Month: April 2022

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Brie Larson joins the cast of “Fast & Furious 10”

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“Fast & Furious” franchise star Vin Diesel has publicly welcomed Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson to the ‘F&F’ family. Diesel wrote in an Instagram post, which included a photo of him and Larson laughing together, “Yeah yeah yeah… you see this angel over my shoulder cracking me up, you say to your self ‘that’s captain Marvel. Clearly there is love and laughter in this image. What you don’t see however, is the character you will be introduced to in Fast10. You have no idea how timeless and amazing she will be in our mythology. Beyond her beauty, her intellect… her Oscar, haha is this profound soul who will add something you might not have expected but yearned for. Welcome to the FAMILY Brie. @brielarson.”

Larson has publicly expressed her desire to join the blockbuster franchise, saying in a past interview: “Please, please tell everybody I would, of course, want to be in a Fast & Furious movie. I’m obsessed. I love them. I think they’re so good. They’re so fun. And they’ve made me appreciate cars. And it’s something that should be appreciated. They’re incredible. So of course, please.”

Plot details for Fast10 have not been disclosed, but just a few months ago Jason Momoa was announced as the newest member of the Fast & Furious family. Fast 10 will see the return of Justin Lin, who directed the latest installment of the blockbuster series, as well as previously announced cast members including Diesel, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Michelle Rodriguez, Sung Kang, and Daniela Melchior

Shooting on the movie is slated to begin this spring with a release date set for release May 19, 2023.

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Comedian Gilbert Gottfried dies at age 67 after long illness

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Comedian Gilbert Gottfried has died at age of 67, according to a post on social media written by his family.  The statement read: “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.”   According to Glenn Schwartz, Gottfried’s longtime friend and publicist, the comedian died on Tuesday from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II.

Gottfried performed stand-up comedy for over 50 years, and according to his representative, became known as “the comedian’s comedian” because his live performances put aside political correctness while he delivers jokes that know no boundaries.  Gottfried’s comedic career led to roles in films including “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Problem Child,” “Look Who’s Talking II” and “The Aristocrats.” He was also notably the voice of the wise cracking parrot Iago in Disney’s iconic animated film “Aladdin.”  In 2017, he was the subject of the documentary “Gilbert,” about his life. He also co-hosted a podcast, “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!”, where he and Frank Santopadre interviewed Hollywood icons and legends.

Gottfried is survived by his wife Dara, daughter Lily, 14, son Max, 12, sister Karen, and nephew Graham.

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Former police officer who stormed Capitol is found guilty on all six counts at jury trial

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On Monday, a former police officer who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was found guilty on all six charges at trial. Thomas Robertson, who was an officer in Rocky Mount, Virginia, when he entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, was arrested last January and fired by the city shortly thereafter.

The verdict given Robertson was another win for the Justice Department, which is overseeing an unprecedented investigation into the hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Robertson’s trial was the second Jan. 6 defendant to take his case to a jury.  Jurors deliberated Friday afternoon and all day Monday before reaching a verdict just before 5:30 p.m.

Robertson faced six charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder, and entering and remaining is a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. A Justice Department attorney argued that Robertson was “part of the problem” on Jan. 6 and “decided to take matters into his own hands” because he didn’t like the outcome of the election, and added that “this defendant gleefully put himself in the thick of the initial round of rioters who set off hours of chaos inside the Capitol.”

Nearly 800 people have been arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, and almost 250 have pleaded guilty. In addition to the two jury trials thus far, two Jan. 6 defendants have resolved their cases through bench trials. More than 2,500 people entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack, and hundreds more assaulted law enforcement officers outside the building.

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President Biden selects former federal prosecutor as his second nominee to lead the ATF

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On Monday, President Biden announced the finalization of a federal rule to regulate so-called “ghost guns” more like regular guns, including requiring serial numbers and background checks for the purchase of kits to assemble guns privately. Kit makers and re-sellers would have to include a serial number on the weapon, and the federal rules would also require background checks for anyone purchasing a kit that can be readily made into a working firearm, including 3-D printing kits — just like the background check law that applies to all licensed gun sales. The rule would not ban gun kits themselves or strengthen penalties for crimes committed with ghost guns.

