Archive May 2, 2025

Russell Brand, a British comedian and actor, was detained on Friday in central London on suspicion of five counts of rape and other sexual offence.

Brand, 49, was charged last month after establishing himself as the husband of pop star Katy Perry with his risky comedy routines.

The celebrity, who was seated in front of Westminster Magistrates’ Court for his first court hearing, did not speak as he fought through a crowd of reporters and onlookers while casually dressed in a dark shirt with gold-framed sunglasses and a dark shirt.

Brand is alleged to currently reside in the United States and is facing two counts of rape, two of sexual assault, and one of indecent assault.

Read more about Sean “Diddy’s” sex crimes trial to start on Monday.

Brand denied all the alleged crimes and expressed his gratitude for the “opportunity” to defend himself in a video response on X after being charged last month.

Before I lived in the light of the Lord, I was a fool. I was an imbecile, sex addict, and drug addict before becoming an addict. He claimed in the video that he had never engaged in any non-consensual behavior.

The allegations that four women were involved in crimes between 1999 and 2005 are the subject of the charges.

Following a police investigation into allegations following the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary in September 2023, the prosecution charged him.

The investigation is still ongoing, according to London’s Metropolitan Police, and they urged “anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone with any information” to contact officers.

Millions of online fans

In addition to the sexual assault and oral rape of a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of central London, Brand is accused of raping a woman in 1999 in the Bournemouth area of England’s south coast.

He is also accused of sexually assaulting another woman between 2004 and 2005, both of which are alleged to have occurred in Westminster.

As a teenager in Essex, east of London, Brand began his stand-up career in 1975 as a child of working-class parents.

He first appeared on stage as a provocative, frequently wry comedian before becoming a Hollywood star, then an online conspiracy theorist and anti-establishment guru with millions of followers.

He has almost seven million YouTube subscribers, ten thousand on X, and 4.8 million on Instagram.

He hosted a radio program on the BBC Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008, but he abruptly stopped after playing a sexually explicit voicemail for Andrew Sachs, the actor who plays the “Fawlty Towers” actor, for his granddaughter.

He also hosted a “Big Brother” spin-off show for a number of years, wrote columns for the liberal Guardian newspaper, and wrote two autobiographies.

Between 2010 and 2012, Brand and US actor Perry were married for 14 months.

He now has three children with Laura Gallacher, an author and illustrator.

After being left “biting and screaming into a pillow” in “uncontrollable” pain before losing all feeling in his leg, Love Island star Adam Collard was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery.

As a result of his partner Laura Woods’ “uncontrollable pain,” Adam Collard revealed the moment he was forced to call an ambulance.

The former Love Island star, 29, revealed yesterday he had been hospitalised and had back surgery. Adam shared photos of himself dressed in a hospital gown and laying in a hospital bed.

Adam, the couple’s fiancée Laura gave birth to their first child in January, has revealed more about the circumstances that led to him eventually leaving in “unacceptable pain” and “biting and screaming into a pillow” as his wife-to-be dialed 999.

In a series of lengthy Instagram Story posts, Adam explained how he had began experiencing a ‘tweak’ before it descended into ‘another level of pain and discomfort’. After seeking help from physios and osteopaths, he was told the pain was “probably a bit a bit “discy” and was also causing me to have sciatica”.

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Adam was given a strategy to “back to basics,” eliminate stress, strengthen weak points, and take painkillers to lessen inflammation. He explained that the plan involved a “yo-yo of improving a little bit, then go backwards again and be in excruciating pain.” The former reality star “absolutely followed the rehabilitation plan,” leaving no stone unturned.

Adam remarked on how persistent the pain was, “To the point where I couldn’t sit in a chair without pain.” It either sat flat or sat. Driving the car was a good 9/10 pain, and Leo’s in-bed tingling was unbearable because of the lumbar spine’s slump position. Not ideal for a mother with a newborn… which both physically and mentally affected me.

He was given painkillers to “help the pain and knock me out,” but it meant he had to be unable to look after his son Leo in the evenings and would be in agonizing pain once more if he “sip” taking them.

After that, Adam explained that after doing extensive research, we decided to push for spinal injections and nerve root blockers to try to relieve me in some way because it eventually became difficult for me to put on my own socks while I was still trying to work out in the gym.

