NEW YORK (AP) - Rihanna and A$AP Rocky took an epic stroll over the weekend in snowy New York to reveal she's pregnant with her first child.
Despite the frigid temperatures, the 33-year-old “Diamonds” singer and fashion mogul showed off her bump in a long open pink coat (vintage Chanel) and ripped jeans as her boyfriend beamed by her side in Harlem, which is A$AP's home neighborhood.
In one photo, the two hold hands with smiles on their faces In another, he kisses her forehead. Her bump was well adorned with a long jeweled necklace. The photos were published by People.
Rihanna spoke of motherhood in 2019 at her fifth Diamond Ball in New York City:
“I'm a Black woman. I came from a Black woman, who came from a Black woman, who came from a Black woman, and I'm going to give birth to a Black woman. It's a no-brainer. That's who I am. It's the core of who I am in spirit and DNA.”
After months of dating rumors, the two publicly transformed their longstanding friendship into a romance during the pandemic. In an interview with GQ magazine in May 2019, A$AP called her “my lady” and “the love of my life.” Of the relationship, the “PMW” rapper spoke of their travels the previous summer in a rented tour bus and how the experience cemented their bond.
Asked what it felt like to be in a relationship after his past as a ladies' man, he said: “So much better when you got the One. She amounts to probably, like, a million of the other ones. I think when you know, you know. She's the One.”
He also spoke of having children in the future, telling GQ: “If that's in my destiny, absolutely. … I think I'd be an incredible, remarkably, overall amazing dad. I would have a very fly child.”
No further details about the pregnancy were disclosed.
Following protests of Spotify kicked off by Canadian musician Neil Young over the spread of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, the music streaming service said that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the virus.
In a post Sunday, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek laid out more transparent platform rules given the backlash stirred by Young, who on Wednesday had his music removed from Spotify after the tech giant declined to get rid of episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience, which has been criticized for spreading virus misinformation.
"Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly," wrote Ek.
"It is important to me that we don't take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them."
Ek said that the advisories will link to Spotify's fact-based COVID-19 hub in what he described as a "new effort to combat misinformation." It will roll out in the coming days, Ek said. He did not specifically reference Rogan or Young.
There’s been a lot of conversation about information regarding COVID-19 on Spotify. We’ve heard the criticism and we’re implementing changes to help combat misinformation. <a href="https://t.co/ic8jfR1RNR">https://t.co/ic8jfR1RNR</a>
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who have signed a multi-year deal to produce and host podcasts for Spotify under their production company Archewell Audio, on Sunday urged Spotify to tame virus misinformation.
"Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform," an Archewell spokesperson said in a statement. "We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does."
Earlier Sunday, Nils Lofgren, the Bruce Springsteen guitarist and a member of Crazy Horse, a frequent collaborator with Young, said he was joining Young's Spotify revolt. Lofgren said he had already had the last 27 years of his music removed and requested labels with his earlier music to do likewise.
"We encourage all musicians, artists and music lovers everywhere to stand with us and cut ties with Spotify," wrote Lofgren in a statement.
On Friday, fellow Canadian musician Joni Mitchell said she is seeking to remove all of her music from Spotify in solidarity with Young. Earlier, hundreds of scientists, professors and public health experts asked Spotify to remove a Dec. 31 episode from The Joe Rogan Experience in which he featured Dr. Robert Malone, an infectious-diseases specialist who has been banned from Twitter for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.
Not only has Spider-Man: No Way Home secured its sixth domestic weekend box office, but it has also become one of the rare films to cross $1 billion overseas.
As reported by Variety, Spider-Man: No Way Home added another $11 million to its domestic total and surpassed $735 million at the North American box office. While it still remains the fourth-highest grossing domestic release in history, it is currently $25 million away from passing Avatar's $760 million for third place.
No Way Home may very well pass Avatar at the domestic box office, but it still has a long way to go to topple its global first place spot with $2.8 billion. Despite that, No Way Home passed another impressive milestone and crossed the $1 billion mark overseas. It has also done so without the help of China, which just so happens to be "the world's biggest moviegoing market." In total, No Way Home has earned $1.74 billion globally and sits at the sixth-highest earning movie of all time at the worldwide box office.
Scream, which bested Spider-Man: No Way Home in its opening weekend, took second place with $7.3 million. This was a 40% drop week-over-week, but Scream continues to shoot past its production budget of $25 million as it now has earned $106.2 million globally.
