Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(ORLANDO, Fla.) — A new roller coaster has been unveiled at Walt Disney World — Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
The family-thrill attraction matches the “grandiosity” and fun of the hit Guardians of the Galaxy movies and involves new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering with 360-degree rotation to show guests all the action.
It also features the first reverse-launch on a Disney roller coaster aboard and is one of the largest fully enclosed coasters in the world.
Riders can expect to crank up an awesome mixtape aboard a starblaster and blast off on an awesome intergalactic chase through time and space featuring the legendary cosmic outlaws — Rocket, Groot, Drax, Gamora and Star-Lord (a.k.a. Peter Quill).
The fully-enclosed and immersive ride is located in the park’s newly renamed World Discovery neighborhood — the first ‘other-world’ showcase pavilion at EPCOT.
The ride follows a story of Eson — a Celestial that has been watching Earth for eons and intends to use the Cosmic Generator to jump back in time and change the course of humanity.
Nova Prime Irani Rael commands her top officer, Centurion Tal Marik, to contact the Guardians of the Galaxy right away and ask for their assistance. As the Terrans evacuate the ship via Starjumper shuttles — small escape pods that launch from the Starcharter cruiser — the Guardians arrive to reprogram the Starjumpers so guests can help them track down Eson in an intergalactic chase.
The new attraction officially opens on May 27 at Epcot as part of the park’s multiyear transformation.
While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was conjuring up box office magic all over the world, writer-director James Gunn called a wrap on another Marvel Studios project. With a picture of the movie’s “clapper,” Gunn said the threequel wrapped on Saturday.
“After over 100 days of shooting & over 3000 shots, this is the slate for the final shot of #GotGVol3, presented to me by the camera crew,” he began a lengthy post on social media.
“It was an easy shot of Rocket seated…& took everything in me not to break down sobbing on the spot,” Gunn explained.
The Peacemaker creator added, “The majority of the last ten years of my life have been spent working on & thinking about the Guardians. I still have a long road ahead of me with VFX [visual effects] & editing, but it was still momentous to me.”
“It is somewhat simple to explain to others how much I love this cast & crew. It is more difficult to explain how much I love these characters – that I see them as parts of myself & parts of those I love, & filming them, & writing their words, is a way of expressing that love,” Gunn expressed.
He added, “…shooting that last shot was a reminder of the warm impermanence of life & love, & how that impermanence makes it so precious, so valuable, & is a good reason to be grateful for what I have right now.”
Gunn also posted a photo of his celebrating with his cast, including Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Sean Gunn, and Karen Gillan. He added, “and Zoe [Saldana] was with us, too!”
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is slated to hit theaters May 5, 2023.
Gabby Barrett may be thinking “I Hope” daughter Baylah is ready for a sibling.
Gabby revealed the news — fittingly, on Mother’s Day — that she and husband Cade Foehner are expecting their second child. Posting a video of her sonogram on her socials, the star wrote, “My son. Another LIFE we get to love and cherish. Happy Mothers Day!”
On Instagram, Cade wrote, ‘Happy Mother’s Day to my amazing, strong, and fruitful Bride! She is currently carrying another precious life made in the image of God.”
Gabby and Cade got married in October 2019 after meeting on season 16 of American Idol. They welcomed Baylah on January 18, 2021.
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are feeling extra thankful this Mother’s Day now that their baby daughter is home from the NICU.
On Sunday, the couple shared nearly identical Instagram posts to celebrate the holiday and revealed that their daughter, who was born in January, is “finally home.”
Alongside a photo of the family of three, with the newborn’s face obscured for privacy by a white heart, Nick wrote, “On this Mother’s Day we can’t help but reflect on these last few months and the rollercoaster we’ve been on, which we now know, so many people have also experienced. After 100 plus days in the NICU, our little girl is finally home.”
“Every family’s journey is unique and requires a certain level of faith, and while ours was a challenging few months, what becomes abundantly clear, in retrospect, is how precious and perfect every moment is,” the post continued.
The pair didn’t reveal what complications their little one went through but they did go on to thank the medical teams at Rady Children’s La Jolla and Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles “who were there selflessly every step of the way.”
“Our next chapter begins now, and our baby is truly a bada**. Let’s get it M! Mommy and Daddy love you,” the post concluded.
While they didn’t reveal the name of their newborn, Peoplereported that the new parents decided on Malti Marie Chopra Jonas.
