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The final defendant convicted in the fatal 2020 shooting of Pop Smoke appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday and apologized for his role in the rapper’s death before receiving his sentence of 29 years in prison.

Corey Walker, 24, had pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements at a hearing two weeks ago. Seated at the defense table in an orange jail uniform, he said he was deeply remorseful for driving a group of juveniles to the rented Airbnb where the rising rapper, born Bashar Jackson,...

The only adult charged with the 2020 murder of rising rapper Pop Smoke accepted a plea deal from prosecutors Wednesday, capping a nearly five-year prosecution of predominantly juvenile defendants in the deadly home-invasion robbery that shocked the hip-hop industry.

Corey Walker, accused of leading three juveniles to the rented Airbnb the morning of the shooting, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and home invasion robbery with gun and gang enhancements. He’s due to be sentenced to 29 years in prison at a hearing set for Feb. 21, 2025.

Prosecutors dropped a murder charge under the deal.

Spencer Milligan, who starred in the 1970s Saturday morning series Land of the Lost from Sid & Marty Krofft and was a regular guest star on TV into the late 1980s, has died. He was 86.

An obituary on the Huehns Funeral Home website said he died April 18 but did not provide details.

Born on September 10, 1937, in Oak Park, Il, Milligan was active in local theater during the 1960s before serving a tour in the Army. His screen career began with a small role as a head-change specialist in Woody Allen’s futuristic 1973 comedy, in which the filmmaker starred with Diane Keaton. He also appeared in the 1974 features The Man from Clover Grove and The Photographer, serving as an associate producer on the latter.

The following year, Milligan was cast as Rick Marshall in the Krofft brothers’ hybrid live-action/stop-motion sci-fi/adventure series Land of the Lost. It focused on Rick and...

The only adult defendant charged with the 2020 murder of rising rapper Pop Smoke appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday and had his trial date pushed to early August after plea negotiations with prosecutors broke down. The trial for Corey Walker previously was scheduled to start next week.

“Negotiations fell through, but there’s still a possibility we’ll come to an agreement,” lawyer Deion Benjamin, who’s representing Walker with co-counsel Kellen Davis, tells Rolling Stone. “A few things need to be ironed out. If they don’t get resolved,...

Chicago – First Tuesday for the Midwest Film Festival (Mff) is on August 2nd, 2022, and will present “Women & Gender Non-Conforming Filmmakers Night” at the Gene Siskel Film Center. For ticket info, click Mff Aug First Tuesday.

‘Women & Gender Non-Conforming Filmmakers Night’ Line-up at Mff

Photo credit: MidwestFilm.com

The Shorts showcase has a diverse line-up of films, including “Luteal” (Directed by Hilary Williams); “Heartsong” (Aurora Real de Asua); “Jade” (Reshmi Hazra Rustebakke); “Emergence” (Rey Tang); “The Chase” (Alaina Delagardelle); “Smoking Gun!” (Sanicole); “After (A Love Story)” (Clare Cooney); “Period Drama” (Anushka Tina Nair & Lauryn Anthony); “Skyroof” (Jewelia Santos) … and “Rough River Lake,” directed by Mary Tilden, who is interviewed below by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

The Midwest Film Festival (formerly the Midwest Independent Film Festival) has been a staple in Chicago’s film community for 15 years. Through Executive Director Erica Duffy. the Festival thrives by bringing together the Chicago film...

Digital Brand Architects (Dba), a talent management firm owned by and predominantly focused on lifestyle creators, has upped Hilary Williams to partner status.

Williams, who formerly served as SVP, has now joined the partner circle alongside CEO Raina Penchansky and president Vanessa Laherty.

Williams joined Dba in 2015, and has worked at CAA, The Wall Group, and UTA. Her clients now include influencer and cosmetics entrepreneur Marianna Hewitt, model and influencer Camila Coelho, author Katherine Schwarzenegger, Bachelorette star Tayshia Adams, fashion designer Rachel Parcell, and chef Gaby Dalkin.

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Painter, poet and musician Joni Mitchell turns 75 years old today. Her artistry has encompassed pop, rock, folk and jazz, earning varying degrees of praise and criticism, especially for her more experimental, jazz-centric works, but she remains, unquestionably, one of the most influential songwriters of the past 50 years.

Born Roberta Joan Anderson in Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada, and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, she began performing in public, accompanying herself on ukulele, in 1963. In August of that year, she appeared on Ckbi-tv in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, as a one-time replacement for a...