Biden also introduced his second nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, former U.S. Attorney Steve Dettelbach. Dettelbach defended the ATF for facing unfair public criticism.  He said: ‘the men and women of the ATF and the public that they protect deserve better support from us. As we emerge from this pandemic, we’ve got to recognize that many Americans still face fear and isolation – not because of a virus, but because of an epidemic of firearms violence. It’s not a new problem, and it has many causes. That’s why it’s going to take an all hands on deck partnership approach to address that issue, and the ATF will be there.”

Dettelbach served as U.S. attorney for the northern district of Ohio during the Obama administration before resigning in 2016.  If confirmed, Dettelbach would be the first permanent director of ATF in seven years. The position often faces pushback from gun rights groups and has only had one Senate-confirmed director in the past 16 years. The White House touted Dettelbach’s two-decade career as a prosecutor at the Department of Justice, as well as his record of taking on criminal gang activity, domestic extremism and his experience with community gun violence.

This will be Biden’s second attempt at finding the ATF a permanent director. Last September, The White House withdrew former ATF agent David Chipman’s nomination to lead the agency amid opposition from gun rights advocates, Republican senators and some Democrats.

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Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus to divorce after 28 years together

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Tish Cyrus has filed for divorce from Billy Ray Cyrus after almost 30 years of marriage. Tish filed for divorce in Tennessee last week, according to court documents; it also notes that Tish and Billy Ray have not lived together since February 2020. Tish cited irreconcilable differences as the grounds for their divorce and is asking that the court equitably divide and distribute their marital assets and award her separate property.

This is not the first time either has filed for divorce from the other. In October 2010, Billy Ray filed before revealing the following year that he dropped the divorce. Then, in 2013, Tish filed for divorce.  The two spoke out about working on their relationship, saying: “We both woke up and realized we love each other and decided we want to stay together. We both went into couples therapy, something we haven’t done in 22 years of being together, and its brought us closer together and really opened up our communication in amazing ways. We’ve had rough times, but we both realized we didn’t want to be another statistic and wanted to make it work.”

The couple were married in December 1993, share five kids: Miley Cyrus, 29, Noah Cyrus, 22, and Braison Cyrus, 27, as well as Brandi Cyrus, 34, and Trace Cyrus, 33, who Trish gave birth to prior to their relationship. Billy Ray also has a son, Christopher, with his ex, Kristin Luckey.

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Britney Spears announces pregnancy, expecting first child with fiancé Sam Asghari

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Britney Spears announced via Instagram on April 11 that she’s expecting her third child, her first with fiancé Sam Asghari. In her caption, Spears also hinted she and Asghari may have gotten secretly married, referring to him as her “husband.”  The 40-year-old Spears said in her post: “I lost so much weight to go on my Maui trip only to gain it back  … I thought “Geez … what happened to my stomach ???” My husband said “No you’re food pregnant silly  !!!” So I got a pregnancy test … and uhhhhh well … I am having a baby  … 4 days later I got a little more food pregnant. It’s growing !!! If 2 are in there … I might just loose it  … I obviously won’t be going out as much due to the paps getting their money shot of me like they unfortunately already have … it’s hard because when I was pregnant I had perinatal depression … I have to say it is absolutely horrible  … women didn’t talk about it back then … some people considered it dangerous if a woman complained like that with a baby inside her … but now women talk about it everyday … thank Jesus we don’t have to keep that pain a reserved proper secret … This time I will be doing yoga every day !!! Spreading lots of joy and love 💕 !!!”

Spears has been vocal about her desire to have another child, claiming the rules of her past conservatorship made it unlikely. In a Los Angeles court in June 2021, she said that her father, Jamie Spears, and his team would not allow her to “get married and have a baby” under the conservatorship. After 13 years under the legal guardianship, Spears was officially freed from the conservatorship on November 12, 2021 by Judge Brenda Penny.

Spears first started dating Asghari in 2016, after they met on the set of her “Slumber Party” music video. The couple announced their engagement in September 2021, showed off the singer’s new diamond ring on social media.

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Police believe 2 people targeted victims at Cedar Rapids nightclub shooting which killed 2 and injured 10

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Cedar Rapids Police confirm that investigators believe two men fired more than a dozen shots inside a Cedar Rapids nightclub left a man and a woman dead and 10 people wounded early Sunday morning.

