Charles Barkley agrees with disenchanted NBA fans. The Basketball Hall of Famer appeared on long-running ESPN show “Pardon the Interruption” on Friday to discuss current matters in the NBA, particularly ranting about how hard it is to simply find games. The league’s new media rights deal sprinkles games throughout ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Amazon’s Prime Video. … Read more
The Worldwide Leader has tapped out with a significant chunk out of its MMA coverage. ESPN, which had been the UFC’s broadcasting home for the past seven years before being outbid by Paramount in a groundbreaking $7.7 billion deal, let nearly all of its on-air talent contracts expire this year without renewal, sources tell The … Read more
A rocking finale. “Stranger Things” pulled off a thrilling ending by using two Prince songs in the final episode of the beloved Netflix series. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer secured the rights to “Purple Rain” and When Doves Cry,” both from Prince’s Grammy Award-winning 1984 album. Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in “Stranger Things.” COURTESY … Read more
Brigitte Bardot, the French 1960s sex symbol who became one of the greatest screen sirens of the 20th century and later a militant animal rights activist, has died. She was 91. Bruno Jacquelin, of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals, told The Associated Press that she died Sunday at her home in … Read more
A legendary story. During the first episode of Amazon Studios’ new series “Words+Music,” John Legend recalled how he made a deal with porn producer Johnny Legend to go by his iconic stage name. The 46-year-old singer was born John Stephens, but he decided to become John Legend while he and Kanye West were working with spoken-word … Read more
Former “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah said he found it “funny” that Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while defending guns at a speaking event at Utah Valley University last month. “The guy was shot while defending guns. Do you understand how — I’m not even writing that as a joke — … Read more
“Saturday Night Live” went after J.K. Rowling. The Season 51 premiere hosted by Bad Bunny featured a “Weekend Update” segment where Bowen Yang played Dobby the House Elf to mock the “Harry Potter” author, 60, for her controversial views on the transgender community. Yang’s Dobby joined Michael Che and Colin Jost at the table and … Read more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has moved to strip thousands of federal health agency employees of their collective bargaining rights, according to a union that called the effort illegal. HHS officials confirmed Friday that the department is ending its recognition of unions for a number of employees, and are reclaiming office space … Read more
Mickey Mouse is now clear to make his WrestleMania debut. ESPN and WWE reached a five-year, $1.6 billion agreement that includes exclusive rights to air the wrestling company’s premier live events (PLE) beginning in 2026, according to the Wall Street Journal, as part of the Worldwide Leader’s new direct-to-consumers streaming service launching later this month. … Read more
Boy, this is messy. Boy George picked a fight with JK Rowling on X (formerly Twitter) over the “Harry Potter” author’s controversial views on the transgender community. The feud started Saturday when the British DJ, 64, responded to a thread between Rowling, 59, and another user where she asked, “Which rights have been taken away … Read more
Owned by Jagger. In the new documentary “Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror,” creator Richard O’Brien revealed that Mick Jagger and his team tried to buy the film rights to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” after the stage show made its US debut in 1974. But director Jim Sharman advised that they shouldn’t go … Read more
These influencers should be put in the doghouse. A disturbing new TikTok trend — where clueless owners dump buckets of ice water on their unsuspecting pups — is drawing widespread outrage from animal lovers, who are barking mad over what they call a “cruel” and “appalling” stunt. The so-called “#barkyourmindchallenge” is a twisted take on … Read more
Salt-N-Pepa are telling their record label not to push it as they fight for the rights to their music. The groundbreaking duo behind hip-hop classics, including 1993’s “Shoop” and 1987’s “Push It” says in a lawsuit that Universal Music Group is violating copyright law by refusing to agree to turn over the rights to their master … Read more
This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. Joyce Brown’s New York minute lasted longer than most. A onetime secretary, Brown became homeless in 1986 and began camping on a heating grate on Second Avenue and 65th Street in Manhattan. … Read more
