In 2021, Sam Song Li was cast in an independent film as the ancestor of a character played by a pre-“Shang-Chi” Simu Liu. To the general public, the non-speaking cameo might seem insignificant. But for Li, it was a seminal moment. A producer told him she picked him after looking at more than 200 people … Read more
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress and Pentagon leaders were unaware for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized since Monday, U.S. officials said Saturday, as questions swirled about his condition and the secrecy surrounding it. And it remained unclear when the White House and other key U.S. officials were told about his stay … Read more
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday allowed Idaho to enforce its strict abortion ban, even in medical emergencies, while a legal fight continues. The justices said they would hear arguments in April and put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the Idaho law in hospital emergencies, based on a lawsuit filed … Read more
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Emma Stone reflected on her career highlights and Meryl Streep praised Billie Eilish and “Barbie” with saving the movie industry Thursday during one of the first stops of Hollywood’s awards season. Stone, Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cillian Murphy were among the A-listers who descended on the … Read more
LOS ANGELES — A judge on Friday declined to immediately put Cher’s son into the legal conservatorship that she is seeking and he is opposing, but the court will take up the issue again within weeks. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui ruled that Cher’s attorneys had not given Elijah Blue Allman and … Read more
TOPEKA, Kan. — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is more aggressive and openly political in pushing to expand Medicaid in Kansas as the Republican-controlled Legislature prepares to open its annual session Monday following five years of failed efforts to provide state health coverage to another 150,000 people. Kelly faces leaders of GOP supermajorities whose priorities are … Read more
LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pedro Pascal and Melanie Lynskey are up for two of the most coveted Emmy Awards on Jan. 15, but both are also among this weekend’s nominees at the creative arts Emmys. Pascal, nominated for best actor in a drama for “ The Last of Us,” is up for … Read more
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since Monday, due to complications following a minor elective medical procedure, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Friday. It was the department’s first acknowledgement that Austin had been admitted — five days earlier — to Walter Reed National … Read more
A reporter who was fired for his standup comedy has been reinstated to his job at a Philadelphia-based public radio station through an arbitrator, who agreed that his jokes were, in some part, funny. Jad Sleiman, 34, is to be fully reinstated to his position with WHYY, a Philadelphia-based NPR station, after an arbitrator determined … Read more
LOS ANGELES — TV producer Nigel Lythgoe said Friday that he is stepping aside as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance” after lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, including one from Paula Abdul. Lythgoe is also co-creator and executive producer of the Fox dance competition series, whose 18th season is set to … Read more
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