Sing 2 placed third with $4.8 million, bringing its global tally to $134 million and continuing to raise its record as the highest-grossing animated film during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Redeeming Love placed fourth with $1.85 million and The King's Man rounded out the top five with $1.8 million. The latest entry in the Kingsman franchise has also crossed $100 million globally.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is in for a bit of competition next week as both Moonfall and Jackass Forever will be released in theaters on February 4, 2022.
Howard Hesseman, a prolific character actor who became a beloved TV mainstay through his roles on sitcoms “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Head of the Class,” died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles of complications from colon surgery he had undergone last summer. He was 81 years old.
Hesseman’s death was confirmed to Variety by his longtime rep Robbie Kass.
“Howard was a groundbreaking talent and lifelong friend whose kindness and generosity was equaled by his influence and admiration to generations of actors and improvisational comedy throughout the world,” Kass stated.
Born in Lebanon, Ore. on Feb. 27, 1940, Hesseman became a counter-culture figure as he ascended into the world of entertainment in the late 1960’s. In 1965, he joined the improvisational comedy troupe The Committee in San Francisco, serving as a performing member for 10 years. Hesseman continued his start in entertainment as a radio DJ, broadcasting under the name “Don Study” and began to appear in small guest roles on “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Dragnet 1967,” “Soap” and “Sanford and Son.”
Hesseman found his most iconic role playing radio DJ Dr. Johnny Fever on the CBS sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati.” Hesseman earned two Emmy nominations for his performance on the series, which ran from 1978 to 1982. Hesseman was also well-known for his starring role as Charlie Moore on ABC’s “Head of the Class” and his performance as Sam Royer on “One Day at a Time.” Hesseman joined the CBS sitcom as a main cast member for its ninth and final season.
Hesseman’s career in television continued until very recently, with credits including “The Rockford Files,” “Laverne and Shirley,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and numerous “Saturday Night Live” hosting gigs. Additionally, Hesseman had guest starred on “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Chicago Med,” “Mike & Molly,” “Psych,” “House” and had recurring roles on “Boston Legal” and “That 70’s Show.”
Beyond television, Hesseman also appeared across several films over his five-decade-spanning career, with credits including “Salvation Boulevard,” “Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment,” “About Schmidt,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Gridlock’d,” “Wild Oats,” “The Rocker,” “All About Steve” and Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II.”
Beyond entertainment, Hesseman enjoyed swimming and gardening in his spare time — “although not simultaneously,” reads Kass’ statement on his death.
This weekend marks the conclusion of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, the fest’s second consecutive virtual offering in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And since you can’t have a film festival without all those juicy film festival awards to pop onto posters and into the opening text of movie trailers, the (technically, still) Park City-set event also held its annual prize ceremony today.
Like the Golden Globes earlier this month, Sundance announced its winners via Twitter today. The roll-out began with the Festival’s short film awards, with the Short Film Grand Jury Prize going to Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan’s The Headhunter’s Daughter. Other winners in the category included If I Go Will They Miss Me (Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction) and WARSHA (Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction).
Next up: The World Cinema categories for Documentary and Drama, with Grand Jury Prizes in their respective sections going to Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes (about two brothers who are attempting to save the Indian Black Kite from pollution and possible extinction) and Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama.
Meanwhile, over in the U.S. awards, the Audience Award for Drama went to Cha Cha Real Smooth (which has already been picked up by Apple), while its Documentary counterpart went to the Russia-focused Navalny. Special Jury Awards also went out to Bradley Rust Gray’s blood (for “Uncompromising Artistic Vision”), the cast of 892, and documentaries Aftershock and Descendent.
Finally, the awards for Directing went to Jamie Duck for Palm Trees And Power Lines and Reid Davenport for I Didn’t See You There (for drama and documentary, respectively.) Christine Choy’s Tiananmen Square documentary The Exiles took home the Grand Jury Prize in its category, while Nikyatu Jusu’s supernatural thriller Nanny took home the big prize in drama. Here’s an excerpt from Dowd’s write-up of the film:
Nanny is beautifully shot by Rina Yang and well-acted, and it’s quite engrossing when focusing on the microaggressions that make Aisha’s life as an immigrant and caregiver so difficult—as in the scene where her employer, played by Michelle Monaghan, tries to draw a line of kinship between the two of them as women without acknowledging the vast chasm separating their respective privilege. As a horror movie, though, it’s generic and ineffectual, trotting out a lot of familiar smoke-and-mirrors hallucinations that aren’t half as scary as the mundane terrors the heroine faces.
You can see the full list of Sundance winners below, and check out our own thoughts on what the festival’s best films were right here.
Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Dramatic:Nanny
Audience Award, U.S. Dramatic:Cha Cha Real Smooth
Directing, U.S. Dramatic: Jamie Dack, Palm Trees And Power Lines
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award, U.S. Dramatic: K.D. Dávila, Emergency
Special Jury Award for Uncompromising Artistic Vision,U.S. Dramatic: Bradley Rust Gray, blood
Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, U.S. Dramatic: John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, London Covington, and Michael K Williams, 892
Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Documentary:The Exiles
Audience Award, U.S. Documentary:Navalny
Directing, U.S. Documentary: Reid Davenport, I Didn’t See You There
Jonathan Oppenheim Editing Award, U.S. Documentary: Erin Casper and Jocelyne Chaput, Fire of Love
Special Jury Award for Impact for Change, U.S. Documentary:Aftershock
Special Jury Award for Impact for Creative Vision, U.S. Documentary:Descendant
Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema Dramatic:Utama
Audience Award, World Cinema Dramatic:Girl Picture
Directing Award, World Cinema Dramatic: Maryna Er Gorbach, Klondike
Special Jury Award, World Cinema Dramatic:Leonor Will Never Die
Special Jury Award for Acting for Innovative Spirit, World Cinema Dramatic: Teresa Sánchez, Dos Estaciones
Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema Documentary:All That Breathes
Audience Award, World Cinema Documentary:The Territory
Directing Award, World Cinema Documentary:A House Made Of Splinters
Special Jury Award for Documentary Craft, World Cinema Documentary:The Territory
Special Jury Award for Excellence In Verité Filmmaking, World Cinema Documentary:Midwives
NEXT Audience Award:Framing Agnes
NEXT Innovator Award: Chase Joynt, Framing Agnes
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize:After Yang
Sundance Institute NHK Award: Hasan Hadi, The President’s Cake
Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Narrative Features: Amanda Marshall, God’s Country
Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award for Documentary Features: Su Kim, Free Chol Soo Lee
Sundance Institute/Adobe Mentorship Award for Editing Documentary: Toby Shimin
For better and for worse, the “Ice Age” franchise seems to have been around longer than the actual Ice Age. With the latest entry, “The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild,” which is number six in the series and stars the voice of Simon Pegg on Disney+, the movies are starting to show their age. The characters and the voice work are still fun, but the animation doesn’t have the same pop as the earlier movies.
The action begins in Snow Valley, home of unruly possum brothers Crash (Vincent Tong) and Eddie (Aaron Harris). The possums are restless, bored with life in the sleepy, icy dale. They want to experience the world, away from the over-protective eyes of their make-shift family, woolly mammoths Ellie and Manny. “It’s time for us to move out and make our mark on the world.” By fluke, they wind up in the Lost World—“We came here to live a life of adventure”—a massive underground cave and land of danger that might be too extreme, even for them.
As Ellie and Manny fret—“If we don’t find them, I’m going to kill them,” says Manny—an unlikely “superhero” comes to Crash and Eddie’s rescue, a one-eyed weasel named Buck Wild (Pegg). Together they form a team to defeat the dinosaurs who live in the Lost World. “It’s time to get buck wild.”
“The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild” has a distinctly direct-to-streaming feel about it. The above the title voice cast from the other films—Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah—are gone, replaced with sound-alikes. Not that young kids will mind, or even notice. But older kids who grew up watching these movies—they’ve been around for 20 years—may feel this one isn’t a movie as much as it is an inexpensive, extended version of the TV series that was spun off the films.
Like all the “Ice Age” movies, this one has good messages for kids about the importance of family—"The only thing that stays the same is the love we have for one another. That’s the thing about a herd, you’re a part of it, even when you are apart.”—and embracing change—“Change is scary but it is the way of the world. It can help us grow into the people we’re meant to be even if that takes us to new places.”
Nothing ground breaking, just solid morals from a story that should appeal to kids who haven’t already heard those platitudes a hundred times over.
ONE SHOT: 3 STARS
The title of “One Shot,” a new action movie starring Scott Adkins, Ryan Phillippe and Ashley Greene Khoury, and now available on VOD, is a double entendre of a sort. The adrenalized action heroes at the heart of the film have one shot to quell an attack, and director James Nunn has cleverly filmed all the action in “real time,” using camera tricks to make it look like this was shot in one, long continuous take.
