Officials to seek prison term for singer
Prosecutors in Spain said Friday they would ask a court to sentence Colombian pop star Shakira to eight years and two months in prison, if she is convicted in her expected trial for alleged tax fraud.
Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is charged with failing to pay the Spanish government approximately $15 million in taxes between 2012 and 2014. The prosecutors said they would also seek a fine of approximately
$24 million.
The indictment details six charges against
Shakira. The singer last week rejected a settlement deal offered by prosecutors, opting to go to trial instead. A trial date has yet to be set.
Her publicists in London said in a statement Friday that Shakira “has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer.” Shakira’s Spanish public relations team said earlier last week that the artist has deposited the amount she is said to owe, including interest.
Golden Globes asset sale OK’d:
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association on Thursday voted to accept a proposal by interim Chief Executive Todd Boehly that will effectively transform the nonprofit international journalists’ group into a for-profit venture.
The new private entity will manage its Golden Globes assets while maintaining the charitable and philanthropic programs in a separate nonprofit entity. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Under his proposal, Eldridge would form a new company and acquire the Golden Globes assets based on an “independent
third-party valuation firm,” according to the plan’s bullet points. The proceeds would be used to fund the charitable wing of the HFPA.
The association’s taxexempt status would be dissolved, and the new association would allow members “the opportunity to share in its profits, thereby giving them a stake in the success of the Globes.”
Actor Alice dies: Mary Alice, the award-winning actor known for memorable roles in “Fences,” “Sparkle” and “A Different World,” has died at age 85.
The performer died Wednesday in her New York City apartment, the New York Police Department confirmed Thursday. The NYPD said Alice was 85, but some outlets said she was 84. No cause of death was given.
In the NBC sitcom “A Different World” (19871993), Alice played Leticia
“Lettie” Bostic, a dorm director at a fictional historically Black college in Virginia. In the musical drama “Sparkle”
(1976), Alice portrayed Effie Williams, the single mother of the primary trio of sisters modeled after the Supremes.
Alice won for supporting actress in a drama series for her turn as Marguerite Peck in the TV series “I’ll Fly Away” at the 1993 Emmys. She won a Tony for featured actress in a play for her portrayal of Rose Maxson in August Wilson’s “Fences.”
Aug. 1 birthdays: Singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is
91. Musician Robert Cray is 69. Singer Joe Elliott is 63. Rapper Chuck D is
62. Rapper Coolio is 59. Director Sam Mendes is 57. Actor Tempestt Bledsoe is
49. Actor Jason Momoa is
43. Actor Taylor Fry is 41. Actor Elijah Kelley is 36. Actor James Francis Kelly is 33.