People
DORSET, Vt. — A driver accused of causing a crash that killed Treat Williams said he knew the actor and considered him a friend but denied wrongdoing.
Ryan Koss, the managing creative director of the Dorset Theatre Festival in Vermont, said he knew Williams for years as a member of the tight-knit community and as a fellow theater member. He said he was devastated by Williams' death and offered his “sincerest condolences” to the actor's family. “I considered him a friend,” Koss said.
Koss, 35, of Dorset, issued a statement Friday evening, three days after being issued a citation for grossly negligent operation causing death. He was ordered to appear in court in September to be formally charged.
A Vermont State Police investigation concluded Koss’ vehicle pulled in front of Williams’ motorcycle on June 12, but Koss said he’s “confident the facts will show I obeyed all relevant traffic laws, and the state’s charges are unwarranted.”
Williams, 71, of Manchester Center, was pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center in New York.
Williams appeared in more than 120 TV and film roles, including the movies “Hair,” “Prince of the City” and “Once Upon a Time in America.”
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Singer Lizzo is accused of having once threatened to hit a former backup dancer who filed a lawsuit against the Grammy winner earlier this week, which alleges misconduct including sexual harassment and weight-shaming.
Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez — who earlier this year stopped working for Lizzo within a matter of days of each other — appeared on NewsNation Wednesday to recount her experience.
The alleged incident occurred during an “ambush meeting,” which included Davis’ termination, after Rodriguez expressed frustration over how she and her fellow dancers were being treated.
“[Lizzo] then got upset that I told her I felt disrespected. She balled up her fist ... and she said, ‘You’re so effing lucky right now,’ as she was inching her way towards me to hit me,” said Davis. She said Lizzo was held back by another dancer as she yelled “bye B-word” to Rodriguez, making a gesture with her finger while being “dragged out of the room.”
The threee dancers filed a lawsuit in which they accused Lizzo, her dance captain Shirlene Quigley and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. of sexual and religious harassment, as well as weight-shaming and berating.
On Thursday, Lizzo dismissed what she called “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories” on Instagram.
A director who briefly worked with Lizzo accused her of being “arrogant, self-centered, and unkind.”
“This kind of abuse of power happens far too often,” Sophia Nahli Allison said.
The fallout from the lawsuit has cost Lizzo more than 154,000 of her followers on Instagram.
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Gwyneth Paltrow is finally making her lifestyle attainable — at least for a short while — as she prepares to list her guesthouse on Airbnb.
The Goop founder, 50, took to Instagram to show off the Montecito home that will soon be available for two guests to rent on Sept. 9. The “Goop-Inspired Stay” is part of Paltrow’s partnership with Airbnb, which notes it’s trying to make people feel less lonely by offering rentals from “unexpected” hosts.
“Welcome! This is our guest house. Wood-burning fire place, lovely little bar, the bedroom with nice high ceilings,” Paltrow says before taking viewers into the bathroom. “And here, we’ve got a nice soaking tub, some of my favorite Goop products. Your skin is going to be better when you leave.”
Paltrow said the home is “nestled right in nature so you can have a zen moment,” adding that the house is her “sanctuary for respite and mental clarity.”
But Paltrow isn’t just offering two guests the chance to rent out her guest bedroom and bathroom for a night.
She’s coupling the deal with the potential for “a fantastic cozy dinner with your guest and (me and) my husband.” She’s married to “American Horror Story” co-creator Brad Falchuk.
The opportunity to book will become available Aug. 15.
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From combined wire services