The story begins with a squad of Navy SEALs led by Lt. Blake Harris (Adkins) airlifting junior CIA analyst Zoe Anderson (Khoury) to a remote Guantanamo Bay-esque prison that houses “United Nations of terror” suspects. Anderson’s job is to extract Amin Mansur (Waleed Elgadi), a British national who pleads his innocence, but is suspected to be a mastermind of a 9/11 style dirty-bomb attack on all three branches of the American government.
Deputy Site Manager Tom Shields (Phillippe) stalls the prisoner’s release, inadvertently allowing time for the ruthless terrorist Charef (Jess Liaudin) and his insurgents to overrun the place, freeing captives and trying to kill Mansur before he can spill the beans on the plot to bring down the government.
“One Shot” isn’t about the characters, political subtext or even the siege story. It’s all about the “one shot” gimmick, wall-to-wall video-game style gunplay, and a sense of urgency.
For the most part the gimmick works, although, if you’re like me, you’ll be taken out of the story as you try and see where the subliminal edits are. It’s a distraction that fades as the running times passes because director Nunn choreographs the action expertly, creating a sense of unpredictable immediacy. You never really know who is around the next corner or hiding behind a pile of sandbags. It’s the edgy, you-are-there filmmaking, aided by cinematographer Jonathan Iles, that makes the generic story and stereotyped characters somewhat interesting.
The relentless violence, however, becomes tiring after a while. The first gunshot happens around the 19-minute mark and the bullet ballet continues pretty much non-stop for the rest of the running time. There are breaks in the action, usually as someone tends to a wounded person, but they are few and far between.
“One Shot” is a B movie with efficient brutality and some edge-of-your-seat scenes, but the script is as riddled with clichés—"Sometimes it is harder to save a life than it is to save one,” intones Anderson when the going gets tough—as the characters are with bullet holes.
TWO DEATHS OF HENRY BAKER: 2 ½ STARS
A study in toxic masculinity, greed and the sins of the father, “Two Deaths of Henry Baker,” a new thriller starring Gil Bellows now on VOD, is a pale imitation of neo-noir Westerns like “Hell or High Water.”
The action begins in a flashback to 1958 as young Henry Baker and his father hide a fortune in stolen gold coins. Cut to 30 years later, Henry, now played by Gil Bellows, is all grown up and ready to retrieve the cash. With young son Hank (Gunnar Burke) in tow, things go sideways. Henry kills his own brother (also Bellows) and gets arrested.
Decades pass. As Henry is about to be sprung from prison both his son Hank, now played by Sebastian Pigott and his nephew Sam (Joe Dinicol), the son of Henry’s murdered brother, anxiously await. Everybody wants a taste of the gold, but Sam wants revenge while corrupt Sheriff Ron Capman (Tony Curran) wants it all.
“Two Deaths of Henry Baker” is an ambitious movie that falls slightly short of its goal.
There are some nicely realized action set pieces and moments of tension, but those plusses are done in by slack pacing from director Felipe Mucci. The movie’s machinations crawl along, which make some of the story’s leaps of logic even more noticeable than they might have been in a film with a quicker pace.
Having said that, the story of cross-generational toxicity resonates. Violence begets violence is not a new idea, but the handing of the baton from fathers to sons is nicely illuminated here and aided by the performances from Bellows and Dinicol.
“Two Deaths of Henry Baker” may be the feel-bad movie of the year so far. Heavy on the nihilism, it’s a gritty portrait of intergenerational violence, but doesn’t dig deep enough into the psychologically of the story for the characters to resonate.
'It is always a good idea to listen to Neil Young': Apple Music and others are pouring out their support for the musician after his departure from Spotify
Publishing date:
Jan 28, 2022 • 4 hours ago • 3 minute read • 73 Comments
Earlier this week, Canadian rocker Neil Young threatened to pull his catalogue from the Spotify online streaming service unless they stopped distributing The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Rogan gets roughly 11 million listeners per episode, so it was an easy call for Spotify; they pulled Young’s catalogue.Photo by REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
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Apple Music has joined the chorus in the Spotify vs Neil Young vs Joe Rogan opera, promoting on social media that it is “the home of Neil Young.”
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On Thursday, Apple’s music streaming service pinned a tweet saying fans of the Canadian-American musician could listen to his entire music catalog on Apple Music.
Earlier in the week, Apple Music had put out a tweet that said: It is always a good idea to listen to Neil Young.
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Other musicians joined Apple’s social media pile-on, according to Rolling Stone Magazine . Peter Frampton tweeted: “Good for you Neil. I’ve always been an Apple guy for streaming. No Joe Rogan for me thank you!”
