Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
• Up to a dozen accusers could testify at the sexual-misconduct trial of Cuba Gooding Jr., a Manhattan, N.Y., prosecutor said Tuesday. Prosecutor Jenna Long made the comment as the actor pleaded innocent to an indictment alleging two instances of sexual misconduct. Gooding appeared Tuesday before a judge in New
York City and was released on his own recognizance. The allegations from the 12 other accusers range from 2001 to 2018 and involve women who say he touched or grabbed them at bars, hotels or restaurants. Prosecutors said several of the alleged incidents happened in New York or in the Los Angeles area. Others are said to have occurred in Las Vegas, Dallas and Albuquerque, N.M. The 51-year-old Jerry Maguire star was previously accused of groping a woman’s breast at a bar on June 9. The woman told police that she believed Gooding was intoxicated. The defense has said there are two witnesses who say it never happened and a bar video that backs up that claim. Gooding’s lawyer said outside court that the actor is “absolutely dumbfounded.”
• The late musical icons Whitney Houston and the Notorious B.I.G. are among the 16 acts nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 class. The organization announced Tuesday that the Dave Matthews Band, Motorhead, Pat Benatar, Soundgarden, The Doobie Brothers, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy join Houston and B.I.G. as first-time nominees. The 35th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on May 2, 2020, at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland. Nine Inch Nails, Judas Priest, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, MC5 and Todd Rundgren round out the nominees for the 2020 class. The official inductees will be announced in January. Each year, between five and seven acts usually make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after a vote by 1,000 people, including performers, music historians and industry experts. Fans are able to vote online. Acts are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first commercial recording. Houston’s self-titled debut album was released in 1985. The six-time Grammy winner is known for hits such as “The Greatest Love of All,” “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” She died in 2012. B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, released his debut album, Ready to Die, in 1994. He was shot to death in 1997, 16 days before the release of his second album, Life After Death. His hits include anthems like “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” “Stay With Me,” “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money Mo Problems.”