Displaying 1 - 10 of 6718
  • Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024
Actor Jussie Smollett listens as his sentence is read at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, March 10, 2022, in Chicago. The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, accepted an appeal of Smollett's disorderly conduct conviction for staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019, then lying to Chicago police about it. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- 

The Illinois Supreme Court will hear an appeal of actor Jussie Smollett's disorderly conduct conviction for staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019, then lying to Chicago police about it.

The court on Wednesday accepted the appeal from Smollett, formerly a cast member of the television drama "Empire." It will review a December state appellate court ruling that upheld his 2021 conviction by a Cook County jury.

The case kicked up an international uproar and produced an intensive manhunt by Chicago police detectives.

There is no date set for the high court to hear arguments in the matter.

A special prosecutor refiled charges against Smollett after Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx dropped the case and Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond and conducted community service, which Smollett argues ended the case.

In a 2-1 decision, the state's First District Appellate Court dismissed those claims, More

  • Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024
The Cinderella Castle is seen at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, July 14, 2023, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Allies of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney reached a settlement agreement Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in a lawsuit over who controls Walt Disney World’s governing district.(AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- 

Allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney reached a settlement agreement Wednesday in a state court fight over how Walt Disney World is developed in the future following the takeover of the theme park resort's government by the Florida governor.

In a meeting, the DeSantis-appointed members of the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved the settlement agreement, ending almost two years of litigation that was sparked by DeSantis' takeover of the district from Disney supporters following the company's opposition to Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law.

The 2022 law bans classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades and was championed by the Republican governor, who used Disney as a punching bag in speeches until he suspended his presidential campaign this year.

The district provides municipal services such as firefighting, planning and mosquito control, among other things, and was More

  • Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024
Rebecca Niles
NEW YORK -- 

Production company RadicalMedia has brought Rebecca Niles aboard its management team as executive producer for commercial production. Niles brings a unique blend of creativity, strategic vision, and operational expertise to RadicalMedia. Niles--who has a proven track record of fostering talent and delivering exceptional results--most recently served as the managing director of ArtClass.

During her tenure at ArtClass, Niles spearheaded remarkable growth, taking the company from its infancy as an online-video shop to a robust commercial production entity. Under her leadership, ArtClass expanded its roster, executive team, and commercial opportunities.

“Getting to know and work with Rebecca has been a truly wonderful experience,” said Jim Bouvet, SVP, head of commercials, RadicalMedia. “Her passion and energy for her work come across in everything she does and her creative instincts are incredibly sharp. Naturally, this has led to strong More

  • Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024
LOS ANGELES -- 

m ss ng p eces director Matt Ogens premiered Madu alongside co-director Joel “Kachi” Benson, as the opening night film of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February. Madu is now scheduled to debut Friday (3/29) on Disney+.

Ogens’ extensive filmmaking experience, storytelling, and stylized approach with Benson’s deep cultural understanding of Nigeria form a rich and immersive tapestry told across two continents.

From practicing barefoot on the streets of Lagos to becoming an online viral sensation to performing on stage in England, 12-year-old Anthony Madu leaves his home in Nigeria to study at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world. Leaving home for the first time, Anthony finds himself thrust into a new world, where his wildest dreams are suddenly within reach. 

Madu chronicles Anthony’s courageous journey and introduces the world to a boy chasing his dream. Conquering More

  • Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2024
Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel speaks before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News, Nov. 8, 2023, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County in Miami. Former NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd criticized his network Sunday, March 24, 2024, for hiring former Republican National Committee head McDaniel as a paid contributor, saying on the air that many NBC journalists are uncomfortable with the decision. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

NBC News cut ties Tuesday with former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel less than a week after hiring her as an on-air political contributor, a decision that came following a furious protest by some of its journalists and commentators.

In announcing the decision in a memo, NBC Universal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde apologized to staff members who felt let down by the hire, acknowledging he had signed off on it.

"No organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned," Conde wrote. "Over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal."

There was no immediate comment from McDaniel. She found out she lost her job through media reports, not from NBC directly, said a person close to her who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

NBC announced Friday that McDaniel would contribute commentary More

  • Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2024
Alabama forward Nick Pringle (23) celebrates with the mascot after Alabama beat Grand Canyon in a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament in Spokane, Wash., Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
NEW YORK (AP) -- 

The first three days of the NCAA Tournament attracted record ratings, only to see the momentum stifled due to Sunday's games being blowouts.