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SiriusXM also announced Thursday that it is bringing back Neil Young Radio, with Young’s music set to take over its Deep Tracks channel for the next seven days.
It is the latest in the week’s drama that saw Young issue an ultimatum to Spotify to remove his music in protest against the provocative and popular podcaster Joe Rogan for spreading vaccine misinformation.
“I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform. They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” Young wrote in an open letter addressed to his manager and record label, Warner Music Group. “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them,” he added.
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On Wednesday, the streaming service agreed to remove his music. “We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon,” Spotify said in a statement.
Young, who thanked his record label for standing by him in the controversy, said Spotify accounted for 60 per cent of the streaming of his music to listeners around the world. The removal is “a huge loss for my record company to absorb,” he said.
Rogan is the host of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which holds exclusive rights to the program.
He has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Earlier this month 270 scientists and medical professionals also issued an open letter to Spotify , urging the streaming giant to establish a misinformation policy after an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience promoted what they said were “baseless conspiracy theories” about the pandemic.
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Since the start of the pandemic, Spotify has removed 20,000 podcast episodes containing COVID misinformation. The company said it worked to balance “both safety for listeners and freedom for creators” in accordance with its “detailed content policies.”
But Spotify is a tech company looking to maximize profits, so it is no surprise it is sticking with Rogan — the podcast has an estimated 11 million listeners. The streaming service intends to dominate the podcast space, announcing in 2019 it was planning to spend up to US$500 million to acquire companies “in the emerging podcast marketplace.”
The plan seems to be working. Spotify reportedly overtook Apple Podcasts last year to become the largest podcast provider in the United States.
But in the process, it has strained relations with musicians. Taylor Swift also pulled her music from the platform until it met her demands.
Young issued a plea to other musicians to join him in his protest against Rogan and Spotify: “I sincerely hope that other artists and record companies will move off the SPOTIFY platform and stop supporting SPOTIFY’s deadly misinformation about COVID,” Young wrote on his blog on Wednesday.
And Apple Music wants people to know they will be there if they do.
Popcorn will once again be on the menu at movie theatres in Ontario when they are allowed to reopen next Monday.
CTV News Toronto has learned the Doug Ford government has finalized regulations that will offer granular details on what is, and what is not, allowed when Omicron-related restrictions are eased on Jan. 31.
The decision to allow snacks at cinemas comes just days after provincial officials told CTV News Ottawa that popcorn would be banned in cinemas to reduce transmission during the opening.
At the time, Cineplex theatres called the decision “disappointing” and pushed for a reversal.
"We’ll keep our poppers warm so we are ready for when these unwarranted restrictions lift," said Ellis Jacob, President and CEO of Cineplex.
Officials with the Ford government said the regulations will be signed by Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell and will be released publicly later this afternoon.
As of Jan. 31, Movie theatres, meeting rooms and event spaces will be able to operate with 50 per cent capacity indoors. The same goes for restaurants, bars, retailers, museums, and religious services.
Spectators will once again return to sporting events and concert venues at 50 per cent capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
However, social gathering limits will remain more restricted, with 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
The government plans to lift further restrictions on Feb. 21, however Ford said that if public health trends have not improved the government “won’t hesitate” to pause between steps “for a few extra days.”
Ontario has released more details about what individuals should expect when the province moves to the first step of the latest reopening plan, which will see indoor dining return and establishments like movie theatres and sporting venues operate at 50 per cent capacity.
In new regulations approved Thursday afternoon, the government specified that individuals attending indoor events at a sporting or concert venue, a movie theatre, or other gaming establishments will be allowed to eat and drink, as long as they remain seated.
The new regulations can be considered good news for places such as movie theatres, who said they were disappointed to hear earlier in the week that popcorn would be banned in cinemas to reduce transmission during the opening.
These venues must still screen patrons prior to allowing entry; however the government has said that most businesses will no longer need to collect information for contact tracing.
“This is aligned with recent changes to the testing and case and contact management guidance and will allow businesses to focus their efforts on the enforcement of other public health measures in these settings, such as masking requirement,” officials said in a statement.
The province is also removing the legal requirement to work from home except where necessary, although Ontario’s chief medical officer of health recommends that those who are able to work from home continue to do so.
Dr. Kieran Moore reiterated this fact at a news conference on Thursday afternoon, saying that individual case management is no longer beneficial based on the vast community spread of Omicron.
"You have to take personal responsibility based on symptoms, knowing when to access health-care system and (rapid antigen tests)," he said, adding that Ontarians need to start learning how to live with the virus.