Cedar Rapids Police Chief Wayne Jerman said that officers – who were just outside the Taboo Nightclub and Lounge because of an earlier incident – rushed inside and found the victims of the shooting, and that between 100 to 150 people ran out of the club at that time.  Officers helped treat the people who were wounded and rushed several of the victims to hospitals in squad cars.  The names of the man and woman who died were not released Sunday. Jerman said one survivor was in critical condition Sunday afternoon while the other injuries, which were all related to the gunfire.  The gunmen likely escaped as the crowd rushed out of the nightclub. Police were searching for suspects Sunday afternoon and no arrests had been reported.

Jerman said police haven’t determined the motive for the shooting but investigators believe one of the victims was targeted, adding: “This is another mindless and senseless gun-related incident involving a reckless disregard for human life. I remain livid and angered at the continued and blatant disregard and lack of respect for human life that continues. That said, I want to reassure the residents of this city that Cedar Rapids is a safe city.”  Those with information about the shooting are encouraged to call Cedar Rapids Police at 319-286-5491 or Linn County Crime Stoppers at 800-272-7463.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell urged residents to speak out against violence: “Shock, anger, grief, disappointment — just a few of the emotions that I’m sure we all feel today. And I can personally say that as a mother my heart goes out to those moms and dads today who are having the worst day of their lives. To the families of the injured, we are with you and we are praying for a swift recovery.”

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President Biden scheduled to announce new steps on controlling gun violence

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On Monday, President Joe Biden is scheduled to introduce new policy measures on firearms. Biden’s announcement comes amid growing concern about gun violence and untraceable “ghost guns” that can be 3D printed at home. As part of Monday’s policy rollout, Biden is expected to name a new replacement nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

In September, the White House withdrew its last nominee, 25-year ATF veteran David Chipman, following unanimous opposition from Republicans who say the want to protect the right to bear arms. Gun violence advocates have been furious at the Biden administration for failing to lobby hard enough, in their view, for Chipman, and for waiting so long to announce a replacement.

Biden is also expected to announce fresh steps to make it harder for people to build and acquire so-called ghost guns, as many big cities have reported recovering increasing numbers of the weapons. These weapons lack serial numbers, which would enable law enforcement to track them and enforce background checks. And they are essentially available in plastic, which can bypass metal detectors.

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‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ tops the North American box office with $71M

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“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” is the No. 1 movie in North America, earning $71 million in its weekend debut. The film now holds the record for the biggest opening weekend for a movie adapted from a video game, surpassing the $58 million that the franchise’s original film, “Sonic the Hedgehog” made during its three-day opening weekend in February 2020.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” mixes animated characters with live-action actors, with comedian Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic the Hedgehog and James Marsden, Tika Sumpter and Jim Carrey starring as human characters. The sequel also features the addition in Idris Elba, who voices Knuckles, an adversary of Sonic and a fan favorite from the SEGA games.

Coming in at No. 2 is Morbius with $10.2 million, followed by The Lost City at No. 3 with $9.2 million, Ambulance at No. 4 with $8.7 million and The Batman at No. 5 with $6.6 million.

Rounding out the top tier are Everything Everywhere All at Once at No. 6 with $6.1 million, Uncharted at No. 7 with $2.7 million, Spider-Man: No Way Home at No. 8 with $625,000, Selena at No. 9 with $402,000 and Sing 2 at No. 10 with $220,000.

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2022 Primetime Emmy Awards to be held in September

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The 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards will take place in September, with the Television Academy sharing on social media that the 74th annual awards show is scheduled for Sept. 12. “Attention TV lovers! Mark your calendars, the 74th #Emmy Awards are Monday, Sept. 12 at 8 PM ET/ 5 PM PT on @NBC. Who are you hoping to see? #Emmys #Emmys2022”

Nominations for this year’s Emmys will be announced July 12. The Primetime Emmy Awards honor the best in American primetime television. The Crown, Ted Lasso and Mare of Easttown were among the big winners at the 2021 ceremony, which took place in September.

The Emmys will air live on September 12th at 8 p.m. EDT on NBC.

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