Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after his return to New York from upstate prison

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Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after his return to New York from upstate prison

2024-04-28 22:51 Last Updated At：04-29 08:00

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.

Attorney Arthur Aidala said Weinstein was moved to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan after his arrival on Friday to city jails.

“They examined him and sent him to Bellevue. It seems like he needs a lot of help, physically. He’s got a lot of problems. He’s getting all kinds of tests. He’s somewhat of a train wreck health wise,” Aidala said.

A message left with the hospital was not immediately returned Saturday.

Frank Dwyer, a spokesperson with the New York City Department of Correction, said only that Weinstein remains in custody at Bellevue. Thomas Mailey, a spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, said Weinstein was turned over to the city's Department of Correction pursuant to the appeals ruling. Weinstein had been housed at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany.

On Thursday, the New York Court of Appeals vacated his conviction after concluding that a trial judge permitted jurors to see and hear too much evidence not directly related to the charges he faced. It also erased his 23-year prison sentence and ordered a retrial.

Prosecutors said they intend to retry him on charges that he forcibly performed oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and raped an aspiring actor in 2013.

Weinstein remained in custody after the appeals ruling because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

For some time, Weinstein has been ailing with a variety of afflictions, including cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnea and eye problems.

Aidala said he spoke to Weinstein on Friday afternoon after he was in transit to New York City from an upstate jail less than 24 hours after the appeals ruling, which was released Thursday morning.

He said his client's ailments are physical, adding that mentally he is “sharp as a tack. Feet are firmly planted on the ground.”

The lawyer said it usually takes state corrections and prisons officials a week or two to arrange to transport a prisoner.

“He was not treated well. They refused to give him even a sip of water, no food, no bathroom break,” Aidala said. “He’s a 72-year-old sickly man.”

Mailey, the state corrections spokesperson, had no comment when Aidala's remarks about Weinstein's treatment were read to him over the phone.

Aidala said he was told that Bellevue doctors planned to run a lot of tests on Weinstein before he can be returned to the Rikers Island jail complex.

The lawyer said he's scheduled to meet with Weinstein on Monday. He added that he plans to tell a judge when Weinstein goes to court on Wednesday in Manhattan that a retrial should occur after Labor Day.

How to watch (and stream) the Eurovision Song Contest final

2024-05-11 15:42 Last Updated At：15:51

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Get out the glitter ball and put on your dancing shoes: It's time to find out who will be crowned the 68th Eurovision Song Contest champion.

Acts from more than two dozen countries will take the stage in Malmo, Sweden, on Saturday to compete for the continent's pop music crown. Millions of people across Europe and beyond will be watching and voting for their favorites.

Here's how to join them.

In Europe, the final round begins at 9 p.m. Central European Summer Time. In Britain, it airs at 8 p.m.

In the United States and Canada, the finale begins airing at 3 p.m. EDT.

The competition will be aired by national broadcasters in participating nations — the Eurovision website includes a list of broadcasters on its website. In some territories, it'll be watchable on Eurovision's YouTube channel.

In the U.S., Eurovision will stream live on Peacock.

Voting is open for 24 hours before the final starts for viewers in the U.S. and other nonparticipating countries, who can vote online or using the Eurovision app. Viewers in participating countries can vote during the competition by website app, phone or text message, but can't vote for their own nation's entry.

Countries are awarded points based on both viewers' votes and rankings from juries of music industry professionals. These are combined into a total score — the country with the highest score wins.

Eurovision is an international pop music competition in which acts from countries across Europe, and a few beyond it, vie live on television to be crowned champion.

Launched in 1956 to foster unity after World War II and test new live-broadcast technology, Eurovision has become a campy, feel-good celebration of pop music with an audience of hundreds of millions around the world. It has grown from seven countries to almost 40, including non-European nations such as Israel and Australia.

It’s known for songs that range from anthemic to extremely silly, often paired with elaborate costumes and spectacular staging.

It's also been the launching pad for many mainstream artists' careers, including ABBA, Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion (who competed for Switzerland in 1988) and the Italian rock band Måneskin in 2021. Last year's winner, Swedish diva Loreen, is one of only two people who have won the contest twice.

Eurovision winners are notoriously hard to predict. This year's favorites include Nemo from Switzerland and Croatian singer Baby Lasagna.

Israeli singer Eden Golan has also surged in betting odds in recent days. Israel's participation has attracted large protests in Malmo by Palestinians and their supporters over a week of Eurovision events.