Nick added of Priyanka, “Babe, you inspire me [in] every way, and you are taking to this new role with such ease and steadiness.”
In January, Nick and Priyanka announced Malti’s arrival, saying in a statement, “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate. We respectfully ask for privacy during this special time as we focus on our family.”
Kendrick Lamar is back! The rapper dropped his new song, “The Heart Part 5,” on Sunday, his first solo single in nearly four years.
During the song Kendrick raps about “the culture,” but before getting into his lightning-fast rhymes, he prefaces with a message to his fans.
“As I get a little older, I realize life is perspective /And my perspective may differ from yours,” he says. “I wanna say thank you to everyone that’s been down with me /All my fans, all my beautiful fans /Anyone who’s ever gave me a listen, all my people.”
Along with single came the music video, which features Kendrick in front of a dark red background rocking a white tee with a black bandana tied around his neck. As he raps, his face morphs into notable Black men like OJ Simpson, Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Nipsey Hussle, to seemingly drive home the meaning behind his lyrics.
Kanye’s face appears as Kendrick raps about his “friend’s bipolar,” while the late Kobe and Nipsey appear as he reflects on the legacy he leaves behind.
On social media, Kendrick promoted the track with the opening scene from his music video which is a quote attributed to Oklama that reads, “I am. All of us.”
“The Heart Part 5” comes ahead of Kendrick’s fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, which is due out Friday, May 13. His last album, DAMN, was released in April 2017.
The release of Will Smith‘s upcoming film for Apple, Emancipation, expected to premiere at this year’s fall film festivals, has been delayed to 2023, according to Variety. The movie, directed by Training Day helmer Antoine Fuqua, would have been Smith’s first release since his assault on comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars. As a result, Smith was banned from attending the Oscars and other Academy-related events for 10 years. Emancipation, written by Bill Collage, also stars The Survivor‘s Ben Foster and follows a runaway slave who tries to escape his owners…
Mindy Kaling‘s coming-of-age dramedy, Never Have I Ever, will return for season three on August 12, Netflix announced Sunday at its Netflix Is a Joke Fest, according to Entertainment Weekly. The series, which follows the life of an Indian American teen, stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Richa Moorjani, Jaren Lewison, Darren Barnet, Lee Rodriguez and Ramona Young, with narration from John McEnroe…
The BBC announced Rwandan-born Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa [SHOO-tee GAT-wah] will succeed Jodie Whittaker as the next Doctor in Doctor Who. Whittaker made history in 2017, when she was cast as the first female doctor in the series’ then-54-year run. Gatwa will be the first Black actor to play the Doctor, aside from a one-off appearance by actress Jo Martin, who played Fugitive Doctor Ruth Clayton in a 2020 episode. Gatwa stars in the Netflix comedy Sex Education, where he plays Eric Effiong, best friend to Asa Butterfield’s Otis…
(NEW YORK) — As a leaked draft Supreme Court decision shows the court may be ready to overturn the abortion rights guaranteed under Roe v. Wade, state legislators in New York and California are looking to increase access to reproductive services, including to people coming from other states.
The draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked to Politico earlier this week and confirmed as authentic by Chief Justice John Roberts, who ordered an investigation into its public release.
Roberts said in a statement the document “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”
State legislators in California have proposed a package of bills to address what they expect to be an influx in people seeking access to abortion in the state if Roe is overturned. New York lawmakers have also proposed legislation that would help people pay for abortions, even allowing taxpayers to contribute donations.
U.S. Senate Democrats, who have widely criticized the court’s apparent decision, are planning a vote on a proposed bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, next week which would codify Roe v. Wade, making it federal law. The bill would also outlaw all abortion legislation at the state level, including legislation that was in line with Roe. But it is unlikely to become law, despite passing in the House.
With the Supreme Court decision expected over the summer, lawmakers in Canada expressed concern over how the court’s apparent decision would limit access to abortion in Canada and the U.S.
“One of the concerning factors here is that there are many Canadian women who maybe don’t live near a major city in Canada, but will often access these services in the United States,” Karina Gould, Canada’s families, children and social development minister, told the CBC. “I’m very concerned about the leak yesterday. I’m very concerned about what this means, particularly for American women, but also for Canadian women.”
Gould said American women will be able to get abortions in Canada if Roe is overturned, in the interview.
“I don’t see why we would not,” said Gould “If they, people, come here and need access, certainly, that’s a service that would be provided.”