Overall, the tournament is averaging 9.07 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. That is a slight increase over the 9.05 million average at this point last year.

Through Saturday, the tournament averaged 9.0 million, making it the most-watched through that stage.

Sunday's games averaged 8.91 million, an 8% decrease over last year. The average winning margin of the eight games was 18.9 points, including Duke's 93-55 blowout of James Madison and Purdue's 106-67 rout of Utah State, both on CBS.

Saturday's eight second-round games averaged 10.8 million, making it the most-watched second round Saturday in tournament history. The Michigan State-North Carolina game — an 85-59 victory by the Tar Heels — drew 10.02 million, the most-watched, second-round Saturday game since Kentucky-Indiana More

  • Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2024
Eli Noyes
SAN FRANCISCO -- 

Documentary filmmaker, animator, and interactive media creator Eli Noyes died of cancer on Saturday (3/23) at the age of 81 in San Francisco, surrounded by family. 

The son of modernist architect Eliot Noyes and Mary “Molly” (Weed) Noyes, Eli Noyes grew up in an environment imbued with art and music. In 1966, while an undergraduate at Harvard, Noyes was nominated for an Academy Award® for his eight-minute animated film, Clay, or the Origin of Species.  The short is credited as establishing the genre of clay animation and remains a classic of stop motion filmmaking. Subsequent animated films employed diverse techniques such as sand animation (Sandman, 1973) and pixelated stop motion (Peanut Butter and Jelly, 1976).

In the early 1970’s Eli Noyes and Claudia Weil filmed a number of documentaries, many of which are still shown in film schools today, including This Is the Home of Mrs. Levant Graham (1970). More

  • Monday, Mar. 25, 2024
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis applauds during a press conference at the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District headquarters at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, March 25, 2024. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- 

Florida will have one of the country's most restrictive social media bans for minors — if it withstands expected legal challenges — under a bill signed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday.

The bill will ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds. It was slightly watered down from a proposal DeSantis vetoed earlier this month, a week before the annual legislative session ended.

The new law was Republican Speaker Paul Renner's top legislative priority. It takes effect Jan. 1.

"A child in their brain development doesn't have the ability to know that they're being sucked into these addictive technologies and to see the harm and step away from it, and because of that we have to step in for them," Renner said at the bill-signing ceremony held at a Jacksonville school.

The bill DeSantis vetoed would have banned minors under 16 from popular social media More

  • Monday, Mar. 25, 2024
Chris Abitbol
LOS ANGELES -- 

Chris Abitbol, a long time London-based expat production executive, has found a new home at creative studio Los York as head of Los York Films, a new position. Abitbol is working closely with the division’s executive producer Leticia Gurjao, managing the unit’s work and its diverse, global collective of commercial directors. He will report directly to Los York founder Seth Epstein.

“Chris is here to shake things up,” said Epstein. “He is building the next gen commercial production company - really a home for multidisciplinary directors. We’ve been looking for the absolute right person for the role for a long while and we are excited to have him dive right into our crew of Global Nomads of the Arts.”

Born in Cannes and raised in New York City, Abitbol grew up in the music scene. His father was an agent for rock bands including Skid Row and Kidd Rock, and Abitbol himself became the frontman for Cutting Pink With Knives, a London based synth- More

  • Monday, Mar. 25, 2024
European Commissioner for Europe fit for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager speaks during a media conference regarding the Digital Markets Act at EU headquarters in Brussels, Monday, March 25, 2024. The European Commission on Monday opened non-compliance investigations against Alphabet, Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets Act. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
LONDON (AP) -- 

European Union regulators opened investigations into Apple, Google and Meta on Monday, the first cases under a sweeping new law designed to stop Big Tech companies from cornering digital markets.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm, said it was investigating the companies for "non-compliance" with the Digital Markets Act.

The Digital Markets Act that took full effect earlier this month is a broad rulebook that targets Big Tech "gatekeeper" companies providing "core platform services." Those companies must comply with a set of do's and don'ts, under threat of hefty financial penalties or even breaking up businesses. The rules have the broad but vague goal of making digital markets "fairer" and "more contestable" by breaking up closed tech ecosystems that lock consumers into a single company's products or services.

The commission has heard complaints that tech companies' measures to comply have fallen short, More

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