Several “Harry Potter” actors have signed an open letter pledging to stand in “solidarity” with the transgender community – even despite author J.K. Rowling’s outspoken and “anti-woke” stance against those individuals. The pledge, which has been signed by Eddie Redmayne, Paapa Essiedu and Katie Leung, comes after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled … Read more
Actor Mel Gibson’s firearm rights were restored along with nine others, including an NFL Hall of Famer and former Jets player, after petitioning for pardons for their years-old crimes. Gibson, who had been prohibited from purchasing guns following a 2011 domestic violence conviction, had appealed to President Trump to restore his rights earlier this year. … Read more
Paul Rodriguez was arrested on charges of possession of narcotics, Fox News Digital confirmed. The legendary stand-up comedian was arrested Friday, March 28, in Burbank, California, following a traffic stop, according to the Burbank Police Department. Rodriguez was a passenger in the vehicle. Rodriguez’s lawyer denied the allegations against the “Born in East L.A.” star and claimed … Read more
On July 1, 1970, one of the first independent abortion clinics in the country opened on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. New York State had just reformed its laws, allowing a woman to terminate her pregnancy in the first trimester — or at any point, if her life was at risk. All of a … Read more
Stevie Nicks once sang, “Thunder only happens when it’s raining.” Well, there’s a downpour of drama over at the Golden Theatre on Broadway. The playwright and producers of “Stereophonic,” this year’s Tony Award winner for Best Play, and its landlord, the Shubert Organization, are being sued by writers Steven Stiefel and Ken Caillat, the Fleetwood … Read more
Actor Will Ferrell said he regrets his visit to a Texas restaurant after his trans co-star, Harper Steele, received an awkward response from diners. It happened while Ferrell and Steele, a former “Saturday Night Live” head writer, were filming their new Netflix documentary, “Will & Harper,” which follows their 17-day road trip across the country … Read more
Meghan Markle was speaking at a women empowerment panel in Cali, Colombia on Sunday when she was interrupted by a transgender rights heckler. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, participated in the Afro Women and Power conference with Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez on the final day of her and Prince Harry’s whirlwind Colombian tour. After speaking … Read more
Charles Barkley is never afraid to call it as he sees it, and he did so again after TNT was rebuffed by the NBA in its attempt to match Amazon’s bid for broadcast rights, which it has had for more than 30 years. “Clearly the NBA has wanted to break up with us from the … Read more
Stephen A. Smith believes TNT “dropped the ball” in its attempt to keep the NBA on its airwaves after its current rights deal expires after this upcoming season. The NBA announced on Wednesday that TNT “did not match the terms” of a bid by Amazon to stream the NBA beginning with the 2025-26 season and … Read more
The NBA has fired its latest salvo in a brewing Cold War with its longtime partner in TNT. On Wednesday, the NBA said that TNT “did not match the terms” of Amazon’s rights bid and that Amazon will be a new streaming partner for the league. Earlier this week, TNT, a division of Warner Bros. … Read more
TNT and the NBA could be on the precipice of a legal battle royal. TNT, a division of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday that it intends to match an NBA rights deal to keep broadcasting the league. ESPN is retaining the NBA Finals in the NBA’s next rights package, and NBC and Amazon had emerged … Read more
Fighting for their rights. The Beastie Boys are suing the owner of Chili’s for using their song “Sabotage” in social media ads. The hip-hop and rock group filed a complaint in Manhattan federal court accusing Chili’s owner Brinker of copyright infringement and unfair competition from using significant portions of the 1994 track without a license. … Read more
Former “Doctor Who” actor David Tennant told a top U.K. government minister to “shut up” during a speech about LGBTQ rights, adding that he hoped for a world in which she didn’t “exist.” Tennant took aim at Kemi Badenoch, the U.K.’s Minister for Women and Equalities, last week when accepting an award at the British … Read more
