Gary Busey responds to sex offense charges: 'I was not inappropriate at all'

The affidavit, obtained by CNN, states that Cherry Hill police detectives were called to a Doubletree Hotel on August 13 where two victims "reported being sexually assaulted by the same actor," identified as the defendant. "They reported they were in a photoshoot area during the Monster Mania event and were having their picture taken with the defendant. During the photoshoot, the defendant placed his face near one of the victim's breasts and asked her where she got them, before attempting to unlatch her bra strap," the affidavit states. The other woman reported that Busey, 78, grabbed her buttocks during the photo shoot, the affidavit states. The next day, a man reported that his daughter had been sexually assaulted by the actor, and that she told detectives he grabbed her buttocks during a photoshoot, according to the affidavit. Earlier Tuesday, Busey had no comment when CNN reached out and declined to say whether he had legal representation in the matter.

CNN contacted Busey again Tuesday night for comment on the affidavit's allegations.

Busey denied allegations of sexual misconduct to TMZ when the outlet caught up with the actor at a Malibu gas station on Monday, TMZ reported.

He said he was "not inappropriate at all," and that he has eyewitnesses. "None of that happened," Busey said. "Nothing happened. Nothing. It was all false." Detectives made contact with Busey and the affidavit states he "initially denied groping anyone, before asking detectives to apologize to the victims, then asking detectives to talk the victims out of pursuing complaints, as well as claiming that sometimes it is possible to accidentally touch someone in a specific body part," the affidavit states. A law firm representing Monster Mania told CNN in a statement Saturday that it was assisting authorities in their investigation, and that immediately after receiving a complaint from an attendee, "the celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return."

A criminal complaint states Busey is to appear in Camden Superior Court at noon on August 31. Busey faces charges including two counts of criminal sexual contact (fourth degree), one count of criminal attempt/ criminal sexual contact (fourth degree), and one count of harassment (disorderly persons offense). CNN has contacted Cherry Hill police and Camden County prosecutors for comment.

Busey is best known for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in the 1978 movie "The Buddy Holly Story," for which he was nominated for an Oscar for best actor.

Chuck Johnston contributed to this story.
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'Hamilton' team responds to Texas church's unauthorized performance

"'Hamilton' does not grant amateur or professional licenses for any stage productions and did not grant one to The Door Church," Shane Marshall Brown, a spokesperson for "Hamilton," said in a statement to CNN on Monday.

Officials behind the musical were not aware of the "unauthorized staging" until the day after the church's first of two scheduled performances and sent a cease-and-desist letter, the spokesperson added.

The Door, a church in McAllen, a town in South Texas, was allowed to continue with its planned second performance, with conditions, among them that the show would not be live streamed, recorded or shared on social media in photo or video form, according to the statement.

The Door performed "Hamilton" on Aug. 5 and 6 with edited content that included lyrical references to Jesus and Christianity throughout, according to footage of the production shared on social media. A sermon reportedly delivered to the audience also compared homosexuality to drug addiction, according to video.

In an additional statement provided to CNN late Monday, the spokesperson said they were not aware "of the extensive changes to the show or that there would be a sermon at the end" when they allowed Saturday's performance to move forward.

"We have reserved all of our rights and are considering how to proceed based upon what we've learned," the spokesperson's statement said. "The Hamilton family stands for tolerance, compassion, inclusivity and certainly LGBTQ+ rights. We are in the process of reviewing the unauthorized changes made to the script to determine further action."

CNN's attempts to reach The Door for comment over the weekend and on Monday have gone unanswered.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony, Grammy and Emmy-winning smash that retells the tale of the "10-dollar founding father" Alexander Hamilton and his contemporaries with a cast mostly comprised of people of color.

It won both the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony for best musical, and its producers have launched productions on Broadway, in Chicago and in San Francisco, among other cities, not counting its multiple touring companies. It is not available for licensing to theater companies.

Per copyright law, churches do have an exemption that allows them to perform copyrighted music during religious services but that exemption does not allow for streaming or distribution of those performances and does not extend to any other public performances outside of service.

Much of the footage from the church's first "Hamilton" performance was scrubbed from The Door's social media accounts, per the production's cease-and-desist request. But some clips were preserved online and shared by Hemant Mehta, a writer and atheist advocate.

In one clip, a character appears to read from the Bible while Hamilton is in crisis. The character tells him that "God is the only one that can help you right now."

In another clip, an actor playing Eliza Schuyler sings "My hope is in Jesus. If you could just give him a chance today, that would be enough."

Other footage shared by Mehta reportedly shows The Door pastor Victor Lopez addressing the audience on stage, with "Hamilton" sets behind him, and he says: "Maybe you struggle with alcohol, with drugs, homosexuality. Maybe you struggle with other things in life, your finances, whatever, relationships -- God can help you tonight."

"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is a staunch supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and famously used his 2016 Tony Awards acceptance speech to read a sonnet that addressed the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, that killed 50 people hours before the award show.

Miranda has not individually commented on the unauthorized production.

CNN has attempted to reach Lopez for comment.

Some arts critics who weren't attached to "Hamilton" took issue with the McAllen church's unauthorized production and the changes to its text.

Howard Sherman, an arts administrator and writer who was one of the first users to widely share news of the production, said the rights of the artists behind "Hamilton" had been violated.

"The work of Lin Manuel [sic], Tommy Kail, Alex Lacamoire, Andy Blankenbuehler, David Korins and others cannot be taken for free or manipulated to send other messages," he wrote. "I respect all faiths, but I cannot respect The Door McAllen for stealing material to serve their own purposes."

The statement from the spokesperson for "Hamilton" thanked the show's "devoted fans" for "bringing this to our attention."

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'They even broke into my safe': Trump responds to search of his Mar-a-Lago home

The FBI has executed a search warrant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, the former President confirms to CNN.
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