CELEBRITY TOP 10: Johnny Depp Scores Near-Total Victory In US Defamation Case Against Ex-Wife Amber Heard

Top 10: Aunjanue Ellis opens up being bisexual

To kick off Pride Month, this critically-acclaimed actress recently opened up on being queer.

In an exclusive interview with Variety, Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis shared how she decided to wear a statement by putting the word queer on her Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket during the ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards two months ago.

Nobody asked her about it, perhaps everyone was busy with her film “King Richard.” But she said it’s essentially her making a stand and being bisexual.

She shared to variety that she has been open about her sexuality to her family and friends in Mississippi and that she was actually only 8 years old when she realized that she is a queer. 

Throughout her career, she is really into expanding the range of her sexuality and representation through her work.

Aunjanue was nominated at the academy awards for her role as mother of the Williams girls at “King Richard” with Will Smith.

Top 9: Rachel Zegler to star in the ‘Hunger Games’ prequel

Rachel Zegler will star in the “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Smokes.”

Lionsgate has chosen Rachel to play the role of Lucy Gray in the prequel of the hit franchise.

In a statement, Lionsgate said that Rachel embodies Lucy Gray’s emotional intelligence, physical agility and fiercely powerful, determined singing voice. That’s why she is the perfect choice for Lucy Gray.

Release date will be November 2023. It will be directed by Francis Lawrence who has directed three of four previous “Hunger Games” movies.

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Top 8: Catherine Deneuve receiving Golden Lion achievement award at Venice Film Festival

French actress Catherine Deneuve will receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival.

Catherine received a Volpi Cup for best actress for “Place Vendöme” in 1998. She presided over the festival’s jury in 2006.

The 78-year old actress is considered as one of the icons in French films.

The next Venice Film festival will happen on Aug. 31 to Sept. 10.

Top 7: Simu Liu bared waxing his entire body for ‘Barbie’

Simu Liu is really in the mood for the upcoming film “Barbie.”

He prepares mentally, emotionally and really physically because he even resorted to waxing his entire body.

It has been announced that Margot Robbie will be playing Barbie but the roles of the remaining stars who will join her remain under wraps.

In an interview with The Independent, Simu described waxing as one of the most painful experiences of his life. He has a newfound admiration for the incredibly brave women who had to go through this on a monthly basis.

Netizens and fans are now speculating that Simu might be playing another Ken aside from Ryan Gosling. 

The film is directed by Greta Gerwig and will be released July 2023 in theaters.

Top 6: ‘Stranger Things 4’ premiere breaks Netflix record

It’s kind of obvious by now that fans and netizens really waited and had been excited to watch “Stranger Things 4”.

That's because according to Netflix’s internal measurement, the premiere of the fourth season of “Stranger Things” garnered up to 286.79 million viewing hours worldwide! It surpassed the previous record of “Bridgerton 2” with 193 million hours.

Top 5: Gerald Anderson shares thoughts on upcoming teleserye

Gerald Anderson is again doing teleserye less than a year after his previous series “Init sa Magdamag” ended.

This time, the actor is paired with Ivana Alawi and he is joined by other actors Sam Milby, Jake Ejercito and Jameson Blake for “A Family Affair”.

Gerald describes his character Paco as someone who will fight for his love.

Watch out for “A Family Affair” soon on TV5.

Top 4: Nadine Lustre launches new TaxWhizPH app

Nadine Lustre continues her advocacy on tax compliance and elevates it to another level as she launched the newest version of TaxWhizPH app together with Mon Abrea of Asian Consulting group.

Nadine is one of the heads of the company as she is chief creative officer and brand ambassador. She’s also instrumental in the launch of Mon Abrea’s new book about tax.

Aside from her other advocacies like helping the people in Siargao and other charity works, Nadine wants Filipinos to learn about the importance of paying the right tax and how to do it in an easier way.

Top 3: The Script to do a concert in Manila again

The Script is coming back to Manila to do another concert.