Those seeking abortions would also be able to get access in Mexico. Last year, Mexico’s Supreme Court rule to decriminalize abortion, deeming it unconstitutional to punish abortion.
Legislation proposed in New York
The New York State Senate has proposed a bill that would establish an access fund to pay for abortions and allows taxpayers to contribute to the fund on their state income tax returns. The bill is currently with the Senate Finance Committee.
Another proposed New York bill would require insurance policies providing maternity care coverage to provide coverage for abortions. The bill, currently with the Senate Insurance Committee, cited the federal government’s “hostility toward abortion” in its justification for the state’s need to enact such a law.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, in a letter to Congress urging it to pass the WHPA, said the state can expect an “11 to 13% increase in out-of-state patients traveling to New York for abortion care,” if Roe is overturned.
Hochul said the state is preparing to provide access to abortion care for people from out of state.
“For New York State to fully step up and be able to accommodate everyone who needs care, we need significant federal support to bolster our provider network and accommodate these new patients. Following action to repeal the Hyde Amendment, Congress must make federal funding available to states like New York that expect an influx of patients from other states,” Hochul said.
Hochul also called for federal protections that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to ship abortion medication to all states and for the expansion of telehealth services to facilitate access to abortion.
“As many states work to close off avenues to safe abortion services within their borders, the demand for abortion-inducing medications through mail and delivery services is growing. The U.S. Postal Service is a critical partner to meet the current demand, and Congress must adequately fund the postal service to ensure patients can receive prescribed medical abortion medications, regardless of their zip code,” Hochul said.
In the letter, Hochul also called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which she said has “prevented federal funds from being used for abortion services, including health insurance funds that support low-income Americans.”
New York is one of only 15 states to cover abortions with state Medicaid dollars and the state has passed a law that requires health plans to cover abortion services without cost-sharing, Hochul said.
The state has also allowed abortion telehealth services and has convened an Abortion Access Working Group, which will meet regularly with patients, providers and advocates to guide state abortion policy and respond to needs.
Legislation proposed in California
In anticipation of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the California State Legislature introduced a package of 13 bills in January in an effort to make California a “sanctuary or a refuge for individuals seeking abortions and reproductive health care,” California assemblywoman and chair of its women’s caucus, Cristina Garcia, told ABC News in an interview.
“We introduce a package of bills and I think the idea is: that a right without access is an empty promise,” Garcia said.
When crafting the bills, legislatures relied on a report from the Future of Abortion Council, a group made up of more than 40 organizations across the state, which gave recommendations to protect and expand access to abortion in California.
According to research from the Guttmacher Institute, overturning Roe, which would allow some states to ban abortions, would increase the number of women whose nearest provider would be in California from 46,000 to 1.4 million.
“That’s an over 1,000% increase for what we see here in California. And so we really need to shore up our access here to make sure we have enough providers that could perform these services,” Garcia said.
Among the aims of the package of bills, the legislature is trying protect the privacy of providers and patients coming in from out of state and widen the number of providers able to perform the procedure and where the procedure could be performed, Garcia said.
Legislatures are doing their best to move up the timeline for when these bills would pass, she said.
“While we were being proactive in January when we introduced the bills and we’re just letting them go through the regular process, we realized that we missed something in our planning. The fact that we expect something come June — July was like, oh, we should hurry up and add urgency, where appropriate, to our bills,” Garcia said.
One bill, which has already passed, eliminates copays, deductibles and any cost-sharing requirements for abortions for all state-licensed health care service plans or disability insurance policies issued after 2022. This would apply to covered spouses and dependents, and Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
The legislature on Friday placed urgency on a bill to protect patients and providers from civil actions and financial retaliation for abortion services that are legal in California. A second bill they are also looking to add urgency to would deny out-of-state subpoenas for patient information regarding reproductive health care granted in California.
“Our goal is to get that through and passed before the end of June, and then would go into effect July 1,” Garcia said.
The California Legislative Women’s Caucus is in the process of identifying which other bills should take priority in order attempt to pass them by the June 30 deadline, she said. Those bills, with urgency, would become law by July 1, according to Garcia.
Other bills could become law as soon as next year. For a bill to go into effect in the new year, it needs to pass the legislature by Aug. 31 and be signed by the governor by Sept. 30. Some of the bills in the package may have later starting dates, according to Garcia.
The package also aims to increase access to people in marginalized groups who have access problems, including Californians.
