In this May 24, 2017 file photo, Kevin Spacey participates in the speaker series in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
BOSTON (AP) --
A Massachusetts judge has denied Kevin Spacey's request to skip his appearance in court on accusations that he groped a young man.
The decision by Nantucket District Court Judge Thomas Barrett on Monday means Spacey will have to attend his Jan. 7 arraignment.
Spacey had argued he should be excused from appearing because his presence would "amplify the negative publicity already generated in connection with this case." He's pleading not guilty.
The 59-year-old Oscar-winning actor is accused of groping the 18-year-old man in a Nantucket restaurant in 2016. He is charged with felony indecent assault and battery.
Spacey's lawyer, Juliane Balliro, said in the documents that his presence in court would only "heighten prejudicial media interest in the case" and increase the risk of contaminating the jury pool.
Pictured (l-r) are Parisa Barani, Nina Kramer, Liz Sargent and Winter Dunn
NBCU LAUNCH, the umbrella brand that houses the comprehensive inclusion efforts across the company’s entertainment television portfolio, has named the 2024-26 class of its trailblazing scripted directing program, the NBCU LAUNCH TV Directors Program. The 2024-26 class and the NBCU series they are attached to are Parisa Barani (“Law & Order”), Winter Dunn (“The Irrational”), Nina Kramer (“St. Denis Medical”) and Liz Sargent (“Chicago Med”).
Founded in 2009, NBCU’s scripted directing program (now called the NBCU LAUNCH TV Directors Program) gives experienced directors with distinct points of view their break into episodic television. The program supports the company’s goal of producing authentic stories with talent whose lived experiences inform their unique creative visions.
It’s the first scripted directing initiative in the television industry to guarantee that participants will helm at least one episode by the culmination of the program. Directors shadow on two episodes of an NBCU scripted series ahead of sitting in the director’s chair themselves.
Starting with this new class, NBCU LAUNCH added more learning and development opportunities to prepare the program directors to helm their first episode of scripted television.
Each program director has been paired with an alumnus who will serve as their mentor. SJ Main Muñoz (“Fear the Walking Dead”), Brenna Malloy (“On Call”), Kim Nguyen (“Survival of the Thickest”) and Dinh Thai (“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), all of whom are working television directors following their time in the program, will help guide the new program directors through the process of helming their episodes.
Additionally, NBCU LAUNCH hosted a six-day intensive... Read More