Have to learn to live with omicron, have to have a balanced approach in society. The ways we have reduced threat in last 2 years have worked well, plus now we have benefit of vaccines. We have to learn as a society to live with this virus, live with the risk where ever we are going in our community, adhere to best practices. Open in slow manner, we’ve been slow and steady and cautious in Ontario and that has done us well.
Officials also offered clarification on capacity limits, saying that the 50 per cent limit applies to rooms within a facility as opposed to the number of people who can fit in the building as a whole.
For religious ceremonies and services, capacity restrictions have changed to allow as many people as can fit in the space while remaining physically distant. The province said those responsible for indoor weddings, funerals or other religious services “may elect to require attendees to provide proof of identification and of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”
These new regulations come into effect on Jan. 31 as the province enters the first of three reopening stages.
On Monday, movie theatres, meeting rooms and event spaces will be able to operate with 50 per cent capacity indoors. The same goes for indoor restaurants, bars, retailers, museums, and religious services.
Spectators will once again return to sporting events and concert venues at 50 per cent capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
However, social gathering limits will remain more restricted, with 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
The government plans to lift further restrictions on Feb. 21, however Ford said that if public health trends have not improved the government “won’t hesitate” to pause between steps “for a few extra days.”
Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, told CTV News the province needs to carefully monitor hospitalizations as it reopens, especially considering the fact that many residents have still not gotten their booster shots.
“We see now ways that our third dose rollout has fallen asleep a bit, which worries me a lot,” he said. “e have less than half a million third doses per week, that's far too little, may need to make it to you know, nine million at least by the end of February and we are far away from that.”
“And then we have the additional reopening and we just should expect that our hospital numbers and ICU numbers could go up a bit again.”
ONTARIO TO BEGIN RESUMING NON-URGENT SURGERIES
The province also said that it will be taking a “phased approach” to resume some health services that were paused earlier this month.
This includes non-urgent surgeries and procedures in pediatrics, diagnostic services, cancer screeings, some ambulatory clinics, private hospitals, and independent health facilities.
However, officials warned that not all hospitals will immediately resume these procedures and that “hospitals will need to meet certain criteria.”
Very few details were released regarding what those criteria are, however officials said in a statement that it would be based on “local context and conditions.”
Jan 26, 2022 • 16 hours ago • 2 minute read • 11 Comments
Amy Schneider has been a million-dollar winner on "Jeopardy!" in the last year.Photo by Casey Durkin /Jeopardy Productions Inc.
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LOS ANGELES — After a thrilling 40-game streak, “Jeopardy!” phenom Amy Schneider finally met her match.
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Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, Calif., lost her 41st game on Wednesday to Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago.
With 40 consecutive wins, Schneider holds the title for the second-longest run in the quiz show’s history, collecting $1,382,800 in winnings in the process. Her appearance on “Jeopardy!” has been one for the history books.
After winning her 10th straight game back in November, Schneider became the first out transgender person to make the Tournament of Champions. She later became the first woman and fourth contestant ever to surpass $1 million in earnings.
Compared to recent “Jeopardy!” challenger James Holzhauer, known for his flashy wagers and aggressive gameplay, Schneider’s approach to glory was relatively understated. Still, she’s indomitable with the buzzer and has waltzed into every Final Jeopardy round since her first with an insurmountable lead.
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That is, until Wednesday.
In the show’s latest episode, Talsma ended the show in first place with $29,600, and Schneider was second with $19,600. Schneider maintained a healthy $10,000 lead going into Final Jeopardy, where the category was “Countries of the World.”
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However, she did not provide a response to the clue — “The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an H, it’s also one of the 10 most populous” — and her wager ultimately cost her the game. Talsma provided the correct answer, “What is Bangladesh?” and thus, a new “Jeopardy!” champion was crowned.
“I had thought that Rhone was going to be tough going into it,” said Schneider. “I loved hanging out with him, we had great conversation before the taping, but I could tell that he was here to play and that he was going to be good. I still came very close to winning, but I did feel like maybe I was slipping a little bit. And once it was clear that he was fast on the buzzer, I knew it was going to be a battle all the way.”
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In the weeks since her initial appearance in November, Schneider has landed herself in rarified company.
Only Jennings, who newly took over part-time hosting duties from the late Alex Trebek, has a longer winning streak with 74 wins. In terms of cash prizes, Schneider’s haul is the No. 4 biggest pot ever in terms of regular season earnings behind Matt Amodio ($1,518,601), Holzhauer ($2,462,216), and Jennings ($2,520,700).