One of the proposed bills would make Los Angeles a safe haven for abortions, regardless of residency. The bill would also establish a Los Angeles County Abortion Access Safe Haven Pilot Program, with the goal of advancing reproductive healthcare, specifically abortions, according to the bill.
Another bill would use tax dollars to set up a website that would help connect people coming from out of state with groups providing support services for those seeking abortions. The services include airfare, lodging, ground transportation, gas money, meals, dependent childcare, doula support and translation services, to help a person access and obtain an abortion, according to the bill.
“The idea is to create a public-private partnership … so that people looking to come to the state could then be connected to the different groups are already providing that network of support: to help you with the travel, to help you to ensure that you’re at a good provider, [and] that you have lodging while you’re here,” Garcia said.
State legislators from Connecticut and Washington have also reached out to Garcia for advice on implementing similar protections in their states and Garcia has been connecting those legislators with different groups that they work with in California, she said.
Anti-abortion rights groups, such as Live Action, have criticized California’s laws, one of which they said would permit abortions through all nine months of pregnancy. This includes what Live Action’s president called “death by neglect” by failing to provide medical care during the perinatal period after a child is born.
“That should not be the right of California to do. They don’t have the right to endanger children in the womb that way,” said Lila Rose, the president and founder of Live Action.
Rose also criticized California’s governor for the state’s move to help pay for abortions.
“It’s really disgusting what [Governor] Gavin Newsom in California is doing announcing that California is actually going to pay for people to come to our state to have abortions, literally making it an abortion tourism state,” Rose said.
She added, “the solution or the response should be we need to work to help women and help children so that they can live as opposed to we’re going to encourage them to literally travel to kill their children or have their children be killed.”
Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scored an estimated $185 million in its domestic debut, marking the biggest opening weekend of the year, the second-biggest pandemic opening — after Spider-Man: No Way Home — and the 11th-biggest North American opening of all time. The film, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen, did even better overseas, where it delivered an estimated $265 million, helping Doctor Strange 2‘s global debut soar to $450 million.
Coming in second was The Bad Guys with an estimated $9 million in its third week of release. The animated film has collected $57.6 million in North America to go along with $90.6 million overseas for a worldwide total of $148.1 million.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 finished in third place, grabbing an estimated $6.2 million. It’s five-week domestic total now stands at $169.9, to go along with $179 million internationally for a $349.4 million total global haul.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore pulled up in fourth place, earning just south of $4 million. The Harry Potter spinoff has earned a modest $86 million after four weeks, but has fared much better overseas, where it collected $277.7 million. It’s worldwide total currently stands at $363.7 million.
Rounding out the top five was the indie film Everything Everywhere All at Once, which delivered $3.3 million in its seventh week of release. Domestically, the Michelle Yeoh dark comedy has raked in $41.6 million in its first seven weeks of release and $3.9 million internationally, for a global tally of $45.4 million.
Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — The bombshell leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade was disheartening but not surprising to many abortion providers, who have been preparing for the possible end of legal abortion for years.
Whole Woman’s Health operates abortion clinics in Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, Indiana and Texas. For Marva Sadler, the senior director of clinical services for the abortion provider, recent restrictions on abortion access in Texas offer a hint of what’s to come if Roe is overturned this year.
After Texas’ near-total ban on abortions, SB8, went into effect last year, the number of patients seeking abortions at Whole Woman’s Health’s Texas clinics declined by upward of 50%, Sadler said. Meanwhile, Texas patients have traveled as far as Virginia to obtain an abortion due to waits at closer clinics. Whole Woman’s Health’s Minnesota clinic has seen a 30% increase in the number of patients from Texas since SB8 went into effect, Sadler said.
“Unfortunately, Texas has given us great insight in exactly what we’ll see happening on a much bigger, larger scale,” Sadler told ABC News.
Preparing for an influx
The leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion is not a final decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involves a ban on abortions in Mississippi after 15 weeks of pregnancy — before the fetal viability line established by Roe.
The Mississippi law remains under review by the Supreme Court, but 26 states are certain or likely to prohibit abortions if Roe is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health policy research organization.
That includes every state that borders Illinois. Planned Parenthood of Illinois expects between 20,000 to 30,000 more patients would travel to the state each year for abortion care if Roe falls.
“We really do anticipate that that’s going to happen,” Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, told ABC News. “And what we have been doing is preparing for a number of years for this eventuality.”
