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Law expert says ‘Diddy’ feeling heat from feds

People
Sean Combs

NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs is reportedly feeling the heat amid an ongoing criminal investigation by the Southern District of New York.

The feds, helped by the FBI, started investigating Combs in May when the video of the music mogul kicking and punching his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, was released.

“My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions,” Combs said. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

Top lawyer Arthur Aidala doesn’t represent any parties in the case, but he has some insights. His father, Louis Aidala, represented Jennifer Lopez when she was Combs’ girlfriend in 1999.

J.Lo was briefly arrested and released after a shooting inside Club New York. Combs, repped by Johnnie Cochran, was tried and acquitted.

“He (Combs) has got to be a nervous wreck,” Aidala told me. “When the feds go after you, it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. The feds don’t bring a case until they are positive.”

That’s why almost 98% of federal cases result in a plea bargain.

The video of Combs assaulting his girlfriend “lit a fire under them,” Aidala said.

The legal fees will cost Combs millions, but he is thought to be worth $1 billion, and he won’t skimp to stay out of prison.

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Patti Scialfa

Bruce Springsteen’s wife, E Street Band singer Patti Scialfa, reveals cancer diagnosis

E Street Band member Patti Scialfa, who’s married to frontman Bruce Springsteen, said a rare form of blood cancer is to blame for her inconsistent appearances with the group in recent years.

The revelation came Sunday night at the Toronto Film Festival where “Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” premiered, according to Variety.

“Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat,” Scialfa said in the documentary. “That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”

The 71-year-old New Jersey native said she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018. Scialfa has been part of the E Street Band for 40 years and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. She joined the band at the start of its storied “Born in the U.S.A.” tour. Scialfa married the band’s Grammy Award winning singer in 1991.

Multiple myeloma impacts the immune system. According to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the exact cause of the kind of cancer Scialfa contracted is not known and “each case is unique.”

She didn’t expound on her current condition.

The group suffered a major blow in 2011 when star saxophone player Clarence Clemons, 69, died from a stroke. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a huge Springsteen fan, ordered all flags flown at half-staff to mourn “The Big Man.”

Springsteen, 74, told fans at a Q&A session promoting the film in Canada that the E Street Band has no plans to stop performing, according to the New York Times.

Springsteen and the E Street Band performs Sunday in Asbury Park, New Jersey, which is where it all began for the classic rock hitmakers in 1972.

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Emily Armstrong

Linkin Park reunite 7 years after Chester Bennington's death, with new music and lead singer Emily Armstrong

NEW YORK — Linkin Park is back with a new lineup and debuting their first new music since the 2017 death of lead singer Chester Bennington.

On Thursday, the band kicked off a livestream showcasing new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who will join returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix and Joe Hahn in Linkin Park's new lineup. Shinoda and Armstrong share vocal duties.

“This is a very special day for us,” Shinoda said as he led introductions, mentioning that guitarist Alex Feder was filling in Delson for the night. “In the role of Chester Bennington this afternoon is each of you,” Shinoda addressed the crowd.

The new Linkin Park also announced a new album, “From Zero.” It releases Nov. 15.

The rock-rap band is one of the most commercially successful acts of the 2000s, aided by Bennington's vocals. At 41, he died by suicide shortly after the release of the group's last album, “One More Light.” In the years since, Linkin Park has dropped a number of re-releases and anniversary editions.

Armstrong comes from alt-rock band Dead Sara and Brittain is a songwriter and producer who has worked with Papa Roach, One OK Rock and All Time Low, among others. He replaces original drummer Rob Bourdon, who “has decided to step away., a band representative told The Associated Press.

The band also announced the “From Zero World Tour,” with six arena shows in Los Angeles; New York; Hamburg, Germany; London; Seoul; and Bogotá, Colombia.

From combined wire services

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