“It’s really been an honour,” Schneider said. “To know that I’m one of the most successful people at a game I’ve loved since I was a kid and to know that I’m a part of its history now, I just don’t know how to process it.”
Schneider will return this fall the Tournament of Champions, where she will compete against Amodio and other top contestants from the current season. Talsma will face two new challengers on Thursday’s show.
“I’m still in shock,” Talsma said. “This is my favorite show … I was so excited to be here and I just wanted to do my best. I did not expect to be facing a 40-day champion, and I was excited to maybe see someone else slay the giant. I just really didn’t think it was going to be me, so I’m thrilled.”
Neil Young's music is being removed from Spotify's streaming service after the singer-songwriter objected to his songs playing on the same platform that offers Joe Rogan's podcast, the company and the musician said on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Young had released a letter addressed to his manager and record label, Warner Music Group, demanding that Spotify no longer carry his music because he said Rogan spreads misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
On Wednesday, the Canadian-born singer, known for iconic anthems such as Heart of Gold and Rockin' In the Free World, thanked his record label for "standing with me in my decision to pull all my music from Spotify," and he encouraged other musicians to do the same.
"Spotify has become the home of life-threatening COVID misinformation," he said on his website. "Lies being sold for money."
WATCH | Neil Young gives Spotify an ultimatum — my music or Joe Rogan:
Neil Young gives Spotify an ultimatum: my music or Joe Rogan
1 day ago
Duration 2:03
Outspoken singer-songwriter Neil Young has given Spotify an ultimatum between streaming his music or continuing to distribute the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, known for featuring COVID-19 contrarians with confusing and dangerous views. 2:03
The Swedish company said it works to balance "both safety for listeners and freedom for creators" and that it has removed more than 20,000 podcast episodes related to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
"We regret Neil's decision to remove his music from Spotify but hope to welcome him back soon," Spotify said in a statement.
Rogan, 54, is the host of The Joe Rogan Experience, the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which holds exclusive rights to the program.
He has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of COVID-19.
Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed a letter urging Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the podcast.
Young, 76, said Spotify accounted for 60 per cent of the streaming of his music to listeners around the world. The removal is "a huge loss for my record company to absorb," he said.
LOS ANGELES -- "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider's dazzling streak is over, snapped Wednesday by a Chicago librarian after 40 consecutive wins and nearly US$1.4 million in prize money.
Schneider's success put her in the ranks of Ken Jennings, who's serving as guest host, and the quiz show's other all-time greats. It also made Schneider, a trans woman, a visible symbol of achievement for often-marginalized people.
"It's still a little hard to believe," she said of her impressive run. "It's something that I'm going to be remembered for, and that's pretty great,"
New champ Rhone Talsma had the correct response to the final "Jeopardy!" clue for a winning total of $29,600. Schneider, who found herself in the unusual position of entering the last round short of a runaway, was second with $19,600.
"I'm still in shock," Talsma said in a statement. "I did not expect to be facing a 40-day champion, and I was excited to maybe see someone else slay the giant. I just really didn't think it was going to be me, so I'm thrilled."
Schneider told The Associated Press that Talsma played well and did a "great job of taking the opportunities when they came up and putting himself position to be able to win."
The answer that stumped Schneider was about countries of the world: The only nation whose name in English ends in an "h" and which is also one of the 10 most populous. (Cue the "Jeopardy!" music -- and the response is, "What is Bangladesh?")
Among her immediate reactions when the game and her streak ended: She was sad but also relieved that "I don't have to come up with anymore anecdotes," the stories that contestants share during game breaks.
Contestants receive their winnings after their final game airs, and Schneider's spending plans include clothes shopping and, especially, travel.
An engineering manager and Dayton, Ohio, native who lives in Oakland, California, Schneider's regular-season play made her No. 2 in consecutive games won, placing her between Jennings with 74 games and Matt Amodio, winner of 38 games in 2021.
Schneider's prize total of $1,382,800 puts her in fourth place on the regular-season winnings list, behind Jennings ($2,520,700), James Holzhauer ($2,462,216) and Amodio ($1,518,601).
Schneider, will be part of the show's "Tournament of Champions," and is the first trans person to qualify,
She was braced for her streak to end, she told AP.
"I had a feeling my time was winding down, even though it didn't look that way in the scores," Schneider said. The routine of traveling to Los Angeles for tapings -- five shows a day, two days a week -- was tiring, and that took a toll.