This is part of the group’s “The Greatest Hits Tour” which will be happening this September at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Irish band is touring their “Tales From The Script” album which is a compilation of their new and greatest hits.

The script last performed in Manila was in 2018.

Their hit songs include “Hall of Fame” and “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.”

Top 2: BTS meets US President Joe Biden

After their remarkable appearance and speeches at the White House press briefing, the hit Korean group BTS met US President Joe Biden wherein they talked about anti-Asian hate crimes and inclusivity.

Biden thanked the group for using their platforms and influences for a good cause.

In return, BTS thanked the Biden administration for their immediate action concerning the welfare and safety of Asians in the US.

Top 1: Jury sides with Johnny Depp in libel case, awards him more than $10 million

Actor Johnny Depp won more than $10 million in damages on Wednesday, June 1 in the US, achieving a near-total victory in a defamation suit against ex-wife Amber Heard to cap a six-week trial featuring graphic testimony about the stars’ soured relationship.

A seven-person jury in Virginia also ruled for Heard on one counterclaim against Depp. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" film star depicted the decision as a vindication, and his former wife said it was “a disappointment.”

Jurors awarded Depp $15 million in damages from Heard, which the judge reduced to $10.35 million to comply with state limits on punitive damages. The panel ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million in damages.

Depp, 58, had sued Heard for $50 million and argued that she defamed him when she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a newspaper opinion piece.

Heard countersued for $100 million, saying Depp smeared her when his lawyer called her accusations a “hoax.”

Depp denied hitting Heard, 36, or any woman and said she was the one who turned violent in their relationship.

He told jurors the allegations from Heard, best known for her role in “Aquaman,” had cost him “everything.” A new “Pirates” movie was put on hold and Depp was replaced in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise, a “Harry Potter” spinoff.

“The jury gave me my life back. I am truly humbled,” Depp, who watched the verdict from Britain, said in a statement.

"The best is yet to come and a new chapter has finally begun," he added, ending with the Latin phrase "Veritas numquam perit. Truth never perishes."

Heard, seated in the courtroom between two of her lawyers, looked down as the verdicts were read.

"The disappointment I feel today is beyond words," she said in a statement. "I'm heartbroken that the mountain of evidence still was not enough to stand up to the disproportionate power, influence and sway of my ex-husband."

"I’m even more disappointed with what this verdict means for other women," she added. "It is a setback."

Depp faced a different outcome in Britain less than two years ago, when he sued the Sun tabloid for calling him a “wife beater.” A London High Court judge ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.

Jury hears about couple’s clashes

The two met in 2011 while filming “The Rum Diary” and wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalized about two years later.

At the center of the legal case was a December 2018 opinion piece by Heard in the Washington Post. The article did not mention Depp by name but his lawyer told jurors it was clear that Heard was referring to him. read more

The jury agreed with all of Depp's defamation claims, which cited a passage in the article and headline that read: “I spoke up against sexual violence - and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

Jurors rejected two of Heard's three counterclaims. They concluded she was defamed when an attorney for Depp told a media outlet that Heard staged property damage to show to police after an alleged fight.

“Amber and her friends spilled a little wine and roughed the place up, got their stories straight under the direction of a lawyer and publicist,” the statement said in part.

During six weeks of testimony, Heard's attorneys argued that she had told the truth and that her comments were covered as free speech under the US Constitution's First Amendment.

Jurors listened to recordings of the couple’s fights and saw graphic photos of Depp's bloody finger. He said the top of the finger was severed when Heard threw a vodka bottle at him in 2015.

Heard denied injuring Depp's finger and said Depp sexually assaulted her that night with a liquor bottle. She said she struck him only to defend herself or her sister.

Testimony was livestreamed widely on social media, drawing large audiences to hear details about the couple’s troubled relationship.

Depp's lawyers filed the US case in Fairfax County, Virginia, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper was not a defendant.

Celebrity Top 10 airs on Cignal TV’s One News channel at 4:15 p.m. every Monday to Friday, with replays on Cignal TV’s One PH at 10 p.m. Watch the full episode here: