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Jason Aldean stops show due to heat

Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean stopped his show Saturday night in Hartford, Conn., mid-song after reportedly suffering heat stroke.

The country singer was performing at the Xfinity Theatre and confused fans when he silently ran off the stage in the middle of singing his 2009 hit “Crazy Town,” Deadline reported.

A video of the incident, shared by KLTV 7 News, shows Aldean clearly struggling before turning and swiftly exiting the stage, as his musicians played on.

Temperatures in Connecticut on Saturday were reported to be in the mid-80s, and the fan who captured the video, K.C. Schweizer, tweeted that it was no surprise Aldean was suffering.

“It was hotter than hell. It was bad enough just standing in the pit,” Schweizer said. “I can’t imagine performing in jeans, boots and hat under all those lights in that humidity with no breeze. Hope he’s okay!”

A representative for Aldean later confirmed that the cause was heat stroke, and that the singer was unable to finish the show as a result.

Earlier in the night, it appeared that Aldean was hit by a hat thrown on stage by a fan in a video captured by the same fan.

There’s been a string of incidents involving poor audience behavior at recent concerts , with numerous celebrities being struck by objects thrown at them while performing.

Live Nation, the entertainment company that owns and operates the Xfinity Theatre, said Aldean’s performance show will be rescheduled for a later date.

The singer recently kicked off his “Highway Desperado” tour across the country, which is scheduled to continue through the end of October.

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Sean "Diddy" Combs

LOS ANGELES — Sean “Diddy” Combs wants to strengthen the Black dollar: The music mogul is spearheading a new online marketplace called Empower Global that will specifically feature Black-owned businesses.

“I want to create our own Black Wall Street,” Combs told the Associated Press about his e-commerce platform, which launched last week. He feels passionate about building substantial wealth in his community similar to the Greenwood community, the thriving Black-owned business district in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that was decimated in a two-day attack by a white mob in Oklahoma in 1921.

Combs said he’s not looking for financial benefit after he invested $20 million into Empower Global , which allows consumers to purchase products exclusively created and sold by Black entrepreneurs.

The curated marketplace featuring Black-owned brands will allow consumers to purchase clothing, shoes, beauty accessories including skin care and fragrances, and even wall art. The platform was designed and created by two Black-owned companies, TechSparq and ChatDesk.

The platform launched with 70 brands with plans to introduce new Black businesses monthly. He hopes to showcase more than 200 brands by the end of the year.

“This is about building our own infrastructure and ecosystem,” Combs said. “I’m not doing this for profit. This is about us.”

Combs said he feels more excited about launching into Empower Global than before the start of his widely-popular label Bad Boy Records.

“I’m going into these areas to diversify things and fight for our inclusion. This is a platform about sharing power and empowering each other," he said. "This is something that is for my people. It’s a tipping point for us to wake up start paying attention and supporting each other while taking responsibility and accountability.”

Combs, who's worked on the platform for years, said it’s important for Black people to circulate money in their own community.

“It benefits the community to empower and take care of itself,” he said. “Right now, our dollar in the Black community doesn’t even last an hour. Most other communities and ethnic groups, they understand the power of unity. Their dollars stay in their communities for days and get passed on to other people that are like them and from their same community.”

Combs said he’s accomplished his dreams of building one of hip-hop’s biggest empires, blazing a trail with several entities. He’s the founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner who has worked with top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.

He created the Sean John fashion clothing line, launched the Revolt TV with a focus on music and has his own vodka. He’ also produced the reality show “Making the Band” on MTV.

“My dreams have always been to be successful in music, being obsessed with fashion and the greatest Black serial entrepreneur to ever live,” said Combs, who along with Tyler Perry and Byron Allen is interested in purchasing the network BET . He’s also in a dispute with spirits giant Diageo after he sued the company over allegations of racism over how they handled his liquor brands.

“I’ve graduated from me to we. I’m able to use my God-given intelligence to create," he said. "I’m passionate about the possibility of showing Black economic unity. I’m not going to stop until I’m working with the best brands, the best Black-owned digital mainstream, so we can start fueling our own economic system.”

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Elton John

LONDON — Kevin Spacey’s lawyers enlisted the help of an A-list star Monday in his sexual assault trial, calling on Elton John and his husband to cast doubt on one of the Oscar winner's accusers at the end of the defense case.

John appeared briefly in the London court by video link from Monaco after his husband, David Furnish, testified that Spacey did not attend an annual gala ball at their Windsor home at the time that the accuser said he was attacked in a car.

John was the final witness for the defense and was followed by character testimonials from colleagues, friends and family that had Spacey in tears in the dock when they were read aloud by his lawyer in Southwark Crown Court.

Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to a dozen charges that include sexual and indecent assault counts and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

One of the alleged victims said he was driving Spacey to the White Tie & Tiara Ball in 2004 or 2005 when the actor grabbed his crotch so forcefully that he almost ran off the road.

Furnish supported Spacey's testimony that the only year he had attended the event was 2001. Furnish said he had reviewed photographs taken at the party from 2001 to 2005 and Spacey only appeared in images that one year. He said all guests were photographed each year.

John said the actor spent the night at their house after the event. He also confirmed that Spacey bought a Mini Cooper at the auction held that night for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Spacey said he spent the most money “ever” on that model of car and he kept it in John's garage until he could pick it up later.

The alleged victim said he may have gotten the year wrong, but that he would not have forgotten the incident because it took his breath away and he was driving and almost crashed the car.

The timeline, however, is important because the man testified that Spacey had fondled him over several years beginning in the early 2000s. The incident was the final occasion, he said.

Spacey said the two were friends and they engaged in some romantic contact but the man was straight, so the actor respected his wishes not to go further. He said he was crushed when he learned the man had complained to police about him and said the man had “reimagined” what had been consensual touching.

Furnish said he was familiar with the accuser and described him as “charming,” the same term Spacey used.

Over two days of testimony last week , the two-time Academy Award winner insisted that he never sexually assaulted three of the four accusers who described disturbing encounters between 2001 and 2013.

Spacey dismissed one man’s account and said he shared consensual encounters with two others who later regretted it. He accepted the claims of a fourth man, saying he had made a “clumsy pass” during a night of heavy drinking.

Defense lawyer Patrick Gibbs rested his case after reading statements from 10 character witnesses who praised the actor’s work and compassion toward others.

Spacey dabbed at his eyes with a tissue as Gibbs read the words of actor Robert Sean Leonard, who said Spacey was "positive, supportive and respectful” and someone he admired greatly.

“He loves and respects the people he works with," Leonard said.

Closing arguments are expected later in the week. Spacey is free on bail.

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From combined wire services

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