After she surpassed Amodio's tally of consecutive victories, she added, the prospect of trying to break Jennings' long-standing record was "hard to imagine."
Schneider's depth of knowledge, lightning-fast answers and gracious but efficient manner won her a devoted fan base. Comedy writer Louis Virtel, a former "Jeopardy!" contestant, tweeted earlier this month that Schneider was like a "case worker assigned to each episode, and when she's done she picks up her briefcase, nods, and leaves."
She was also admired for her handling of anti-trans trolls, with one measured reply prompting a shoutout to her from writer and Broadway star Harvey Fierstein.
"The best outcome of all of this always is going to be whatever help I've been able to offer the trans community," Schneider said. "I'm here because of the sacrifices countless trans people have made, often to the extent of risking their lives. To do my part to move that cause forward, it's really special."
Schneider has a message for "Jeopardy!" viewers who will miss making her part of their daily routine: "I realized that I am really just so sad for all my fans. ... I want to thank them for all their support, and tell them that's it's OK."
For the season through Jan. 17, "Jeopardy!" ranked as the most-watched syndicated program with an average 9.4 million viewers -- a substantial increase of 563,000 over the last season. The show averaged 11 million viewers for the week of Jan. 10-17, according to Nielsen.
The streaks by Schneider and Amodio have helped ease "Jeopardy!" past the mishandled replacement of its admired host, the late Alex Trebek. Executive producer Mike Richards was picked by Sony Pictures Television to replace Trebek last year, but quickly exited the show after old podcasts surfaced that included his misogynistic and other demeaning comments.
A permanent host has yet to be named, with Mayim Bialik, who was named host of prime-time "Jeopardy!" specials, and Jennings trading off this season. Jennings is also a consulting producer for the show.
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LONDON — Walt Disney Co says it is “taking a different approach” for its upcoming live-action remake of animated movie “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” following criticism from actor Peter Dinklage .
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In an interview on comedian Marc Maron’s podcast “WTF” on Monday, Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia, said the casting of a Latina actress in the titular role was “progressive” but called the story, based on the 19th-century fairytale, “backward.”
“Literally no offenc to anything, but I was a little taken aback…They were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White – but you’re still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the “Game of Thrones” and “Cyrano” actor said.
“Take a step back and look at what you’re doing there. It makes no sense to me. You’re progressive in one way…, but you’re still making that f****** backward story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together? What the f*** are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox? I guess I’m not loud enough.”
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The remake of Disney’s 1937 animated film, in which seven dwarf miners take in a princess after she is exiled by her wicked stepmother, stars “West Side Story” actress Rachel Zegler as Snow White and Israeli actress Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
“To avoid reinforcing stereotypes from the original animated film, we are taking a different approach with these seven characters and have been consulting with members of the dwarfism community,” a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to industry publication The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday and which was quoted widely in the media.
“We look forward to sharing more as the film heads into production after a lengthy development period.”
When contacted for comment, a Disney representative referred Reuters to the published statement.
The new Snow White movie is scheduled for release next year.
Neil Young‘s music is being removed from Spotify’s streaming service after the singer-songwriter objected to his songs playing on the same platform that offers Joe Rogan‘s podcast, the company and the musician said on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Young had released a letter addressed to his manager and record label, Warner Music Group, demanding that Spotify no longer carry his music because he said Rogan spreads misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.
On Wednesday, the “Heart of Gold” and “Rocking In the Free World” singer thanked his record label for “standing with me in my decision to pull all my music from Spotify,” and he encouraged other musicians to do the same.
“Spotify has become the home of life threatening COVID misinformation,” he said on his website. “Lies being sold for money.”
The Swedish company said it worked to balance “both safety for listeners and freedom for creators” and had removed more than 20,000 podcast episodes related COVID-19 in accordance with its “detailed content policies.”
“We regret Neil’s decision to remove his music from Spotify, but hope to welcome him back soon,” Spotify said in a statement.
Neil Young writes Trump open letter after U.S. president continues to use his music
Neil Young writes Trump open letter after U.S. president continues to use his music – Jul 8, 2020
Rogan, 54, is the host of The Joe Rogan Experience, the top-rated podcast on Spotify, which holds exclusive rights to the program.
He has stirred controversy with his views on the pandemic, government mandates and vaccines to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Earlier this month, 270 scientists and medical professionals signed a letter urging Spotify to take action against Rogan, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the podcast.
Young, 76, said Spotify accounted for 60 per cent of the streaming of his music to listeners around the world. The removal is “a huge loss for my record company to absorb,” he said.
