on the big screen.

Show business and technology are evolving. If Fraser doesn’t progress with it, he will get left behind. Lots of film stars are now appearing in series on cable channels. Anthony Hopkins is on Westworld (HBO), and Luke Wilson in Roadies (Showtime), and Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman are in an upcoming miniseries called Big Little Lies (HBO).

As for playing John Gunther, some of the best actors have performed in supporting roles, and it has eventually led them to the top. If Fraser plays his cards right, and chooses future parts wisely, his appearance on The Affair could be his road back to a more fulfilling career.