On the third day of taking the jabs, he claimed they were “amazing” and that he had made “astonishing progress.” I wrote a long-term plan for the next six months on how to train around this and build back up, Adam added. “After two weeks of serious profanity and being super content, I was writing a long term plan for the next six months. Strength, a restricted lowerbody, pilates, and core

However, sadly, one day, he was left in agonizing pain, forcing Laura, 37, to call for assistance. After working for 30 minutes, Adam explained, “I was driving home last Wednesday and by the time I was home I could barely walk inside.” After an hour, I lost the sensation in my right leg, which extended to my toes, making it impossible for me to bear. I was biting and screaming into my pillow in pain. I am unable to raise it from the hip. which made Laura need to call an ambulance because it was frightening.

After speaking with my specialist who administered my original spinal injections, he returned me for an MRI to examine the disc’s disc differences from a month prior. My right leg no longer feels like I can move because the disc was ruptured, almost completely compressing the siatic nerve.

To shave the discs down and release the nerve, we then decided to have a Lumbar Decompression and Discectomy procedure. Adam continued, “Surgery went well, I’ve already got the feeling back in my leg which is great now it’s just sore from the wound on my back.”

My surgeon claimed that after cutting in, he realized the discs were “very bad.” One of them had cracked, causing a push-in to my sciatic nerve. The real work begins now, with a slow buildup, full recovery, and being diligent about my training for the next 12 months, and possibly forever, in some cases.

He then thanked those who had supported him in his message. Thank you to my friends and family, my friends, and all of you for your contributions over the past few months, Adam wrote in a letter.

At the end of his post, Adamant to warn against letting the medical setback take hold, defiantly declared, “Now it’s Comeback SZN..”

The tragic passing of singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, best known for her groundbreaking hit “I Kissed a Girl,” has been the subject of a formal investigation.

The music world is mourning the loss of Jill Sobule, known for her 1995 hit single “I Kissed a Girl”, who has tragically died at the age of 66. The singer-songwriter tragically died in a house fire in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Thursday, May 1, as confirmed by a representative to Variety.

According to the Star Tribune, Woodbury, police in the suburb of Woodbury are currently looking into the cause of the house fire that caused Sobule’s death.

Jill was scheduled to perform in Denver on Friday at Swallow Hill Music’s Tuft Theater with a show titled “Jill Sobule presents: Songs From F–k 7th Grade and More.” In light of her passing, the theater will host an informal gathering led by her friend Ron Bostwick from 105.5 FM. Her manager, John Porter, released a heartfelt statement to the publication, saying: “Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture.”

He continued, “I was having a lot of fun working with her, and I was feeling very sorry.” Today, I lost both a client and a friend. I sincerely hope others will continue to be inspired by her legacy, legacy, and music.

Those who knew Sobule, both personally and professionally, have left a deep void in her hearts. She and her booking agent, Craig Grossman, shared a rare bond over the phone, saying, “I was fortunate enough to get to know Jill beyond a professional relationship.” I couldn’t have gotten any more laughter. She will be greatly missed both in the music industry and beyond.

Her attorney and long-time friend, Ken Hertz, shared that sentiment and provided an insight into how close their relationship is. “Jill wasn’t just a client,” she said. We treated her like family. She appeared on every birthday, holiday, and birth. I was her “tech” when she performed by Zoom from our living room (while living with us) during the pandemic, he said.

With her 1990 debut Things Here Are Different, Sobule rose to fame in Denver in 1959. However, her self-titled 1995 album Jill Sobule earned her acclaim.

The song “I Kissed a Girl,” one of the first mainstream songs to unapologetically center LGBTQ+ identity, was featured on the release and landed in the Billboard Top 20. The recognizable anthem “Supermodel” was released on that same album, further cementing her place in popular culture.

Sobule incorporated activism into her art because she’s never one to shy away from contentious conversations. Through her writing, she continued to criticize political movements like MAGA and tackled issues ranging from eating disorders to reproductive rights to shoplifting to death penalty.

She leaves her nephews Ian Matthew and Robert, as well as Robert’s wife Irina, behind her brother James and his wife Mary Ellen. She was lost by a large circle of friends and cousins.

This summer, a public memorial to her life and artistic legacy is planned.