The NBA appears ready to move on from TNT for a reunion with NBC. The league is formalizing contracts this week with Disney (which owns ESPN), NBC and Amazon for new rights deals that would begin with the 2025-26 season, Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday. NBC is closing in on taking over TNT’s “B” package … Read more
Obituaries for TNT’s NBA coverage might be premature. The NBA’s television deal with Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT and Disney’s ABC and ESPN expires after next season, and there has been a lot of speculation that TNT would lose out on the game of musical chairs in favor of new deals with Comcast’s NBC and Amazon. … Read more
Hogwarts will not be welcoming Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson home anytime soon. After JK Rowling shared a recent review “of the medical evidence for transitioning children” that found that NHS did not know the longterm effects of gender-affirming healthcare for minors, fans were curious if the report could change the author’s relationship with the former … Read more
NEW DELHI — More than 2,000 people took part in a gay pride event in New Delhi, waving rainbow flags and multicolored balloons as they celebrated sexual diversity in India but also raised concerns over the country’s restrictive laws. Dancing to drums and music, the participants walked for more than two hours to the Jantar … Read more
Every so often an actor so dominates a movie that its success largely hinges on his every word and gesture. That’s the case with Colman Domingo’s galvanic title performance in “Rustin,” which runs like a current through this portrait of the gay civil-rights activist, a close adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. … Read more
Sage Steele is starting a new chapter. The longtime “SportsCenter” anchor announced Tuesday she is leaving ESPN after 16 years to “exercise my first amendment rights more freely.” “Life update,” the 50-year-old Steele began on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so … Read more
A Christian graphic artist who the Supreme Court said can refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples pointed during her lawsuit to a request from a man named “Stewart” and his husband-to-be. The twist? Stewart says it never happened. The revelation has raised questions about how Lorie Smith’s case was allowed to proceed all the way … Read more
Actor Michael Imperioli thanked the Supreme Court on Saturday for “allowing” him to discriminate after they held that a graphic designer who creates wedding websites does not have to create them for same-sex marriages. He also decided to “forbid bigots and homophobes” from watching his work. “I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, … Read more
Would be worth more than spare change. Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle are reportedly “hopeful” they can sell the film rights to the Duke of Sussex’s popular memoir “Spare.” Markle, 41, and Harry, 38, “are in a win-win position,” a “senior source” recently told the Daily Express. “He will command a top-dollar fee for … Read more
With the Heat-Nuggets NBA Finals series about to start, hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand look into the league’s media performance throughout the playoffs, comparing the game broadcasts and studio shows from both ESPN and TNT and previewing the league’s rights deals, which will start to be negotiated next year. Marchand and Ourand also preview … Read more
Madonna — and a drag queen — are bringing the “Celebration Tour” to Nashville this winter amid Tennessee’s new legislation against drag performers. The 64-year-old “Express Yourself” icon announced eight additional tour dates on Monday, one of which is in Music City on Dec. 22, where ticket proceeds will go toward transgender organizations. Joining her … Read more
“Hanoi Jane” is at it again. Decorated actress and controversial activist Jane Fonda suggested on “The View” Friday that American women might have to resort to “murder” to regain autonomy of their bodies in the aftermath of the Roe v. Wade reversal. The Oscar winner made the comment when the hosts asked her what could … Read more
A resurfaced “South Park” clip — featuring a transgender woman demanding an abortion despite not being able to get pregnant — is going viral 18 years after its original air date. Social media watchdogs are heralding its “brutally honest take” on transgender rights and abortion “in this crazy woke world we’re all in.” The episode titled … Read more
Bruce Willis denies selling rights to his face BBC No, Bruce Willis has not sold his “digital likeness rights” to a deepfake company The A.V. Club Bruce Willis Denies Selling His Likeness to Deepfake Company CBR – Comic Book Resources Bruce Willis Selling Deepfake Rights Report Debunked Screen Rant View Full Coverage on Google News Source link