Tying a bandanna printed with the red-and-blue Haitian flag around his head, Grammy-winning musician Wyclef Jean joked that he hoped no Los Angeles police officers were watching and mistaking him again for a gang member.
The former Fugees star said he had been wearing a similar bandanna when Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies stopped his car March 21 in West Hollywood, believing he was an armed robbery suspect. Officials later apologized and said deputies detained him in a patrol car "out of an abundance of caution."
Jean said that along with his lawyers, his 12-year-old daughter has scrutinized the deputies' actions in light of other national news reports about black men detained or killed in altercations with police.
He advised his daughter to do exactly as he did, to follow deputies' instructions. "I'm alive to say, 'I didn't go for my waistband,' " he said.
That's a lesson his daughter and other children need to be learning in schools, Jean said, in classes taught by police officers who regularly patrol in their communities. "When the police stop you, stay calm. Do not react in a violent manner. Do not raise your voice. Stay very alert," Jean said, wryly adding, "And the minute the cops stop you, start rolling the camera." Jean met with reporters Friday, hours before performing outside the Little Haiti Cultural Center in Miami.
Drake breaks Billboard Awards record
Drake surpassed Adele's record at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, picking up 13 awards. The rapper, who walked into the show Sunday with 22 nominations, won top artist, top male artist and top Billboard 200 album ("Views"), among others, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. "I got my whole family up here," said Drake, who stood onstage with nearly two dozen people, including his father, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. Drake was presented the top artist award by Prince Jackson, the late Michael Jackson's oldest son. Drake beat out Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Adele, Ariana Grande, the Weeknd, Twenty One Pilots, Shawn Mendes and the Chainsmokers for the top prize. Cher, who received the Icon award, sang her dance anthem "Believe" in a glittery number that included pasties and blonde hair with pink tips.
Clint at Cannes says he might act again
Clint Eastwood regaled the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday with stories from his long career and left open a possible return to acting. Eastwood was honored with several screenings of his films, including one marking the 25th anniversary of "Unforgiven." In a staged conversation on Sunday, the 86-year-old director said he might revisit acting "someday." The last time Eastwood appeared on screen was 2012's "Trouble With the Curve." Before that, he starred in his own 2008 film, "Gran Torino." Sofia Coppola's remake of Don Siegel's Clintwood-starring 1971 film "The Beguiled" is to premiere this week in Cannes. Eastwood sounded unfamiliar with Coppola's movie. He's currently preparing to direct "The 15:17 to Paris," about the foiling of a 2015 ISIS attack aboard a train from Brussels.
Associated Press