Preparations include expanding the sizes of its health centers, opening two new clinics on the Indiana and Wisconsin borders, launching telehealth services for medical abortions and working with partners like abortion funds and other affiliates “to make sure that there’s a navigation program in place so patients can get the care they need here in Illinois,” Welch said.
Whole Woman’s Health has been assessing the needs at its clinics for years, as abortion access has changed in the states it covers and their neighbors. The organization has already started the process of readjusting its staffing needs should Roe be overturned “to make sure that we are well aware of how far we can expand … and what we need to obtain to move forward,” Sadler said.
Responding to evolving needs
In the wake of SB8, which bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, Whole Woman’s Health has helped women get abortion care out of state if they are unable to in Texas. It launched its Abortion Wayfinder Program, which refers patients to a Whole Woman’s Health clinic in a haven state like Maryland, Minnesota or Virginia, as well as connects them to other ally organizations and funding support. So far, the program has helped over 85 women access or obtain abortion care outside of Texas, Sadler said.
“That program has grown so fast that we’ve not been able to keep up,” she said.
If Roe is overturned, Sadler anticipates its clinics will reassess the needs of the communities they serve in order to continue to provide reproductive health care, such as by continuing to help patients access abortion care outside of Texas.
“Texas will absolutely be one of the states where abortion will become illegal very shortly after and if Roe falls, and so we do have to be prepared and are prepared for what does that post-Roe atmosphere look like for our Texas clinics,” Sadler said. “We’re going to do whatever we possibly could do to see as many patients as we possibly can — where we can, while we can. And in the event that we cannot, then we’ll reassess what those patients in those communities need and how we can be of assistance to them.”
Expanding in safe havens
Some abortion clinics are anticipating opening new facilities in states that are less likely to enact sweeping bans should Roe be overturned.
Shannon Brewer, the director of Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, Jackson Women’s Health, told ABC News’ podcast “Start Here” last week that she’s seeking to open a new location in New Mexico.
“This is not something that is going to just affect Mississippi within the year. This is going to affect upwards of 25 to 26 states, which is half of the United States,” said Brewer.
Sadler said that opening more clinics is “absolutely part of the conversation” at Whole Woman’s Health.
“If women are going to have to make a mass exodus outside of the state to go to where they need to go, we definitely need to pay attention and are paying attention to where those safe havens are, what the current situation can hold and who can hold the influx and where the need may arise in the near future,” Sadler said.
Welch said Planned Parenthood of Illinois is considering opening a new location in southern Illinois.
“We need to know that we have a location that is safe and appropriate for our patients and our staff,” she said. “That would be a while down the road, so we’re so focused on the other ways that we can welcome 20[,000] to 30,000 additional patients into Illinois per year when the Supreme Court overrules Roe.”
‘We’re not leaving these communities’
Trust Women operates abortion clinics in Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas. Both have seen an influx of patients since SB8 went into effect; patient volume at the Oklahoma City clinic has doubled since September, with a majority of patients now coming from Texas, according to communications director Zack Gingrich-Gaylord.
The Texas ban has increased waits for care at both clinics. With the Oklahoma governor signing a six-week abortion ban similar to the one in Texas last week, the abortion provider expects delays at its Kansas clinic to get even worse.
Trust Women has been working to increase capacity at its Kansas facility by bringing on additional doctors and increasing the number of clinic days. It also is looking to bring over its Oklahoma staff in the wake of the state’s new restrictions.
If Roe falls, Oklahoma’s trigger law would ban abortion in the state, placing further demand on independent abortion clinics in Kansas, Gingrich-Gaylord told ABC News.
“As more states fall off and access becomes even more limited, then people will not be able to see doctors in clinics,” he said. “There are much better medicines and ways to self-manage abortion now and it’s very safe to do so. But even that still will be out of reach for some people.”
As abortion clinics await the Supreme Court’s decision, Trust Women is working to protect abortion rights in Kansas ahead of an upcoming ballot measure in the August primary that could overturn the constitutional protection for abortion access in the state.
“If Roe falls, Kansas will be the closest legal abortion provider for 7.7 million people across the region,” Gingrich-Gaylord said. “So Kansas’ constitutional protection for abortion matters.”
Though there are challenges to abortion access in Oklahoma and Kansas, Gingrich-Gaylord said Trust Women doesn’t have any plans to leave the states and open clinics elsewhere.
“Our plans are to remain in our communities,” he said. “We may adjust how we do some things, but we’re not leaving these communities and our clinics will stay open and provide some service going forward. We’re not going anywhere.”
